L.B. Taiwo, J.A. Adediran, O.A. Ashaye, O.F. Odofin and A.J. Oyadoyin
Okro (Abelmoschus esculentus) was grown in the field and green house and fertilized with organic‐based fertilizer (OBF), organic and chemical fertilizers. Okro soups produced from…
Abstract
Okro (Abelmoschus esculentus) was grown in the field and green house and fertilized with organic‐based fertilizer (OBF), organic and chemical fertilizers. Okro soups produced from the okro fruits harvested from the various fertilizers treatments were subjected to sensory evaluation tests. Application of varying rates of organic fertilizers on the greenhouse okro plants showed that 10 tonnes per hectare of organic fertilizer led to significant increases in microbial activities in the root zone and it also gave the highest pod yield. In the sensory evaluation test of organically grown okro, panelists preferred organically grown okro soup to the chemically grown variant when they assessed the colour, taste, texture, flavour and drawness. Organically grown okro enjoyed more acceptability than tthe chemically grown. In the field trial,no significant effects of all the treatments were found on some growth parameters assessed. However, application of 5t/ha of OBF led to significant increases in the number of okro pods.
Details
Keywords
A flexible model which is based on a Triangular intuitionistic flexibility ranking and aggregating (TIFRA) operator is proposed for failure detection and reliability management in…
Abstract
A flexible model which is based on a Triangular intuitionistic flexibility ranking and aggregating (TIFRA) operator is proposed for failure detection and reliability management in a Wind Turbine system. The model which is employed when there are limited research data and valid source of information, uses expert-based knowledge/opinion for failure detection and reliability management. The results from the study concludes that, the most important area affected by failure with respect to the failure criteria used, includes; oil level sensor tilt sensors for tower installation and accelerometers for tower sway (A2), Pressure sensor for blade monitoring (A3), and the Pitch actuator (A4). The main advantage of the proposed method is that it provides advanced information about faults that identifies the intensity of the system behavior also; the method provides a more complete view of the reliability management and root cause of failure in the Wind Turbine (WT) system using the flexibility parameter in the model.
Details
Keywords
While the declining rate of urban security and its potential effects have been globally acknowledged, the ways urban neighborhood security shapes real estate markets in African…
Abstract
Purpose
While the declining rate of urban security and its potential effects have been globally acknowledged, the ways urban neighborhood security shapes real estate markets in African cities remain largely unexplained. The purpose of this paper therefore is to present the findings from a study of the nexus between urban neighborhood security and home rental prices in Lagos, Nigeria.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper is based on the hedonic price theory, an objectively derived urban neighborhood security index (UNSI) and property rental price data in Ojo, Lagos, Nigeria. This is a quantitative cross-sectional study that employs multistage sampling survey procedure. Data are analyzed using descriptive statistics, nonparametric correlation and hedonic price function with ordinary least squares (OLS).
Findings
Results show that nearly 50% of the study area is prone to insecurity and average rental values in Ojo, Lagos range from N151329.41 ($302.66) to N167333.33 ($334.67) per annum. Correlation analysis shows that home rental prices have high, positive and significant correlations (rs = 0.725 and p < 0) with UNSI. After controlling for neighborhood and structural factors, it is found that urban neighborhood security positively influences home rental values as a unit improvement in security leads to N81000.00 ($162.00) increase in rental value per annum.
Practical implications
Urban neighborhood security risk threatens residential property values, creates unintended residential mobility and destabilizes families. Findings from this study point to the facts that security is a key component of urban housing values and developers, and real estate investors must ensure that this component is well factored into property design, construction and valuation.
Originality/value
This is perhaps the first study that uses an objectively derived UNSI to study home rental price dynamics in Nigeria. The study extends knowledge on urban housing price determinants and contributes to literature on the crucial place of security in property management.
Details
Keywords
Oluwatoyin Augustina Matthew, Abiola Ayopo Babajide, Romanus Osabohien, Anthonia Adeniji, Olabanji Olukayode Ewetan, Omobola Adu, Folasade Adegboye, Felicia Omowunmi Olokoyo, Oluwasogo Adediran, Ese Urhie, Oluwatosin Edafe and Osayande Itua
The purpose of this paper is to examine the challenges of accountability and development in Nigeria. In the literature, corruption is seen as an indicator of a lack of political…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine the challenges of accountability and development in Nigeria. In the literature, corruption is seen as an indicator of a lack of political accountability in most countries of the world, especially in less developed countries such as Nigeria. The Nigerian Government has taken several actions to address the problems of bad governance and corruption that have impeded economic development, but unfortunately these measures have not yielded the desired results.
Design/methodology/approach
Thus, this study examined accountability and developmental issues in Nigeria using secondary data and then made use of the auto-regressive distributed lag econometric technique to analyze the data.
Findings
The results from the study found that a rise in total government expenditure poses a danger of reducing Nigeria’s economic development in the long run and that control of corruption and political (the institutional variables) has a direct and significant effect on Nigeria’s economic development.
Originality/value
Therefore, upon these findings, this paper recommended that for Nigeria to experience development, corruption should be eliminated, and the Nigerian Government should spend on viable projects and economic activities that will be beneficial to the populace and the society at large and hence bring about economic development. Accountability is the hallmark of a prudent government that ensures efficient management of resources and transparency in the utilization of funds by the government. The absence of accountability mechanism allows corruption to thrive, which hinders the developmental process.
Details
Keywords
Olayombo Elizabeth Akinwale, Olusegun Emmanuel Akinwale and Owolabi Lateef Kuye
Employability skills have transformed from the acquisition of university degrees to possessions of cognate skills other than only degrees that can help employees secure…
Abstract
Purpose
Employability skills have transformed from the acquisition of university degrees to possessions of cognate skills other than only degrees that can help employees secure employment in contemporary work environments. This study evaluates essential skills that will prepare millennia of youths and graduates for employment in the present job market. The study investigated four major hypotheses to underscore the employability opportunities of graduates in challenging 21st-century work environments.
Design/methodology/approach
To clearly gain an understanding of women’s disparity in society, the study employed a qualitative approach to evaluate the incidence of gender prejudice in a men’s dominant world. The study utilised two distinguished sampling strategies, purposive and snowballing sampling techniques, which were deemed suitable and useful due to the nature of the study. The study recruited 42 participants by conducting semi-structured interview sessions for the study. The study employed a deductive approach to analyse the data obtained from participants. A thematic content analysis was used to take away prejudice and establish an overarching impression of the interviewed data. Atlas.ti was used to analyse the transcribed interview data from the participants to establish common themes from the surveyed informants.
Findings
The results of this investigation indicated that there is a deep-rooted trend of institutionalised men’s dominance in politics and religious leadership. Women perceived less representation and men dominated the two domains of existence in their local environment. The study established that women are optimistic about a turnaround narrative on gender equality in politics and religious leadership. They expressed their concern about strengthened public debate and campaigns on women’s representation, and against gender discrimination. The study further shows that women are influencing the ethical and moral sense for change against women’s neglect in society. They expressed their concerns against the selection of people into political offices for elected political posts and observed the peculiarity of political godfathers fixing their favourite men into those offices.
Originality/value
The study discovered that women are leading campaigns for their representation in politics as well as church leadership today. The novelty of this study bothering around two domains of women’s lives – politics and religion, in particular, church leadership. These have not been evidence before in a study.
Details
Keywords
Praveen Kumar Bonthagorla and Suresh Mikkili
To generate electricity, solar photovoltaic (PV) systems are among the best, most eco-friendly and most cost-effective solutions available. Extraction of maximum possible…
Abstract
Purpose
To generate electricity, solar photovoltaic (PV) systems are among the best, most eco-friendly and most cost-effective solutions available. Extraction of maximum possible electricity from the solar PV system is complicated by a number of factors brought on by the ever-changing weather conditions under which it must operate. Many conventional and evolutionary algorithm-based maximum power point tracking (MPPT) techniques have the limitation of not being able to extract maximum power under partial shade and rapidly varying irradiance. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to propose a novel hybrid slime mould assisted with perturb and observe (P&O) global MPPT technique (HSMO) for the hybrid bridge link-honey comb (BL-HC) configured PV system to enhance the better maximum power during dynamic and steady state operations within less time.
Design/methodology/approach
In this method, a hybridization of two algorithms is proposed to track the true with faster convergence under PSCs. Initially, the slime mould optimization (SMO) algorithm is initiated for exploration of optimum duty cycles and later P&O algorithm is initiated for exploitation of global duty cycle for the DC–DC converter to operate at GMPP and for fast convergence.
Findings
The effectiveness of the proposed HSMO MPPT is compared with adaptive coefficient particle swarm optimization (ACPSO), flower pollination algorithm and SMO MPPT techniques in terms of tracked GMPP, convergence time/tracking speed and efficacy under six complex partial shading conditions. From the results, it is noticed that the proposed algorithm tracks the true GMPP under most of the shading conditions with less tracking time when compared to other MPPT techniques.
Originality/value
This paper proposes a novel hybrid slime mould assisted with perturb and observe (P&O) global MPPT technique (HSMO) for the hybrid BL-HC configured PV system enhance the better maximum power under partial shading conditions (PSCs). This method operated in two stages as SMO for exploration and P&O for exploitation for faster convergence and to track true GMPP under PSCs. The proposed approach largely improves the performance of the MPP tracking of the PV systems. Initially, the proposed MPPT technique is simulated in MATLAB/Simulink environment. Furthermore, an experimental setup has been designed and implemented. Simulation results obtained are validated through experimental results which prove the viability of the proposed technique for an efficient green energy solution.
Details
Keywords
Terngu Sylvanus Nomishan, Paul-Kolade Tubi and Dimas Solomon Gubam
The aim of this research is to discuss the effect of corruption on conventional management of cultural heritage (CH) resources in Nigeria. It identifies the means by which the…
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this research is to discuss the effect of corruption on conventional management of cultural heritage (CH) resources in Nigeria. It identifies the means by which the effect can be curtailed to bring about proper management system in the CH sector and pave the way for economic/sustainable development through cultural tourism in the country.
Design/methodology/approach
The research draws from both exploratory and comparative approaches. It took a study of selected locations and museums in the six geopolitical zones of the country, with a review of literatures on cultural heritage management (CHM). It also gives summarized information on the present overall effect of corruption in the CH sector of Nigeria.
Findings
The research reveals that there are some levels of mismanagement and destruction of CH resources in the country. This is manifested in acts of museum theft, illicit trafficking, unlawful possession and general mishandling of CH, as well as the deterioration of facilities in the sector. The research gathered that the problem came as a result of wrongful appointment of none heritage experts as heads of heritage-related institutions and agencies. It also results from lack of required attention by the government and other relevant stakeholders (such as community leaders/members, academics and law enforcement agencies, inter alia) toward CH preservation, protection, management and promotion for sustainable development. The research recommends that the government and other CH stakeholders (mentioned above) should make efforts to address the issues discussed, so as to improve the management of CH in the country for sustainable development.
Originality/value
Prior to this research, there has been no publication addressing the effect of corruption on CHM in this context and location. The article makes recommendations that call for action and also set grounds for future discourse.
Details
Keywords
Yvonne Wambui Githiora, Margaret Awuor Owuor, Romulus Abila, Silas Oriaso and Daniel O. Olago
Tropical wetland ecosystems are threatened by climate change but also play a key role in its mitigation and adaptation through management of land use and other drivers…
Abstract
Purpose
Tropical wetland ecosystems are threatened by climate change but also play a key role in its mitigation and adaptation through management of land use and other drivers. Local-level assessments are needed to support evidence-based wetland management in the face of climate change. This study aims to examine the local communities’ knowledge and perception of climate change in Yala wetland, Kenya, and compare them with observed data on climate trends. Such comparisons are useful to inform context-specific climate change adaptation actions.
Design/methodology/approach
The study used a mixed methods approach that combined analysis of climate data with perceptions from the local community. Gridded data on temperature and rainfall for the period from 1981 to 2018 were compared with data on climate change perceptions from semi-structured questionnaires with 286 key informants and community members.
Findings
Majority of the respondents had observed changes in climate parameters – severe drought (88.5%), increased frequency of floods (86.0%) and irregular onset and termination of rains (90.9%) in the past 20 years. The perceptions corresponded with climate trends that showed a significant increasing trend in the short rains and the average maximum temperature, high incidence of very wet years and variability in onset and termination of rainfall between 1981 and 2018. Gender, age and education had little influence on knowledge and awareness of climate change, except for frequency of floods and self-reported understanding of climate change. The community perceived the wetland to be important for climate change adaptation, particularly the provision of resources such as grazing grounds during drought.
Research limitations/implications
The study faced challenges of low sample size, use of gridded climate data and reproducibility in other contexts. The results of this study apply to local communities in a tropical wetland in Western Kenya, which has a bi-modal pattern of rainfall. The sample of the study was regional and may therefore not be representative of the whole of Kenya, which has diverse socioeconomic and ecological contexts. Potential problems have been identified with the use of gridded data (for example, regional biases in models), although their usefulness in data scarce contexts is well established. Moreover, the sample size has been found to be a less important factor in research of highly complex socio-ecological systems where there is an attempt to bridge natural and social sciences.
Practical implications
This study addresses the paucity of studies on climate change trends in papyrus wetlands of sub-Saharan Africa and the role of local knowledge and perceptions in influencing the management of such wetlands. Perceptions largely influence local stakeholders’ decisions, and a study that compares perceptions vs “reality” provides evidence for engagement with the stakeholders in managing these highly vulnerable ecosystems. The study showed that the local community’s perceptions corresponded with the climate record and that adaptation measures are already ongoing in the area.
Originality/value
This study presents a case for the understanding of community perceptions and knowledge of climate change in a tropical wetland under threat from climate change and land use change, to inform management under a changing climate.
Details
Keywords
The purpose of this paper is to explore the effects of USA Executive Order 13224, one of the most important US counter‐terrorist finance measures, on corporations operating in…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to explore the effects of USA Executive Order 13224, one of the most important US counter‐terrorist finance measures, on corporations operating in countries with designated terrorist organizations.
Design/methodology/approach
The effects of Executive Order 13224 are focused on the case of Chiquita Brands International, a major US banana‐exporting corporation that operated in Uraba, Colombia until 2004. The US Government prosecuted Chiquita for “engaging in transactions” with an illicit, Colombian paramilitary group considered by the US a Foreign Terrorist Organization and as a specially‐designated global terrorist. This paper presents the duress defense that Chiquita could have raised at trial under US federal law.
Findings
Executive Order 13224 was drafted hastily and under pressure leading to over‐inclusive language and over‐broad implementation. Chiquita's case suggests that Executive Order 13224, drafted with the intention of reducing terrorist funding, has made it possible for an extortion victim to be prosecuted for payments it has not chosen to make. This paper will suggest narrowly tailoring the language of Executive Order 13224 or providing an exculpatory provision.
Research limitations/implications
Counter‐terrorist finance measure Executive Order 13224 has not been sufficiently examined by scholars. Research on this topic should go hand in hand with enquiry into possible defenses for corporations operating in countries with designated terrorist organizations and having to make extortion payments.
Practical implications
Suggestions are put forward for corporations operating in countries with designated terrorist organizations as well as for drafters of counter‐finance terrorist measures.
Originality/value
Although the designation of terrorist organizations under the executive order has been discussed, few scholars have addressed cases of over‐broad application of the executive order. The unexamined case of Chiquita is a unique case in that the extortion victim, and not the extortion perpetrator, is prosecuted. Also, Chiquita was prosecuted for an activity (making extortion payments to the Autodefensas Unidas Campesinas that became a crime after Chiquita began its engagement with such an activity. Furthermore, examining this case thoroughly is important because it has repercussions on at least two public policy levels: the US' War on terrorism and the rights and remedies of corporations investing in countries with designated terrorist organizations.
Details
Keywords
Enoch Bessah, AbdulGaniy Olayinka Raji, Olalekan John Taiwo, Sampson Kwaku Agodzo, Olusola Oluwayemisi Ololade, Alexandre Strapasson and Emmanuel Donkor
This study aims to assess gender-based differences on farmers’ perception of impacts and vulnerability to climate change and the implementation of adaptation strategies in the Pra…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to assess gender-based differences on farmers’ perception of impacts and vulnerability to climate change and the implementation of adaptation strategies in the Pra River Basin of Ghana, while also providing lessons for other Sub-Saharan nations and regions with similar conditions.
Design/methodology/approach
The study used semi-structured interviews and questionnaires to collect data from 344 farmers, 64 participants in focus group discussions and 6 agriculture extension officers (key informants) from 10 districts in the Pra River Basin of Ghana.
Findings
Results showed several differences in how climate change is perceived and tackled by male and female genders. In the perception of male farmers, for example, they were found to be more vulnerable to increased temperature, and changes in rainfall and growing season, whereas female farmers on average were considered to be less resilient to floods and droughts for different reasons. Moreover, floods posed higher risks to farming than other climate change impacts. Gender roles had a significant correlation with the type of adaptation strategies practised. Men adopted agrochemicals more often than women, as an adaptation strategy.
Research limitations/implications
Gender-differentiated interventions should be incorporated in the national climate change action plan for sustainable development in a rain-fed agricultural economy such as Ghana. The study recommends several actions to promote gender equity in the assessed region.
Originality/value
This research assessed the gender differentials in climate trends, impact, vulnerability and adaptation based on primary data collected between April and May 2019 and compared the results with climate data in the basin for the period 1991–2014. It is an empirical study focused on primary data analysis obtained in loco by authors, involving approximately 400 participants.