Cryptocurrency and the Nigerian Economy

The development of cryptocurrency as a means of exchange without legal backing and invisibility of the identity of operators has posed peculiar challenges such as illicit financial flow and terrorism amongst others, to the country. This study, therefore, sought to examine the effect of cryptocurrency on the Nigerian economy. The study was hinged on social exchange theory. Secondary data were obtained from the CBN statistical bulletin and Global Financial Integrity Report for a period of six years from 2013 to 2018. The data were analyzed using a simple regression model. The result shows that R is 5.8% which means that there is a low positive relationship between cryptocurrency and the level of economic development in Nigeria. It further shows an adjusted R square of -24.6 which depicts that cryptocurrency has a low inverse effect on the level of economic development in Nigeria. In conclusion, the computed p-value of 0.913 which is higher than the set p-value of 0.05 shows that cryptocurrency does not have a significant effect on the level of economic development in Nigeria. Hence, it is recommended that, in order to sustain economic development from the activities of cryptocurrency in Nigeria, the Central Bank of Nigeria needs to ensure that laws and mechanisms are put in place to adequately capture the activities of cryptocurrency in the country.

An investigation into the relationship between fiction and nonfiction reading exposure, and factors of critical thinking

Reading fiction has been associated with improved social and imaginative reasoning that could lead to improved critical thinking. This observational study investigated the relationship between fiction and nonfiction exposure, narrative transportation, and factors of critical thinking (critical thinking disposition, and epistemological orientation). Self-selecting participants (N = 335) completed an online survey including an author recognition test and self-report scales. Fiction scores were significantly associated with higher critical thinking disposition, while nonfiction had an inverse effect correlating with lower disposition. Fiction reading was associated with decreased absolutism, and nonfiction score conversely with higher absolutism. Total and nonfiction print exposure were associated with lower multiplism, with no significant association for fiction. Total and fiction print exposure were associated with higher evaluativism, with no significant association for nonfiction. Narrative transportation mediated some of these relationships. These findings provide a basis for further research into reading fiction and nonfiction, and critical thinking.

Influence of COVID-19 Pandemic Uncertainty in Negative Emotional States and Resilience as Mediators against Suicide Ideation, Drug Addiction and Alcoholism

This research uses structural equation modeling to determine the influence of uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic as an independent variable in the negative emotional states and resilience (as mediating variables) vs. drug addiction, alcoholism, and suicide ideation as dependent variables in 5557 students from a public state university in Northern Mexico. The five variables are related through eight hypotheses and tested using partial least squares. We used an adapted questionnaire sent by email in May 2020. Findings show that uncertainty facing the COVID-19 pandemic had a direct and significant influence on negative emotional states and a significant inverse effect on resilience; in the trajectory, drug addiction and alcoholism, and suicide ideation are explained.

Influence of Environmental Regulation and Resource Utilization on Research and Development Towards Sustainability: A Perspective of China’s Coal Mining Industry

The multi-directional variation of results among environmental regulation, resource utilization, and Research and Development (R&D) investments continue to gain more popularity but few studies have examined the nexus among these variables in an open economy. To analyze the individual and combined effects of environmental regulation and resource utilization on industrial R&D investments, a panel data of 30 provinces in China from 2008 to 2018 was used. We also examined the mechanism underlying the magnitude of pollution inducement on R&D investment. The results show that environmental regulation significantly and positively promotes R&D investment while resource utilization has an inverse effect. Environmental regulation does not interfere with efficiency and neither does the quest for efficiency in resource utilization weaken the impact of environmental regulation on R&D investment. Only a few provinces are within the rising stages of the inverted n-shaped curve indicating environmental regulation level is still low. Even though there are tighter laws, government needs to continue to put in more stringent environmental policies towards achieving sustainable development.

Predicting Hair Cortisol and Cortisone Concentration in Postpartum Women through Repeated Measurements of Perceived Stress

To investigate whether hair cortisol (HCC) and hair cortisone (HCNC) can be predicted by repeated stress reports from postpartum women in different mental health conditions (non-depressed, ND, adjustment disorder, AD, postpartum depression, PPD), 240 mothers (mean age 31.8 years; SD = 4.7) were monitored from within 1 to 6 days of childbirth over a period of three months. HCC and HCNC in 3 cm hair samples were assessed via triple mass spectrometry after liquid chromatographic separation. Every second day, participants reported their stress levels online. The summed perceived stress scores were not found to be predictive of HCC. However, perceived stress predicted a decrease in HCNC (rSpearman = –0.153, p = 0.035) and an increase in the HCC/HCNC ratio (rSpearman = 0.304, p < 0.001) in the ND group. With AD in the first few weeks after childbirth, an inverse effect appeared for HCNC (rSpearman = 0.318, p = 0.011), suggesting an overall downregulation of the HPA axis owing to the stressful experience of adjusting to the new situation. No effects were found for mothers developing PPD. The indirect results of HPA-axis activity are better indicators of the experience of psychological stress in postpartum women than the absolute HCC value.

Development of IOT Device for Sensing Weather and Environmental Pollutants

Pollutants emitted into the atmosphere, such as ozone, which raises temperature, contributes to climate change. This may have inverse effect on the local air quality. However, other Particulate Matter (PM) components can heat or cool the temperature. Weather and environmental pollution can cause headaches, heart disease, respiratory problems, acid rain, fever, and other symptoms that are harmful to both people and the environment. This research center on development of smart sensors to monitor our environment's exposure to weather and environmental contaminants. This was made possible by developing an interface between data collection and monitoring equipment that interfaced with a website and analysis software. The online portal records and analyzes the measured data from the monitoring device in accordance with the WHO (World Health Organization) standard. It also compares the measured data from various locations. The main microcontroller in this work is an Arduino UNO which helps in data collection; and the CoolTerm application which helps exchange data with hardware connected to serial ports with the microcontroller. The system monitors environmental changes such as temperature and precipitation. The data is displayed as graphical statistics on the web site's design in the form of web portal information. Offices on the Federal Polytechnic Ile Oluji campus, in addition to the production powerhouse, are used to test the equipment. Each dataset was generated in three minutes and compared to the WHO standard. People who live near generators, according to the findings, face a greater risk to their health.

Development and characterization of polyvinyl alcohol filled with date palm midrib powder

Date palm ( Phoenix dactylifera L) is one of the most widely cultivated crops in different parts of Saudi Arabia. The midribs rich in cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin are often burnt in the farms, causes severe environmental problems. In the present study, date palm midrib (DPM), these waste materials were powdered and incorporated into polyvinyl alcohol (PVA). Composites were prepared by varying the DPM loading (0–10 wt%) using the solution casting method. Tensile and thermal properties were analyzed for the composites with respect to filler loading. Addition of DPM as filler enhanced the tensile modulus while an inverse effect was observed in the elongation values. Differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) analysis showed a gradual increase in melting temperature (Tm) and crystallinity values for PVA. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) indicated that the incorporation of DPM into PVA can increase the thermal stability of PVA. Morphology of the composites were performed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM).

Variation In Frequency And Share of Duration of Rainy Days In Iran’s Precipitation

In any region, climate change can be manifested in the form of various characteristics of climatic elements. To investigate the possible precipitation variations, as a sign of climate change in Iran, in the present study, the frequency of duration of rainy days was examined as a precipitation characteristic. To this end, gridded data of precipitation were used for the period of 1971-2016, and days with the precipitation of more than 1 mm were considered as rainy days. Considering the frequency of the rainy days, it was revealed that during the study period, one to thirty six-day duration of precipitation occurred in the country. One-day duration had the highest frequencies and covered the vastest area, while thirty six-day duration had the lowest frequencies and covered the smallest area. Accordingly, the one-day duration played the most significant role in annual precipitation. The share of these types of rainfalls in the low-precipitation parts of the country was more than 80% and in some areas. The findings also revealed that there was an increasing frequency of short-term, especially two-day duration, in large parts of the country, and a decrease in the long-term duration. The results showed that latitude and longitude, respectively, had the most significant impact on the frequency distribution of the duration of rainy days. Latitude had a direct effect (except in terms of the share of one-day duration of annual precipitation) and longitude had an inverse effect (except in the share of one-day duration of annual precipitation).

Computer Simulation of Exchange Bias Field at the Ferromagnetic-Antiferromagnetic Boundary

This paper presents computer simulation results for a bilayer system with ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic films. The dependence of the exchange bias field on the external magnetic field for this system is calculated. The Heisenberg model and the Wolf cluster algorithm are used for calculations. The reason for the appearance the bias field is the interaction between spins at the films interface. An increase the external magnetic field leads to a nonlinear increase the bias field. There are two reasons for nonlinearity. First, the external magnetic field suppresses antiferromagnetic ordering. Second, an external magnetic field-ordered ferromagnetic has an inverse effect on the antiferromagnetic film.

Preparation and evaluation of novel functional fermented dairy products containing propolis and cinnamon

Novel functional food products might be an easy accessible and eligible approach to help reduce the risk of severe viral infections including SARS-CoV-2. Hence a product containing probiotics, propolis and cinnamon was developed and interferences of the ingredients were characterized. Yogurts were prepared using starter cultures with propolis (0.03%) and cinnamon in various concentrations (0.3%, 1%, and 2.5%). Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis, Lactobacillus acidophilus, Streptococcus thermophilus, and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus were used as microorganisms for yogurt production. Chemical analysis revealed a decline of fat matter in the presence of propolis and/or cinnamon. Propolis had statistically significant suppressive effects on Bifidobacterium animalis ssp. lactis as well as on Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus numbers (p < 0.05). These effects were diminished in the presence of increasing cinnamon concentrations. For Lactobacillus acidophilus a statistically significant reducing effect on the number of colonies was observed in all products investigated. Nevertheless all samples met the standard of recommended level of ≥ 106 viable cells/g of a product. Propolis showed an inverse effect on Streptococcus thermophilus by increasing its colony numbers in yogurts. The probiotic yogurt samples containing propolis (0.03%) and cinnamon (2.5%) gained the highest number of points in the sensory evaluation compared to control.