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Banks in all climes are primarily faced with problem of credit risk whenever they mediate between the surplus and the deficit units of the economy. This study examined the impact of credit risk management on the profitability of deposit money banks in Nigeria. Specifically, this study evaluated the impact of credit risk management on return on assets, return on equity, and net operating income of deposit money banks in Nigeria. This study adopted an ex post facto research design. Nineteen listed deposit money banks as at December 31, 2018 form the population of this study out of which a sample of fifteen banks were selected based on complete availability of data from 2007-2018. Data obtained was subjected to fixed and random effects regression estimations for the various models in this study using the Hausman test. Findings revealed that: (i) loan-value ratio and loan-deposit ratio significantly impacted on return on assets of deposit money banks, while non-performing loan ratio, bank size, and log of total loans did not significantly impact on return on assets of deposit money banks in Nigeria; (ii) total loans significantly affected return on equity of deposit money banks, while loan-value ratio, loan-deposit ratio, bank size, and non-performing loans did not significantly affect return on equity of deposit money banks in Nigeria; and (iii) bank size, non-performing loan, and total loans were found to significantly affect net operating income of deposit money banks in Nigeria, while loan-value ratio, and loan-deposit ratio did not significantly exert on net operating income of deposit money banks in Nigeria. The study therefore, concluded that loan-value ratio, loan-deposit ratio, value of total loans, bank size, and non-performing loans influence banks profitability in Nigeria, and recommended that proper attention be paid to these variables in order to increase the profitability of deposit money banks in Nigeria.

The over-reliance on fossil fuels as a primary source of energy is partly responsible for the increase in carbon dioxide (CO2), depletion of the ozone layer, and general environmental pollution. In this study, torrefaction of Albizia zygia wood-calcium hydrogen phosphate (CaHPO4) catalyst blends was carried out in a tubular furnace to examine the impacts of temperature, time, and particle size on higher heating value (HHV) and energy yield (EY). Albizia zygia wood was obtained at an industrial sawmill junkyard nearby Kwara State University, dried, crushed, and sieved into 1 - 3 mm particle size. Optimal Combined Design (OCD) was employed for the design, modelling, and optimization of HHV and EY under the ranges of selected temperature (200 - 300°C), residence time (15 - 30 min), and particle size (1 - 3 mm) in an inert environment tubular furnace. The results of the analysis indicated that the temperature of 245°C, time of 22 min, and size of the particle 3 mm yielded a maximum HHV of 19.59 MJ/Kg and EY of 76.37% respectively. Also, the addition of catalyst (CaHPO4) at 10% reduced the ash content but enhanced the fixed carbon content of the biochar. The mathematical models for the HHV and EY for the torrefaction using the OCD imply an excellent fit with R2 of 0.92 and 0.96, respectively. The prediction accuracy indicates that OCD can be deployed for the accurate prediction of HHV and EY in torrified biomass.

Objective: This study assessed the prevalence, causes, pattern of management and outcome of care among patients SCI in University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria. Methods: The study adopted a retrospective research design and case files of all patients with spinal cord injury that received treatment at the hospital from 2015 to 2018 were used for the study. A self-developed checklist was used for data collection. Collected data were analysed using the statistical package for the social sciences (SPSS) version 25. The data were presented with descriptive and inferential statistics at a significance level of p = 0.05. Results: Findings showed that 132 admitted patients out of a total of 850 admissions over four years had SCI with a prevalence rate of 15.5% with highest percentage in 2018 and 65.2% of the SCI resulted from trauma and 34.8% were non-traumatic. Majority of the patients (99.2%) were given analgesics, 97.7% were placed on bed resting, 90.2% received psychotherapy, 89.4% were placed on adequate nutrition, 71.2% were placed on anticoagulants 68.2% placed on catheterization and 57.6% benefited from surgery. Findings also showed that outcomes of care for spinal cord injury ranges from Paraplegia (29.5%), salvaging of bladder or bowel continence (25.0%) and Quadriplegia (15.2%). Conclusion: The study concluded that there is high prevalence of SCI and trauma, road traffic accident and occupational hazard were the major causes of spinal cord injury.

BOOK REVIEW of Driscoll, Barry. 2023. Power, Patronage, and the Local State in Ghana. Athens: Ohio University Press. 272 pp. $34.95 (paper). Barry Driscoll's monograph addresses a significant gap in [...]

This quantitative study examines the effects of internationalization practices on university quality service and students' loyalty as perceived by international students in Malaysian public universities. A total of 1,575 international students from 10 different public universities in Malaysia and from different home countries participated in this study. Stratified sampling was used to select the international students by dividing the population into continents. Data were collected using questionnaires and analyzed using SmartPLS Structural Equation Model (PLS-SEM). The findings of PLS-SEM confirmed the effect of internationalization of higher education practice and university quality service on international student loyalty in Malaysia. It was also found the effect of internationalization of higher education practice on university quality service. The research reported here adds to the growing body of knowledge on foreign student satisfaction and perceptions of quality, internationalization of education, and student mobility. It also helps provide some insights for the education industry in Malaysia and beyond in their effort to gain global recognition in the field of academic teaching, research, and professional development.