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This study investigates the fungal diversity, distribution, and morphological characteristics associated with the spoilage of Cucurbita pepo (pumpkin) in Katsina Metropolis. Fungal species were isolated from pumpkins collected at three major markets: Kofar Marusa, Chake Market, and Kofar Kaura. The percentage occurrence of each fungal species was determined, alongside total fungal load estimation. The findings revealed significant variation in fungal prevalence across the study sites. Mucor hiemalis was the dominant species at Kofar Marusa (77.77%), while Rhizopus stolonifer overwhelmingly prevailed at Chake Market (89.20%), and Botrytiscinerea was most frequent at Kofar Kaura (54.54%). The highest fungal load was recorded at Kofar Kaura (11.0 × 10⁶ CFU/g), followed by Chake (5.7 × 10⁶ CFU/g), and the lowest at Kofar Marusa (2.7 × 10⁶ CFU/g). Morphological and cultural characterization confirmed the presence of multiple spoilage fungi, including Aspergillusflavus, Fusariumoxysporum, Phomasorghina, and Penicilliumdigitatum. The variation in fungal distribution suggests that environmental factors, handling practices, and storage conditions influence fungal proliferation. These findings underscore the need for improved post-harvest handling and storage techniques to mitigate fungal-induced spoilage and reduce economic losses.

Academic Performance of students is of utmost importance to parents, educators, concerned Nigerians and the government. This, of course, is because of the huge impact education has on the national and economic development of the country. Education is an investment as well as an instrument that can be used to achieve rapid scientific, social, political, technological, cultural and economic development in the country. Regrettably, however, the consensus of opinion all over the country is that Academic Performance of students in Nigeria is poor. Achievement is a measure of quality and quantity of success one has in the mastery of knowledge, skills or understanding. Achievement could also involve accomplishing whatever task or goal one sets for himself or herself. It is the attainment of a standard of excellence (Abdulkareem & Olanike, 2021).<br><br><br><br> The poor Academic Performance of students has been seen as being a result of many factors. Some researchers have attributed students’ poor achievement to parental factors. Family stress and financial problems are the major parental factors blamed by many researchers for the emotional development and poor Academic Performance of the students. According to Khalid, Qadir, Chan and Schwannauer (2018), students who had problems in school were often preoccupied with concerns outside the school setting. They further stressed that many lived in socially and economically disadvantaged home situations which significantly impede their emotional, social and economic growth and development. Poverty denies the students the opportunity of possessing such school materials as books that encourage high Academic Performance. The students’ lack of the necessary time to read effectively, good food that enhance good mental development, proper dressing to boost their ego like other students are due to family stress which could be aggravated by poverty (Abdulkareem & Olanike, 2021). At this point, one wonders whether there are some other particular parental factors that could influence these adolescents’ evaluation of themselves as well as their Academic achievement. Could the styles of communication adopted by the parents be blamed for the level of self-esteem of these adolescents who are more or less striving to identify with their environment. Academic performance is among the several components of academic success. Many factors, including socioeconomic status, students’ temperament and motivation, peer, and parental support influence academic achievement. This study aims to investigate the determinants of academic achievement with emphasis on the role of parents’ communication styles in adolescent students in Nigeria. This paper therefore highlights concepts of adolescents, concept of academic achievement, concepts of parents’ communication styles as well as counselling implications (Abdulkareem & Olanike, 2021).<br><br><br><br> Education is the process of developing or training an individual to cope with the challenges of living. According to Pinquart (2016), the introduction of this system of education led to the type of education that is planned and provided for classroom situation by trained teachers. It is however the family that builds the personality traits, social competence as well as psychological, emotional, physical and educational development of children. One of the primary foundation that serves as the basis for this development is the type of parents’ communication style these parents adopts. <br><br><br><br> Parents through their communication styles create a formidable basis towards the development and achievement of every aspect of the child's life. Low academic achievement tends to create many negative consequences for the children. Children with low academic performances may become more vulnerable to problems such as stress, hopelessness, delinquencies and substance abuse. The influence of parents’ communication styles is particularly in focus when assessing determinants of academic success in adolescent children. The influence may be of significance from infancy through adulthood and can be appreciated across a range of ethnicities (Weis, Trommsdorff& Muñoz, 2016; Checa & Abundis-Gutierrez, 2017, Zhang, Hu, Ren, Huo & Wang, 2019). <br><br><br><br> Home-based involvement includes communication between parents and children about school, establishing a learning environment at home (e.g. making educational material like books and newspapers accessible), exposing children to educationally stimulating activities and experiences (e.g. museums, libraries, etc.), and monitoring and supporting homework (Schmid & Garrels, 2021).<br><br><br><br> A parent is one who gives birth, nurtures or raises a child. Consequently, a parent is a man or woman who takes on all the parental responsibilities towards a child. This could also be a stepmother, an adoptive father, or a child’s relative. On the other hand parenting refers to raising children from infancy to adulthood, in an environment of nurturance (Virasiri, Yunibhand, Chaiwawat, 2011). Parenting is the rearing of children and in particular the care, guidance and love given by a parent to a child. Accordingly, parenting is the single largest variable implicated in children’s education, substance misuse, truancy, school disruption, under-achievement in class and juvenile crime.<br><br><br><br> As a result, parents have an important role to play in the upbringing and modelling of their children’s behaviour as children stay at home with the parents much longer than at school and also due to the fact that children have more in-family interaction than schooling (Oranga, Matere & Nyakundi, 2023).<br><br><br><br> The authoritative parenting style has been most frequently associated with better academic performance among adolescent students, while purely restrictive and negligent styles have shown to have a negative influence on academic performance (Zhang et al., 2019). Parenting styles have also been linked to academic performance indirectly through regulation of emotion, self-expression and self-esteem (Checa, Abundis-Gutierrez, Pérez-Dueñas & Fernández-Parra, 2019). <br><br><br><br> Parental involvement in school has long been heralded as an important and positive variable on children’s academic and socioemotional development. From an ecological framework, reciprocal positive interactions between these two key socializing spheres – families and schools – contribute positively to a child’s socioemotional and cognitive development. Empirical findings have demonstrated a positive association between parental involvement in education and academic achievement (Tárraga et al., 2017), improving children’s self-esteem and their academic performance as well as school retention and attendance (Ross, 2016).<br><br><br><br> Parental involvement helps build suitable school environments for children to thrive in and also helps cultivate good relations between teachers and parents. Consequently, the components and types of parental involvement in education include: volunteering at school, guiding home-based learning, constant communication with the school, participating in school decision-making processes, provision of learning resources, creation of safe home environments for children (environments that encourage learning at home) and modelling/encouraging good behavior (Oranga, Matere & Nyakundi, 2023).<br><br><br><br> Parents are one of the most significant factors in the development of the children. This is due to the authority and skill they have to shape and develop their children into motivated, inspired and lenient people with their explicit involvement in the process of learning activities. Contrarily, parents without involvement in their children’s education process are merely considered to demotivate and demoralize their children through negligence (Naite, 2021). This, in turn, has a negative effect on their achievements. Parental involvement comprised parental attitudes, actions, style, events that happen inside or outside the school environment to support children's academic or behavioral success in their presently enrolled school Parents' active involvement in their children's education has a positive and noteworthy impact on children’s lives, including their development, behaviour, motivation and academic performance (Naite, 2021).

In today’s digitally driven world, social media has become more than just a tool for connection—it is a powerful force reshaping how businesses interact with their audiences. This study explores the impact of social media marketing on brand awareness, with a focused case study on the Coca-Cola Company’s Ikeja plant in Lagos, Nigeria. As platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter (now X) grow in popularity, companies face both opportunities and challenges in reaching and engaging their consumers.<br> Through a combination of theoretical insights, empirical data, and real-world observations, this research investigates how social media marketing influences not only consumer awareness but also employee productivity and the broader organizational goals. A carefully designed survey gathered opinions from 200 staff and consumers, and data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics

ABSTRACT<br> Considering the growing demand for energy and the need for energy-efficient solutions, there is a constant search for smarter and more sustainable ways to reduce power consumption. The HVAC (Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning) systems in buildings are among the largest consumers of energy. With the global emphasis on reducing energy waste and optimizing comfort, this project focuses on the design and construction of an automatic air conditioning control system using a Passive Infrared (PIR) motion sensor. The proposal aims to address energy inefficiency by automating air conditioning units based on human presence. The system is equipped with a PIR motion sensor, which detects the presence or absence of individuals within a room. When motion is detected, the air conditioner is turned on, and when no motion is detected for a predefined period, the system automatically switches off the unit. The integration of this system with a temperature sensor ensures that the room maintains optimal comfort while minimizing energy consumption. The automatic air conditioning control system is a highly relevant and effective solution for residential, commercial, and office spaces where unnecessary energy consumption can be minimized without compromising on comfort. This system also presents an intelligent way to reduce electricity costs and contribute to energy conservation.

ABSTRACT<br> Food additives are ingredients added to foods to improve taste, appearance, texture, or shelf life. They include preservatives, colorings, flavorings and stabilizers. While additives make food more appealing and help prevent spoilage, they can have both positive and negative effects on health. The prevalence of food additives in Nigerian diets is alarming, with studies indicating that approximately 75% of processed food contain artificial preservatives, colors and flavor enhancer. This study investigated the effects of food additives on the among undergraduates in the University of Ilorin. The specific purposes examined if; (i) obesity (ii) stomach cancer (iii) insomnia and (iv) diarrhea are effects of food additives among undergraduates in University of Ilorin<br> A descriptive research of the survey type was adopted. The population of the study comprises all undergraduates in University of Ilorin. Two hundred and fifty-three (253) respondents were sampled for the study. The instrument used for data collection was a structured questionnaire which was validated by three experts and tested for reliability that yielded a correlation reliability coefficient of 0.81r and consider that the instrument is reliable. Percentage and Chi-square statistics were employed for data analysis at 0.05 level of significance.<br> The findings of the study were that;<br> i. obesity is significantly an effect of food additives among undergraduates in University of Ilorin (Cal. ᵪ2 val. 241.427 > Crit. ᵪ2 val. 16.92 at df 9 @ 0.05 alpha level).<br> ii. stomach cancer is significantly an effect of food additives among undergraduates in University of Ilorin (Cal. ᵪ2 val. 238.941 > Crit. ᵪ2 val. 16.92 at df 9 @ 0.05 alpha level)).<br> iii. insomnia is significantly an effect of food additives among undergraduates in University of Ilorin (Cal. ᵪ2 val. 305.063 > Crit. ᵪ2 val. 16.92 at df 9 @ 0.05 alpha level).<br> iv. diarrhoea is significantly an effect of food additives among undergraduates in University of Ilorin (Cal. ᵪ2 val. 302.870 > Crit. ᵪ2 val. 16.92 at df 9 @ 0.05 alpha level).<br> The study concluded that obesity, stomach cancer, insomnia and diarrhea are effects of food additives among undergraduates in University of Ilorin. It was recommended that the university should promote awareness campaigns on the risks of food additives and encourage students to adopt healthier dietary habits by providing nutritious meal options on campus. Authorities should regulate and monitor food sources within the university environment, ensuring that food vendors use minimal or no harmful additives in their products. Students should be educated on the potential effects of food additives on sleep patterns, and alternative healthier food choices should be recommended to improve overall well-being. Strict hygiene and food safety measures should be enforced among food vendors within the university to prevent contamination and ensure that meals are prepared using safe ingredients.

This research work focused on the effect of corporate social responsibility on the financial performance of deposit money bank in Nigeria. Secondary data was collected from the study from the period 2010-2021 In order to achieve the objective of the study. The ordinary least square method (OLS) with the aid of SPSS statistical package was employed to analyze the relevant data, the results reveals that There is positive but insignificant relationship between health development cost and return on equity of selected bank in Nigeria, the Education development cost has also positive but insignificant relationship with return on equity of selected bank in Nigeria, there is significant positive relationship between sports development cost and return on equity of selected bank in Nigeria. It is recommended that Firms should be encouraged to embark on CSR in order for them to have a smooth operation in its community where it is situated and be beneficial to the community.

ABSTRACT<br> Despite the importance of physical activity for overall health and well-being, many university students, including those studying human kinetics, exhibit low levels of participation in sports activities. This study investigates the factors contributing to this phenomenon among university level students studying human kinetics. A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining both quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis methods.The study sampled 108 students from the department of Human Kinetics and Sports Science in the University of Benin, randomly selected from a population of approximately 311, representing 35% of the total. Data were collected using a researcher-designed questionnaire, which was validated by experts. The results reveal that lack of time, low motivation, and limited access to sports facilities are significant barriers to participation. Additionally, the study highlights the importance of social support, self-efficacy, and enjoyment in promoting participation in sports activities. The findings have implications for university administrators, physical education instructors, and health promotion specialists seeking to promote physical activity among university students. By addressing the identified barriers and leveraging the facilitating factors, universities can create a supportive environment that encourages students to engage in regular sports activities, ultimately enhancing their overall well-being and quality of life.

ABSTRACT <br> This study investigates the prevalence of discriminations of patients living with HIV/AIDS in accessing health care services in university of Ilorin teaching hospital,Ilorin,kwara state. Despite advances in medical treatment and increased awareness about HIV/AIDS,stigma and discrimatory practice persist within healthcare settings,often undermining the rights and dignity of affected inviduals.This study embarked on an investigation into the intricate dynamics of discrimination experienced by PLWHA when seeking healthcare services at the university of Ilorin teaching hospital in kwara state Nigeria. This research employed a descriptive research design to assess the thoughts and opinion of the patients living with HIV/AIDS in accessing health care services in university of Ilorin teaching hospital. This study investigate on 174 respondents and the findings reveals that a significant of people living with HIV/AIDS encounters subtle discriminatory behaviors,including delayed treament and negative attitudes from some healthcare personnel.These practices not only discourage patients from seeking medical attention but also affect the overall effectiveness of HIV/AIDS intervention programs.The study recommend enhanced training for healthcare workers,enforcement of anti-discrimatory policies,and increased sensitization to reduce stigma and promote equitable healthcare access for all. By addressing this challenges, the health system can foster a more supportive environment for people living with HIV/AIDS.