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The objective of the study was to survey the common pesticides used in postharvest storage of agricultural produce within Makurdi, Nigeria and to test the knowledge of the farmers and marketers on the health effects of these chemicals. The study provides information on the type of pesticides used by farmers, marketers and consumers of stored agricultural food products such as cowpea, yam chips, cassava chips, sesame seeds, maize and soybeans being major farm produces found within Makurdi and Benue State in general. Selection of 100 respondents were done using simple random sampling techniques across five major markets (Modern, Wurukum, North bank, Wadata and High level markets) through structured interview schedule. Socio-economic characteristics of the respondents were analyzed using frequency and percentages. Percentages were used to determine the common storage pesticides used within Makurdi, storage time, the frequency of customer purchase and perceived health impact of the storage pesticides. Data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statistics. The results revealed that 51% of the respondents were males with 41% between the ages of 30-39. Married respondents accounted for 52% and 48% having household sizes of 1-5, only 20% had no form of formal education and 75% were marketers. In a multiple response schedule, aluminium phosphate tablets ranked 80% for storage pesticide while dichlovos was 60%, DDT 35%. Others such as endosulfan, gamalin, carbofuran, carbendazim and permethrin were between 5-15%. Furthermore the study revealed the use of many restricted and obsolete pesticides still in use within this state and in outrageous quantities which could pose health challenge to consumers of these food products.

Thin-film batteries are solid-state batteries comprising the anode, the cathode, the electrolyte and the separator. They are nano-millimeter-sized batteries made of solid electrodes and solid electrolytes. The need for lightweight, higher energy density and long-lasting batteries has made research in this area inevitable. This battery finds application in consumer electronics, wireless sensors, smart cards medical devices, memory backup power, energy storage for solar cells, etc. This chapter discussed different types of thin-film battery technology, fundamentals and deposition processes. Also discussed in this chapter include the mechanism of thin-film batteries, their operation and the advantages of thin-film batteries over other batteries. The vast applications of thin-film batteries drive research in this area. These applications are discussed extensively.

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Aims: The study determined the effect of post-harvest losses of yam on the socio-economic sustenance of farmers in Nasarawa State Nigeria. It also described the socio-economic status of farmers; determined the average quantities of yam lost for the years in review (2014-2018). Study Design: The study employed the use of cross sectional design. Place and Duration of Study: The study was conducted in Nasarawa state, Nigeria between October 2019 to June 2020. Methodology: Using the multistage sampling technique, data for the study were collected from a sample of three hundred and eighty seven (387) respondents. Results: That majority of the respondents (322) 83%, were male, and within the age range of 31-40 years 158(41%) followed by the age bracket of 41-50: 97(25%); 323(84%) of the respondents were married with average household size of 8.0 persons per household while 87% of the respondents have had one form of formal education or the other. The Ordinary Least Square result of the effect of postharvest losses on the socioeconomic sustenance of the respondents revealed that the coefficient of simple determination (r2) was 0.850which implies that 85.00% of the variations in the socioeconomic sustenance of the respondents was explained by the independent variable included in the model (post-harvest losses) while 15.00% unexplained was due to error. F-prob. value of 0.0000 was observed from the analysis which is less than 0.05, indicating that the variables included in the estimated regression model were correct and significant at 1% significant level. The coefficient of post-harvest losses with the value of (-4.327) was statistically significant and negatively related to the socioeconomic sustenance of the respondents at 1 percent. Conclusion: The study concluded that there is a relationship between the post-harvest losses and socioeconomic sustenance of farmers. Therefore, the relevant government and agricultural agencies, Non- Governmental Organizations (NGOs), Community Based Organizations (CBOs) as well as individuals need to strengthen their effort toward reducing post-harvest losses of yam by educating through demonstration and encouraging farmer to use modern technologies and materials in yam storage.