Migration in fishes: a review

A review of migratory activity in fishes reveals that migration is important for the completion of life cycle. Recent studies have increasingly demonstrated the wide spread existence of spatio-temporal variations in the abundance and distribution of species of freshwater fishes, previously assumed not to move between habitats. These movements are often for spawning, feeding and refuge, and in many cases are fundamental for the successful completion of life cycles. Chemical and physical changes in water environment affect the migration of fish. Most fish undertake feeding, breeding or wintering migrations. A number of studies have documented the influence of freshwater and ocean conditions, climate variability and human impacts resulting from impoundment and aquaculture on fish migration

Comparative growth response of African catfish, Clarias gariepinus fingerlings fed with imported and local feeds

The comparative growth response of African catfish fingerlings (Clarias gariepinus) fed with three (3) local and three (3) imported feeds was studied in the Department of Biological Sciences, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria between September and October, 2009 with the aim of establishing the best quality feed in terms of specific growth rate, total weight and percentage survival rate for a period of 8 weeks (56 days). One hundred and twenty (120) fingerlings of Clarias gariepinus and six commercial feeds with varying crude proteins namely Chivita, Aquaplus, Vital, Skrettings, Multifeeds and Coppens were used for the experiment. Some water quality parameters analyzed indicated temperature varied from 25.50 ~'C to 28.0 ~'C while pH and dissolved oxygen ranged from 6.6 to 7.2 and 6.3mg/l to 8.2mg/l respectively. The treatment shows significant difference in terms of mean weight gain, specific growth rates and survival rate. The lowest SGR was 0.31 and 0.89 the highest. Fish fed with Chivita and Coppens showed the best growth compared to other treatments

Mutagenic Effects of Sodium Azide on the Quality of Maize Seeds

This project was conducted to determine the mutagenic effects of sodium azide on the quality of maize seed. Maize seeds were treated at six different concentrations of sodium azide namely; 0.00mM, 0.01mM, 0.02mM, 0.03mM, 0.04mM and 0.05mM. The seeds that were treated were of two varieties namely; Sammaz 18 and Sammaz 20. The result obtained showed that sodium azide was effective in causing mutagenic change in the quality of maize seeds in terms of growth rate and seed size. Significant differences (P<0.05) were observed in all the two varieties with respect to some of the traits studied and nutritional compositions studied. The number of days to 50% flowering and Nitrogen-free extract (%) increased significantly with an increase in concentrations of sodium azide. Chlorophyll-deficient mutants were observed in treatments 0.02mM, 0.03mM and 0.04mM which were striata and light green in colour. Dwarfed mutant was also recorded in treatment 0.04mM of Sammaz 20 maize variety. The project was carried out to find out the effectiveness of sodium azide on the mutagenesis of maize seeds, seed weight of mutant maize plant, nutrient content of the mutant maize plant and the morphological features of the mutant maize plant. I recommend that chemical mutagens like sodium azide to produce improved seed varieties like of maize plants that will meet the present global and national food need

Safety and immunogenicity of the two-dose heterologous Ad26.ZEBOV and MVA-BN-Filo Ebola vaccine regimen in children in Sierra Leone: a randomised, double-blind, controlled trial

Background—Children account for a substantial proportion of cases and deaths from Ebola virus disease. We aimed to assess the safety and immunogenicity of a two-dose heterologous vaccine regimen, comprising the adenovirus type 26 vector-based vaccine encoding the Ebola virus glycoprotein (Ad26.ZEBOV) and the modified vaccinia Ankara vectorbased vaccine, encoding glycoproteins from the Ebola virus, Sudan virus, and Marburg virus, and the nucleoprotein from the Tai Forest virus (MVA-BN-Filo), in a paediatric population in Sierra Leone. Methods—This randomised, double-blind, controlled trial was done at three clinics in Kambia district, Sierra Leone. Healthy children and adolescents aged 1–17 years were enrolled in three age cohorts (12–17 years, 4–11 years, and 1–3 years) and randomly assigned (3:1), via computer-generated block randomisation (block size of eight), to receive an intramuscular injection of either Ad26.ZEBOV (5 × 1010 viral particles; first dose) followed by MVA-BN-Filo (1 × 108 infectious units; second dose) on day 57 (Ebola vaccine group), or a single dose of meningococcal quadrivalent (serogroups A, C, W135, and Y) conjugate vaccine (MenACWY; first dose) followed by placebo (second dose) on day 57 (control group). Study team personnel (except for those with primary responsibility for study vaccine preparation), participants, and their parents or guardians were masked to study vaccine allocation. The primary outcome was safety, measured as the occurrence of solicited local and systemic adverse symptoms during 7 days after each vaccination, unsolicited systemic adverse events during 28 days after each vaccination, abnormal laboratory results during the study period, and serious adverse events or immediate reportable events throughout the study period. The secondary outcome was immunogenicity (humoral immune response), measured as the concentration of Ebola virus glycoprotein-specific binding antibodies at 21 days after the second dose. The primary outcome was assessed in all participants who had received at least one dose of study vaccine and had available reactogenicity data, and immunogenicity was assessed in all participants who had received both vaccinations within the protocol-defined time window, had at least one evaluable post-vaccination sample, and had no major protocol deviations that could have influenced the immune response. This study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02509494. Findings—From April 4, 2017, to July 5, 2018, 576 eligible children or adolescents (192 in each of the three age cohorts) were enrolled and randomly assigned. The most common solicited local adverse event during the 7 days after the first and second dose was injection-site pain in all age groups, with frequencies ranging from 0% (none of 48) of children aged 1–3 years after placebo injection to 21% (30 of 144) of children aged 4–11 years after Ad26.ZEBOV vaccination. The most frequently observed solicited systemic adverse event during the 7 days was headache in the 12–17 years and 4–11 years age cohorts after the first and second dose, and pyrexia in the 1–3 years age cohort after the first and second dose. The most frequent unsolicited adverse event after the first and second dose vaccinations was malaria in all age cohorts, irrespective of the vaccine types. Following vaccination with MenACWY, severe thrombocytopaenia was observed in one participant aged 3 years. No other clinically significant laboratory abnormalities were observed in other study participants, and no serious adverse events related to the Ebola vaccine regimen were reported. There were no treatment-related deaths. Ebola virus glycoprotein-specific binding antibody responses at 21 days after the second dose of the Ebola virus vaccine regimen were observed in 131 (98%) of 134 children aged 12–17 years (9929 ELISA units [EU]/mL [95% CI 8172–12 064]), in 119 (99%) of 120 aged 4–11 years (10 212 EU/mL [8419–12 388]), and in 118 (98%) of 121 aged 1–3 years (22 568 EU/mL [18 426–27 642]). Interpretation—The Ad26.ZEBOV and MVA-BN-Filo Ebola vaccine regimen was well tolerated with no safety concerns in children aged 1–17 years, and induced robust humoral immune responses, suggesting suitability of this regimen for Ebola virus disease prophylaxis in children

Safety and long-term immunogenicity of the two-dose heterologous Ad26.ZEBOV and MVA-BN-Filo Ebola vaccine regimen in adults in Sierra Leone: a combined open-label, non-randomised stage 1, and a randomised, double-blind, controlled stage 2 trial

Background The Ebola epidemics in west Africa and the Democratic Republic of the Congo highlight an urgent need for safe and effective vaccines to prevent Ebola virus disease. We aimed to assess the safety and long-term immunogenicity of a two-dose heterologous vaccine regimen, comprising the adenovirus type 26 vector-based vaccine encoding the Ebola virus glycoprotein (Ad26.ZEBOV) and the modified vaccinia Ankara vector-based vaccine, encoding glycoproteins from Ebola virus, Sudan virus, and Marburg virus, and the nucleoprotein from the Tai Forest virus (MVA-BN-Filo), in Sierra Leone, a country previously affected by Ebola. Methods The trial comprised two stages: an open-label, non-randomised stage 1, and a randomised, double-blind, controlled stage 2. The study was done at three clinics in Kambia district, Sierra Leone. In stage 1, healthy adults (aged ≥18 years) residing in or near Kambia district, received an intramuscular injection of Ad26.ZEBOV (5×1010 viral particles) on day 1 (first dose) followed by an intramuscular injection of MVA-BN-Filo (1×108 infectious units) on day 57 (second dose). An Ad26.ZEBOV booster vaccination was offered at 2 years after the first dose to stage 1 participants. The eligibility criteria for adult participants in stage 2 were consistent with stage 1 eligibility criteria. Stage 2 participants were randomly assigned (3:1), by computer-generated block randomisation (block size of eight) via an interactive web-response system, to receive either the Ebola vaccine regimen (Ad26.ZEBOV followed by MVA-BN-Filo) or an intramuscular injection of a single dose of meningococcal quadrivalent (serogroups A, C, W135, and Y) conjugate vaccine (MenACWY; first dose) followed by placebo on day 57 (second dose; control group). Study team personnel, except those with primary responsibility for study vaccine preparation, and participants were masked to study vaccine allocation. The primary outcome was the safety of the Ad26.ZEBOV and MVA-BN-Filo vaccine regimen, which was assessed in all participants who had received at least one dose of study vaccine. Safety was assessed as solicited local and systemic adverse events occurring in the first 7 days after each vaccination, unsolicited adverse events occurring in the first 28 days after each vaccination, and serious adverse events or immediate reportable events occurring up to each participant’s last study visit. Secondary outcomes were to assess Ebola virus glycoprotein-specific binding antibody responses at 21 days after the second vaccine in a per-protocol set of participants (ie, those who had received both vaccinations within the protocol-defined time window, had at least one evaluable post-vaccination sample, and had no major protocol deviations that could have influenced the immune response) and to assess the safety and tolerability of the Ad26.ZEBOV booster vaccination in stage 1 participants who had received the booster dose. This study is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02509494. Findings Between Sept 30, 2015, and Oct 19, 2016, 443 participants (43 in stage 1 and 400 in stage 2) were enrolled; 341 participants assigned to receive the Ad26.ZEBOV and MVA-BN-Filo regimen and 102 participants assigned to receive the MenACWY and placebo regimen received at least one dose of study vaccine. Both regimens were well tolerated with no safety concerns. In stage 1, solicited local adverse events (mostly mild or moderate injection-site pain) were reported in 12 (28%) of 43 participants after Ad26.ZEBOV vaccination and in six (14%) participants after MVA-BN-Filo vaccination. In stage 2, solicited local adverse events were reported in 51 (17%) of 298 participants after Ad26.ZEBOV vaccination, in 58 (24%) of 246 after MVA-BN-Filo vaccination, in 17 (17%) of 102 after MenACWY vaccination, and in eight (9%) of 86 after placebo injection. In stage 1, solicited systemic adverse events were reported in 18 (42%) of 43 participants after Ad26.ZEBOV vaccination and in 17 (40%) after MVA-BN-Filo vaccination. In stage 2, solicited systemic adverse events were reported in 161 (54%) of 298 participants after Ad26.ZEBOV vaccination, in 107 (43%) of 246 after MVA-BN-Filo vaccination, in 51 (50%) of 102 after MenACWY vaccination, and in 39 (45%) of 86 after placebo injection. Solicited systemic adverse events in both stage 1 and 2 participants included mostly mild or moderate headache, myalgia, fatigue, and arthralgia. The most frequent unsolicited adverse event after the first dose was headache in stage 1 and malaria in stage 2. Malaria was the most frequent unsolicited adverse event after the second dose in both stage 1 and 2. No serious adverse event was considered related to the study vaccine, and no immediate reportable events were observed. In stage 1, the safety profile after the booster vaccination was not notably different to that observed after the first dose. Vaccine-induced humoral immune responses were observed in 41 (98%) of 42 stage 1 participants (geometric mean binding antibody concentration 4784 ELISA units [EU]/mL [95% CI 3736–6125]) and in 176 (98%) of 179 stage 2 participants (3810 EU/mL [3312–4383]) at 21 days after the second vaccination. Interpretation The Ad26.ZEBOV and MVA-BN-Filo vaccine regimen was well tolerated and immunogenic, with persistent humoral immune responses. These data support the use of this vaccine regimen for Ebola virus disease prophylaxis in adults

Exploring the role of religion in social reproduction : a case study of the Agape Christian Worship Centre in Pretoria

This study explores how young adults at Agape Christian Worship Centre in Pretoria understand the notion of work. A research strategy of participant observation, interviews and focus group discussions were used to study this phenomenon at Agape CWC in Pretoria. The study draws on Antonio Gramsci approach to cultural hegemony and Heidi Hartmann‟s Marxist Feminist theory that link reproduction and production. The study shows that work is defined as a calling amongst my participants. Similarly, despite work being understood as a calling, work is at the same time gendered. In a similar way, religious ideas about work affect the incorporation of young adults into the labour market. In addition, at the centre of Agape CWC teachings is the notion of integrity- a character that is enforced on young adults as a recommended Christian conduct in the church and the workplace. In return, members of Agape CWC understand themselves firstly as Christians then secondly as workers, hence producing the identity of a Christian worker. The religious ideas about work and Christian conduct were ultimately transferred from the church into the workplace; hence this shows that the private space (the church) shapes the functioning of the public space (workplace).Dissertation (MSocSci)--University of Pretoria, 2013.lmchunu2014Sociologyunrestricte

Haemoparasitic infection and haematological parameters of cattle slaughtered at four abattoirs in Kano Metropolis, Nigeria

This study aims to investigate and provide information on the prevalence and haematological parameters of haemoparasites in cattle slaughtered in selected abattoirs in Kano metropolis, Nigeria. A total of 384 blood samples were randomly collected between January and July 2021 and screened for haemoparasites by examining Giemsa-stained thin blood smears. TRBC count, TWBC count, PCV, Hb concentration and DLC were determined using standard methods. An overall parasitaemia of 10.68% was recorded for Anaplasma centrale 14 (3.65%), Anaplasma marginale 11 (2.86%), Theileria mutans and Babesia bigemina with 8 (2.08%) each. Abattoir-specific prevalence indicated 13 (3.39%), 11 (2.86%), 9 (2.34%) and 8 (2.08%) for Unguwa-Uku, Kano central, Bachirawa and Tudun-Wada abattoirs respectively (p&gt;0.05). Young cattle had a significantly (p&lt;0.05) higher prevalence of 11.58% compared to adults with 8.08%. Gender-related parasitaemia revealed that females had higher prevalence of 10.73% than males with 10.60% which was not statistically significant (p&gt;0.05). Breed-specific prevalence showed 9.24%, 11.54% and 16.67% for White Fulani, Red Bororo and Sokoto Gudali respectively, which was statistically significant (p&lt;0.05). Season-related parasitaemia showed that dry season had higher prevalence of 13.54% compared to rainy season with 7.81% which was statistically significant (p&lt;0.05). All haematological parameters were within the recognized reference intervals for cattle. Significant decrease in mean values of PCV, TRBC and slight increase in TWBC was recorded. Routine treatment of animals and regular vector control to reduce the prevalence of haemoparasites in the study area is highly recommended

GROWTH RESPONSES OF AFRICAN CATFISH, CLARIAS GARIEPINUS, FINGERLINGS TO IMPORTED AND LOCAL FEEDS

ABSTRACT The comparative growth responses of African catfish fingerlings (Clarias gariepinus) fed with three local (Chivita, aquaplus, Vital) and three imported (Skrettings, Multifeeds, Coppens) feeds was studied under laboratory conditions, September and October, 2009 with the aim of establishing the best quality feed in terms of specific growth rate, total weight and percentage survival rate, for a period of 8 weeks. One hundred and twenty (120) fingerlings of Clarias gariepinus and six commercial feeds with varying crude proteins namely, Chivita, Aquaplus, Vital, Skrettings, Multifeeds and Coppens, were used for the experiment. Some water quality parameters analyzed indicated temperature varied from 25.5 0 C to 28.0 0 C while pH and dissolved oxygen ranged from 6.6 to 7.2 and 6.3mg/l to 8.2mg/l respectively. The treatment shows significant difference in terms of mean weight gain, specific growth rates and survival rate (P&lt;0.05). In terms of weight gain Chivita gave the best growth of 53.21g, followed closely by Coppens 52.21g, while Aquaplus had the lowest 12.67g. SGR showed Coppens 0.89 with the best growth followed by Chivita 0.87 while Aquaplus gave the lowest 0.31. Although fish fed with Chivita and Coppens showed the best growth compared to other treatments, economically Vital feed performed well reflecting that local fed equally gave optimal growth and cost benefits