A SURVEY OF ECTOPARASITES’ INFESTATION ON DOGS (CANIS SPP.) AT FUNAAB’S COLLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE TEACHING HOSPITAL, ISALE-IGBEIN, ABEOKUTA, OGUN STATE

A survey work on ectoparasites’ infestation was carried out on dogs (Canis sp.) at the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta Veterinary Teaching Hospital, Isale-igbein, Abeokuta, Ogun State. This survey lasted for six weeks, during this period; thirty four (34) dogs were examined for ectoparasites’ infestation. The dogs brought to the Teaching Hospital for treatments were examined with the consent of their owners by the use of questionnaire. Questionnaires were administered to dog owners, where information about the age, sex, location, control method was asked and ticks were collected from the dogs. The results of the survey showed high prevalence of tick infestation on the exotic dogs (65.4%), on the female dogs (66.7%), on the dogs that are 2 years of age and above (88.9%), on the free range dogs (85.7%), on the wooden confined dogs (71.4%) and on the dogs that powder was used as a control method (68.2%) of the infested dogs brought to FUNAAB VTH with no traces of other ectoparasites on the dogs. Only two species of ticks were found Rhipicephalus sanguineus and Rhipicephalus boophilus during this survey. The high prevalence of tick infestation and no infestation by other ectoparasites in the study carried out shows that the dog owners control the ectoparasites but not as adequate as it ought to be and this inadequate hygienic attention given to the dogs brought about the high infestation of ticks on some of the dogs. Although in this survey mono-infestation was recorded on almost all the infested dogs and only one double-infestation was observed with ticks of cattle namely; R. boophilus, this should not be considered as less significant maintenance of the hosts of these ticks.   &nbsp

INFLUENCE OF SEX RATIO ON THE NUTRIENT COMPOSITION OF THE ACCESSORY GLAND AND FEMORAL MUSCLE OF ADULT MALE Zonocerus variegatus

Zonocerus variegatus (L.) is the main grasshopper pest of crops in over twenty countries which occupy the extensive forest and savannah areas of West and Central Africa. It feeds on many plant species, including a wide range of plantation and subsistence crops (Notably cassava, Manihot esculenta leaves) and horticultural plants. Male grasshoppers are smaller than females, and size varies greatly between species-from a length of 0.4 in (1cm) to more than 5.9 in (15 cm). a male grasshopper has a pair of adjacent testes, which appear to be a single structure along the dorsal midline. The testes are made up of many follicles collected by tiny tubes to either the right or left vas deferens. The vas deference carry sperm to the ejaculatory duct. A pair of tiny seminal vesiclesª¤? produces a liquid that combines with the sperm produced in the testes. During mating, there is transfer of secretion from the male to the female, such secretion include protein, lipids and glucose, others may be amino acids, peptides and prostaglandins. Zonocerus variegates is very high in protein concentration and these proteins are transferred during copulation from males to females. The analysis of the mineral concentration of the femoral muscle and accessory glands shows that sodium ion (Na+) has the highest concentration in the femoral muscle and accessory gland of Adult male Z. variegates. Chloride ion (C1-) also has relative high mineral content when compared to other mineral found in the femoral muscle and accessory gland of Z. variegatu

THE TOXICITY OF HEXANOLIC EXTRACT OF Xylopia aethiopica TO LARVAE OF CULEX P. quiuefasciatus

The hexanolic extract of Xylopia aethiopica (Ethiopian pepper) was tested for acute toxicity on the larva of Culex p. quiquefasciatus reared in the laboratory of the Department of Biological Science University of Agriculture Abeokuta, Nigeria. Five concentrations: (50ppm, 100ppm, 200ppm, 300ppm and 400ppm) were evaluated for acute toxicity on the larvae and total percentage mortalities recorded at intervals of 1,12,24,48 and 96 hours in each test. Effects of sunlight and ultra violet radiation on stability of the extract’s potency at 2,4, and 8 hours respectively were equally examined. The mean lethal concentration LC50 was 257ppm. Toxicity of Xylopia aethiopica on Culex p. quiquefasciatus larvae was gradual and persisted throughout the test period. Sunlight exposure has no significant effect on the potency of Xylopia oil while ultra-violet radiation activated its larvicidal properties.Â

Efisiensi Ekonomis dan Teknis Usaha Tani Singkong pada Kelompok Tani di Desa Banteran, Sumbang, Kabupaten Banyumas dan di Desa Selakambang, Kaligondang, Kabupaten Purbalingga, 2010

The purposes of this study are to analyze the effect of labor, land, seed, fertilizer, and capital on the production of cassava; to analyze the economic efficiency and technical efficiency in cassava farming between farmer groups in Banyumas and Purbalingga; and to analyze the difference of economic and technical efficiencies of cassava farming in Banyumas and Purbalingga. This research is conducted with qualitative and quantitative analysis based on production function with a stochastic frontier approach (Stochastic Frontier Production Function): regression analysis, maximum likelihood (MLE), the analysis of technical efficiency(DEA), economic efficiency, price efficiency, and Return-Cost (R/C) ratio. The result shows there are only three significant independent variables namely labor, land, and capital. Based on analysis of technical efficiency (ET), there are only ten efficient farmers in Banyumas and four efficient farmers in Purbalingga. The results from the efficiency of the price and economic efficiency show that the farming of cassava has no efficient in both of farmer groups in Banyumas and Purbalingga. From the calculation of technical efficiency, price efficiency, and economic efficiency, it can be concluded that cassava farming has no efficient. The results from R/C ratio indicate that cassava farming in both of them are quite profitable

ANALYSIS OF NUTRITIONAL LABEL USE ON PACKAGED FOODS AMONG URBAN HOMEMAKERS IN OGUN STATE, NIGERIA

This paper presents the type of food label information used by homemakers in Abeokuta while pur- chasing packaged foods and the socio-economic characteristics influencing its usage. Structured questionnaire was use to elicit information from 149 homemakers drawn by multi-stage sampling tech- niques. The study found that majority (87.20%) of the homemakers were females with mean age of 40.2 years. About two-third (65.40%) of the homemakers considered information on food labels before purchasing packaged foods. The most commonly considered food label information was found to be the NAFDAC (National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control) number (63.8%), fol- lowed by the expiry date (59.1 %), brand name (57%), country of manufacture (51.7%) and nutritional facts (51.0%). Results from logit regression models showed that sex, education, marital status, occu- pation, income and health status were the key factors that significantly (p<0.05) influenced nutritional label use

Histology and ultrastructure of the uterus of African giant rat (Cricetomys Gambianus, Waterhouse) during oestrous cycle

This study describes histology and ultrastructure of uterus in the African giant rat during oestrous cycle. Endometrial histology displayed glandular mucosa consisting of lamina epithelialis and lamina propria mucosae. Its epithelium varied between simple and pseudostratified columnar. The myometrium consisted of inner circular and outer longitudinal smooth muscles with medium sized arteries and veins in-between. The perimetrium contained simple squamous epithelium. Endometrial ultrastructures were variable during oestrous cycle. At mid oestrus, hemidesmosomes anchored undulating basement membrane of the mucosal epithelium. Preponderance spherical mitochondria, lipofuscin granules concentration, flocculent homogenous materials and indented nuclei were displayed. At mid metoestrus, late metoestrus/early dioestrus and mid dioestrus, the base of the mucosal columnar epithelium lain on relatively straight basement membrane and their cytoplasmic ultrastructure displayed variation to mid oestrus. Epithelial apex showed intermediate filament, microvilli and junctional complexes. The uterine glands occurred in variable numbers and sizes during oestrous cycle and shared similar ultrastructure. Mid dioestrus showed cell ultrastructure of uterine glands having apical accumulation of secretory vesicles. Some actively secreting uterine glands were lined by simple ciliated columnar epithelium mingled with pseudostratified epithelium. The findings of the study indicate that giant rat endometrial ultrastructure varies during oestrous cycle and glandular secretion is merocrine.

SINGLE-PLANT STARVATION AND PAIRED-PLANT STARVATION TESTS OF ADULT Neochetina eichhorniae WARNER

Single-plant starvation and paired-plant starvation tests were performed on adult Neochetina eichhorniae to determine the feeding specificity of the insect on the following plants: Eichhornia crassipes, Pistia stratiotes, Hymphaea lotus, Ceratopteris sp, Azolla species, Colocasia esculentus, Vigna sinensis, Talium triangulare, Capsicum annum and Lycopesicom esculentus.The feeding spots of N.     eichhorniae on the different plants were assessed and counted using a hand-counter.  N. eichhorniae adults fed on E. crassipes only, confirming the feeding specificity of the N. eichhorniae to E. crassipes and the safety of other plants growing in the habitat

Farmers’ Behaviour towards Utilisation of Jatropha Curcas for Environmental Mitigation in Oyo State, Nigeria

The dysfunctional environment caused by soil erosion, wind erosion, deforestation, desertification, issues of flood was due to the effect of greenhouse gases emanating as a result of various activities of man and industries. Consequently, this has prompted the exploitation of Jatropha curcas for mitigating the environment. Therefore, this study was carried out to examine farmers’ behaviour towards utilisation of Jatropha curcas for mitigation of environment in the study area. A multistage sampling procedure was used in selecting 120 farmers from 217 trained Jatropha farmers across Ido and Akinyele Local Government Areas in Oyo State. The data was analysed using frequencies, percentages, mean scores, and pearson product moment correlation. The result for the study showed that majority of the respondents had mean age of 44.4± 10.8 with majority also being male (66.7%) and formal education (91.7%). The result revealed that there was significant relationship between socio-economic characteristics of the respondents and farmers’ behaviour towards utilization of Jatropha curcas for environmental mitigation. There was correlation between farmers’ awareness on cultivation of Jatropha curcas and their behavior towards utilisation of Jatropha curcas for environmental mitigation (r = 0.399**, p < 0.05). The respondents’ attitude was significantly related to their behavior towards utilization of Jatropha curcas for environmental mitigation (r = - 0.182*, p < 0.05). The study showed that awareness and attitude of farmers strongly influence their behaviour towards utilization of Jatropha curcas for environmental mitigation. The implication of this study is to ensure that the environment becomes free of hazards and degradation which affect survival of the ecosystem and biodiversity. Hence, government should join in the advocacy to open continuous channels of communication on the importance of Jatropha to motivate farmers to having right behaviour towards utilization of Jatropha curcas as a measure to mitigate the environment. Keywords: Behaviour, utilisation, Jatropha curcas, farmers, mitigation, environmen

Volatility Transfer from Developed Countries to Emerging Markets: Evidence from Nigeria

In this paper, we examine the existence of volatility transfer from stock exchanges of 5 major developed economies of USA (NYSE), Canada (S&PTSX), France (CAC) Germany (DAX) and UK (FTSE) to the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE). To ascertain the relationship between these five bourses and the NSE, we employ the Ordinary Least Square Estimation (OLSE) technique. Moreover, we use the Generalized Autoregressive Conditional Heteroskedasticity (GARCH) model to determine the existence or otherwise of volatility transfer from these five advanced bourses to the NSE. The results of this study confirm the existence of volatility transfer from the NYSE, S&PTSX, CAC, DAX and FTSE to the NSE from January 1st January 2006 to 15th March 2010. Following from this, it behooves on policy makers in Nigeria to pay particular attention to events in these bourses and in these economies and proactively take prompt actions when necessary. Keywords: Global Financial Crisis, Bourses, Contagion, GARCH, Meltdown, OLSE, Volatility Spillover, Volatility Transfer