Incidence of Thrips tabaci on Onion (Allium cepa L.) and their Control in Sokoto and Kebbi States, Nigeria

Primary data were generated on insect pests of onion using structuredquestionnaire on one hundred farmers from Kebbi and Sokoto States. Results obtained indicated that all farmers identify the major insect pest affecting onion as tiny, whitish or brownish insect, present mostly in hot season. Majority of the farmers use insecticides in controlling it whenever the crop shows sign of insect feeding, such as stunting, in addition to silvery sheen. 41.5% of the respondents use Karate, 33.49% Cotalm P168, 18.87% Gammalin, 4.72 % Nuvan and 1.42% Cymbush. However, some combine ash with chemicals, probably to minimize production cost.Key words: Onion, thrips, chemical, control

Anti-diarrhoeal Activity of Psidium guajava (Gauva) Aqueous Leaf Extract in Experimental Animals

Aqueous leaf extract of Psidium guajava (Guava) was evaluated for anti-diarrhoeal activity against castor oil-induced diarrhoea in albino rats. 50 and 100mg/kg (body weight) doses of the leaf extract showed a  dose-dependent anti-diarrhoeal activity comparable to a standard antidiarrhoeal drug Diphenoxylate given intraperitoneally at 5mg/kg (b.w.) Also, the extract reduced intestinal transit time in charcoal meal test in the same manner. A 100mg/kg dose of the extract also showed an anti-enteropooling effect comparable to a standard anti-enteropooling agent Chlopromazine (20mg/kg, intraperitoneally). Further studies are needed to isolate the effective components of the leaf extract.Keywords: Anti-diarrhoeal Activity, Psidium guajava, Castor oil induced, Diarrhoe

Assessment of skin-to-skin contact (SSC) during the postpartum stay and its determinant factors among mothers at public health institutions in Ethiopia.

ObjectiveThe study aimed at assessing skin-to-skin contact (SSC) during the postpartum stay and its determinant factors among mothers at public health institutions in Ethiopia.ResultA total of 384 mothers-indexed newborns admitted in postnatal wards were interviewed. The prevalence of mothers' SSC practice to their newborns with in the first 1 h during the postpartum stay was 28.1%. Mothers education (AOR = 18.23 [95% CI 5.26, 63.52]), and number of ANC visits (AOR = 8.55 [95% CI 1.05, 69.54]) were independently associated with SSC practice of mothers to their infants

Control of Meloidogyne incognita (kofoid and white) chitwood (root-knot nematode) of Lycopersicon esculentus (tomato) using cowdung and urine

Screenhouse experiments were conducted to test the efficacy of cowdung and urine separately and in combination in the control of root-knot nematode of tomato. Equal quantities of cowdung, urine and their mixture were separately made up to one litre with autoclaved soil. Two weeks old seedlings of tomato raised in autoclaved soil were transplanted into soil manure mixture and inoculated with 1,000 second stage larvae of Meloidogyne incognita race I. Treatments were completely randomized and effects assessed based on plant height, dry weight, extent of galling and the nematode multiplication factor. Results obtained showed that cowdung, urine, and their mixture produced significantly higher result than the untreated control. Similarly, the mixture of urine and cowdung, produced significantly higher results than the separate treatments. Key words: Meloidogyne incognita, Lycopersicon esculentus, cowdung, urine, tomato. African Journal of Biotechnology Vol.3(8) 2004: 379-38

Species Abundance and Colour Preferences of Oviposition by Mosquitoes in Man-Made Containers under Field Conditions in Sokoto, Nigeria

A study was conducted to determine the occurrence and colour preferences of oviposition by mosquitoes in man-made containers under field conditions. A total of nine (9) different colour 2 litre plastic containers were used as artificial mosquito oviposition containers. They were filled with equal amounts of water and placed in the biological garden of the Department of Biological Sciences, Usmanu Danfodiyo University Sokoto. The containers were observed for seven (7) days for mosquito larvae. A total of 319 larvae belonging to four genera, Aedes, Anopheles, Culex and Mansonia were co-habiting/colonizing the garden. The highest occurring genus was Culex with 108 (33.9%) larvae, followed by Aedes with 92 (28.8%), Mansonia 79 (24.8%) and Anopheles with 40 (12.5%)larvae. The colour preference of mosquitoes was in this order: red 25.4 % (81), brown 20.4 % (65), black 16.0% (51), blue 13.2% (42), purple 10.3% (33), pink 7.8% (25), green 6.3% (20), yellow 0.6% (2) and white 0% (0). Although many genera oviposited in more than one colourcontainer, the general distribution of larvae revealed that Aedes and Culex preferred red colour, Mansonia preferred brown container while Anopheles preferred black container. This study shows the importance of colour in determining the breeding sites and thus the occurrence of mosquitoes. The implications of such containers as possible breeding foci of mosquitoes of potential public health significance have been highlighted.Key words: Colour preferences, Man-made containers, oviposition, Mosquito larva

Physicochemical Flux and Phytoplankton diversity in Shagari Reservoir,Sokoto, Nigeria

Nutrients availabilty is one of the major contributors to distribution and growth of phytoplankton species. Physicochemical properties and phytoplankton species and their distribution in Shagari Reservoir were evaluated. Standard methods of UNEP were used to determine monthly physicochemical flux properties, diversity and distribution of phytoplankton species were also determined. Phytoplankton classes identified included Bacillariophyceae, Chlorophyceae, Cynophyceae and Dinophyceae. Class Chlorophyceae had the highest annual percentage distribution (37.55%) with four species identified. The least monthly percentage (7.64%) was recorded in November by Dinophyceae. Anabaena wisconsineae (Dinophyceae) had the highest frequency of occurence (96.6%). August, September and October were the most turbid months using Secchi disc measurement with 8.30, 9.0 and 9.8cm respectively. The monthly variation in the physicochemical parameters may be due to seasonal changes and human activities. The levels of nitrogen and phosphorus ranged from 0.30-7.30 Mg/l and 0.1-0.8Mg/l respectively. The reservoir has low species of phytoplankton, which may be due to low levels of nutrients and age of the reservoir.Keywords: Phytoplankton, Physicochemical, Reservoir, Chlorophyceae, Shagari, Sokoto, Nigeria

Modelling and simulation of advanced semiconductor devices

This paper presents a modelling and simulation study of advanced semiconductor devices. Different Technology Computer Aided Design approaches and models, used in nowadays research are described here. Our discussions are based on numerous theoretical approaches starting from first principle methods and continuing with discussions based on more well stablished methods such as Drift-Diffusion, Monte Carlo and Non-Equilibrium Green’s Function formalism

How universities are teaching bim: A review and case study from the UK

© 2016 The author. Growing industry demand and the United Kingdom (UK) government's 2016 'BIM deadline' have provided a clear impetus for enhanced BIM teaching in UK Higher Education institutions. This paper reports on the strategic approach taken in a large multi-disciplinary School of Civil and Building Engineering. From a number of options suggested by literature, the approach to embed BIM into existing modules was chosen and three categories of BIM Learning Outcomes (BIMLOs) were identified including: knowledge and intellectual aspects; practical skills; and transferable skills. A three-year implementation plan (2014-2016) was developed in which 26 priority modules had their existing learning outcomes upgraded to meet the BIMLOs. Three new modules had to be introduced to cover new concepts and processes that required special attention, including: model coordination and clash detection/avoidance; as well as use of common data environments (CDE) which is a pre-requisite for Level 2 BIM. The contents of the BIMLOs were influenced by partnership with BIM technology providers, practicing professionals, contemporary and research-driven topics as well as UK BIM guidance and strategy documents e.g. BS1192-2007, the PAS1192 series, BIM Protocol and Government Soft Landings. Many priority modules were taken by mixed cohorts of students drawn from various programmes, so group work via problem-based coursework was typically used for assessment. Guided self-learning through web-based video tutorials was adopted across the School using commercially available and in-house produced content. These have helped students with problem-solving and modelling skills. There were differences (such as background skills and future interests between local undergraduate students and international postgraduate students) and these differences influenced how they approached group working and the tasks they could effectively carry out. The approach adopted by Loughborough University for teaching BIM required long-term vision, leadership, BIM championing and the cooperation of academic peers who were extensively consulted. A feedback mechanism was put in place to capture students' experiences regarding BIMLOs, access to computing facilities and effectiveness of video tutorials. Recommendations are made to other institutions considering wide scale multi-disciplinary embedding of BIM into their curriculum

Performance of Vertically Stacked Horizontal Si Nanowires Transistors: A 3D Monte Carlo / 2D Poisson Schrodinger Simulation Study

In this paper we present a simulation study of 5nm vertically stacked lateral nanowires transistor (NWTs). The study is based on calibration of drift-diffusion results against a Poisson-Schrodinger simulations for density-gradient quantum corrections, and against ensemble Monte Carlo simulations to calibrate carrier transport. As a result of these calibrated results, we have established a link between channel strain and the device performance. Additionally, we have compared the current flow in a single, double and triple vertically stacked lateral NWTs

EFFECT OF POST-WELD HEAT TREATMENT ON THE MICROSTRUCTURE AND MECHANICAL PROPERTIES OF ARC WELDED MEDIUM CARBON STEEL

Effect of post- weld heat treatment on the microstructure and mechanical properties of arc welded medium carbon steel was investigated. Medium carbon steel samples were butt- welded by using the shielded metal arc welding technique and, thereafter, heat treated by annealing, normalising and quench hardening in water. The microstructure of the as- welded and post- weld heated samples was characterised by means of optical microscopy while the hardness, toughness and tensile properties of the samples were determined by using Indentec universal hardness testing machine, Izod impact testing machine and Denison tensile testing machine respectively. The results of the optical microscopic test show that fine grains of pearlite in ferrite were obtained in normalized samples and martensite was also observed in quenched samples. On the other hand, mechanical property tests indicated that normalized welded specimens gave good combination of mechanical properties. http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/njt.v35i2.1