Near Surface Hydrometeorology for Sustainable Water Management

Due to strong interactions between the land and atmosphere and the resulting feedbacks as altered by the anthropogenic changes, it is critical to quantify the surface fluxes and boundary layer properties that has direct implications on the regional evolution of hydrometeorology. This study evaluates the impact of irrigation using the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) numerical weather prediction (NWP) model in the Snake River Basin in Idaho. Our simulation extends for the period in the growing season and compares the control and irrigation runs to assess the irrigation induced cooling on the surface energy balance. Understanding this near surface cooling is directly useful for sustainable water management under changing climate conditions in the future. We present simulated latent and sensible heat fluxes as well as air temperature, relative humidity and the depth of the planetary boundary layer (PBL) over the region

Antioxidant Capacities and Phytoconstituents of Fractions of Ethanol Extract of Cymbopogon citratus (DC.) Stapf: Inhibition of Iron II (Fe2+) - Induced Lipid Peroxidation in Rat Colon Homogenate

Oxidative stress is associated with the generation of excess free radicals and reduction in the levels of antioxidant enzymes. It is also implicated in the initiation and progression of colorectal cancer. Cymbopogon citratus, commonly called ‘lemon grass,’ is widely distributed in the tropics and it is known for its therapeutic applications. In this study, the antioxidant activities of the crude ethanol extract of Cymbopogon citratus and its fractions were determined using total antioxidant capacity (TAC), 2-2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity, Fe3+ reducing ability, total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC). The phytocomponents were determined through Gas Chromatography - Mass Spectrometry and lipid peroxidation was induced in rat colon homogenate. TFC and TPC were highest in the ethyl acetate fraction (EAF) > crude extract (CE) > ethanol fraction (EF) > chloroform fraction (CF). Both DPPH scavenging activity and Fe3+ reducing ability exhibited similar trend; EAF > EF > CF > CE. In addition, the ability to inhibit lipid peroxidation in rat colon is as follows; EAF> CF > CE > EF. The EAF and CF of the ethanol extract of C. citratus contain most of the compounds that could be responsible for its activity against reactive oxygen species

Evaluation of the contribution of National Housing Fund scheme towards housing delivery in Nigeria

One of the three most important basic needs of mankind which has not been adequate for the citizenry right from the independence in 1960 till date is Housing. Finance has been fingered as one of the predicaments towards its actualization because housing provision requires huge capital outlay. The National Housing Fund (NHF) scheme was considered relative to the number of contributors, accessibility of the fund when required and how it has affected the provision of housing in Nigeria. Data for this work were obtained from the Federal Mortgage Bank of Nigeria (FMBN) which is the apex bank for mortgage institutions. The study revealed that few mortgagors have benefitted from the scheme,funds are locked up without disbursing adequate amount to the contributors as there is wide gap between the amount that mortgagors actually applied for and the amount so approved for the provision of housing in Nigeria. The paper recommended that contributors should be allowed to benefit from NHF scheme, while funds locked up should be adequately disbursed to the loan applicants by ensuring that there is reduction in the wide margin between amount applied for and the amount so approved to allow for effective utilization of the fund