Abundance, Distribution, Morphometric, Feeding Evaluation and the Reproductive Strategies of Gymnarchus niloticus in the Lower River Niger at Agenebode, Edo State Nigeria

The study of the numerous areas of biology of fish produces ample and relevant information that aids scientist to explore, know and maintain the survival, growth, continuity and sustainability of life of various fish species. A total of 94 specimens of Gymnarchus niloticus were collected from River Niger at Agenebode during the sample period that ranged from 14 – 94 cm total length (54.88± 17.92); weighed 424 - 2281g (1569.61 ± 422.85). The length weight relationship (LWR) of G. niloticus in this study showed a negative (b<3) allometric growth pattern. Out of the 94 specimens analysed 54 males and 40 females were examined with a ratio of 1:1.4. Insects and decapods were the major food of the juveniles of Gymnarchus niloticus while the major food of preference of the sub adults and adults were Fish and insects with 27.12%, and 27.97% by FO. Gymnarchus niloticus possesses a single ovary in the female and single testis in the male which is often referred to as unpaired gonad. Fecundity ranged between 620 to 1378 eggs with a mean of 957.69 ± 112.31 eggs in females. The relationship between fecundity (F) and weight (W) and fecundity and standard length (SL) showed that fecundity is more related to weight than length of fish. Log F = 820.66 + 0.11 W and Log F = 151.23 + 5.31 SL. Fecundity had a positive significant correlation (P<0.05) with both somatic weight (r = 0.714) and standard length (r = 0.657) of fish. Ova diameter showed a ranged between 3.5 and 7.9 mm with a mean of 4.72 ± SD1.69 mm and it had significant relationship (P<0.05) with total weight, gonad weight and maturity stage. Gymnarchus niloticus in the Lower River Niger at Agenebode showed that G. niloticus has an unpaired gonad in both sexes, a gonochoristic reproductive pattern. Fecundity is low and the ova are large. They are small brood spawners with asynchronous breeding strategy. The attributes of G. niloticus obtained from this study reveals that the fish species is a good candidate for fish culture

Nutritional Status of Under-five Children living in Orphanages compared with their Counterparts living with their Families in Host Communities in Lagos State

Background: The prevalence of malnutrition in Nigerian orphanages is not clearly defined despite the high burden. This study was conducted to determine and compare the nutritional status of children living in orphanages and children living in the host communities.Methods: It was a comparative cross-sectional study. A multistage sampling technique was used to select 180 under-five children each from orphanages and host communities. A pre-tested questionnaire was used to obtain data on socio-demographic characteristics and nutrient intake. Weight, height, mid-upper-arm circumference and nutrient intake were assessed following standard procedures. SPSS (version 20.0) was used for data entry and analysis. Association between variables was determined using Chi-square, t-test or Fisher’s exact tests and level of significance was set at p < 0.05.Result: The mean age of the children in orphanages was 38.5 months while that of the children in the host communities was 38.3 months. Wasting and over-nutrition were significantly lower among children living in orphanages compared with those living in the host communities, (5.6% versus 14.4%, p=0.006) and (5.6% versus 13.9%, p=0.008), respectively. The proportion of children living in orphanages who met the Recommended Dietary Allowance for proteins (95%) was significantly higher than those in the host communities (88.9%), (p=0.033).Conclusion: The nutritional status of children living in the orphanages was better than that of the children living in their host communities. More interventions on feeding infant and young children are needed in communities in Lagos State to ensure better nutritional status

Economic Analysis of Cassava Production in Saki-West Local Government Area of Oyo State

This study focused on analyzing the economics of cassava production in Saki–West LGA of Oyo state, Nigeria. Simple random sampling technique was used to select 121 cassava farmers. Descriptive statistics and regression model were employed as analytical techniques. Descriptive statistics was used to describe the socio-economic characteristics of the respondents, to identify the constraints being faced by the cassava farmers and the type of cropping system they practiced. Budgetary and regression analyses were used to determine the profitability of cassava production in the study area. The result of the descriptive analysis of the respondents revealed that their mean age is 50.71 years, 84.3% of the farmers were male while the rest percentages (15.78%) were female, a large percentage (86%) of the cassava farmers were married  and most (68.7%) of the respondents have family size ≤ 10. From the BCR analysis, the benefit cost ratio of 1.7 showed that cassava production was highly profitable in the study area. The result of the regression analysis showed that farm size and Family labour were statistically significant at 1% and had positive influence on farmer’s revenue. This is because the larger the farm size, the longer the hours spent on farming activities by the household and the higher the revenue. However, the age, labour cost, cost of cassava cuttings and years of farming experience were not statistically significant to the farmer’s revenue. Policies that will make more land available to farmers will increase the farmer’s revenue and total output, thus reducing the plague of poverty and unemployment. Keywords: Benefit Cost Ratio, Cassava, Constraints and Profitabilit

Modelling and Control of Flow Induced Vibration of Top–Tensioned Marine Risers Using Analytical Methods

For a riser array in deep waters, interference between individual risers in strong ocean current is of operational concern and thereby a key design issue. The lateral deflection is likely to be large, and the risers may experience collision with fatigue or coating damage as a consequence. In this paper, active control of flexible marine riser angle and the reduction of flow induced (forced) vibration under a time varying distributed load were considered using boundary control approach. A torque actuator was introduced in the upper riser package and a boundary control was designed to generate the required signal for riser angle control and vibration reduction with guaranteed closed-loop stability. The design is based on the partial differential equations of the system, which are developed using energy principle. Analytical method of solution was deployed with the aid of a program, developed within the framework of MATLAB, to predict the riser's behaviour by top tensioning. A sensitivity analysis for different values of the control variables was carried out. The results of this work showed that active control of flexible marine riser by top-tensioning reduced flow induced vibration

INFLUENCE OF SCION LENGTH AND POINT OF ATTACHMENT ON ROOTSTOCK ON SURVIVAL AND GROWTH OF GRAFTED SOURSOP

Soursop ( Annona muricata ) is a multipurpose fruit tree species, which is mostly propagated by seeds, thus producing plants that exhibit various degree of variability. The objective of this study was to assess the influence of scion length and point of attachment on rootstock on survival and growth on grafted Annona muricata. Varying points were marked out on the rootstock from the base of the plant and varying scion lengths (5, 10 and 15 cm) were collected. The modified cleft method of grafting was adopted and this was monitored daily for freshness and appearance of new shoot. At the end of two months, survived grafted plants were removed and arranged under a weaning shed, where they were further monitored for number of leaves, height of graft, diameter of scion and rootstock. Results showed that scion length varied significantly (P<0.05) for all the parameters assessed. The effect of point of attachment on rootstock was also significant on the number of leaves, as well as scion collar diameter. The effect rootstock on graft height and rootstock collar diameter was not significant. The interactive effect of scion and rootstock was significant (P<0.05) for all parameters, except height of graft. For successful graft, survival and growth of grafted A. muricata, 10 - 15 cm long scion should be used and this should be inserted at the upper part (15 cm) of the rootstock.Le corossol (Annona muricata) est une esp\ue8ce d\u2019arbre fruitier \ue0 usages multiples, qui se propage principalement par graines, produisant ainsi des plantes qui pr\ue9sentent divers degr\ue9s de variabilit\ue9. L\u2019objectif de cette \ue9tude \ue9tait d\u2019\ue9valuer l\u2019influence de la longueur du greffon et du point d\u2019attache sur le porte-greffe sur la survie et la croissance d\u2019Annona muricata greff\ue9e. Des points variables ont \ue9t\ue9 marqu\ue9s sur le porte-greffe \ue0 partir de la base de la plante et des scions de diff\ue9rentes longueurs (5, 10 et 15 cm) ont \ue9t\ue9 collect\ue9s. Une m\ue9thode de greffe modifi\ue9e par fente a \ue9t\ue9 adopt\ue9e et celle-ci a \ue9t\ue9 surveill\ue9e quotidiennement pour la fra\ueecheur et l\u2019apparence de la nouvelle pousse. Au bout de deux mois, les plantes greff\ue9es survivantes ont \ue9t\ue9 retir\ue9es et dispos\ue9es sous un hangar de sevrage, o\uf9 elles ont \ue9t\ue9 davantage surveill\ue9es pour le nombre de feuilles, la hauteur de la greffe, le diam\ue8tre du greffon et le porte-greffe. Les r\ue9sultats ont montr\ue9 que la longueur du greffon \ue9tait significative (P<0,05) pour tous les param\ue8tres \ue9valu\ue9s. L\u2019effet du point d\u2019attache sur le porte-greffe \ue9tait \ue9galement significatif sur le nombre de feuilles, ainsi que sur le diam\ue8tre du collet du greffon ; tandis que l\u2019effet du porte-greffe sur la hauteur du greffon et le diam\ue8tre du collet du porte-greffe n\u2019\ue9tait pas significatif. L\u2019effet interactif du greffon et du porte-greffe \ue9tait significatif (P<0,05) pour tous les param\ue8tres, sauf la hauteur du greffon. Pour une greffe r\ue9ussie, la survie et la croissance d\u2019Annona. muricata greff\ue9, un scion de 10 \ue0 15 cm de long doit \ueatre utilis\ue9 et celui-ci doit \ueatre ins\ue9r\ue9 dans la partie sup\ue9rieure (15 cm) du porte-greffe

Estimating multidimensional poverty AmongCassava producers in Nigeria: patterns and socioeconomic determinants

Open Access Journal; Published online: 02 Jul 2020The scourge of poverty, including its correlates, has been witnessing an incremental sequence over the years in Nigeria despite the natural endowment of the country. Efforts by various stakeholders to address this problem have not yielded tangible results. Using cross-sectional data collected in 2015 on 775 cassava farmers spread across four geographical zones, this study estimates multidimensional poverty of cassava producers in Nigeria. This is to determine the factors responsible for poverty increase and contribution(s) of these factors to poverty. The study found that about 74% of the respondents were multidimensionally poor. Assets and public/housing utility were the main contributors to aggregate multidimensional poverty index (MPI), while education and health contributed most to povertyreduction. The results also showed major contributing indicators to MPI to be formal employment, school enrolment, years of schooling, frequency of hospital visits, and household assets’ ownership. The South-eastzone of Nigeria had the highest adjusted headcount of poverty among cassava producers. The estimated coefficient of age, farming experience, years of schooling, household size, and access to informal credit were significant determinants of poverty in the study area. In conclusion, the results suggest that although Nigeria is a federation of more than 30 states that continue to rely on nation-wide policy initiatives of the central government, policies on cassava aiming to lift millions of people out of poverty should instead vary according to the peculiar poverty dimensions of each federation unit. We suggest reform in the agriculture sector that will emphasize facilitation and access to incentives (credits, training, extension, cooperate system, etc.) by younger farmers to engage in modern cassava farming, thereby, enhancing the chances of rural cassava growers to move out of poverty

Performance of CMIP5 models in temperature simulation over West Africa

The performance of forty-five Global Climate Models GCMs that participated in the fifth phase of the Coupled Model Inter-comparison Project (CMIP5) in temperature simulation is evaluated over four temperature regions of West Africa the Guinean Savannah (GS), Western Sahel (WS), Lower Sahel (LS), and Eastern Sahel (ES) by comparing the model outputs with ground observation(CRU data) for the period of 1961-2005 using Normalized Mean Absolute Error, Normalized Root Mean Square Error and Taylor diagram at different percentiles. The analyses is done to select models that best simulate the temperature with least error for application in climate projections and climate change impact over this highly vulnerable region of interest. The skillful models for temperature simulation over each region are selected and compared. The skillful models over at least two temperature regions over West Africa (twenty three out of the 45 models considered) are finally selected and suggested for applicability in future projection and climate impact studies. Keywords: Temperature simulation, General Circulation Models, normalized mean absolute error, percentile

Behaviour of multiple lightning dischargers under a tropical thundercloud

Lightning discharges on ground depend on the electrostatic charges, nature of vegetation, topography and dyna-mics of the turbulent layer. In designing lightning protectors, one major consideration is the highest point in the surrounding that lightning is directed. The effects of ambient dischargers on lightning protectors were investi-gated, to determine both the discharge behavior and performance. The starting potential of the discharger confi-guration increased with clearance of tip of the central discharger from surrounding dischargers, instead of incre-asing with the average spacing between dischargers. The point of strike of lightning discharge depended on the line of least stress rather than the height clearance from the cloud; which determined the charge structure and dynamics of the cloud particulates

Cryopreservation of cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz)

This study intended to develop and/or adopt the best cryopresentation protocol for the African cassava germplasm. Eleven protocols were investigated. One protocol focused on the tolerance of pregrowth meristems to DMSO (Dimethyl sulphoxide). The other 10 were cryopresentation protocols and were employed to determine the best possible procedure involved in terms of recovery rate. Seven cultivars obtained from the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture were used. These include TMS M80/00106, TMS 63397,TMS 60142, TMS 30001, TMS 91/02324, TME 1 and TME2. Amongest the seven DMSO concentrations tested on pregrowth meristems of four genotypes, 0.5% (v/v) DMSO was the right concentration in which highest telerance was found. From the ten cryopresentation protocols carried out, five different dehydration period were tested. A 5-hr dehydration, using alginate-bead dehydration method of cryopresentation emerged the best. It was evident that modification introduced at the cryopresentation stage was reasonable as 5% DMSO performed best when used alone as a cryopretectant while 0.5% DMSO combined with calcium alginate and high sucrose proved equally good for cryopreservation of meristems and node cutting

Environmental factors and the risk of urinary schistosomiasis in Ile Oluji/Oke Igbo local government area of Ondo State

Geographic information systems are being increasingly used to show the distributions of disease where data for specific environmental risk factors are available. For successful transmission of schistosomiasis, suitable climatic conditions and biological events must coincide; hence its distribution and prevalence are greatly influenced by environmental factors affecting the population of snail intermediate hosts and human hosts. Prevalence and demographic data was obtained by parasitological examination of urine samples and questionnaire administration. The mean values of environmental factors corresponding to the local government area were obtained from remotely sensed images and data from climate research unit. The effects of the environmental factors were determined by using regression analysis to analyse the correlation of environmental factors to prevalence of schistosomiasis. There was a negative correlation between infection and elevation. There was a positive correlation between vegetation, rainfall, slope, temperature and prevalence of infection. There was also a weak negative correlation between proximity to water body and prevalence. The result shows the study area to be at low to high risk of infection