Variability Pattern for Resistance to Purple Blotch (Alternaria porri ) Disease of Onions (Allium cepa L.) in North Western Nigeria

Five onion cultivars Red Creole, Kaharda, Koumassa, Sokoto local and ori were selected on the basis of diverse genetic backgrounds with respect to resistance to Alternaria porri (Ellis.) Cif. The cultivars were crossed in a complete diallel, the 25 F1s generated and their parents were evaluated in replicated yield trials at Sokoto in Sokoto State and Talata Mafara in Zamfara State, Nigeria, during the 2004/2005 and 2005/2006 dry seasons. The experiments were laid out in a randomised complete block design (RCBD) with three replications. Analysis of the variance component for the combined seasons and locations indicate that genotypic variance was greater than the environmental variance for all characters under  consideration with exception of bulb weight. Disease incidence recorded 31.20%, 30.58% and 5.42% as phenotypic, genotypic and environmental coefficients of variability. Disease severity recorded 34.96%, 32.84% and 11.00% as phenotypic, genotypic and environmental coefficients of variability. With respect to fresh bulb yield 94.90%, 93.53% and 15.78% were observed as phenotypic, genotypic and environmental coefficients of variability for the genotypes. Cured bulb yield recorded 103.47%, 102.27% and 14.96% respectively as phenotypic, genotypic and environmental coefficients of variability. Similarly 29.43%, 24.79% and 17.91% were observed for days to maturity, as phenotypic, genotypic and environmental coefficients of variability. Variability was found to exist among the genotypes for the various characters they were evaluated for.Keywords: Variability, Resistance, Purple Blotch, Disease, Onion

Screening of Malaysian Medicinal/Herbs and Aquatic Plants for Pancreatic Lipase Inhabitory Activities and Identification of Active Constituent

The compounds that help to slow down the digestion of triacylglycerols inside pancreatic and small intestine of human play an important role in the control of obesity. In this study the effects of 80% methanol extracts of different parts (seeds, fruits, leaves, flowers,roots) of some medicinal/herbals and aquatic plants for their anti-lipase activity was determined. The effect of each plant extract on porcine pancreatic lipase was measured based on titrimetric method. The results revealed of the one hundred (100) plant samples screened, eighty eight (88) of the extracts were observed to inhibit while twelve (12) were found to promote the activity and only two extracts did not show any activity on the enzyme. Four of the plant extracts Archidendron jiringa (Jack) I.C Nielsen, Averrhoe carambola L. Cynometra cauliflora and Alevrites moluccana (L.) Willd have shown the highest anti-lipase activity of 100%, and twenty one (21) extracts observed to have high activity above 70%. Eighteen (18) out of these twenty one (21) have anti-lipase activity of greater than 80%. Thirteen (13) have presented moderate inhibition with a high proportion of 62% exhibited lower inhibition. Twenty nine (29) extracts out of these (86)can be regarded as very poor inhibitors, as their percent inhibition was less than 20% and only 1.74% was shown to have no inhibitory activity. In the process of isolating the active compounds, liquid-liquid partitioning of the crude methanolic extract of Cynometra cauliflora leaves was carried out. Five different fractions hexane, DCM,EtOAc, n-BuOH and aqueous was obtained. All the fractions were tested for anti-lipase activity and the active components reside manily in ethyl acetate fraction. The isolation and identification of active compounds from the most active fraction (ethyl acetate) was further fractionated using silica gel column chromatography (normal phase). The active fraction was further purified by the use of Sephadex LH-20 chromatography. The structure of the active compound from ethyl acetate fraction of Cynometra cauliflora was found to be kaempferol-3-O-rhamnoside. The structure of this active compound was identified from spectroscopic data analysis of IR, MS, 1H NMR, 13C NMR and 2D-NMR

Anti- and pro-lipase activity of selected medicinal, herbal and aquatic plants, and structure elucidation of an anti-lipase compound

Plants that help in slowing down the digestion of triacylglycerols (TAGs) in the pancreas and small intestine of humans play an important role in the reduction of obesity. On the other hand, there may be plants or plant parts that stimulate intestinal lipolytic activity, thus contributing to greater TAG assimilation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the aqueous methanolic extracts of ninety eight (98) medicinal, herbal and aquatic plant materials from Malaysia for their effect on porcine pancreatic lipase (PPL) activity and to identify the structure of an anti-lipase compound from one of the sources. The degree of inhibition was also quantified as relative to orlistat activity against PPL (orlistat equivalents). Results revealed that while 19.4% of the extracts were found to have anti-lipase activity ≥80%, 12% were actually found to promote PPL activity. Twenty two percent (22.4%) exhibited moderate inhibition (41%–80%) and 2% were neutral toward PPL activity. The ripe fruit of Averrhoa carambola and the leaves of Archidendron jiringa (Jack) I.C Nielsen L. (jering), Cynometra cauliflora (nam-nam) and Aleurites moluccana (L.) Willd (candle nut/buah keras) had the highest (100%) anti-lipase activity and are equivalent to 0.11 µg orlistat/mL. Plants that stimulated lipase activity included Pimpinella anisum L. (aniseed/jintan manis), activating the enzyme by 186.5%. Kaempferol 3-O-rhamnoside was isolated from the ethyl acetate fraction of C. cauliflora leaves and found to be an active lipase inhibitor. The structure was elucidated using 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR and 2D-NMR analyses

Selected Nigerian Magazines’ Patterns of Cervical Cancer Coverage

This paper examined two magazines’ pattern of covering cervical cancer. Purposively selected were Tell and The News magazines. Eighteen (18) editions randomly selected from the first quarter of 2013 (January – March) were qualitatively content-analysed. The study used agenda setting and social responsibility theories, believing that the more the emphasis placed on cervical cancer by the magazines through their coverage – part of their social responsibility role – the more awareness they would create about it. Cervical cancer reportedly triggers about 500,000 new cases and 250,000 deaths annually, with about 80 per cent of cases occurring in low-income countries. The study found that these two magazines featured no report on the disease in the period under study. Therefore, the study recommends that The News media should pay attention to fulfilling their social responsibility mandate to Nigerian society. Keywords: cervical cancer, mass media, agenda-settin

Rise of the ‘homo erotica’? Portrayal of women and gender role stereotyping in movies: analysis of two Nigerian movies

Over time, the role of mass media as agents of socialization has attracted an array of criticisms from different segments of the society. To social psychologists, the images portrayed in the mass media, often times, alter people’s perception of social realities and are believed to play significant roles in stimulating anti-social behaviours such as crime, delinquency and violence. To critical feminists, the mass media are seen as agents of male chauvinism, systematically deployed for the perpetuation of a male dominated socio-cultural, political and economic order through the portrayal and continuous reinforcement of negative gender role stereotypes of women. This study is therefore designed to analyse the forms and pattern of portrayal of women and gender role stereotypes in selected Nollywood movies. Two movies – Ije (2012) and Mr. and Mrs. (2012) were selected using purposive sampling technique and content-analysed. Findings revealed that women were generally portrayed in the movies as sex objects and objects of erotic gaze for men, domestic servants, “the weaker sex”, “the wicked mother-in-laws” and working class women as insubordinate wives and uncaring mothers, among other negative forms of portrayals. It also found that the forms of portrayal and stereotypes of women in the movies reviewed fit into and can reinforce widely held social beliefs and gender role expectations from women in the larger Nigerian socio-cultural environment. Keywords: women, portrayal, stereotyping, framing, social cue

Press Reportage of 2012 Fuel Subsidy Removal Crisis in Nigeria

Increases in the pump price of petroleum have been incessant in Nigeria. It first took off at 15.3 Kobo per litre in 1978, when General Olusegun Obasanjo was Military Head of State, to 70 Naira in 2007 when same Obasanjo presided over Nigeria’s civil rule. Incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan reviewed it upward to 141 Naira in 2012, thus sparking nationwide protests that reversed the price per litre of petrol to its current price of 97 Naira. A further increase appears imminent, as the central government still intends to ensure a total removal of petroleum subsidy. This study is an addition to other studies on mass media’s power to influence and reinforce the relative importance of issues in the psyche of news audiences. With the fuel subsidy crisis of 2012 as its focus, the study examined the reportage of the issue by The Punch and Vanguard newspapers, in terms of their frequency of reports, prominence given, direction of editorial contents, and the tone used in reporting the issue. Inference drawn from the findings is that there was an interaction between the priority accorded the fuel subsidy removal crisis by the press (media agenda), and the importance attached to it by the public through their reaction (public agenda), as well as subsequent government policy reversal (policy agenda). Keywords: Price variation, crisis, media agenda, public agenda, and policy agend

Pharmacological Activities of Banana

Plants have been in use in traditional medicine since antiquity, and many active metabolic products with biological significance are obtained from them. Recently, pharmaceutical industries have developed great interest in utilizing these products as an alternative to the chemically synthesized drugs. This is due to the discovery of important new medicines from the plants, because of studies on how people of different background use plants as cure and treatment for many diseases, and side effects of the synthesized drugs. Banana, an eatable fruit produced by some herbaceous flowering plants of the genus Musa, is one of the valuable fruits with proven pharmacological potentials. Bananas are spread almost all over the world. Different chemical constituents like apigenin glycosides, myricetin-3-O-rutinoside, kaempferol-3-O-rutinoside, dopamine, and serotonin have been reported in different parts and varieties of banana. The presence of carbohydrate, proteins as well as flavonoids, makes bananas useful in both nutrition and therapeutics. Pharmacologically, bananas have been shown to possess antiulcer, antimicrobial, and antioxidant activities. This chapter discusses the essential information on banana, including its varieties, distribution, pharmacological actions, and its relevance in pharmaceutical industries. This will be beneficial for researchers to further harness the robustness of this fruit in controlling many diseases and modification of drugs

Risk analysis in fish farming systems in Oyo and Kwara States, Nigeria: a prospect towards improving fish production

The aim of this paper is to analyze risks in fish farming systems in Oyo and Kwara States, Nigeria. The primary data were collected using structured questionnaire with personal interview method by trained enumerators. The data collected belonged to the 2015/2016 production year. The total respondents (277) in the two states were separated to concrete pond fish farmers (123) and earthen pond fish farmers (154). Descriptive statistics, safety model and multinomial logit model were used to analyze the data. The results indicated that concrete system was more hired labour driven, relatively had higher formal education, and higher total investment and credit utilized compared to earthen system. The results of the risk preference revealed that of 123 respondents in concrete pond system, 52 % are risk preferring, 34 % are risk neutral and 16 % are risk averse, indicating better risk seeking compared with 154 respondents in earthen pond system with 21.4 % being risk preferring, 59.7 % being risk neutral and 18.8 % risk averse. The results of the estimates of the explanatory variables revealed that that the set of significant explanatory variables and their signs vary across the concrete and earthen pond systems. It would be concluded that the determinants of fish farmers’’ risk status differ considerably between concrete and earthen pond systems. Fish farmers needs to be sensitized through seminars, workshops and trainings in seeking risk by extension personnel in collaboration with agricultural insurance firms, this will go a long way in improving fish production among respondents.Keywords: Fish farming, Insurance, Marginal effect, Risk aversion, Workshop

Knowledge and prevalence of Human African Trypanosomiasis among residents of Kachia grazing reserve, Kachia local government area, Kaduna state, Nigeria, 2012

Introduction: Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) is a vector borne parasitic disease transmitted to humans by infected tse-tse flies cause morbidity including delayed child mental development. Reports of nuisance and bites from tse-tse flies by residents of Kachia grazing led to the study to determine the knowledge, practices and prevalence of HAT among residents of the grazing reserve. Methods: We conducted active case search in a cross-sectional study using multi-stage sampling with probability proportionate to size. We administered structured questionnaire on Knowledge, practices relating to HAT prevention and screened for HAT using card agglutination test for Trypanosomiasis (CATT). Knowledge of HAT was scored 0-5 and categorized good (3-5) and poor (0-2) based on score, predisposition to risk of HAT as exposure to ≥two risk factors and, a case of HAT as any respondent that tested positive on CATT. We analysed data using Epi-info and MS-excel. Results: Of the 300 respondents, mean age 39(±17years) interviewed, 56.3% were males, 12.0% had good knowledge of HAT and 76.3% were exposed to HAT risk factors. Prevention practices included clearing of overgrown bushes around houses (99%), use of insecticidal treated nets (75.7%) and protective clothing (41.0%). Males {Odds Ratio [OR] 5.0; 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 1.8 - 13.6}, age above 40 years {OR 5.0; 95% CI 1.1 - 24.4} and family history of HAT {OR 8.7; 95% CI 2.4 - 32.1} were significantly associated with HAT knowledge. None tested positive on CATT. Conclusion: Despite poor knowledge of HAT, residents practiced HAT preventive measures and zero HAT prevalence was recorded.Pan African Medical Journal 2016; 2

Exploring entrepreneurial orientation – Performance relationships in the banking sector

Over the past three decades, the nature and various impacts of the entrepreneurial orientation (EO) within small and medium businesses have been discussed among scholars and practising managers. However, less effort has been made to investigate the impacts of EO within established firms such as the banking sector. This literature gap can limit the application of the most published findings on EO –performance relationships across firms and industries. The aim of this research was to examine how EO manifest in the Nigerian banking sector in relations to bank performance. Purposive sampling was used to collect data from the bank managers, 315 participants were used for the final analysis with the aid of SmartPLS 3.2.8 statistical software. The result shows that Proactiveness, Innovativeness and Competitive aggressiveness are significantly related to the performance of banks in Nigeria, whereas Risk-taking and Autonomy dimensions were insignificant. Individually, the result indicates that proactiveness is the most important EO dimension in the Nigeria banking sector, then followed by innovativeness and competitive aggressiveness. Reasons for this finding could be due to the nature of the industry in terms of regulations, customer sophistication and competitive intensity. Our findings hence, confirms recent assertions that EO dimensions are independent of each other, they may occur in different combinations depending on the context which EO is applied. That is the most suitable EO conceptualisation can include features that are deemed 'desirable or essential’ (Gupta & Dutta, 2018: 167), to performance in a given culture and specific industries (Wales, 2020). In light of these findings, this study recommends bank’s managers to pay attention to EO construct in terms of proactiveness, innovativeness and competitive aggressiveness to improve performance. Thereby, addressing the issues of competitive intensity, customer sophistication and changing regulation. This study brings new insights to the ongoing discussions on EO – performance relationships