11 research outputs found
Comparative Study on the Epidermal Features of Twelve Under-Utilized Legume Accessions
Seeds of six species of twelve accessions of miscellaneous legumes were obtained from the germplasm
unit of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Ibadan, Oyo State, Nigeria. The seeds
were planted into plots of 5m long, spaced 1 meter apart at the botanical garden of the University of
Agriculture, Abeokuta (UNAAB), Ogun State, Nigeria.
Leaves of the plants were assessed for their genetic and phylogenetic relatedness through diagnostic
epidermal studying of the cell shapes, anticlinal wall types and stomatal characteristics at the abaxial
and adaxial surfaces. The cell shapes, anticlinal wall types and the stomatal characteristics revealed
some correlations among the studied taxa. All the species were amphiostomatic possessing stomata on
both the abaxial and adaxial surfaces. Proportions of the stomata distributions among the taxa were
75% (paracytic), 16.67% (anomocytic) and 8.3% (anisocytic) at both surfaces. There was no accession
with diacytic stoma. Cell shapes were 75% polygonal, 25% irregular at the abaxial surfaces and 66.67%,
33.33% irregular and polygonal respectively at the adaxial surface. The prevalent anticlinal wall type was
curved (41.67%) followed by curved/slightly straight (33.3%) and slightly straight (25%) at both surfaces.
Result of the epidermal features of the studied taxa revealed some diagnostic characteristics that could
be used for taxonomic decisio
DEVELOPMENT OF A WEB-BASED TENDERING PROTOCOL FOR PROCUREMENT OF CONSTRUCTION WORKS IN A TERTIARY INSTITUTION.
There are myriads of ICT tools in the construction industry but many construction procurement
organizations are yet to harness the benefits. Tertiary institutions that are at the forefront of accountability,
transparency and openness, engage in a lot of construction works but majority of them do not have eprocurement
sites. The aim of the study was to develop a web-based tendering protocol for procurement of
construction works in a tertiary institution. The development of a web app and a survey research design
was carried out for the study. For the latter, a questionnaire instrument distributed to the client
representatives and contracting firms operating within a renowned tertiary institution through a
convenience sampling method was utilized. A total of 58 questionnaires were returned between the two
groups. The study tested hypotheses using Mann Whitney-U and T-test. The result revealed that there are
no significant differences between client representatives and contractors on e-readiness and importance of
implementing e-tendering in the procurement of construction works. The study developed a web-based
tendering system for procurement of construction works in a tertiary institution using PHP, MYSQL, CSS
and HTML. The study recommended the increase in awareness of e-tendering platforms through trainings
and implementation and stakeholders should take hold of the benefits of ICT in the construction industry.
There is need to create official e-tendering sites for both public and private institutions for the purpose of
procurement of construction works to encourage competitiveness among different classes of contractors,
enhancing transparency, accountability and proper documentation
Antibacterial Activities of Daldina concentrica
Activities of the distilled water, ethanolic and chloroform extracts of
Daldina concentrica an ascomycetous fungus was investigated on
Escherichia coli , Proteus mirabilis , Pseudomonas aeruginosa ,
Bacillus cereus and Staphylococcus aureus ) using agar well
diffusion method. Ethanolic extract of Daldina concentrica showed
significantly antibacterial activity against all the test
microorganisms except Bacilllus cereus (P ≤0.05). Staphylococcus
aureus was the most sensitive organism to the extracts of this fungus
with 17.0mm zone of inhibition with ethanol extract. It was also shown
that chloroform extract of Daldinia concentrica possessed higher
anti-bacterial activity against the five tested microorganisms. The
effect of fresh tissues of the fungus on test bacteria indicated that
Proteus mirabilis was the only sensitive organism with 5.0mm zone of
inhibition while other bacteria were resistant. The implications of
these findings were discussed
Uncertainty in the predictions of the climate response to rising levels of greenhouse gases
The range of possibilities for future climate evolution needs to be taken into account when planning climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies. This requires ensembles of multi-decadal simulations to assess both chaotic climate variability and model response uncertainty. Statistical estimates of model response uncertainty, based on observations of recent climate change admit climate sensitivities—defined as the equilibrium response of global mean temperature to doubling levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide—substantially greater than 5 K. But such strong responses are not used in ranges for future climate change because they have not been seen in general circulation models. Here we present results from the 'climateprediction.net' experiment, the first multi-thousand-member grand ensemble of simulations using a general circulation model and thereby explicitly resolving regional details. We find model versions as realistic as other state-of-the-art climate models but with climate sensitivities ranging from less than 2 K to more than 11 K. Models with such extreme sensitivities are critical for the study of the full range of possible responses of the climate system to rising greenhouse gas levels, and for assessing the risks associated with specific targets for stabilizing these levels