44 research outputs found

    Improving Agricultural Education Curriculum Through Sea Food Resources at the Tertiary Institutions

    Get PDF
    This work centered on improving Agricultural Education curriculum through sea food resources at the tertiary institutions. The research was conducted in Ebonyi state of Nigeria. The design used for this research was a survey research design. The research had five specific purposes and five research questions. The collection of data used for the study was done using questionnaire as the instrument. The   questionnaire contained 50 items.  The questionnaire was validated by experts in agricultural Education, measurement and evaluation and curriculum. The reliability of the instrument was determined by carrying out a pilot test. The data collected from the pilot test was analyzed using cronbach alpha which gave a reliability coefficient of 0.812. The data collected were subjected to analysis using statistical mean and standard deviation. The outcome of the analysis of the data revealed that the concepts of the sea food resources should be included in the agricultural education curriculum at the tertiary institutions, the management skills in sea food resources, the harvesting techniques of sea food resources, the processing, preservation and storage techniques of sea food resources and the distribution and marketing of sea food resources should be included in the agricultural education curriculum at the tertiary institutions. On the basis of the findings, the researchers recommended that the ministry of education, the institutions offering agricultural education and the national university commission (NUC) should include the findings of this research in the curriculum of agricultural education. Keywords: Agriculture; Education; Curriculum; food;resources;tertiary;institutions. DOI: 10.7176/JEP/11-35-04 Publication date: December 31st 202

    The Neoliberalisation of Higher Education in England: An Alternatives is Possible

    Get PDF
    In this article, we provide a critical explanation and critique of neoliberal policy. We attempt an innovative focus ranging from the wider contemporary political and ideological shifts, to specific higher education influences and consequences, of neoliberalism. We do this in three parts that follows a narrative logic where we explore the bigger picture, which we then locate concentrating on specific and particular examples with a long view of class struggle. In the first part, we lay out neoliberalism and explicate its basic principles in abstraction. This is necessary for part two, where we contextualise neoliberalism specifically within the English higher education system with specific reference to the policy agenda of the Government. In the third and final part of the article we suggest an alternative higher education model that simultaneously exists and flourishes with and against the neoliberal hegemony. We conclude by suggesting the possibility of class formation and struggle in this moment of history when neoliberalism is expanding and deepening

    Advancing an interdisciplinary framework to study seed dispersal ecology

    Get PDF
    Although dispersal is generally viewed as a crucial determinant for the fitness of any organism, our understanding of its role in the persistence and spread of plant populations remains incomplete. Generalizing and predicting dispersal processes are challenging due to context dependence of seed dispersal, environmental heterogeneity and interdependent processes occurring over multiple spatial and temporal scales. Current population models often use simple phenomenological descriptions of dispersal processes, limiting their ability to examine the role of population persistence and spread, especially under global change. To move seed dispersal ecology forward, we need to evaluate the impact of any single seed dispersal event within the full spatial and temporal context of a plant’s life history and environmental variability that ultimately influences a population’s ability to persist and spread. In this perspective, we provide guidance on integrating empirical and theoretical approaches that account for the context dependency of seed dispersal to improve our ability to generalize and predict the consequences of dispersal, and its anthropogenic alteration, across systems. We synthesize suitable theoretical frameworks for this work and discuss concepts, approaches and available data from diverse subdisciplines to help operationalize concepts, highlight recent breakthroughs across research areas and discuss ongoing challenges and open questions. We address knowledge gaps in the movement ecology of seeds and the integration of dispersal and demography that could benefit from such a synthesis. With an interdisciplinary perspective, we will be able to better understand how global change will impact seed dispersal processes, and potential cascading effects on plant population persistence, spread and biodiversity

    Experimental Study for Phycoremediation of Botryococcus sp. On Greywater

    Get PDF
    Abstract. Greywater (GW) is identified as waste disposal from home activites that is discharging from laundry, bath and wash-basin. GW useful in irrigation of a garden and aids to reduce cost as well as maintain the environmental prosperity. This paper discussed the effectiveness of Botryococcus sp. to clean GW in phycoremediation treatment. This process involves as growing the Botryococcus sp. in the GW which is contributing to utilize supplements in GW for its grow. The results indicated that Botryococcus sp. is effective to reduce COD (88%), BOD (82%), TIC (76%), TC (58%), TN (52%), TOC (39%), Phosphate (37.5%) and pH (7%) for 100% concentration of GW. Meanwhile, for the 50% of GW concentration Botryococcus sp. capable to remove such as COD (83%), TIC (82%), BOD (68%), TN (67%), Phosphate (36.8%), TC (34%), TOC (31%) and pH (1.2%). Then, the study concludes that Botryococcus sp. can grow effectively in GW and be able to reduce the rate of nutrient in GW

    Experimental Study for Phycoremediation of Botryococcus sp. On Greywater

    Get PDF
    Abstract. Greywater (GW) is identified as waste disposal from home activites that is discharging from laundry, bath and wash-basin. GW useful in irrigation of a garden and aids to reduce cost as well as maintain the environmental prosperity. This paper discussed the effectiveness of Botryococcus sp. to clean GW in phycoremediation treatment. This process involves as growing the Botryococcus sp. in the GW which is contributing to utilize supplements in GW for its grow. The results indicated that Botryococcus sp. is effective to reduce COD (88%), BOD (82%), TIC (76%), TC (58%), TN (52%), TOC (39%), Phosphate (37.5%) and pH (7%) for 100% concentration of GW. Meanwhile, for the 50% of GW concentration Botryococcus sp. capable to remove such as COD (83%), TIC (82%), BOD (68%), TN (67%), Phosphate (36.8%), TC (34%), TOC (31%) and pH (1.2%). Then, the study concludes that Botryococcus sp. can grow effectively in GW and be able to reduce the rate of nutrient in GW

    The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

    Get PDF
    INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century
    corecore