Infectivity and reproduction of Meloidogyne incognita (Kofoid and White) Chitwood on African yam bean, Sphenostylis stenocarpa (Hochst Ex. A. Rich) Harms accessions as influenced by botanical soil amendments

A screen house experiment was conducted to study the effects of amendment of soil with leaf powders of some plants at different levels (5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 t/ha) on the infectivity and reproduction of Meloidogyne incognita (Kofoid and White) Chitwood on African yam bean, Sphenostylis stenocarpa (Hochst Ex. A. Rich) Harms. The plants were neem, drumstick, lemon grass, African peach and rattle weed. Results showed that botanical soil amendments significantly (P ≤ 0.05) improved growth of plants and reduced reproduction of M. incognita on African yam bean in varying degrees. The effects of botanicals on growth of plants and nematode reproduction increased with increase in concentrations/ amendment levels, and were highest at 25 t/ha. Cymbopogon citratus produced the highest manurial properties as it supported greater vegetative growth of plants while Moringa oleifera was most effective in the reduction of reproduction and development of M. incognita in the roots. M. oleifera produced the least gall index and egg mass index of 1.0, though Crotolaria retusa also recorded egg mass index of 1.0. Results from this study are indicative of the fact that local farmers could apply these botanicals as fertilizers during cultivation to counteract the effect of root-knot nematode, and also to improve growth of crop plants but field trials are necessary before final recommendation.Keywords: Infectivity, reproduction, African yam bean, Meloidogyne incognita, amendmen

Promoting Online Conferencing for the Enhancement of Open and Distance Education in Nigeria: A Case Study of the National Open University of Nigeria

The study was designed to find out if the integration and promotion of the use of online conferencing as instruction delivery method in addition to the current instruction delivery method of use of printed material, audio and video CDs, and broadcast media had enhancing effects on open and distance learning in Nigeria; and helped in fostering overall attainment of the goals and objectives of the establishment of the National open University of Nigeria. The study employed an experimental approach, the population of the study consisted of the post graduate students at the Nekede study centre of the National Open University of Nigeria. M.Sc. students of information and communication technology and Educational technology were purposively selected as the sampled population;  structured questionnaires were used as instrument for primary data collection. Interviews, personal discussions, and literature provided sources for secondary data. The instrument was validated by scholars from the Imo state University, Owerri Imo State Nigeria. The results from the survey were analyzed using descriptive and quantitative statics. The result from the study showed that students viewed the current instruction dell very mode in the national Open University of Nigeria as grossly insufficient, ineffective and inadequate. The student hence agreed that promotion of the use on online conferencing as instruction dell very method was very important the study further revealed that the promotion of the use of online conferencing is a catalyst for enhancing open and distance learning in Nigeria and hence a vehicle for promoting the overall attainment of the objective of the established of the national open University of Nigeria

A model for stripping multicomponent vapor from unsaturated soil with free and trapped residual nonaqueous phase liquid

We present a model for the multicomponent vapor transport due to air venting in an unsaturated zone in the presence of free and trapped phases of residual nonaqueous phase liquid (NAPL). On the microscale the soil particles are assumed to form spherical aggregates with micropores filled with-immobile water, trapped phases of NAPL and air. The interaggregate space is occupied with mobile air, and a thin film of free NAPL adheres on the aggregate surface. While the free NAPL can readily be in equilibrium with macropore vapor, the mass transfer from immobile phases inaggregates is rate-limited by aqueous diffusion. This model enables us to predict the vapor concentrations of various chemical species and the free NAPL saturation over the macroscale, based on the detailed understanding of the aqueous concentrations of the species and the trapped NAPL saturation within the aggregates. The model is compared favorably with some experimental data of sparging multicomponent vapor out of an intact core taken from a contaminated site. The distinctive features of multicomponent transport, clearly exhibited by the data, are further examined in the simulations of a hypothetical case of three-aromatic vapor transport under a radial flow field. It is found that while the vapor concentration of the most volatile component drops monotonically with time, those of the less volatile may rise as their mole fractions in the NAPL increase. The vapor concentration of a heavy component may have a local maximum at the evaporation front of the free NAPL. In the case of radial flow the free NAPL has two receding evaporation fronts. Condensation of the heavy component downstream of the far front causes a temporary increase of its total concentration there. With trapped NAPL and soil aggregation the macroscale transport is retarded, and the effluent concentrations end up in noticeable tailing.published_or_final_versio

Comparative Adsorption of Spiramycin on Veegum®, Activated Charcoal and Garcinia kola Heckel (Guttiferea) Seed

Purpose: To investigate the adsorptive interaction of Garcinia kola with spiramycin, since the kola is widely chewed as a tonic and spiramycin attains high concentrations in saliva.Methods: Spiramycin solutions of different concentration were added to a fixed mass of Garcinia kola (200 mg), activated charcoal or Veegum®. Shaking was carried out at room temperature after which the dispersion was filtered and the filtrate assayed for residual drug concentration. The process was repeated under different equilibrium conditions of pH and ionic strength. The adsorption data obtained for the three adsorbents were analyzed using Langmuir and Freundlich’s plots.Results: At neutral pH, drug adsorprtion by Garcinia kola, activated charcoal and Veegum® were 67, 54 and 71 %, respectively; differences in adsorption was not significant (p = 0.09). However, the other two adsorbents exhibited adverse adsorption characteristics in terms of negative adsorption capacity (-5.78 mol.kg-1) and constant (-1141 mol-1L). For each of the adsorbents, pH and ionic strength affected the extent of adsorption, due to their effect on adsorbent surface charge. Correlation with Langmuir and Freundlich relationships were poor, the correlation coefficient for the latter being 0.97, 0.894 and 0.351 for Garcinia kola, Veegum® and activated charcoal, respectively.Conclusion: The study reveals that Garcinia kola significantly adsorbs spiramycin under alkaline conditions comparable to salivary pH, and therefore should not be taken concurrently with the drug in order to minimize reduction in drug levels.Keywords: Garcinia kola, Spiramycin, Adsorption, Antidote, Interaction, Langmuir plot, Freundlich’s plo

Laser light on the mycoflora content in maize seeds

Laser light has many applications in agriculture, but there is still much work to provide scientific evidence of its potential use as an alternative for the control of diseases originating in the seed, especially for fungi that are internal. In this study, we investigated the effects of low intensity laser irradiation on the mycoflora content in maize seeds. Five irradiation times (30, 60, 180, 300 and 600 s) and two intensity levels (I1 = 16.3 e and I2 = 4.6 mW/cm2) were applied by using a diode laser (λ= 655 nm and power of 27.4 mW). Consequently, the laser irradiation significantly diminished the quantity of seeds infected with Fusarium spp. fungi. The combination of I1 and I2, at 5 min of irradiation time, diminished (p < 0.05) the quantity of infected seeds with Fusarium spp. up to 61.11% when compared with the control seed (no irradiation). From these results, we concluded that low intensity laser irradiation could be an alternative method to control seed transmitted diseases in maize seed.Key words: Zea mays L., diode laser, low intensity laser, fungi, Fusarium

Gender and career Choice Differences on Bakare Vocational Interest Inventory: Implications for Vocational Counseling In Nigeria

The study examined gender and aspired occupational differences on Bakare Vocational Interest Inventory (BVII). Two hundred and twenty (56 males and 164 females) undergraduate students participated in the study. Their ages ranged between 16-30 years with a M age of 21.79 and SD age of 2.61. The BVII by Bakare (1977) was used to gather information on the participants’ interest areas. A survey research design involving MANOVA statistical analysis was used in data analysis. The result of the findings showed significant gender differences on the Outdoor F(1,890) = 11.74, Mechanical F(1,189) = 8.28 and Computational F(1,189) = 1.47 interest areas of BVII. Similarly, aspired occupational choices differed significantly on Outdoor, F(5,189) = 3.24, Computational F(5,189) = 7.77, Artistic F(5,189) = 6.16, Musical F(5,189) = 3.25 and Clerical, F(5,189) = 2.28. Conversely, significant gender and aspired occupation interactions were found on the Outdoor F(5,189) =2.29 interest area of BVII all at p< .05 level. The discussions centered on the import of gender item bias, gender and occupational influences as well as societal influences on vocational interests.Keywords: Career choice differences, Gender, BVII, Vocational counseling, NigeriaInternational Journal of Development and Management Review (INJODEMAR) Vol. 7 June, 201

Assessment of the validity of rapid diagnostic test kits available in the Nigerian market for Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Early diagnosis is important in TB disease control. The use of rapid diagnostic test (RDT) kits drastically reduces the time required for reaching clinical diagnosis and this has been successful in diagnosis of HIV, syphilis and more recently malaria to mention a few. What is the case for RDTs for diagnosis of tuberculosis? Thus, the aim of this study is to evaluate and compare the performances of results produced by different rapid diagnostic test strips available in the Nigerian market for TB. A total of one hundred and eighty-four (184) subjects aged between 12-68 years were recruited for the study. These were referred from the chest clinic with a high index of suspicion of TB. Sputum samples were collected for AFB detection using the Ziehl-Neelsen and Auramine-phenol staining techniques. Blood samples were collected for serology tests using five (5) different rapid diagnostic test kits from different manufacturers, HIV status determination and evaluation of the haematological parameters we carried out. As a result, there were significant differences in the results obtained between AFB tests and serological methods with P<0.01 in all cases. The sensitivity and specificity respectively of the five different kits were 28.6% and 32.0% (Nova), 19.5% and 29.2% (Fistech), 9.1% and 27.1% (Diaspot), 12.4% and 27.7% (Abcon) and 12.4% and 27.7% (Global).finally, findings from this study show that these rapid serological tests are poor in diagnosing tuberculosis and cannot be recommended for use in this environment.© 2015 International Formulae Group. All rights reserved.Keywords: Tuberculosis, rapid diagnostic tests, acid fast bacill

Western Indian Ocean marine and terrestrial records of climate variability: a review and new concepts on land-ocean interactions since AD 1660

We examine the relationship between three tropical and two subtropical western Indian Ocean coral oxygen isotope time series to surface air temperatures (SAT) and rainfall over India, tropical East Africa and southeast Africa. We review established relationships, provide new concepts with regard to distinct rainfall seasons, and mean annual temperatures. Tropical corals are coherent with SAT over western India and East Africa at interannual and multidecadal periodicities. The subtropical corals correlate with Southeast African SAT at periodicities of 16–30 years. The relationship between the coral records and land rainfall is more complex. Running correlations suggest varying strength of interannual teleconnections between the tropical coral oxygen isotope records and rainfall over equatorial East Africa. The relationship with rainfall over India changed in the 1970s. The subtropical oxygen isotope records are coherent with South African rainfall at interdecadal periodicities. Paleoclimatological reconstructions of land rainfall and SAT reveal that the inferred relationships generally hold during the last 350 years. Thus, the Indian Ocean corals prove invaluable for investigating land–ocean interactions during past centuries

Cost overruns – helping to define what they really mean

Civil engineers are often in the firing line for alleged cost overruns, particularly on major publicly funded infrastructure projects. This usually occurs when the final cost of a project is simply compared with the original estimate, even though this was published a long time ago, in different circumstances and for a quite different project to the one carried out. This paper proposes a systematic approach to ensure that cost overruns, should they occur, are more accurately defined in terms of when the initial and end costs are assessed, from which point of view, at which project stage, and including scope changes and financial assumptions. The paper refers to the UK’s £163 billion nuclear decommissioning programme

Estimation of the national disease burden of influenza-associated severe acute respiratory illness in Kenya and Guatemala : a novel methodology

Background: Knowing the national disease burden of severe influenza in low-income countries can inform policy decisions around influenza treatment and prevention. We present a novel methodology using locally generated data for estimating this burden. Methods and Findings: This method begins with calculating the hospitalized severe acute respiratory illness (SARI) incidence for children <5 years old and persons ≥5 years old from population-based surveillance in one province. This base rate of SARI is then adjusted for each province based on the prevalence of risk factors and healthcare-seeking behavior. The percentage of SARI with influenza virus detected is determined from provincial-level sentinel surveillance and applied to the adjusted provincial rates of hospitalized SARI. Healthcare-seeking data from healthcare utilization surveys is used to estimate non-hospitalized influenza-associated SARI. Rates of hospitalized and non-hospitalized influenza-associated SARI are applied to census data to calculate the national number of cases. The method was field-tested in Kenya, and validated in Guatemala, using data from August 2009–July 2011. In Kenya (2009 population 38.6 million persons), the annual number of hospitalized influenza-associated SARI cases ranged from 17,129–27,659 for children <5 years old (2.9–4.7 per 1,000 persons) and 6,882–7,836 for persons ≥5 years old (0.21–0.24 per 1,000 persons), depending on year and base rate used. In Guatemala (2011 population 14.7 million persons), the annual number of hospitalized cases of influenza-associated pneumonia ranged from 1,065–2,259 (0.5–1.0 per 1,000 persons) among children <5 years old and 779–2,252 cases (0.1–0.2 per 1,000 persons) for persons ≥5 years old, depending on year and base rate used. In both countries, the number of non-hospitalized influenza-associated cases was several-fold higher than the hospitalized cases. Conclusions: Influenza virus was associated with a substantial amount of severe disease in Kenya and Guatemala. This method can be performed in most low and lower-middle income countries