Cytological study of Allium cepa and Allium sativum

The large number of species in the Allium genus has necessitated comparative analysis of related species which has always been used in many cases to describe patterns and directions of chromosomal evolution within a group. This study was carried out to cytologically analyse two species of Allium- Allium cepa and Allium sativum. All the four stages of cell division were observed in both species, although well spread metaphase chromosomes could not be observed in A. sativum which limited the extent to which we could cytologically evaluate the species. Allium cepa in this study show cell with a complement of sixteen chromosomes. A total chromosome length of 577.5 µm was observed in the best c-metaphase spread with the longest chromosome being 43.4µm and the shortest 27.9 µm. Further studies are still required in the karyotype analysis of A. sativum from Nigeri

Market Expansion, Private Sector Growth and Economic Development

The rate of growth in economic activities in the private sector and the level of economic development depends on the width and depth of market activities in an economy. Increased in market participation is dependent on a number of co-determinant factors working together. These factors include the level of monetization of economic activities with the resulting boost in the level of specialization (implying a fall in the level of subsistent activities); direct physical development of market; increased in the supply of infrastructure, especially those of transportation and communication; improvement the moral (social) capital of trust among the people in the society; promotion market-oriented policies by the government; among other things. If these factors are adequately available in the economy, jobs will be created through increased participation in income-generating activities, which naturally lead to market expansion, growth in directly productive activities of the private sector, and development. Even though market expansion will result in economic development, market activities must be regulated and given proper policy guide and direction for sustainable beneficial outcomes to be realized. Keywords: Market expansion, growth in economic activities, government policies, infrastructure provision, economic developmen

Balance and Baking

The piece is a personal perspective of how engaging in hobbies can help one find balance and peace. It is about discovering my love for baking and how baking has shaped my life as a person and a medical student. Baking puts me in a somewhat meditative state that grounds me and makes me feel connected to the world at large and to my needs in particular

Variances in consumers prices of selected food items among markets in Cross River state

The study focused on the determination of variances among consumer prices of rice (local white), beans (white) and garri (yellow) in Watts, Okurikang and 8 Miles markets in southern zone of Cross River State. Completely randomized design was used to test the research hypothesis. Comparing the consumer prices of rice, beans and garri in the three markets; rice and garri had insignificant differences in their consumer prices while beans consumer prices had significant differences between Okurikang market and the other two markets. The results imply perfect information flow in garri and rice markets and hence high possibility of a perfectly competitive market structure for these products. The reverse is the case for beans market. Policies on increased local production of rice, garri and beans as well as improved marketing infrastructures were recommended as these would help increase sellers profit while maximizing consumers’ benefits.KEY WORDS: price, market, consumer, garri, rice, beans

Natural Resources, Human Capital and Economic Development in Nigeria: Tracing the Linkages

The proposition that natural resource abundance tends to slow down economic growth through its deleterious impact on human capital accumulation is studied in the Nigerian context. Three main channels of transmission from natural resource abundance to stunted economic growth are discussed. They include: (a) the voracity effect, (b) the Dutch disease and (c) the neglect or crowding out effect. Estimating a system of seemingly unrelated regressions (SUR), we find evidence that natural resource abundance through its adverse effects on institutional quality, crowds-out human capital and affects economic growth negatively. The policy implication of our result makes the case for increased funding and participation in education, since more and better education tends to shift comparative advantage away from natural resource production towards manufacturing and services provision which accelerates learning by doing and guarantees economic development that is sustainable

Solutions of Schr\"odinger Equation with Generalized Inverted Hyperbolic Potential

We present the bound state solutions of the Schr\"odinger equation with generalized inverted hyperbolic potential using the Nikiforov-Uvarov method. We obtain the energy spectrum and the wave function with this potential for arbitrary - state. We show that the results of this potential reduced to the standard known potentials - Rosen-Morse, Poschl - Teller and Scarf potential as special cases. We also discussed the energy equation and the wave function for these special cases.Comment: 20pages, 5figure

Persistence and Global Dynamics of an Extended Rosenzweig-MacArthur Model

This paper investigates persistence and global dynamics of a tritrophic food chain model consisting of prey, predator, and super-predator. We establish dissipativeness, ultimate boundedness of an invariant region in the state space of this model via the notion of omega-limit sets, absorbing region and global attractor. We explore Freedman-Waltman theorem, and Bendixson-Dulac theorem to guarantee persistence conditions of the model. Lyapunov’s functionals and Lyapunov-LaSalle invariance principle ensure the existence of global asymptotic stability of the system. Numerical responses, phase-portrait and phase-flows were used to illustrate propositions and lemmas. Key words: Global asymptotic stability; Lyapunov functional; Persistence

An Assessment of the Prevalence of Elder Abuse and Neglect in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

Late adulthood is the stage of life in which individuals are known as the elderly.  This period in human life span is a dynamic phase of development with numerous and unique challenges, one of such is elder abuse. This study examines the social world of the elderly in a bid to ascertain if the elderly in our society are being abused and neglected.  Three hundred male and female persons over 65 years of age from three senatorial districts in Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria were randomly selected and used for the study.  A structured questionnaire captioned:  Elder Abuse and Neglect Questionnaire (EANQ) and an Interview Schedule were developed and administered on the selected sample.  The data collected were analyzed using simple percentages, means, t-tests and analysis of variance.  Results indicates that incidence of abuse is prevalent in Akwa Ibom State.  The major forms of abuse were neglect, physical, financial/material and emotional/psychological abuse.  Causes of abuse were identified and strategies mapped out for intervention. It was found that females and elders with no formal education suffer more abuses than males and those with formal education.  Based on the findings, conclusions and recommendations have been proffered towards an improved social world for the elderly. Keywords: Elder Abuse, Physical Abuse, Neglect, Emotional Abuse, Sexual Abuse, Financial Abuse

Phytoremediation of Diesel Oil Polluted Soil by Fluted Pumpkin (Telfairia Occidentalis Hook F.) in Uyo, Niger Delta Region, Nigeria

Phytoremediation is an emerging technology for cleaning contaminated soils. In this study, the effect of fluted pumpkin (Telfaira occidentalis Hook F.) on the degradation of petroleum hydrocarbon in a diesel oil contaminated soil was investigated. Fluted pumpkin seeds were planted in each treatment (0.00, 1.11, 1.59, 2.50 and 3.06%) for a period of 18 weeks. The following parameters were determined: germination percentage, length of vine, number of leaves per vine, leaf yield and the dry weight of leaves and vines on the 3rd, 6th, 9th, 12th and 15th weeks after planting (WAP). Total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) was determined on the 2nd and 18th weeks after oil pollution (WAOP). Total bacterial and fungal counts were determined on the 3rd, 6th, 9th, 12th, 15th and 18th WAOP. The results demonstrated that diesel affected soil depressed seed germination. Length of vine and number of leaves per vine were observed to increase from 3rd to 15th WAOP. Leaf yield increased from 3rd to 9th WAOP and thereafter declined from 12th to 15th WAOP. The results further revealed reduction in dry matter of leaves as concentration of oil increases, whereas dry weight of vines increased with increasing oil pollution. The result also demonstrated that fluted pumpkin stimulated total bacterial and fungal number. Total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) removal in the polluted soil was observed to be 86.53, 94.38, 92.80 and 92.97% in 1.11, 1.59, 2.50 and 3.06% concentration respectively. Thus, fluted pumpkin has proved to be efficient for removal of TPH from oil-contaminated soil. Keywords: Phytoremediation, diesel oil, fluted pumpkin, contaminated soils, petroleum hydrocarbo