Longevity and fecundity of Gasteroclisus rhomboidalis

Both the cultivated and the wild spinach (Amaranthus species) have been found to be host to an important beetle pes Gasteroclisus rhomboidalis. The longevity of the beetles was studied under a variety of conditions. It was observed that the e span of the beetles varied widely with the beetles capable of leaving up to 70 days (about 42 days 0n the average). The beetles generally lived longerunder the ambient condition than inside room condition. Studies on the survivorship of the immature stages of the beetles revealed that the larva has the highest mortality rate amongst stages with the egg being the highest surviving stage. Studies on the fecundiy of the female adult beetles showed that about 80% of ther life span is utilised in egg laying. On the average, about 2½ eggs are laid per day (.e. about 5 eggs laid within 2 days).Keywords: Longevity, Fecundity, Gasteroclisus rhomboidalis, Coleoptera, Cruculiondae, Amaranthus specie

Morphometric Study Of The Teratogenic Effect Of Artesunate On The Central Nervous System Of The Wistar Rat Foetus

The teratogenic influence of maternal administration of artesunate on the morphometry of foetal nervous system was studied. Twenty virgin female Wistar rats weighing between 200g and 230g were used for this study. The animals were divided into 4 groups of 5 rats each. Each group was kept in a separate plastic cage. The rats were fed with commercial rat feed and tap water ad libitum throughout the experimental period. The females were caged overnight with sexually mature male rats of the same strain. The presence of sperm (tailed structures) in the vagina smears obtained the following morning confirmed coitus and the sperm positive day was designated as day zero of pregnancy. Oral doses of 0.2mg/kg, 0.4mg/kg and 0.8mg/kg body weight of artesunate were administered to pregnant rats in 3 of the groups respectively from the 7th to the 11th day of gestation. The fourth group of rats was used as the control which received 2.0ml/kg body weight of distilled water on the same days. Results show that the high dose group rats demonstrated significant (

Urbanization and 3D City Modelling for Development Countries: A Comparative Study

The study examines urbanization and its associated effects in terms of infrastructure, planning and congestion in two West African cities: Ibadan in Nigeria and Accra in Ghana. A comparative planning scheme for Accra, Ibadan and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia is also analysed. Quantitative and qualitative approach in the form of orthophotos and satellite imagery, planning schemes and questionnaire were used for the study, 519 respondents were randomly sampled. Results from the study reveal that more than half of the respondents from Accra and Ibadan stated that the level of provision of sanitary facilities is not adequate or in most cases not present at all, while majority of respondents from Kuala Lumpur stated that sanitary facilities are adequate. Similarly, findings from the study show that majority of respondents from Accra and Ibadan stated that the provision of transport and recreational facilities is poor as compared to Kuala Lumpur. In the three cities more than half of the respondents claimed that they spent over 21 minutes to and from their work place. Overall impression about the physical infrastructure was poor in Accra and Ibadan. Also, it was observed from the findings that respondents incur both human and material losses due to traffic congestion in both cities. Some of the causes of traffic congestion identified especially in Accra and Ibadan in the study include: high number of vehicles plying the roads, narrow road networks, bad roads, lack of alternate routes, erection of structures near some major routes in the city and impatience on the part of some drivers. The cities of Ibadan and Accra are sprawling in a horizontal direction thereby taking a lot of land space with no effort being made by building and planning agencies to start building structures in the vertical direction above and below the city Vsurface. The two cities therefore cannot boast of any significant landmarks in the category of the Twin Towers of Kuala Lumpur, hence the tourism potential of these cities cannot be maximally utilized. The study suggests the adoption of 3D city modelling and techniques in Accra in Ghana and Ibadan in Nigeria for spatial planning, also a generic framework is presented so as to overcome some of the transport and infrastructural problems to improve the quality of life as observed in Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia

The Use of Global System of Mobile Communication (GSM) Among University Students in Malaysia

This study examines the use of the Global System of Mobile Communication (GSM) among University students in Malaysia. The survey approach was used in data collection from a sample population from University Teknologi Malaysia. Fifty undergraduate and post graduate students were sampled at the university library. Results from a multiple regression analysis shows that there is a significant relationship between age, monthly income/allowance of respondents, marital status and rate of calls made and received per day (P<0.05). Gender and mode of study were found to be insignificant (P>0.05).Results from t test equally indicate that the respondents do not vary in their perception on benefits derivable from the use of GSM (t = -.483, P >0.05).Majority of the respondents also agreed that they use GSM to contact their lecturers, course mates, parents, siblings and sending of short message services (SMS).The study conclude with discussions on findings which would be relevant to education policy makers and other interest partie

Comparative Study of Neuronal Degenerative Potentials of Ethanolic Root Bark and Leaf Extracts of Rauwolfia Vomitoria on the Cerebellum of Adult Wistar Rats

Rauwolfia vomitoria has been used for centuries in India and Africa for treatment of a variety of disorders including snake bites and sting, insomnia and insanity. Neuronal degenerative potentials of ethanolic root bark and leaf extracts of Rauwolfia vomitoria on the cerebellum of adult wistar rats was investigated. Thirty wistar rats weighing between 170-240g were divided into six groups, each consisting of five rats. Groups A served as the normal control that received distilled water while group B served as the olive oil control that received 0.5mls of olive oil. Experimental groups C and D received 200mg/kg, 300mg/kg of ethanolic root bark extracts while groups E and F received 200mg/kg, 300mg/kg of the leaf extract orally respectively for seven days.  In this study, the treatment groups showed a dose-dependent degree of silver impregnation of the cell bodies and axons. The sections of the cerebellar cortex of the treated group C, D, E and F showed various degrees of neurodegenerative changes highlighted by the silver stain impregnation which was more intense in groups C and D that received 200mg/kg and 300mg/kg ethanolic root-bark than in the groups E and F that received 200mg/kg and 300mg/kg of ethanolic leaf extract. These changes may result in cerebellar dysfunction Keywords: Ethanolic extracts, Root-bark extract, Leaf extract, Rauwolfia vomitoria

Design and Performance Evaluation of a Solar Dryer

One of the ways to combat food insecurity as world population rises is the reduction of food losses. Drying is one of the oldest methods of food preservation and hence reduces food losses. Solar drying uses energy from the sun and an absorber material to carry out drying of produce. In this project, a solar dryer was designed, constructed and its performance was evaluated. The dryer has overall dimensions of 1000mm by 410mm by 700mm. The inner part of the dryer compartment was lagged with aluminum foil to act as an insulator. The solar collector made of galvanized sheet and the glass on top of it have an area of 800mm by 380mm. Fresh scotch bonnet pepper was used as the produce of choice. The pepper was dried in 2 experiments for 3 weeks each. 200g of pepper was used and weighed to measure weight loss periodically. Temperature and humidity of the drying chamber and the surrounding were measured with data loggers throughout the periods of the experiments. The results showed that the ambient temperature during the experiments was higher than the temperature of the drying chamber in the early hours of the morning between 4am and 10am. During every other period, the temperature in the drying chambers was higher than the ambient temperature. An average moisture content of 81.3% w.b. was removed from the pepper during the experiments. The average efficiency of the dryer was 28.4%

An overview of anti-diabetic plants used in Gabon: Pharmacology and Toxicology

© 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.Ethnopharmacological relevance: The management of diabetes mellitus management in African communities, especially in Gabon, is not well established as more than 60% of population rely on traditional treatments as primary healthcare. The aim of this review was to collect and present the scientific evidence for the use of medicinal plants that are in currect by Gabonese traditional healers to manage diabetes or hyperglycaemia based here on the pharmacological and toxicological profiles of plants with anti-diabetic activity. There are presented in order to promote their therapeutic value, ensure a safer use by population and provide some bases for further study on high potential plants reviewed. Materials and methods: Ethnobotanical studies were sourced using databases such as Online Wiley library, Pubmed, Google Scholar, PROTA, books and unpublished data including Ph.D. and Master thesis, African and Asian journals. Keywords including ‘Diabetes’ ‘Gabon’ ‘Toxicity’ ‘Constituents’ ‘hyperglycaemia’ were used. Results: A total of 69 plants currently used in Gabon with potential anti-diabetic activity have been identified in the literature, all of which have been used in in vivo or in vitro studies. Most of the plants have been studied in human or animal models for their ability to reduce blood glucose, stimulate insulin secretion or inhibit carbohydrates enzymes. Active substances have been identified in 12 out of 69 plants outlined in this review, these include Allium cepa and Tabernanthe iboga. Only eight plants have their active substances tested for anti-diabetic activity and are suitables for further investigation. Toxicological data is scarce and is dose-related to the functional parameters of major organs such as kidney and liver. Conclusion: An in-depth understanding on the pharmacology and toxicology of Gabonese anti-diabetic plants is lacking yet there is a great scope for new treatments. With further research, the use of Gabonese anti-diabetic plants is important to ensure the safety of the diabetic patients in Gabon.Peer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

Biological studies of Gasteroclisus rhomboidalis (Coleoptera: curculionidae) on Amaranthus species

In West Africa, the foliage of both wild and cultivated varieties of Amarnathus species is used widely as vegetable and as fodder for cattle. This widely cultivated vegetable is severely attacked by the snouted beetle, Gastreoclisus rhomboidalis. A comprehensive study on some aspects of the biology of G. rhomboidalis has been carried out. The full life cycle of the beetle (from copulation and oviposition through the various immature stages to the emergence of adult beetles) was investigated It took on the average 40 days for the adult beetle to emerge from the day of oviposition. Studies on the feeding habit of the beetles revealed that the beetles fed heavily on theleaves and can inflict an enormous destruction on the host plant over a short period of time. Generally; the studies have been able to confirm that the larva and adult beetles are the most potent destroyers of the host plant. While the adult beetle fed heavily on the leaves and tender plant sem, the larva when hatched in the plant stem, destroyed the host plant (particulary durngthe tender ages of between 2 - 3 weeks) with its boring activities causing the plant to wilt and die.Keywords: Gasteroclisus rhomboidalis, Beetles, Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Amaranthu