Response of Amaranthus cruenthus to Different Aeration Methods and Varying Irrigation Levels

Response of Amaranthus cruenthus to varying aeration methods (aeration of irrigation water (A1), air injection to crop root zone in soil before irrigation (A2), air injection to crop root zone in soil after irrigation (A3), and non aeration treatment (A0)) and irrigation levels (100% field capacity (FC) (W0), 75% FC (W1), 65% FC (W2) and 55 % FC (W3) were investigated. The results showed that varying irrigation as well as aeration levels had significant effects on the height of A. cruenthus while no significant difference was obtained in number of leaves across the field capacities during the growing period. The findings of this work showed that A. cruenthus was not sensitive to air treatment as expected. This is because lower number of leaves were obtained when air was either injected into the soil before or after irrigation as well as when air was injected into irrigation water at 4 and 7 weeks after planting. Plant height was maximum when no air was introduced to the plant at 4 Weeks After Planting. However, the number of leaves were highest at 65% FC throughout the growing period. The shoot, root and whole plant fresh weight were all significantly influenced by the aeration treatments but not FC except the root fresh weight. The edible yield (shoot fresh weight) was highest (48.55g) at 100% FC (W0). Also, when the irrigation water was injected with air (A1), the highest edible yield of 57.33 g was obtained. The highest Water Use Efficiency was exhibited at 100% FC (W0) while aeration of irrigation water (A1) gave the highest (26.06) Air Use E. 65% field capacity is best for planting A. cruenthus without negatively affecting the yield.

Agricultural Extension Agents’ Awareness Of Ict Potentials And Training Needs On Usage For Improved Extension Service Deliv- Ery In Selected Southwest States Of Nigeria

The   study   examined   the   agricultural   extension   workers’ awareness   of   ICT   potentials   and   training needs on ICT usage for improved extension service delivery in selected southwest states of Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique was used to select a total of 132 extension workers’ from Lagos and Ogun States Agricultural Development   Programmes   (LADA  and OGADEP).   A  validated  and  reliable questionnaire was used to obtain primary data on socioeconomic characteristics of the respondents, their awareness of ICT potentials and training needs on ICT usage for improved extension services delivery. Data collected were analysed using frequency counts, percentages and chi-square statistics. Result of the analysis showed that most of the respondents were the Village Extension Agents (78.8 %,), and about 34.1% of them were within the age range of 41 and 45years. About 72.7% the exten- sion agents had first degree (HND/BSc) as the least educational qualification and about 57.6% of them have spent between 11 and 20 years in the extension services. The result also showed that all the extension agents were familiar with the Global System Mobile communication (GSM), 58.3% with the computer and 38.6% of them with the internet. About 43.2% of the extension workers were moderately aware of the ICT potentials for improved extension service delivery based on their mean awareness score of 8.5 (53.1%). The chi-square test of the relationship between the extension workers’ socioeco- nomic characteristics (education: χ² = 45.5,  df = 12; professional rank: χ² = 38.7,  df = 9; working ex- perience χ² = 65.2, df = 12) and level of awareness of the ICT potentials showed a significant relation- ship at p < 0.05. Similarly, a significant relationship was observed between the extension agents’ level of awareness of ICT potentials and their needs for training on usage for improved extension service delivery (χ² = 71.3, df = 18) at p < 0.05. In the light of this, it was concluded that the extension workers had moderate level awareness of ICT potentials for improved extension services and were in need of training on usage in their extension activities. It was recommended that education on ICT potentials and   training on  usage for improved  extension service delivery   should   be promoted and intensified among the extension workers.      &nbsp

Comparative analysis of bright band data from TRMM and ground radar data in Malaysia

Good knowledge of the formation and recognition of the bright band is necessary to determine the location of the melting layer. This is partly because the melting layer is one of the major hydrometeors (others include as rain, hail, and cloud) responsible for signal degradations along the slant-path, in the tropical regions of the world. These may result in signal fading, amongst others, which may lead to errors in slant-path attenuation predictions. This paper involves the comparative analysis of radar data sourced from both ground 3D RAPIC bistatic radar and space-borne precipitation radar above the Malaysian air space. For this research work, the terrestrial meteorological radar data were sourced from the Meteorological Department of Malaysia, while the satellite radar data were obtained from the near-real-time TRMM Multi-Satellite Precipitation Analysis (TMPA-RT) version 7 products. Frozen hydrometeors are observed to exhibit peculiar characteristics in terms of increased radar reflectivity as they fall from the sky, transiting from solid to liquid, and manifesting in the popular bright band signature. The melting layer is the region where melting occur, just below the 0? isotherm height. It is a major factor responsible for the problems being encountered in characterization and modelling of microwave signal propagation along the earth-space link. , Nor Hisham Khami

Examining the Impact of Teachers’ Attitudes on College Students’ Attitudes in a Mathematics Classroom

This paper discusses the relationship between teachers\u27 attitudes and students\u27 attitudes toward mathematics in the classroom. Through a review of more than twenty relevant pieces of literature, the paper analyzes the impact of teachers\u27 attitudes on students\u27 achievement, performance, confidence, and motivation in mathematics. The study concludes that positive attitudes displayed by teachers can enhance students\u27 positive feelings toward mathematics and increase their engagement in the subject. On the other hand, negative attitudes displayed by teachers can hinder students\u27 motivation and engagement in mathematics. The paper suggests that teacher training programs should prioritize the development of positive attitudes toward mathematics and the incorporation of technology in the classroom to increase student engagement. The findings emphasize the importance of addressing teachers\u27 attitudes in secondary and post-secondary education and the need for ongoing professional development to improve student outcomes in mathematics

La Efectividad de la Enseñanza de la Pronunciación Asistida por Ordenador en el Logro de la Capacidad Verbal en Inglés de los Estudiantes de la Escuela Secundaria Superior

This study investigated the effectiveness of a computer-assisted pronunciation teaching (CAPT) package on the achievement of senior secondary students in oral English in Minna, Nigeria. It also examined the influence of CAPT on verbal ability and gender. The sample consisted of sixty senior secondary school students drawn from two coeducational secondary schools within the Minna metropolis. Stratified random sampling was used to select 60 students from each school: 15 males and 15 females; 10 high, 10 medium and 10 low verbal ability students. The Oral English Achievement Test (OAT) consists of 50-items of multiple-choice items, validated by experts, and administered to students as a pre-test, post-test and delayed post-test. The data obtained were analysed using t-test statistics, one-way ANOVA, and Scheffe’s post-hoc test. The results revealed that students taught oral English with the CAPT package performed and retained the concepts of oral English better than those taught with the traditional teaching method. Students with high verbal ability performed better than medium and low verbal ability students respectively. However, there was no significant difference in the post-test mean achievement scores of male and female students taught using the CAPT package. These findings indicate that oral English concepts could be taught and learned better through the resourceful integration of a computer- assisted pronunciation teaching package.En este estudio se investigó  la efectividad de la Enseñanza de la Pronunciación Asistida por Ordenador (EPAO) en el logro de la capacidad verbal en inglés de los estudiantes de la Escuela Secundaria Superior en Minna, Nigeria. También examinó la influencia de la Enseñanza de la Pronunciación Asistida por Ordenador (EPAO) teniendo en cuenta el  género y la capacidad verbal de los estudiantes. La muestra consistió en sesenta estudiantes de secundaria de dos escuelas secundarias mixtas dentro de la metrópoli de Minna. Se utilizó muestreo aleatorio estratificado para seleccionar a los 60 estudiantes de cada escuela; 15 hombres y 15 mujeres; 10 estudiantes con nivel alto de inglés, 10 estudiantes nivel intermedio y 10 estudiantes nivel bajo. La prueba de inglés consistió en 50 preguntas de selección múltiple, validadas por expertos y aplicadas a los estudiantes como pre-prueba, post-prueba y un cuestionario posterior a la prueba. Los datos obtenidos fueron analizados mediante el análisis estadístico t test, análisis de varianza (ANOVA) y la prueba post-hoc de Scheffe. Los resultados revelaron que a los estudiantes que recibieron clases de producción oral en inglés usando el  paquete EPAO se desempeñan y retienen los conceptos orales de ingles mejor que aquellos a quienes se les enseñó con el método de enseñanza tradicional. Estudiantes con alta capacidad verbal se desempeñaron mejor que los estudiantes de media y baja capacidad verbal respectivamente. Sin embargo, no existía ninguna diferencia significativa entre los puntajes medios de rendimiento de las pruebas posteriores aplicadas a hombres y mujeres usando el paquete de enseñanza de pronunciación asistida por ordenador (EPAO). Estos resultados indicaron que los conceptos orales de inglés pueden ser enseñados y aprendidos mejor mediante la integración de un conjunto de recursos de enseñanza de pronunciación asistida por ordenador

Essential oil constituents of Eclipta prostrata (L.) L. and Vernonia amygdalina Delile

The chemical composition of the essential oils from the leaves and stem bark of Eclipta prostrata (L.) L. and the aerial parts of Vernonia amygdalina Delile (Asteraceae) have been analyzed by capillary gas chromatography (GC) and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The investigation led to the identification of 33 and 30 compounds in the oils of the leaves and stem of E. prostrate, respectively, and 40 compounds in the oil of V. amygdalina. While the oil of the leaves of E. prostrata was highly dominated by sesquiterpenoids (89.3%), the stem bark was comprised of sesquiteprenoids (47.7%), straight chain hydrocarbons (25.6%) and monoterpenoids (11.1%). The main constituents of both oils were β-caryophyllene (47.7% and 15.9%) and α-humulene (31.8 and 12.9%) in the leaves and stem, respectively. In addition, ( E)-β-farnesene (10.0%) was also identified in significant amount in the stem bark. On the other hand, the major component of V. amygdalina oil was α-muurolol (45.7%)

Site Diversity Technique Application on Rain Attenuation for Lagos

This paper studied the impact of site diversity (SD) as a fade mitigation technique on rain attenuation at 12 GHz for Lagos. SD is one of the most effective methods to overcome such large fades due to rain attenuation that takes advantage of the usually localized nature of intense rainfall by receiving the satellite downlink signal at two or more earth stations to minimize the prospect of potential diversity stations being simultaneously subjected to significant rain attenuation. One year (January to December 2011) hourly rain gauge data was sourced from the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET) for three sites (Ikeja, Ikorodu and Marina) in Lagos, Nigeria. Significant improvement in both performance and availability was observed with the application of SD technique; again, separation distance was seen to be responsible for this observed performance improvements

Investigating Rain Attenuation Models for Satellite Links in Tropical Nigeria

The analyses of rain models for satellite communication links of Ku and Ka bands in Lagos, Nigeria is the focus of this paper. The choice of these frequency bands was informed by the acknowledged fact that satellite signal fading and outages are predominant at those bands. The ITU-R P. 618-12 is the globally adopted prediction model; temperate, equatorial and tropical regions, inclusive. However, there was need to review the suitability of this model especially as it concerned equatorial and tropical stations. Rainfall data spanning a period of three years were collected from Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET). The ITU-R P. 618-12 model along with some renowned prediction models were analyzed and their performances with the locally recorded measurement data were compared to establish their suitability or otherwise. The results obtained suggested ITU-R P. 618-12 exhibited the overall best performance at 12 GHz while DAH showed best performance at 26 GHz, even as both models underestimated and overestimated the measurement at Ku and Ka bands respectively. Again, at both frequencies, SST presented the worst performances

Properties Characterization of Vulcanized Natural Rubber Filled with Uncarbonized Particulate Cow Bone

This work investigates the effects of addition of 63 µm uncarbonized particulate cow bone as fillers in vulcanized natural rubber on the tensile properties, hardness and abrasion resistance of the composites. Cow bones were procured from an abattoir, cleaned, crushed, pulverized, ball milled and sieved to obtain the particles that passed through the 63 µm mesh size. Natural rubber composites materials were prepared varying the filler loading as 5, 10, 15 and 20 pphr respectively. The compounded rubber samples were cured in a hot press using compression moulding technique. The control sample was produced using 20 pphr of carbon black. The cured rubber samples were conditioned at room temperature for two weeks before they were characterized. The tensile strength and elastic modulus of the samples filled with cow bone increased with filler loading up to 15 pphr before they started decreasing. Carbon black reinforced sample possessed higher tensile strength, modulus and hardness than the samples filled with uncarbonized particulate cow bone. The hardness for all samples maintained an increasing trend with increase in the filler loadings. Particulate cow bone reinforced natural rubber offered higher elongation than carbon black reinforced samples. At 10, 15 and 20 pphr, cow bone reinforced composites exhibited higher abrasion resistance than carbon black filled sample. The optimal filler loading of uncarbonized particulate cow bone reinforced natural rubber was 15 pphr.  Cow bone reinforced natural rubber can find applications in areas where moderate strength, hardness, elongation and wear resistance are required such as in protective footwear, bouncing balls and cases of children toys.Keywords— carbon black, cow bone, fillers, natural rubber, composites

Enhancement of Speech Communication Technology Performance Using Adaptive-Control Factor Based Spectral Subtraction Method, Journal of Telecommunications and Information Technology, 2013, nr 2

This paper presents speech enhancement technique based on Spectral Subtraction (SS) method. SS is a renowned noise reduction technique that works on the principle that noise spectrum estimate over the entire speech spectrum can be subtracted from the noisy signal. On the contrary, most of the noise encountered in the real-world conditions is majorly colored. Unlike Additive White Gaussian Noise (AWGN), colored noise does not affect the speech signal uniformly over the entire spectrum. To mitigate effects of colored noise on the processed signal, we propose a Multi-Band Spectral Subtraction (MBSS) method using novel Adaptive-Control Factor (ACF). The spectrum is divided into frequency sub bands based on a nonlinear multi-band frame and various signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs) are considered. The proposed scheme results in better system performance with quality signal and unlike the basic SS method. It mitigates the effects of anomaly known as “musical” tones artifacts in the processed signal thatresult in residual noise and speech distortion. The computational complexity involved is minimal. Furthermore, simulation results show that the proposed algorithm removes more colored noise without removing the relatively low amplitude speech signal over the entire speech spectrum. Subjective listening tests, with clean speech signals and different noise levels, show discernable performance of our proposed method when compared with the conventional SS approach