Interactive Effects of Major Insect Pest of Watermelon on its Yield in Wukari, Nigeria

من المعروف أن الرقي يصاب بآفات حشرية متعددة في نفس الوقت وبالتسلسل. وقد تبين أن تفاعلات الآفات لها آثار إيجابية أو سلبية أو مضافة أو غير مضافة أو تعويضية أو زائدة التأثير على الغلة. بالكاد تم تحديد هذا النوع من العلاقة للبطيخ مقابل آكلات الحشرات العاشبة. تم إجراء تجارب ميدانية لمدة عامين وموسمين (4 تجارب) في مزرعة الأبحاث التابعة لجامعة ووكاري الفيدرالية ، للتحقيق في التأثيرات التفاعلية للآفات الحشرية الرئيسية للرقي  على محصول ثمار الرقي في عامي 2016 و 2017 باستخدام الإصابات الطبيعية. تم تحديد العلاقة بين الآفات الحشرية السائدة وحاصل الثمار من خلال تحليل الارتباط (r) والانحدار الخطي (البسيط والمتعدد). تم استخدام الاستدلال المتعدد النماذج لتحديد المتنبئ الذي يؤثر على إنتاج الفاكهة أكثر. أوضحت النتائج أن كل آفة لها تأثير سلبي معنوي (p < 0.05) على الغلة (نطاق r = -0.78 إلى -0.92) وأن معامل التحديد (R2) قيم (والتي كانت تدل على تأثير الآفات أو مجمعاتهم على العائد) عند إضافة شروط التفاعل. هذا يكشف عن تأثير سلبي غير مضاف لتفاعلات الحشرات على محصول ثمار الرقي. قد يكون هذا بسبب من بين أمور أخرى ؛ منافسة الآفات أو الظواهر أو الدفاعات النباتية أو التغيرات في المحتوى الغذائي للنبات. وبالتالي ، فإن الحاجة إلى استخدام تحليل تمييزي للتأكد من مساهمة كل آفة في تحقيق الخسارة عند تسليط الضوء على الآفات المتعددة التي تصيب المحصولWatermelon is known to be infested by multiple insect pests both simultaneously and in sequence. Interactions by pests have been shown to have positive or negative, additive or non additive, compensatory or over compensatory effects on yields. Hardly has this sort of relationship been defined for watermelon vis-à-vis insect herbivores. A 2-year, 2-season (4 trials) field experiments were laid in the Research Farm of Federal University Wukari, to investigate the interactive effects of key insect pests of watermelon on fruit yield of Watermelon in 2016 and 2017 using natural infestations. The relationship between the dominant insect pests and fruit yield were determined by correlation (r) and linear regression (simple and multiple) analyses. Multimodel inference was used to define the predictor that impacted on fruit yield the most. Results indicated that, each pest had highly negative and significant (p < 0.05) impact on yield (range of r = -0.78 to -0.92), and that the coefficient of determination (R2) values (which were indicative of the effect of pests or their complexes on yield) did not rise on addition of interaction terms. This reveals a non additive negative impact of insect interactions on the fruit yield of watermelon. This may be due to among others; competition by the pest, phenology, plant defenses or changes in nutritional content of the plant. The need to therefore employ discriminate analysis to ascertain the contribution of each pest to yield loss when multiple pest infest a crop is thus highlighted

Structuring Challenges in Requirement Engineering Techniques

Experts in the field of requirement engineering have called for advancement in requirement structuring techniques as majority of the techniques are inadequate and give inconsistent results. This paper reviews the advancement in these techniques by answering the following questions: What is requirement structuring? What are the benefits of requirements structuring in the software engineering process? Who are the stakeholders involved the requirements structuring process? When do we structure requirements and what are the techniques and methods involved in requirements structuring? Addressing these questions from the requirement structuring perspectives, issues on software engineering were highlighted and discussed

Cryptography and the Improvement of Security in Wireless Sensor Networks

A wireless network consisting multiple (ranging from a few hundreds to thousands) nodes which are sparsely dispersed and have dedicated sensors for monitoring, recording, detecting environment and gathering environmental data (e.g. light, sound, temperature, pressure, wind speed, directions, motion, etc.) is usually known as a Wireless Sensor Network (WSN). These nodes are self-organizing and are not controlled by a central administrator. The wide adoption and deployment rate of WSN is as a result of the processing power, wireless communication and the sensing technology that the WSN possesses. The numerous advantages this network holds has led to its growth. As the deployment and acceptability of WSN increases, the vulnerability to attacks is increasing hence the need for effective security mechanisms. Encryption has proven to be a reliable way of data protection hence its adoption in the improvement of the security level in WSNs. Identifying suitable encryption mechanism for WSNs has proven to be a challenge due to the limited amount of energy, computation capability and storage resources of the sensor nodes. This paper addresses the security challenges in wireless sensor networks and effects of cryptography in the bid of improving its security

Production of Clay-Based Water Filter Using Biomass of Bacillus Subtillis, Sawdust, Activated Charcoal, Periwinkle and Snail Shell as Additives

A Significant proportion of rural households lacked access to improved and safe drinking water due to chemical and microbial contamination. Point-of-use (POU) water filters made from cheap, locally available ceramic materials and additives can achieve quality water parameters. Ceramic water filters were prepared by combining clay minerals with additives. Sawdust was used as a burnout material to achieve porosity and enhance the filtration rate. Silver nitrate, charcoal, periwinkle shell, snail shell, and biomass of Bacillus Subtilis were added in different ratios. The filter was formulated with charcoal, sawdust, snail shell, and periwinkle shell to remove microbes and treat heavy metals through the adsorption process. The filters were molded and fired in a temperature range of (700oC - 900oC). Characterization of the clay mineral, physiochemical and Microbial tests were conducted on the ceramic and water. Antimicrobial test was carried out on the biomass of Bacillus subtilis. Mineralogical (XRD) and elemental analysis of the clay, snail, and periwinkle shells showed high percentage composition of serpentine (a clay crystal), plagioclase, a mixture of feldspar minerals albite (sodium aluminosilicate - NaAlSi3O8), anorthite calcium aluminosilicate- CaAl2Si2O8) and Calcium (70-97 %composition) respectively. The results showed a greater proportion of silica in the clay, suggesting the material is silicate. Filtration rate was estimated at 1.125 L/hr. The result showed the filter has 96.72%, 99.26%, and 66.67% colony removal efficiency for heterotrophic bacteria, coliform, and fungi respectively. The filter showed about 70% - 96% efficiency for the treatment of physiochemical parameters in wastewater

Diverse mitochondrial effects, antiplasmodial and anti-inflammatory potentials of Costus afer (Ker Gawl), Nauclea latifolia (Sm) and Sphenocentrum jollyanum (Pierre) in mice infected with Plasmodium berghei

OBJECTIVES : This study reported the antiplasmodial, anti-inflammatory and mito-protrective effects of Costus afer (CA), Nauclea latifolia (NA) and Sphenocentrum jollyanum (SJ) methanol extracts in Plasmodium berghei-infected mice. METHODS : Air-dried CA, NA and SJ were extracted with methanol. Antiplasmodial activity of these extracts were monitored using chloroquine-sensitive and resistant strains of Plasmodium berghei. Heme and hemozoin contents, interleukins and C-reactive protein as well as mitochondrial permeability transition (mPT) pore opening, lipid peroxidation (mLPO) and F0F1 ATPase activity were determined by spectrophotometry. Phytochemical constituents were determined using UPLC-QTOF-MS and NMR spectroscopy. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS : CA, NL and SJ decreased percentage parasitemia to 0.25 ± 0.07; 0.30 ± 0.14 and 0.25 ± 0.07% relative to control (8.60 ± 0.15%) in the chloroquine-sensitive model and to 0.40 ± 0.14; 0.30 ± 0.14 and 0.45 ± 0.07, respectively as against 10.88 ± 0.26% of the infected control in the chloroquine-resistant model. In chloroquine-resistant model, NL decreased mLPO (0.41 ± 0.04) F0F1 ATPase (0.15 ± 0.02 mmol pi/mg protein /min) while CA enhanced mPT pore opening at 100 mg/kg,and SJ (50 mg/kg) reversed parasite-induced mPT pore opening (1.66 vs 9.4 folds). The NL increased heme, decreased hemozoin, IL-6, CRP, TNF-α, while SJ dose-dependently increased IL-10. UPLC-QTOF-MS analysis showed that coumaric acid, divaricatinic acid, diocin and aferiosides A and C were present in CA, 3-caffeoylquinic acid, 18, 19-dihydroangustine, jatrorrhizine, 17-epinaucleidinal, strictosamide and quinovic acid 3-O-rhamnoside in NL and quinic acid, jatrorrhizine and mabioside B in SJ. While the three medicinal plants have varying antimalarial effects, their decoction will be better for a synergistic purpose.https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/journal-of-king-saud-university-sciencehj2024ChemistryNon

Powder properties of binary mixtures of chloroquine phosphate with lactose and dicalcium phosphate

A study was conducted on the packing and cohesive properties of chloroquine phosphate in binary mixtures with lactose and dicalcium phosphate powders. The maximum volume reduction due to packing as expressed by the Kawakita constant, a, and the angle of internal flow, &#952;, were the assessment parameters. The individual powders were characterized for their particle size and shape using an optical microscope. Binary mixtures of various proportions of chloroquine phosphate with lactose and dicalcium phosphate powders were prepared. The bulk and tapped densities, angles of repose and internal flow, as well as compressibility index of the materials were determined using appropriate parameters. The calculated and determined values of maximum volume reduction for the binary mixtures were found to differ significantly (PRealizou-se estudo das propriedades de empacotamento e de coesão do fosfato de cloroquina em misturas binárias com lactose e fosfato dicálcico em pó. O volume máximo de redução devido ao empacotamento, segundo expresso pela constante de Kawakita, a, e o ângulo de fluxo interno, &#952;, foram os parâmetros de avaliação. Os pós individuais foram caracterizados por seu tamanho e forma de partículas, utilizando microscópio óptico. Prepararam-se misturas binárias de várias proporções de fosfato de cloroquine e lactose e fosfato dicálcico em pó. As densidades de bulk and tapped, os ângulos de repouso e de fluxo interno e o índice de compressibilidade dos materiais foram determinados utilizando-se parâmetros apropriados. Os valores calculados e determinados do volume máximo de redução para as misturas binárias mostraram-se significativamente diferentes (P< 0,05), sendo o traçado de Kawakita mais confiável na determinação das propriedades de empacotamento. O tipo de diluente influenciou as propriedades de fluxo das misturas com fosfato dicálcico, dando resultados previsíveis, enquanto as misturas contendo lactose mostraram-se anômalas com relação ao fluxo. A caracterização das propriedades de empacotamento e de coesão das misturas binárias de cloroquina com lactose e fosfato dicálcico seria útil na produção de pós, comprimidos, cápsulas e outros sistemas de liberação de fármacos contendo esses pós com propriedade de fluxo desejada e previsível

Influence of binder type and process parameters on the compression properties and microbial survival in diclofenac tablet formulations

The influence of binder type and process parameters on the compression properties and microbial survival in diclofenac tablet formulations were studied using a novel gum from Albizia zygia. Tablets were produced from diclofenac formulations containing corn starch, lactose and dicalcium phosphate. Formulations were analyzed using the Heckel and Kawakita plots. Determination of microbial viability in the formulations was done on the compressed tablets of both contaminated and uncontaminated tablets prepared from formulations. Direct compression imparted a higher plasticity on the materials than the wet granulation method. Tablets produced by wet granulation presented with a higher crushing strength than those produced by the direct compression method. Significantly higher microbial survival (pA influência do tipo de ligante e os parâmetros do processo de propriedades de compressão e sobrevivência microbiana em comprimidos de diclofenaco foram estudados utilizando uma nova goma de Albizia zygia. Os comprimidos foram produzidos a partir de formulações de diclofenaco contendo amido de milho, lactose e fosfato bicálcico. As formulações foram analisadas usando os gráficos de Heckel e Kawakita. A determinação da viabilidade microbiana nas formulações foi feita nos comprimidos contaminados e não contaminados preparados a partir de formulações. A compressão direta confere maior plasticidade dos materiais do que o método de granulação úmida. Comprimidos produzidos por granulação úmida apresentaram maior força de esmagamento do que aqueles produzidos pelo método de compressão direta. Observou-se sobrevivência significativamente maior (p<0,05) em formulações preparadas por compressão direta. A sobrevivência percentual dos esporos de Bacillus subtilis diminuiu com o aumento da concentração do agregante. O estudo mostrou que a goma de Albizia é capaz de conferir maior plasticidade aos materiais e apresentou maior redução da contaminação microbiana nas formulações. O método de compressão direta produziu comprimidos com viabilidade reduzida de contaminantes microbianos

Structural Adjustment, Agriculture, and the Poor: A General Equilibrium Analysis of the Kenyan Economy

A computable general equilibrium model based on a social accounting matrix for Kenya is used to simulate the effects of 10-percent devaluation, 10-percent increased.investment, and 10-percent agricultural productivity improvement on the macroeconomy and on the real incomes of the poor. For each policy simulation, two specifications for the labour markets are adopted, the first assuming unlimited supplies of labour at given nominal wages and the second assuming fixed supplies so that wages are determined endogenously. These crucially affect the results. Under the first assumption, devaluation provides a 10-percent boost to real GDP and has highly favourable effects on agricultural production, exports, the current account deficit, employment, and poverty. Under the second assumption, it has a largely inflationary impact, with attenuated effects on real GDP and other variables and no effect on the current-account deficit. Agricultural productivity improvement is less affected by the different · specifications and compares favourably with devaluation except for its smaller impact on GDP. The increased investment policy is found to be inferior on most counts. All three policies decrease poverty, though income distribution remains stable

Internet of Healthcare Things (IoHTs) Technology to Strengthen Nigeria Health Systems: A predictive technique for Syndromic Surveillance of Suspected cases of Filovirus Diseases in Africa.

Infectious disease should be early recognised, treated timely and adequately, otherwise it spreads and leads to many other complications that is capable of causing health hazards, which can relatively become a cause of multiple cases of death. The emergence and re-emerging of Filovirus diseases especially in African continent are alarmingly threatening the healthcare workers and poses greater fatality rate. Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) and Marburg Virus Disease (MVD) are in the family of Filovirus infectious disease, that is predicted to continue emerging especially in regions where the reservoir host species are known. The upsurge of Internet of Things (IoTs) in Healthcare has provision very many technological advancement and positive solutions to healthcare challenges across the globe especially in many developed countries of the world. Internet of Healthcare Things (IoHTS) is a pool of innovative technological medical related devices that are connected together to provide seemingly control management, monitoring and surveillance, predictive detection and information sharing, etc that is capable of improving quality of healthcare delivery. Thus, early recognition, and timely detection and response to highly contagious and deadly virus is critically important in this modern era. This research study employs the Case-Study methodology to present an investigative framework of the use of Internet of Healthcare Things (IoHTs) technique to detect, predict and real-time report of -re-emerging Filovirus diseases in order to provide early recognition, quick response and intervention management with improved contact tracing tool of Geographical Information System (GIS) for active surveillance for informed decision-making on emergency healthcare delivery while minimizing the spread of the viruses. The study proposes to apply the emerging IoTs innovations to symptomatically detect and predict particular Filovirus (MVD or EVD) based on the defined physiological condition systematically presented. The objectives of the study are not limited to properly review the existing frameworks suitable for the research study, and design the propose architectural framework for the performance improvement of the system. The outcome is to provide a scientific way of detecting and predicting re-emerging Filovirus Diseases, and reporting such data in real-time for improve rapid response to emergency health intervention. The system structure is logically abreast with the technique to provide Suspected individuals with opportunity to early, easily and speedily detect and predict (know) their health condition during any Filovirus (EVD and MVD) outbreaks, and significantly minimize the spread of the diseases. Keywords:          Ebola Virus Disease, Marburg Virus Disease, Internet of Healthcare Things, Smart Health Care, Filovirus, Predictive Detection, Syndromic Surveillance and Real-Time Reporting. DOI: 10.7176/CEIS/13-2-05 Publication date:April 30th 202