Improvement of annual forage and seed production in the sub-humid zone of Nigeria through supplement irrigation

A two-year study was conducted at Shika in the Northern Guinea Savanna of Nigeria to evaluate several perennial and annual forage species for seasonal and total annual herbage and/or seed production. Over the entire experimental period, total dry matter (DM) yields for grasses, perennial and hay-suited annual legumes varied from 27.5 to 79.1, 18.8 to 40.3 and 40.5 to 50.5 t/ha, to which irrigation contributed 48 to 66, 50 to 57 and 56 % respectively. Irrigated grass crude protein (CP) contents averaged 5.3 and 9.9 %; and legume CP contents 16.1 and 18.8 % for the May and December harvests while rainfed grass CP contents ranged from 7.7 % (August) to 10.9 % (October), the corresponding legume values being 18.7 and 20.9 %. Irrigated cropping accounted for 55 to 56 % of the 9 207 to 12 461 kg/ha seed yield recorded in dual purpose legumes. It was inferred that on the basis of total herbage yield, distribution of yield and responsiveness to irrigation Pennisetum purpureum, Brachiaria decumbens, Cajanus cajan Acc UQ 50 or 3D 8104 and S. guianensis cv Cook proved to be promising; reasonable seed yield levels were obtained from C. cajan 3D 8104, Glycine max Acc. 49-14 and M 216 and Vigna unguiculata Acc Ivu 1283, whether irrigated or rainfed. The potential of irrigation is discussed in relation to feed, food and livestock production

Literature Review of Areas of Application of Supply Chain Management in Construction Industry

Construction projects are becoming increasingly complex and the conventional methods of managing them have plateaued over the years. The complexity could be traced to the complexity of designs, which requires inputs from different suppliers/contractors. This has led to fragmentation where suppliers/ contractors specialize in a given project and are contracted to deliver only on their area of expertise. The aim of this paper is to produce evidence of the areas of application of supply chain management (SCM) in the construction industry. The aim was achieved by a thorough literature review of works done in the area. The results showed that all the selected research on the SCM falls within eight major areas. They are procurement, logistics, models application, information, performance evaluation, customer relationship, environmental management and sustainability. Other subfields can be derived from the areas

Cassava root peel as a replacement for maize in diets for growing pigs: effects on energy and nutrient digestibility, performance and carcass characteristics

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate cassava root peel (CRP) as diet component for fattening pigs. In the first experiment, ten male pigs were used to investigate the nutrient digestibility and the nutritive value of CRP as replacement for maize in the diet at 0 %, 30 %, 40 %, 50 % and 60 %, while supplementing free amino acids (fAA). During two experimental periods, faeces were quantitatively collected and analysed for chemical composition. In the second experiment, 40 pigs received the same diets as in Experiment 1, and daily feed intake and weekly weight changes were recorded. Four pigs per diet were slaughtered at 70 kg body weight to evaluate carcass traits. Digestibility of dry and organic matter, crude protein, acid detergent fibre and gross energy were depressed (p0.05) at 60 % CRP; digestible energy content (MJ kg^(−1) DM) was 15.4 at 0 % CRP and 12.7 at 60 % CRP. In the second experiment, CRP inclusion had only a small impact on feed intake, weight gain and feed conversion ratio (p0.05) as well as on the length of the small intestine and the Longissimus dorsi muscle area. The missing correlation of daily weight gain and feed-to-gain ratio up to a CRP inclusion of 40 % indicates that negative effects of CRP on pig growth can be avoided by respecting upper feeding limits. Hence, a combined use of CRP and fAA can reduce feeding costs for small-scale pig farmers in countries where this crop-by product is available in large amounts

Assessment of Impacts of Artisanal and Small-Scale Mining Activities on Groundwater Quality of Ijero-Ekiti, South- Western Nigeria

ABSTRACT: This study focused on assessment of possible impacts of artisanal and small scale mining activities on groundwater in Ijero-Ekiti. Thirty groundwater samples (2 from the mining pits, 5 in the vicinity of the mining pits and the remaining 23 randomly selected from other parts of the study area) were collected and analysed for the anions and cations using Ion Chromatography and Atomic Absorption Mass Spectrometer methods respectively. Physical parameters (Temp.°C, pH, ECµS/cm) were measured in-situ using a Multi-parameter -> SO 4 2-> NO 3 -. All ions concentrations are within WHO standard for drinking water quality except chloride that exceeded it in few locations due to local anthropogenic contamination. The Piper trilinear diagram indicated Ca-(Mg)-Cl-(SO 4 ) and Na-(K)-Cl-(SO 4 as the dominant water. All water samples have low sodium hazard as well as lowmedium salinity hazard while all irrigation indices (sodium absorption ratio, residual sodium bicarbonate and Kelly ratio) showed that the groundwater is suitable for irrigation. This study revealed that the groundwater of Ijero is low mineralized, chemically potable and suitable for irrigation while artisanal and small-scale mining activities have no significant impact on the groundwater

Performance of rabbits on exclusive day and/or night feeding regime in the derived savannah zone of Nigeria

ABSTRACT: This study was carried out using Twenty four growing rabbits with an average initial weight of between 667 -676 g. The rabbits were randomly allocated into three groups of eight rabbits each, with each rabbit serving as a replicate in a completely randomized design experiment. The rabbits were fed conventionally on concentrate (l00g) and fresh forages -Aspilia africana-Tndax procumbens (200g) per animal per day. The first group which served as the control were provided with feed and water ad libitum while the second group (day feeding) were fed once during the day (08:00 hrs) and provided with only water at night. The third group (night feeding) were fed once in the evening (06:30 hrs) and provided with water during the day. The experiment lasted for eight weeks. Parameters recorded were temperature and humidity of the rabbitary, rectal temperature of the rabbits, feed intake and left over, water consumption, weight gain as well as the pulse rate of the rabbits. Rabbits on exclusive night feeding had final weights (1.62 kg) comparable (P>0.05) with the control (1.58 kg) that were fed ad-libitum (day and night) and higher (P<0.05) than the weight of rabbits (1.48 kg) fed exclusively during the day. Feed wastage was much lower (P<0.05) in rabbits fed exclusively at night. The relative organ weights shows that the kidney, spleen, and intestinal weights were not affected (P>0.05) but there were differences (P<0.05) in weights of lungs, heart and liver for the feeding regimes. It can be concluded that feeding rabbits at night is better to take advantage of their nocturnal habit. This will encourage the participation of individuals whose schedules are busy during the day in rabbit meat production thus making more rabbit available for consumption

The burden of Hepatitis B and C virus infections in patients with sickle cell anaemia in Jos – Nigeria

Background: Sickle cell anaemia (SCA) is an important public health problem in Nigeria associated with frequent blood transfusion. Patients with this disease are at increased risk of contracting hepatitis B and C virus through blood transfusions.Objective: The study aimed at determining the burden of hepatitis B and C virus infections in patients with sickle cell anaemia and the role of blood transfusion in these infections acquisition in Jos.Materials and methods: This was an observational cross-sectional study conducted on patients with SCA attending the Haematology Out-patient Clinic of Jos University Teaching Hospital,between November 2014 and August 2015.Consenting patients with SCA had their blood screened for anti- HBV and HCV antibodies using fourth generation Elisa techniques after completing a questionnaire.Results: One hundred and eleven patients with SCA participated. Antibodies to Hepatitis B virus (HBV) was detected in 21 (18.9%) while that to Hepatitis C virus (HCV) was found in 16 (14.7%). Seventy six (68.5%) of the participants had history of blood transfusion while 35 (31.5%) were never transfused. 22.4% and 15.8% of those transfused were positive for HBV and HCV antibodies respectively. There was no significant difference in the proportion of those positive for anti HBV or HCV with respect to their transfusion status (p=0.24 and 0.81 respectively).Conclusion: The proportion of our patients with SCA that were anti HBV and anti-HCV positive was high. Blood transfusion did not significantly influence their positive status. Strategies aimed at controlling these viral infections in these patients and the general population should be enforced after public awareness campaigns and advocacy are instituted.Keywords: Sickle Cell Anaemia, burden, Hepatitis B Virus, Hepatitis CVirus, infection, Blood Transfusio

A web-based protein interaction network visualizer

Abstract Background Interaction between proteins is one of the most important mechanisms in the execution of cellular functions. The study of these interactions has provided insight into the functioning of an organism’s processes. As of October 2013, Homo sapiens had over 170000 Protein-Protein interactions (PPI) registered in the Interologous Interaction Database, which is only one of the many public resources where protein interactions can be accessed. These numbers exemplify the volume of data that research on the topic has generated. Visualization of large data sets is a well known strategy to make sense of information, and protein interaction data is no exception. There are several tools that allow the exploration of this data, providing different methods to visualize protein network interactions. However, there is still no native web tool that allows this data to be explored interactively online. Results Given the advances that web technologies have made recently it is time to bring these interactive views to the web to provide an easily accessible forum to visualize PPI. We have created a Web-based Protein Interaction Network Visualizer: PINV, an open source, native web application that facilitates the visualization of protein interactions ( http://biosual.cbio.uct.ac.za/pinv.html ). We developed PINV as a set of components that follow the protocol defined in BioJS and use the D3 library to create the graphic layouts. We demonstrate the use of PINV with multi-organism interaction networks for a predicted target from Mycobacterium tuberculosis, its interacting partners and its orthologs. Conclusions The resultant tool provides an attractive view of complex, fully interactive networks with components that allow the querying, filtering and manipulation of the visible subset. Moreover, as a web resource, PINV simplifies sharing and publishing, activities which are vital in today’s research collaborative environments. The source code is freely available for download at https://github.com/4ndr01d3/biosual

Kolaviron was protective against sodium azide (NaN 3 )induced oxidative stress in the prefrontal cortex

Kolaviron is a phytochemical isolated from Garcina kola (G. kola); a common oral masticatory agent in Nigeria (West Africa). It is a bioflavonoid used - as an antivi- ral, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant - in relieving the symp- toms of several diseases and infections. In this study we have evaluated the neuroprotective and regenerative effect of kolaviron in neurons of the prefrontal cortex (Pfc) before or after exposure to sodium azide (NaN 3 ) induced oxidative stress. Separate groups of animals were treated as follows; kolaviron (200 mg/Kg) for 21 days; kolaviron (200 mg/Kg for21days)followedbyNaN 3 treatment (20 mg/Kg for 5days);NaN 3 treatment (20 mg/Kg for 5 days) followed by kolaviron (200 mg/Kg for 21 days); 1 ml of corn-oil (21 days- vehicle); NaN 3 treatment (20 mg/Kg for 5 days). Exploratory activity associated with Pfc function was assessed in the open field test (OFT) following which the microscopic anatomy of the prefrontal cortex was examined in histology (Haematoxylin and Eosin) and antigen retrieval Immunohis- tochemistry to show astroglia activation (GFAP), neuronal metabolism (NSE), cytoskeleton (NF) and cell cycle dysreg- ulation (p53). Subsequently, we quantified the level of Glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PDH) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in the brain tissue homogenate as a measure of stress-related glucose metabolism. Kolaviron (Kv) and Kolaviron/NaN 3 treatment caused no prominent change in astroglia density and size while NaN 3 and NaN 3 / Kv induced astroglia activation and scar formation (astrogliosis) in the Pfc when compared with the control. Sim- ilarly, Kolaviron and Kv/NaN 3 did not alter NSE expression (glucose metabolism) while NaN 3 and NaN 3 /Kv treatment increased cortical NSE expression; thus indicating stress related metabolism. Further studies on enzymes of glu- cose metabolism (G6PDH and LDH) showed that NaN 3 increased LDH while kolaviron reduced LDH in the brain tissue homogenate (P<0.001). In addition kolaviron treatment before (P<0.001) or after ( P <0.05) NaN 3 treatment also reduced LDH expression; thus supporting its role in suppression of oxidative stress. Interestingly, NF deposition increased in the Pfc after kolaviron treatment while Kv/NaN 3 showed no sig- nificant change in NF when compared with the control. In furtherance, NaN 3 and NaN 3 /Kv caused a decrease in NF deposition (degeneration). Ultimately, the protective effect of KV administered prior to NaN 3 treatment was confirmed through p53 expression; which was similar to the control. However, NaN 3 and NaN 3 /Kv caused an increase in p53 expression in the Pfc neurons (cell cycle dysregulation). We conclude that kolaviron is not neu- rotoxic when used at 200 mg/Kg BW. Furthermore, 200 mg/Kg of kolaviron administered prior to NaN 3 treatment (Kv/NaN 3 ) was neuroprotective when com- pared with Kolaviron administered after NaN 3 treatment (NaN 3 /Kv). Some of the observed effects of kolaviron administered before NaN 3 treatment includes reduction of astroglia activation, absence of astroglia scars, anti- oxidation (reduced NSE and LDH), prevention of neu- rofilament loss and cell cycle regulatio