Freshwater Fish Diversity of a Tropical Rainforest River in Southeast Nigeria

Fish samples were collected at three stations twice per month from January to December 2013 with the help of local fishers using hook and line, gill net, cast net, bagnet and local traps for ecological studies of important fish species and resource management issues of Oramiri-Ukwa River, southeast Nigeria. An estimate of 25 fish species, 15 genera, 21 families and six orders were obtained. Ecological indices indicate a polydiverse community and no single species exhibited true dominance (? 50%). Paired group cluster analysis establishes Tilapia zilli and Hemichromis fasciatus as the focal species and identifies the associated species combinations that characterize spatial variability and account for the biodiversity resources and structure of the artisanal fishery. Other important species include Tilapia mariae>Synodontis nigrita while Polypterus senegalus>Parachanna africana and Shilbe mystus were the least in number. Monospecific and rare fish species of ecological and conservation significance identified include Ctenopoma kingsleyae, Clarias gariepinus as well as Erpetoichthys calabaricus and Pantodon buchholzi derived from interconnections with other African rivers. This study presents lower fish diversity compared to earlier reports. This difference may be linked to increased human activities and fluctuating biotic and abiotic factors of the ecosystem, among others. Keywords: Abundance, biodiversity, conservation, rare specie

Spatial Variation in Physico-Chemical Parameters of Eastern Obolo Estuary, Niger Delta, Nigeria

Aspects of the physicochemical parameters of Eastern Obolo estuary, Eastern Obolo, were investigated for three months at five locations: Okorombokho, Iko, Amadaka, Emereoke and Obianga.  Mean concentrations of some of the measured parameters at the five sampling locations showed significant statistical differences: Nickel (F = 18.48, df 2,8; P<0.001), Potassium (F = 4.47, df 2,8; P<0.05), Total dissolved solids (F = 32.26, df 4,8; P<0.001), pH (F = 21.55, df 4,9; P<0.001), Salinity (F = 73.15; df 4,8; P<0.001), Dissolved Oxygen (F = 5.06, df 2,8; P<0.05), Temperature (F = 10.96, df 2.8; P<0.01), and Conductivity (F = 71.94, df 4,8; P<0.01).  Mean differences of other parameters were not statistically significant.  The variability of the concentrations of the parameters during the period of study was lowest for dissolved oxygen (2.2%) and highest for hardness (68.4%).  The availability of nickel in these waters indicated crude oil pollution. The mean values of nickel, potassium, total dissolved solids, sodium, copper, zinc, total hydrocarbons and biochemical oxygen demand from all stations exceeded the recommended limits for aquatic life or potable water. Hence, the Eastern Obolo estuary may not be an efficient source of drinking water for the community but it definitely helps flush out anthropogenic pollutants into the sea. Keywords: estuarine flushing, nickel, potassium, total dissolved solids, sodium, copper, zinc, total hydrocarbon

Households’ Decision to Participate in Cooperative Organizations: Evidence from Farmers in Akwa Ibom State, Southern Nigeria

Farmer organizations are effective mechanisms for increasing agricultural production, income and reducing poverty. Regrettably, farmers have not taken advantage of the lofty benefits accruable to those who voluntarily join these organizations. The study estimated the factors influencing household’s decision to participate in cooperative organizations and also tested the level of agreement among identified constraints linked with participation. Multistage sampling procedure was employed to select 120 farmers for the study. Primary data were obtained using questionnaires. Data were analyzed using Probit model and Kendall’s coefficient of concordance. Results of analyses revealed that the mean age, years of educational attainment household size and years of farming experience were 32, 15, 5 and 7 respectively. Result of probit analysis further indicate that age of the farmer, farm income, household size, participation in meeting, major decision maker, distance of farm to the nearest road and farmers social status were the most critical factors influencing household’s decision to participate in cooperative organizations. Result of Kendall’s coefficient of concordance revealed that there was 0.42 (moderate agreement) between the ranking of constraints associated with farmers' participation in cooperative organizations. Furthermore, findings showed that the top five factors limiting households’ decision to participate in cooperative organizations were inadequate capital accumulation, high embezzlement of funds, poor leadership, recurring internal crises and lack of initiative. Policies to provide good and accessible roads, increase farmers incomes and encourage youths are rational options that will enhance effective participation in cooperative organizations

Recycling of some selected building materials in the construction industry: Prospect and challenges

The importance of recycling cannot be overemphasized, it decongests items in environment which tends to constitutes pollution nuisance while providing opportunity for reuse of such items, also items recycling returns environment to the state of its naturalness. It is against this background that the study attempt at studying recycling of some selected building materials within the context of their benefits, conceptualization, and awareness about concept of recycling and waste generated. Random sampling technique was used to select the respondents sample and research location. Lagos State, Nigeria, was chosen as research location construction companies and landfills within the state and sample procedure would be as stated above. Seventy (70) Structured questionnaire was used to harvest opinion of people on the subject matter. Also, field research was conducted, field research entails taking data from existing landfills in sites of established waste collection organizations, that is, existing organizations that run recycling operation. Mean Item Score and simple percentage were used to process harvested data. In summary It was discovered that the response to the economic effect of recycling where the purchase of product made from recycled material ranked 1st with a 0.862 index, the next was the participation in recycling for the creation of jobs which ranked 2nd with an index of 0.837, next was their opinion on the construction industries benefits from the recycling industry which ranked 3rd with an index of 0.81 and Participation in recycling for financial reward which was ranked 4th with an index of 0.735. Also discovered was the quantity of materials wasted on the various sites and even though the quantity was low in most of the cases, it still reiterated the need for recycling of construction and renovation waste. From the above stated finding it is important to state that the study was extremely important as it provides information on the method of recycling all the wasted materials instead of carting them away to landfills. Approach to recycling of waste has been presented in this study, it is a believe that this could serve as an awareness about concept of recycling household and environmental wast

ABO phenotypes and malaria related outcomes in mothers and babies in The Gambia: a role for histo-blood groups in placental malaria?

BACKGROUND: Host susceptibility to P.falciparum is critical for understanding malaria in pregnancy, its consequences for the mother and baby, and for improving malaria control in pregnant women. Yet host genetic factors which could influence placental malaria risk are little studied and there are no reports of the role of blood group polymorphisms on pregnancy outcomes in malaria endemic areas. This study analyses the association between ABO blood group phenotypes in relation to placental malaria pathology. METHODS: A total of 198 mother/child pairs delivering in Banjul and the Kombo-St Mary District (The Gambia) were analysed. ABO blood group was measured by agglutination. Placental malaria parasites wee enumerated and the presence of malaria pigment noted. Birth anthropometry was recorded and placental weight. Maternal and infant haemoglobin was measured. RESULTS: 89 (45%) subjects were primiparae and 110 (55%)multiparae. The ABO phenotype distribution was 38(A), 52(B), 6(AB) and 102(O). Placental histo-pathology showed active placental malaria in 74 (37%), past infection in 42 (21%) and no infection in 82 cases (41%). In primiparae blood group O was associated with a higher risk of active infection (OR = 2.99; 95% CI = 1.24–7.25), and a lower risk of past infection (OR = 0.31, 0.10–1.01, p < 0.05). In multiparae the O phenotype was associated with reduced prevalence of active or past placental infection (OR = 0.45; 95% CI 0.21–0.98). The mean feto-placental weight ratio was significantly higher in multiparae with group O women compared to non-O phenotypes (5.74 vs 5.36; p = 0.04). Among primiparae with active placental infection, mean birth weight was higher in children of mothers with the O phenotype (p = 0.04). CONCLUSION: These results indicate that blood group O was significantly associated with increased placental malaria infection in primiparae and reduced risk of infection in multiparae. This parity related susceptibility was not present with other ABO phenotypes. Cell surface glycans, such as ABO and related antigens have special relevance in reproductive biology and could modulate specific cell interactions as those associated with the pathogenesis of placental malaria

Natural multi-occurrence of mycotoxins in rice from Niger State, Nigeria

Twenty-one rice samples from field (ten), store (six) and market (five) from the traditional rice-growing areas of Niger State, Nigeria were analysed for aflatoxins (AFs), ochratoxin A (OTA), zearalenone (ZEA), deoxynivalenol (DON), fumonisin B1 (FB1) and B2 (FB2), and patulin (PAT) by thin-layer chromatography (TLC) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) respectively. T-2 toxin was determined using TLC only. AFs were detected in all samples, at total AF concentrations of 28–372 μg/kg. OTA was found in 66.7% of the samples, also at high concentrations (134–341 μg/kg) that have to be considered as critical levels in aspects of nephrotoxicity. ZEA (53.4%), DON (23.8), FB1 (14.3%) and FB2 (4.8%) were also found in rice, although at relatively low levels. T-2 toxin was qualitatively detected by TLC in only one sample. Co-contamination with AFs, OTA, and ZEA was very common, and up to five mycotoxins were detected in a single sample. The high AF and OTA levels as found in rice in this study are regarded as unsafe, and multi-occurrences of mycotoxins in the rice samples with possible additive or synergistic toxic effects in consumers raise concern with respect to public health

Organisational Branding, A Strategic Tool for Engineering Customer Satisfaction in Service Industry: A Study of Selected Banks

Effective brand strategies cannot be developed without the customers in mind, hence the need to examine how brand strategies affect the behaviours of these customers to yield a good result. The objective of this study is to evaluate the impact of organisational branding on the levels of customer patronage. A descriptive and survey design was adopted for the study. The population for this study consist of customers from Wema and Zenith bank within Lagos metropolis. The questionnaire was used in eliciting information from respondents, which contained two sections. Two research questions and hypotheses were raised and tested. The data collected was analysed using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 20.0), for frequency distribution. Further analysis was carried out using linear regression and correlation analysis. From the findings made in the study, there is a significant role played by brand identity in meeting customer expectation and there is a significant effect of brand culture on customer satisfaction. It was recommended that management should be conscious of their peculiar corporate identity once established in order to capitalize on their strengths and opportunities, as well as improve on their weaknesses and address their threats in good time and Managers should strive to create a peculiar brand culture in line with their given brand identity, as the creation of a strong brand culture will enable the staff of the organisation to deliver quality service for good customer satisfaction