Business Teacher Education (BTE); A Panacea for Human Capital Development in Nigeria

The focus of this paper is on business teacher education, a panacea for human capital development in Nigeria. Human capital suggests that education, and training, health and standard of living raises the productivity of workers and increases their lifetime earning capacity. Therefore, BTE is a panacea for human capital development because the programme is tailored towards providing skills, knowledge, competencies and attitudes in the students that will enable them to function effectively and efficiently in the world of work, self-reliant and/or employer of labour. Besides, business teacher education has the capacity to develop programmes that respond to current societal issues such as education for improving, basic computational skills, for meeting the needs of the bilingual and bicultural population, for eliminating occupational stereotyping, for assisting people with special needs and for helping the ordinary consumers to function effectively in the private enterprise system. It is recommended that business education in the secondary schools should contribute to the general education of all individuals by providing basic business education and to vocational education of individuals preparing for business career by providing practical training in office and marketing occupations. Keywords: Business Education, Business Educators, Business Community, Human Capital and Skill Development

Evaluation of Resveratrol Supplementation on Laboratory Animals, Cats, Pigs, Horses, Dogs, Cattle, and Birds

This chapter evaluated resveratrol supplementation on laboratory animals, cats, pigs, horses, dogs, cattle and birds. Resveratrol (3, 5, 4′-trihydroxystilbene) is a stilbenoid, a derivate of stilbene. It is found in some plants such as red grape, grape products, cocoa, peanuts, raspberries, mulberries, strawberry and Japanese knotweed roots. The most important dietary source of resveratrol is red wine, and it is often assumed to be an important factor in the French Paradox, a term used to describe the observation that the French population has a very low incidence of cardiovascular disease, despite a diet high in saturated fats. Research has shown some therapeutic effects of resveratrol ranging from antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, cardioprotective, antiatherogenic, antiaging, antiplatelet aggregation, anticancer, antidiabetic, antitumor, and immunomodulatory activities. In laboratory animals, benefits of resveratrol comprise antitumor effects while in cats it has shown to improve hepatic function. In pigs, the antibiotic and antiviral effects of resveratrol have been illustrated. The anti-inflammatory and antioxidative properties of resveratrol in horses and cattle were also reviewed. The supplement was shown to be useful as an antibiotic and an aid in improving alertness in dogs. Resveratrol also showed to increase growth performance in birds. It is therefore concluded that use of resveratrol is a potent aid in improving animal production and health

Effects of Cold-Dry (Harmattan) and Hot-Dry Seasons on Daily Rhythms of Rectal and Body Surface Temperatures in Sheep and Goats in a Natural Tropical Environment

Studies on daily rhythmicity in livestock under natural conditions are limited, and there is mounting evidence that rhythm patterns differ between chronobiological studies conducted in the laboratory and studies conducted under pronounced natural seasonality. Here, we investigated the influence of cold-dry (harmattan) and hot-dry seasons on daily rhythmicity of rectal (RT) and body surface temperatures (BST) in indigenous sheep and goats under natural light-dark cycles. The RT and BST of the animals, and the ambient temperature (AT) and relative humidity (RH) inside the pen, were measured every three hours for a period of two days, twice on separate days during the hot-dry and the harmattan seasons, respectively. The AT and RH had minimum values of 16°C and 15% recorded during the harmattan and maximum values of 32°C and 46% recorded during the hot-dry season, respectively. A trigonometric statistical model was applied to characterize the main rhythmic parameters according to the single cosinor procedure. The result showed that RT and BST exhibited different degrees of daily rhythmicity, and their oscillatory patterns differed with the seasons (larger amplitude during the harmattan season than during the hot-dry season). The goats displayed greater (p < 0.05) amplitude of BST than the sheep in all seasons. The acrophases were restricted to the light phase of the light-dark cycle. The mesor of RT in goats was not affected by the season, but mesors of BST in both species were significantly higher (p < 0.05) during the hot-dry than the harmattan season. The goats had a more robust RT rhythm (70%) as compared to the sheep (56%). Overall, the results demonstrated that seasonal changes influenced considerably the daily rhythmicity of RT and BST in sheep and goats under natural light-dark cycle. Awareness of these changes may be useful in the improvement of diagnosis, treatment and prevention of diseases, and welfare and productivity of sheep and goats under cold-dry and hot-dry conditions

Redoks-ravnoteža i metabolički odgovori gravidnih ovaca u različitim razdobljima sušne sezone u tropskim krajevima

The study investigated the influence of ambient temperature and gestation on the redox homeostasis and metabolic profile of Yankasa ewes during the dry season in a tropical savannah. Ten ewes were synchronised and bred at early-dry season and lambed during the late-dry season, so that each sampling period corresponded to different periods of the dry season. Thermal environmental parameters were recorded during the morning and afternoon hours. Blood samples were collected from the ewes at pre-, early (cold-dry) -, mid- (early hot-dry) and late-gestation (late hot-dry), week 3 (late hot-dry) and week 2 prepartum (late hot-dry); and postpartum (late hot-dry). Serum samples were analysed for malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase and glutathione peroxidase (GPx), thyroid hormones, cholesterol, triglycerides, non-esterified fatty acids (NEFA), alanine aminotransferase (AST), aspartate aminotransferase (ALT), creatinine and urea. The highest average ambient temperature was obtained at mid-gestation. Mid-gestation was characterised by significantly (P<0.05) higher MDA and NEFA levels, but lower SOD, GPx and T3 level. The AST and ALT activities were lower (P<0.05) at pre- and early-gestation than at prepartum and postpartum. Urea concentration was higher (P<0.05) at postpartum than early-gestation. Discriminant analysis revealed a higher level of misclassification of parameters between pre-gestation, late-gestation, prepartum and postpartum, but no classification error occurred during early- and mid-gestation. In conclusion, the ewes were more stressed at mid-gestation than any other stage of the gestation. Therefore, measures to mitigate the adverse impact of high ambient temperature on the dam should be adopted to prevent the occurrence of pregnancy-related disorders during the season.Cilj je ovoga istraživanja bio ustanoviti utjecaj temperature okoliša i gravidnosti na redoks-homeostazu i metabolički profil ovaca pasmine Yankasa za vrijeme sušne sezone u tropskim savanama. Spolni ciklus deset ovaca je sinkroniziran nakon čega su pripuštene u početku sušne sezone, a zatim su ojanjene na kraju sušne sezone. Uzorci su uzimani u različitim razdobljima sušne sezone. Temperature okoliša zabilježene su u jutarnjim i poslijepodnevnim satima. Uzorci krvi uzeti su prije gravidnosti, u vrijeme rane gravidnosti (hladnog i suhog vremena), srednje gravidnosti (na početku vruće i suhe sezone) i kasne gravidnosti (na kraju vruće i suhe sezone), tri tjedna prije janjenja (na kraju vruće i suhe sezone) i dva tjedna prije janjenja (na kraju vruće i suhe sezone) te poslije janjenja (na kraju vruće i suhe sezone). U uzorcima su analizirani malondialdehid (MDA), superoksidna dismutaza (SOD), katalaza i glutation-peroksidaza (GPx), hormoni štitne žlijezde, kolesterol, trigliceridi, neesterificirane masne kiseline (NEFA), alanin-aminotransferaza (AST), aspartat-aminotransferaza (ALT), kreatin i urea. Najveća prosječna temperatura okoliša bila je u vrijeme srednje gravidnosti. U vrijeme srednje gravidnosti zabilježene su znakovito veće (P<0,05) vrijednosti MDA-a i NEFA-e te niže vrijednosti SOD-a, GPx-a i T3. Vrijednosti AST-a i ALT-a bile su niže (P<0,05) u vrijeme prije gravidnosti i u vrijeme rane gravidnosti negoli u vrijeme prije janjenja i poslije janjenja. Diskriminacijska analiza pokazala je veću razinu pogrešnog razvrstavanja pokazatelja između predgravidnosti, kasne gravidnosti, razdoblja prije janjenja i poslije janjenja, ali nije bilo pogreške u razvrstavanju za vrijeme rane i srednje gravidnosti. Zaključeno je da su ovce pod većim stresom u vrijeme srednje gravidnosti negoli u drugim razdobljima gravidnosti. Zbog toga, trebalo bi provesti mjere koje bi ublažile nepovoljan utjecaj visoke temperature okoliša na ovce kako bi se spriječila pojava poremećaja gravidnosti za vrijeme sušne sezone

Hemotoxicity Induced by Chronic Chlorpyrifos Exposure in Wistar Rats: Mitigating Effect of Vitamin C

The study evaluated the ameliorative effect of vitamin C on chronic chlorpyrifos-induced hematological alterations in Wistar rats. Twenty adult male rats divided into 4 groups of 5 animals each were exposed to the following regimens: group I (S/oil) was administered soya oil (2 mL/kg b.w.), while group II (VC) was given vitamin C (100 mg/kg b.w.); group III was dosed with CPF (10.6 mg/kg b.w.); group IV was pretreated with vitamin C (100 mg/kg) and then exposed to CPF (10.6 mg/kg b.w.), 30 minutes later. The regimens were administered by oral gavage once daily for a period of 17 weeks. Blood samples collected at the end of the study revealed reduction in the levels of pack cell volume, hemoglobin, red blood cells, leukocytes (attributed to neutropenia, lymphopenia, and monocytopenia), and platelets in the CPF group, which were ameliorated in the vitamin C- pretreated group. The elevated values of malonaldehyde, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio in the CPF group were restored in those pretreated with vitamin C. The study has shown that chronic CPF-induced adversity on hematological parameters of Wistar rats was mitigated by pretreatment with vitamin C

Unique Physiological and Behavioural Adaptive Features of The One-Humped Camel (Camelus dromedarius) to Arid Environments

The dromedary camel is mainly found in the tropics of Africa, the Middle East, and the Indian sub-content, where it is of great importance to nomadic and rural communities to provide high-quality animal protein in the form of milk and meat and as a means of transportation. In the Arabian Gulf region, the camel gained popularity and importance recently as a racing animal. The camel is well adapted to harsh environments characterized by inadequate water and vegetation, high ambient temperature, and rough terrain. Camels are working animals suited to their desert habitat and are a vital means of transport for humans and cargo, especially for rural farmers. There are three surviving species of camel. Camels originated in North America and eventually spread across Beringia to Asia. They survived in the Old World, and eventually, humans domesticated them and spread them globally. However, the literature on the physiological parameters of the camel is scanty. This review aims to provide a general overview of the physiological features of the camel and an update on the available studies of physiological and behavioural features of the camel and the effects of thermal environmental conditions on some physiological responses

Design and Implementation of a Single-Phase Energy Meter with SMS Controlled and Monitored Recharge Capability

The Nigerian power sector is faced with poorly organized billing and consumer relations management. Tariff billing and collection has been a big problem in some community in Nigeria even with the introduction of prepaid meters. The process of payment is cumbersome and stressful as consumers have to go and pay in banks and then take tellers to power utility office to confirm their power bills payment before they can recharge their cards. The major purpose of this work is to design and implement a convenient, cashless, automated and transparent electricity metering, billing and payment system. This project combines the power electronic meter with a communications network which in this case is a GSM (global system for mobile) network. Remote electricity billing is a unique concept, in which the electricity board can collect the consumed units’ data from consumer on mobile phone using GSM network. A unique property of this system is that, the electricity board can disconnect or reconnect consumers from remote location through the mobile phone. As this project works on GSM network, the system can be controlled from any part of the countr

Effect of different levels of supplemental yeast on performance indices, serum enzymes and electrolytes of broiler chickens

The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of supplemental probiotic preparation on performance indices, serum enzymes and electrolytes of broiler chickens. Two hundred (200) day-old Marshall broiler chicks were randomly selected and distributed based on the level of supplementation into four groups of 50 chicks each (Control, C; E10.5%, E21.5% and E32.0%). Chickens fed 2.0% probiotic had a significantly higher body weight when compared with the control group. Activity of alanine aminotransferase differed significantly in the group E10.5%, and especially (p&lt;0.01) in the group E11.5%. Alkaline phosphatase activity decreased significantly (p&lt;0.05), when compared with that of the control group. Serum calcium and phosphorus concentrations in experimental groups were significantly higher. Potassium concentration in experimental group rose significantly (p&lt;0.05), when compared with that of the control broiler chickens. In conclusion, supplementing broiler feeds with 2.0% yeast probiotic improved performance indices, serum enzyme activities and enhanced the maintenance of electrolyte homeostasis in broiler chickens.Keywords: Body weight, feed conversion ratio, serum biochemistry, Saccharomyces cerevisiae, broiler chicken.African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 12(35), pp. 5480-548