EVALUATION OF AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION CHARACTERISTICS OF WOMEN FARMERS IN KANAM AND WASE AREAS OF PLATEAU STATE

Increasing attention is being accorded the potential role of women farmers in Plateau State due to their significance in sustainable agricultural development. However, production impediments have often diminished the hope to fully utilise such potentials for the benefit of humanity. A study was conducted in Kanam and Wase L.G.As to examine production characteristics of women farmers in the study areas. 200 women farmers were selected from 8 wards by simple random sampling technique. However, 198 responses were available for analysis Descriptive statistics – frequency and corresponding percentages is used for analysis. The result of the study revealed that greater number of the women range between ages of 30-39 years. (52.%) Married women were majority (72.22%), primary school leavers were majority (40.40%) majority of them operate on their husband’s farm (68.18%) major source of finance is personal savings (83.33%) major farm enterprise are cattle, sheep, goat, crops (100%). Major source of labour is family labour (50.51%) common size of farm holding is less than 2 hectares (65.66%) constraints identified includes: Non Accessibility to land ownership (98.48%)Iinadequate access to reliable source of loanable funds (89.%) Non availability of village level technology (100%). The conclusion is that their production level is characterized by small holder agriculture with associated impediments. In view of the importance attached to role of women in agriculture, significant effort is required through effective extension services to alleviate the burden of the women.Farm Management, Labor and Human Capital,

Soil physicochemical properties as influenced by persistent herbicide weed control in some communities in Ondo State, Nigeria

This study identified areas where different types of herbicide were used for municipal weed control in selected residential communities in Akure, Akungba-Akoko and Owo in Ondo State, Nigeria. A survey of the communities was carried out to identify sites maintained with herbicides (test sites) and those without herbicide history (control sites). Composite soil samples collected from each site were analyzed using standard laboratory procedures for the determination of selected soil physical and chemical properties. The data obtained were subjected to statistical analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results obtained indicated that the soil texture of the study sites were mostly sandy loam while pH ranged from slightly acidic to neutral. Significant differences (P < 0.05) were observed in the organic carbon (OC) contents of soil samples from Owo as against the samples from Akure and Akungba-Akoko though Owo had the highest OC (24.48 ± 9.36 g kg-1) followed by Akungba-Akoko (21.21 ± 10.36 g kg-1) and Akure (18.10 ± 7.75 kg-1) which was the lowest. However, no significant differences (P < 0.05) were observed in the values of the micronutrients and exchangeable cations across all the sites. Conclusively, application of herbicides to weeds did not have significant effect on the soil fertility (in all the sites) in the short run (2013 - 2015) but more aggressive application could have deleterious effects in the long run because leaching is encouraged as a result of the sandy nature and low organic carbon content of the soil in the study areas.Keywords: Herbicides, weeds, soil, physicochemical propertie

Economic analysis of major wood species sold in plank markets in Alimosho Local Government Area, Lagos State, Nigeria

This study examined the economics analysis of the major wood species sold in plank markets in Alimosho Local Government Area, Lagos, Nigeria. Multi stage sampling technique was used to select 120 respondents and it involves the selection of Alimosho Local Government Area, Random selection of twelve (12) plank markets and simple random sampling technique was used in selecting respondents in the plank markets. Data were analyzed using descriptive and budgetary analytical tools. The results showed that majority of the respondents were males (90%) and between the age of 35 to 44 (39.2%). Majority were married (90%) and mostly Yoruba (95%). Large percentage (71.7%) had secondary education and were Muslims (60.8%). Majority (98.3%) were fulltime plank marketers and 98.3% secured their business through apprenticeship while capital was mostly by means of personal savings. Most of the plank markets were over 30 years and they were all privately owned. Wood species in the study area includes mahogany (Khaya ivorensis), iroko (Milicia excelsa) Gmelina (Gmelina aborea), Teak (Tectona grandis), Araba (Ceiba pentandra), Ayunre (Albizia zygia), Obi (Cola spp) among other Rate of Return on Investment (RORI) recorded for plank size 2x6 inches for all wood species was more than other plank sizes. TheBenefit Cost Ratio (BCR) greater than 1 (BCR>1), indicating that the enterprisewas profitable. It is recommended that only trees that have attained merchantable height and girth should be felled for conversion

Measurement of the View the tt production cross-section using eμ events with b-tagged jets in pp collisions at √s = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

This paper describes a measurement of the inclusive top quark pair production cross-section (σtt¯) with a data sample of 3.2 fb−1 of proton–proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of √s = 13 TeV, collected in 2015 by the ATLAS detector at the LHC. This measurement uses events with an opposite-charge electron–muon pair in the final state. Jets containing b-quarks are tagged using an algorithm based on track impact parameters and reconstructed secondary vertices. The numbers of events with exactly one and exactly two b-tagged jets are counted and used to determine simultaneously σtt¯ and the efficiency to reconstruct and b-tag a jet from a top quark decay, thereby minimising the associated systematic uncertainties. The cross-section is measured to be: σtt¯ = 818 ± 8 (stat) ± 27 (syst) ± 19 (lumi) ± 12 (beam) pb, where the four uncertainties arise from data statistics, experimental and theoretical systematic effects, the integrated luminosity and the LHC beam energy, giving a total relative uncertainty of 4.4%. The result is consistent with theoretical QCD calculations at next-to-next-to-leading order. A fiducial measurement corresponding to the experimental acceptance of the leptons is also presented

Search for TeV-scale gravity signatures in high-mass final states with leptons and jets with the ATLAS detector at sqrt [ s ] = 13TeV

A search for physics beyond the Standard Model, in final states with at least one high transverse momentum charged lepton (electron or muon) and two additional high transverse momentum leptons or jets, is performed using 3.2 fb−1 of proton–proton collision data recorded by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider in 2015 at √s = 13 TeV. The upper end of the distribution of the scalar sum of the transverse momenta of leptons and jets is sensitive to the production of high-mass objects. No excess of events beyond Standard Model predictions is observed. Exclusion limits are set for models of microscopic black holes with two to six extra dimensions

The performance of the jet trigger for the ATLAS detector during 2011 data taking

The performance of the jet trigger for the ATLAS detector at the LHC during the 2011 data taking period is described. During 2011 the LHC provided proton–proton collisions with a centre-of-mass energy of 7 TeV and heavy ion collisions with a 2.76 TeV per nucleon–nucleon collision energy. The ATLAS trigger is a three level system designed to reduce the rate of events from the 40 MHz nominal maximum bunch crossing rate to the approximate 400 Hz which can be written to offline storage. The ATLAS jet trigger is the primary means for the online selection of events containing jets. Events are accepted by the trigger if they contain one or more jets above some transverse energy threshold. During 2011 data taking the jet trigger was fully efficient for jets with transverse energy above 25 GeV for triggers seeded randomly at Level 1. For triggers which require a jet to be identified at each of the three trigger levels, full efficiency is reached for offline jets with transverse energy above 60 GeV. Jets reconstructed in the final trigger level and corresponding to offline jets with transverse energy greater than 60 GeV, are reconstructed with a resolution in transverse energy with respect to offline jets, of better than 4 % in the central region and better than 2.5 % in the forward direction

Search for dark matter produced in association with a hadronically decaying vector boson in pp collisions at sqrt (s) = 13 TeV with the ATLAS detector

A search is presented for dark matter produced in association with a hadronically decaying W or Z boson using 3.2 fb−1 of pp collisions at View the MathML sources=13 TeV recorded by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. Events with a hadronic jet compatible with a W or Z boson and with large missing transverse momentum are analysed. The data are consistent with the Standard Model predictions and are interpreted in terms of both an effective field theory and a simplified model containing dark matter

Measurement of the cross section for isolated-photon plus jet production in pp collisions at √s=13 TeV using the ATLAS detector

The dynamics of isolated-photon production in association with a jet in proton–proton collisions at a centre-of-mass energy of 13 TeV are studied with the ATLAS detector at the LHC using a dataset with an integrated luminosity of 3.2 fb−1. Photons are required to have transverse energies above 125 GeV. Jets are identified using the anti- algorithm with radius parameter and required to have transverse momenta above 100 GeV. Measurements of isolated-photon plus jet cross sections are presented as functions of the leading-photon transverse energy, the leading-jet transverse momentum, the azimuthal angular separation between the photon and the jet, the photon–jet invariant mass and the scattering angle in the photon–jet centre-of-mass system. Tree-level plus parton-shower predictions from Sherpa and Pythia as well as next-to-leading-order QCD predictions from Jetphox and Sherpa are compared to the measurements

Search for resonances in the mass distribution of jet pairs with one or two jets identified as b-jets in proton–proton collisions at √s=13TeV with the ATLAS detector

Searches for high-mass resonances in the dijet invariant mass spectrum with one or two jets identi-fied as b-jets are performed using an integrated luminosity of 3.2fb−1of proton–proton collisions with a centre-of-mass energy of √s=13TeVrecorded by the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. Noevidence of anomalous phenomena is observed in the data, which are used to exclude, at 95%credibility level, excited b∗quarks with masses from 1.1TeVto 2.1TeVand leptophobic Z bosons with masses from 1.1TeVto 1.5TeV. Contributions of a Gaussian signal shape with effective cross sections ranging from approximately 0.4 to 0.001pb are also excluded in the mass range 1.5–5.0TeV

Measurement of the double-differential high-mass Drell-Yan cross section in pp collisions at √s = 8 TeV with the ATLAS detector

This paper presents a measurement of the double-differential cross section for the Drell-Yan Z/γ∗ → ℓ+ℓ− and photon-induced γγ → ℓ+ℓ− processes where ℓ is an electron or muon. The measurement is performed for invariant masses of the lepton pairs, mℓℓ, between 116 GeV and 1500 GeV using a sample of 20.3 fb−1 of pp collisions data at centre-of-mass energy of √s = 8 TeV collected by the ATLAS detector at the LHC in 2012. The data are presented double differentially in invariant mass and absolute dilepton rapidity as well as in invariant mass and absolute pseudorapidity separation of the lepton pair. The single-differential cross section as a function of mℓℓ is also reported. The electron and muon channel measurements are combined and a total experimental precision of better than 1% is achieved at low mℓℓ. A comparison to next-to-next-to-leading order perturbative QCD predictions using several recent parton distribution functions and including next-to-leading order electroweak effects indicates the potential of the data to constrain parton distribution functions. In particular, a large impact of the data on the photon PDF is demonstrated