Comparative Morphology and Taxonomic Study of Chlorophytum sabiense And Two Other Species in the Genus Chlorophytum Ker-Gawl

Chlorophytum sabiense Omok. (a newly identified species in the family Asparagaceae) is unique, having multiple styles emerging from fused ovaries. This specialized character may be overlooked in conjuring up archetype for the genus Chlorophytum, since the genus is characterized by single and simple style. Comparative morphology and taxonomic study of Chlorophytum sabiense and two other species in the genus (Chlorophytum macrophyllum and C. stenopetalum) was carried out to appraise level of relatedness of Chlorophytum. sabiense and these existing members. Distribution of the three species is sympatric in the North Central part of Nigeria. Chlorophytum sabiense may be confused with either of the two species because of the attributes they have in common. Samples collected were raised in a garden and closely observed for duration of three years. Data collected from morphological studies were analyzed statistically. The three species show similarity in most of the vegetative characters studied, however Chlorophytum sabiense is distinguished from the two others having; multiple styles, smaller fruit size and shorter length of pistil relative to the stamen. Exceptional characteristics exhibited by Chlorophytum sabiense makes it stand out among species in the genus, while its close resemblance with its allies accounts for reason why it had escaped recognition for a long time

Effects of fresh shoot biomass of siam weed Chromolaena odorata (L.) King and H. Robinson on the germination and growth of Okra Abelmoschus esculentus (L.) Moench

This study was carried out in the Department of Plant Science and Biotechnology, Federal University Oye Ekiti, Ekiti State. Investigation was carried  out on the effects of Fresh Shoot Biomass of Chromolaena odorata on okra Abelmoschus esculentus. For the laboratory experiment, about 5g, 10g,  15g and 20g each of Chromolaena odorata was weighed into plastic bottles each containing 250ml of distilled water for 24 hours. Two millilitres of  the leachate was used to water the seeds of okra that was placed in Petri dishes. Each treatment had five replicates that contained four seeds of  okra (Abelmoschus esculentus). For the screening experiment, loamy top soil, fresh shoot, stems and leaves of Chromolaena odorata were collected  within Federal University Oye Ekiti environment and crushed into smaller bits using mortar and pestle. Three seeds, each of okra that was planted in  all the pots. The growth variables considered include radicle length, plumule length, number of roots, for the green house experiment the plant  height, leaf area, stem girth, and pod weight were also observed. The leachate of Chromolaena odorata resulted to a reduction in radicle length,  plumule length and number of roots. The radicle length of okra treated with leachates of 15g/250ml were adversely affected, while the plumule  length of 5g/250ml, 15g/250ml and 20g/250ml greatly decreased compared to the control. The highest decrease in number of roots was noticed in  the 15g/250ml concentration. The control plant had the highest plant height increased in a concentration dependent manner with exception of  those treated with 200g, the leaf area of the control plant was observed to be lower than all the treatment plants, but it increased in a concentration  dependent manner. Also, there was a concentration dependent increase in the steam girth of A. esculentus. The pod weight of the  treated plants were lower than the control. The plant treated with 50g highest moisture content, the fat content was higher in the control and plant  treated with 50g than the other treated plant. The protein content of the treatment plants was observed to be significantly higher when compared  to the control plant. Crude fiber content of the treatment plant was significantly higher than the treatment plants. The ash content of the control  was significantly lower than the treated plants, the carbohydrate content of the control plant increased significantly compared to the treatment  plant with the lowest at 150g treated plant. The study concluded that the leachate and FSB affected the seed germination, growth and the food  content of Abelmoschus esculentus.&nbsp

Comparative evaluation of the effects of organic and inorganic fertilizers on the vegetative growth of spleen amaranth (Amaranthus dubius L)

The application of organic and inorganic fertilizers to the soil is considered as good agricultural practice because they improve the fertility of the soil and plant quality. The overall objective of the study is to compare the effects of organic fertilizers (cow dung and chicken droppings) with inorganic fertilizer (urea) on the vegetativegrowth of Amaranthus dubius. The data obtained showed that, levels of all parameters measured for both the organic and inorganic fertilizers ranges; Stem length (7.5- 64.2) cm, Stem width (2.4- 8.1) cm, Leaf length (8.0- 19.3) cm, Leaf width (3.3- 14.2) cm and Number of leaves per plant (09- 34). The mean values for the stem length, stem width, leaf length, leaf width and number of leaves per plant were evaluated and found to be higher in plants grown with urea treatment compared to values obtained from the treatments with organic manures. Data were analyzed using One-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and the results were expressed as percentage difference, the differences between the mean values were determined at 95% confidence. Inorganic fertilizer resulted in significant effects at (p<0.05) compared to values obtained from the organic manures.Keywords: Amaranthus dubius, Chicken droppings, Cow dung, Ure

Awareness and knowledge about diabetes mellitus and hypertension amongst adolescents in secondary schools, Oyo State, Nigeria – an interventional study by the SIDCAIN Research Group

Background: Epidemic of obesity has propelled type 2 diabetes into an emerging health problem. Alongside hypertension, diabetes is now a foremost non communicable disease (NCD) in Nigeria. Aims & Objectives: This paper reports the outcome of school health club awareness program amongst school children in Oyo State. Methods: Health clubs were formed with the aim of making adolescents aware of NCDs, and their risk factors through health educational programs over a three year period (2010 – 2013). Data was obtained on awareness, knowledge, and traditional beliefs amongst club members and compared to responses from non-club members. SPSS version 17 was used for data analysis, and the level of statistical significance was set at (

Mathematical Modeling of Ethanol Production through Batch Fermentation of Glucose with Kluveromyces Marxianus

Mathematical models are a means of representing essential aspects of reality (process, phenomenon, object, element, system, etc.) with the help of mathematical constructs. Mathematical models typically offer convenience and cost advantages over other means of obtaining the required information on reality. In the last decades, continuing progress has been observed in applications of mathematical modeling in biological growth. This research developed a mathematical model that illustrated the kinetics of ethanol production, incorporating both fermentation time and temperature from the batch fermentation of glucose with Kluveromyces Maxianus. Glucose biomass was found to decrease linearly with temperature rise and the modified Gompertz model was used to describe the ethanol production. The arhenious plot was used to illustrate the temperature dependence rate of the reaction. Matlab 9.0 and Microsoft Excel 2007 were the statistical software used for the iteration and the estimation of thebiological parameters. The derived mathematical model could be adapted to illustrate the kinetics of ethanol production to the stationary phase during the fermentation of glucose as influenced by temperature and fermentation time using Kluveromyces Maxianus

Development of an ICT-based framework towards sustainable optimal diabetes management in Nigerian health sector

This study aims at assessing the importance of incorporating HIT tools into the Nigerian health sector, especially for diabetes management. Both quantitative and qualitative research methods were used in this study. Quantitative methods involve questionnaire administration, while qualitative methods comprise observation method and semi structured key informant interviews, used to complement the findings from the questionnaire data collection. AYDOT was developed to customize and adapt the international HIT standard, which can identify patients at risk and physicians could quickly attend to them in real-time through mobile text messages. The conditions used for ‘At-risk’ patients are if: the Blood pressure>140/80  mmHg, the sugar level before meal>7mm0/L; the Sugar level 2 h after meal>11.1mm0/L, the Body Mass Index BMI (W/H2) >= 25 kg/m2 and diabetes duration>10 yrs. The results from this study imply that for any diabetes management project to be successful, there is a need to move from paper-based to HIT-based system in the entire organization, as optimal management of diabetes relies on the availability and usability of Health Information Technology (HIT) applications. Keywords: Diabetes management, ICT, Nigerian health secto

A preliminary checklist of angiosperm flora of Federal University of Kashere Campus, Gombe State

This study investigated the angiosperm diversity of Federal University of Kashere, Gombe State. Conventional methods of species enumeration as described by previous authors were employed and a comprehensive record of the existing species compiled. A total of 76 species distributed in 38 families were recorded. Fabaceae and Apocynaceae were dominant with 6 and 5 species, respectively. The trees constituted the highest number of species with 32 species (42%), followed by the shrubs (24 species or 32%) and the herbs with 20 species (26%). The identified species in the study area play vital roles on the socio-economic development of the people as they are utilised for food, ornamental and medicinal purposes. With the continuous developmental activities within the University Campus, practical conservation measures are needed if the study area is to be protected from total loss of plant biodiversity

Effects of supplementing cassava peels with cassava leaves and cowpea haulms on the rumen environment and blood profile parameters of West African dwarf goats

This experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of supplementing cassava peels with cassava leaves and cowpea haulms on rumen fermentation and blood metabolites of West African dwarf (WAD) goats. Thirty West African dwarf bucks aged 8±1.3 months with an average body weight of 6.06±0.02 kg were used in a completely randomized experiment. The goats were randomly assigned to one of the five dietary treatments which consisted of milled cassava peels, cassava leaves and cowpea haulms in different ratios of 700:100:175 (T1); 500:200:275 (T2); 300:300:375 (T3) and 100:400:475 (T4) g/kg DM respectively. A standard diet formulated to meet the nutrient requirements of the animals with no cassava and cowpea haulms was used as the control diet (T5). Data collected was subjected to analysis of variance using the general linear model procedure of SAS. The results obtained indicated that the highest dietary crude protein was obtained in treatment 5 (206 g/kg) followed by treatment 4 (200 g/kg). Treatment 1 had higher neutral detergent fibre (660 g/kg) and hydrocyanide (30.00 mg/kg) contents. At 0 hr post-feeding, NH3-N values significantly ranged (L, Q, C: pEste experimento se realizó para evaluar los efectos de suplementar peladuras de yuca con hojas de yuca y tallos de caupí sobre la fermentación del rumen y metabolitos sanguíneos de cabras Enanas de África Occidental (WAD). Treinta machos de 8±1,3 meses con un peso corporal medio de 6,06±0,02 kg fueron usados en un experimento completamente al azar. Las cabras fueron asignadas aleatoriamente de a 1 de 5 tratamientos dietarios que consistian de peladuras de yuca molidas, hojas de yuca y tallos de caupí en diferentes proporciones 700:100:175 (T1); 500:200:275 (T2); 300:300:375 (T3) y 100:400:475 (T4) g/kg de materia seca respectivamente. Una dieta estandar formulada para atender las necesidades nutritivas de los animales sin yuca ni tallos de caupí fue empleada como dieta control (T5). Los datos obtenidos fueron sometidos a análisis de varianza usando el procedimiento del SAS modelo lineal general. Los resultados obtenidos indicaron que la mayor cantidad de proteína bruta dietética fue obtenida en el tratamiento 5 (206 g/kg) seguido por el tratamiento 4 (200 g/kg). El tratamiento 1 presentó mayor contenido de fibra neutrodetergente (660 g/kg) y cianuros (30 mg/kg). En el momento de la administración los valores de NH3-N significativamente se ordenaron (L, Q, C: