A statistical investigation of fish prices in Nigeria

The main objective of this study is to describe and characterize the behaviour of fish prices in Nigeria. Drawing upon aspects of the data from a nationwide fish survey in 1980/81 and on various secondary data, the study analyses the pattern of fish price movement and makes projections of fish prices in Nigeria till 2002 A.D. It is concluded that unless efforts are directed at stemming inflation in fish prices, prices paid by fish consumers in Nigeria will be more than doubled within the next two decade

A quantitative analysis of demand for fish in Nigeria

The paper discusses the relevant theoretical considerations and specifies a model in an attempt to quantify those variables, the changes of which affect the internal demand for fish in Nigeria. Regression analyses carried out show that a generally rising trend in per capita income will increase the demand for fish, other things being equal. It is further revealed that even as the price of fish goes on increasing, consumers' demand for fish also tend to rise. The paper concludes by emphasizing the need for a fish consumption survey in the country's fish deman

Changing Midwifery: Working Conditions and the Quality of Care

Maternity units have been expected to achieve, within constrained resources, significant improvements in the quality and continuity of care as required by government policy. While significant advances have been made, these have been achieved by drawing upon the professionalism and vocational commitment of midwives, and at the expense of their working conditions and sense of wellbeing. While this approach has, in the short term, served the purpose of increasing midwifery output within existing resource constraints, the quality of care has suffered. The increasing problems of recruitment, retention, and falling morale within the profession suggest that it is not sustainable. In the longer term, if the improvements in care achieved thus far are to be sustained, there is a need to reform midwives' working conditions and working environment. This is not to imply that the answer to the ongoing dilemmas facing the maternity services lies solely in improvements in the pay levels or pay structure for midwives. The solution is also dependent on the extent to which midwives are afforded the enhanced status and autonomy recognised as necessary for the improvement of maternity services. Furthermore, strong representation of midwives, alongside improvements in management structures and systems of communication in NHS trusts, are necessary if midwives are to be enabled to participate in decision-making and thereby effectively contribute to improvements in the quality of care.

EVOLVING STRATEGIES TO OVERCOME NEW CHALLENGES IN UNIVERSITY ADMINISTRATION

4th annual Registry Lectur

Design, construction and evaluation of a meteorological mobile mast

A 30 metre meteorological mobile mast has been designed and constructed for upper air profile measurements. The parameters to be measured are wind speed, wind direction, temperature and relative humidity. The sensors for each parameter to be measured are constructed with locally available materials. The mechanical mast is designed in such a way that it can be collapsed like the electronic - controlled car radio antenna. It is made up of steel pipes of different diameters driven manually or by an electric motor via a pulley system. The sensors were calibrated with standard instruments and attached to different height of the mast for sample data acquisition. Data obtained from the sensors are stored in a data logger at the base of the mast. The data obtained were analyzed and there are appreciable correlations between the standard and the constructed instruments.Keywords: Instrumented, Meteorological, Mast, Profile, Measurement

The effects of histone acetylation on the maize allele PL1-blotched

The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file.Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on September 29, 2008)Includes bibliographical references.Thesis (M.A.) University of Missouri-Columbia 2007.Dissertations, Academic -- University of Missouri--Columbia -- Biological sciences.Covalent modifications of DNA and nucleosomal histone proteins associated with eukaryotic chromatin have the potential to alter expression of a gene without change in its DNA sequence. One gene regulated through this so-called epigenetic process is the Pl1- Blotched gene of maize. Pl1-Blotched is a allele of the purple1 (pl1) gene, which encodes a transcription factor that activates synthesis of purple anthocyanin pigments. Pl1-Blotched is unusual in that it leads to variegated, rather than uniform, pigmentation. At the molecular level, this phenotype is associated with low expression of pl1 mRNA, a novel pattern of DNA methylation and condensed chromatin structure. To ask if acetylation of nucleosomal histone proteins might be involved in regulating the chromatin organization of Pl1-Blotched, this allele was crossed into 40 lines containing transgenes that target reduction of various histone acetyltransferase and histone deacetylase genes. Some of the lines led to altered Pl1-Blotched pigmentation. Detailed analysis of molecular changes underlying the altered pigmentation resulted in models that implicate both histone acetyltransferase and histone deacetylase genes in controlling expression of Pl1-Blotched. These findings lay the foundation for future studies aimed at further understanding the interplay between histone modification and regulation of gene expression