Food Habits and Diet Relationship in the Redbelly Tilapia (Tilapia zillii) and Guenther’s Mouthbrooder (Chromidotilapia guntheri) from an Abandoned Gold Mine Reservoir, Southwestern Nigeria

The food and feeding habits of the redbelly Tilapia (Tilapia zillii) and Guenther’s mouthbrooder (Chromidotilapia guntheri) was investigated in an abandoned gold mine reservoir at Igun from June 2013 to May 2014. Using a cast net and gill-net fishing gears, 370 fish individuals were caught and their stomach contents were analysed by using the frequency of occurrence and numerical methods. Tilapia zillii comprised 53.78% (199 individuals) while Chromidotilapia guntheri covered up the remaining percentage (46.22%) which is made up of 171 individuals. Food items in the stomachs of T. zillii individuals predominantly consisted of detritus, mud, and algae (77.97%) while those in C. guntheri individuals mostly consisted fish remains, detritus and algae (81.67%). T. zillii exploited more food items (23 of 27) as compared to C. guntheri (17 of 27). The Schoener’s index value for the species was 0.65. This study showed that T. zillii and C. guntheri exhibited benthopelagic exploitation and are mainly herbivorous and omnivorous respectively based on the food items observed in the stomach contents of these species. The fish species fed on related food items as confirmed by Schoener’s overlap index (0.65), suggesting that there was overlap in the dietary requirements of the two species. This index value, however, was probably not an indication of competition for food between these two species because they exploited abundant food sources

Eocene to Oligocene vegetation and climate in the Tasmanian Gateway region were controlled by changes in ocean currents and pCO2

Considered one of the most significant climate reorganizations of the Cenozoic period, the Eocene–Oligocene Transition (EOT; ca. 34.44–33.65) is characterized by global cooling and the first major glacial advance on Antarctica. In the southern high latitudes, the EOT cooling is primarily recorded in the marine realm, and its extent and effect on the terrestrial climate and vegetation are poorly documented. Here, we present new, well-dated, continuous, high-resolution palynological (sporomorph) data and quantitative sporomorph-based climate estimates recovered from the East Tasman Plateau (ODP Site 1172) to reconstruct climate and vegetation dynamics from the late Eocene (37.97 Ma) to the early Oligocene (33.06 Ma). Our results indicate three major climate transitions and four vegetation communities occupying Tasmania under different precipitation and temperature regimes: (i) a warm-temperate Nothofagus–Podocarpaceae-dominated rainforest with paratropical elements from 37.97 to 37.52 Ma; (ii) a cool-temperate Nothofagus-dominated rainforest with secondary Podocarpaceae rapidly expanding and taking over regions previously occupied by the warmer taxa between 37.306 and 35.60 Ma; (iii) fluctuation between warm-temperate–paratropical taxa and cool temperate forest from 35.50 to 34.49 Ma, followed by a cool phase across the EOT (34.30–33.82 Ma); and (iv) a post-EOT (earliest Oligocene) recovery characterized by a warm-temperate forest association from 33.55 to 33.06 Ma. Coincident with changes in the stratification of water masses and sequestration of carbon from surface water in the Southern Ocean, our sporomorph-based temperature estimates between 37.52 and 35.60 Ma (phase ii) showed 2–3 ∘C terrestrial cooling. The unusual fluctuation between warm and cold temperate forest between 35.50 to 34.59 Ma is suggested to be linked to the initial deepening of the Tasmanian Gateway, allowing eastern Tasmania to come under the influence of warm water associated with the proto-Leeuwin Current (PLC). Further to the above, our terrestrial data show the mean annual temperature declining by about 2 ∘C across the EOT before recovering in the earliest Oligocene. This phenomenon is synchronous with regional and global cooling during the EOT and linked to declining pCO2. However, the earliest Oligocene climate rebound along eastern Tasmania is linked to a transient recovery of atmospheric pCO2 and sustained deepening of the Tasmanian Gateway, promoting PLC throughflow. The three main climate transitional events across the studied interval (late Eocene–earliest Oligocene) in the Tasmanian Gateway region suggest that changes in ocean circulation due to accelerated deepening of the Tasmanian Gateway may not have been solely responsible for the changes in terrestrial climate and vegetation dynamics; a series of regional and global events, including a change in the stratification of water masses, sequestration of carbon from surface waters, and changes in pCO2, may have also played vital roles

To Save a Girl-Child, You Must Train a Boy-Child: A Note on Situational Irony

Despite numerous initiatives and resources to save and protect the health and sexual rights of girls and women, the persistently high rate of unwanted pregnancy, abortion, and sexual violence in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has remain a topical public health challenge. This study hypothesised that the continuous conspicuous omission of boys/men in the interventions to combat this menace could be a long-life impediment to the realisation of sustainable health for girls and women in the region. The study adopted a systematic review of extant population-based published studies from Scopus, Google Scholars, PubMed, EMBASE, and AJOL. Literature coverage included the post-United Nations’ coordinated International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), Cairo, 1994, which marked the beginning of a massive campaign for women/girls sexual rights. The obtained qualitative data were appraised and synthesised towards spurring policy recommendations for gender balanced initiatives on the sexual and reproductive health rights in SSA. The study highlighted that unwanted pregnancy occurs only when a boy/man has unprotected sex with a girl/woman without considering her choice or rights. It is considered ironic that the dominant factors are boys and men but many enlightenment initiatives/campaigns are concentrated on girls and women. The study developed a schematic save-a-girl-child framework that illustrated the possible dividends inherent in the training of a boy-child to achieve a safer world for the girls/women. It recommends increase in the exposure of boys and men to sexual education and counselling, which can motivate them to be supporters of family planning, supporters of only wanted pregnancy, wanted fatherhood, marital fidelity, intimate partners’ harmonious living rather than violence, and wife or partner empowerment

Eocene to Oligocene vegetation and climate in the Tasmanian Gateway region controlled by changes in ocean currents and pCO2

Considered as one of the most significant climate reorganisations of the Cenozoic period, the Eocene-Oligocene Transition (EOT; ca. 34.44–33.65) is characterised by global cooling and the first major glacial advance on Antarctica. While in the southern high-latitudes, the EOT cooling is primarily recorded in the marine realm, the extent and effect on terrestrial climate and vegetation is poorly documented. Here, we present a new, well-dated, continuous, high-resolution palynological (sporomorph) data and quantitative sporomorph-based climate estimates recovered from the East Tasman Plateau (ODP Site 1172) to reconstruct climate and vegetation dynamics from the late Eocene (37.97 Ma) to early Oligocene (33.06 Ma). Our results indicate three major climate transitions and four vegetation communities occupying Tasmania under different precipitation and temperature regimes: (i) a warm-temperate Nothofagus-Podocarpaceae dominated rainforest with paratropical elements from 37.97–37.52 Ma; (ii) cool-temperate Nothofagus dominated rainforest with secondary Podocarpaceae rapidly expanding and taking over regions previously occupied by the warmer taxa between 37.306–35.60 Ma; (iii) fluctuation between warm temperate – paratropical taxa and cool temperate forest from 35.50–34.49 Ma, followed by a cool phase across the EOT (34.30–33.82 Ma); (iv) post-EOT (earliest Oligocene) recovery characterised by a warm-temperate forest association from 33.55–33.06 Ma. Coincident with changes in stratification of water masses and sequestration of carbon from surface water in the Southern Ocean, our sporomorph-based temperature estimates between 37.52 Ma and 35.60 Ma (phase ii) showed 2–3 °C terrestrial cooling. The unusual fluctuation between warm and cold temperate forest between 35.50 to 34.59 Ma is suggested to be linked to the initial deepening of the Tasmanian Gateway allowing eastern Tasmania to come under the influence of warm water associated with the proto-Leeuwin Current (PLC). Further to the above, our terrestrial data show mean annual temperature declining by about 2 °C across the EOT before recovering in the earliest Oligocene. This phenomenon is synchronous with regional and global cooling during the EOT and linked to declining pCO2. However, the earliest Oligocene climate rebound along eastern Tasmania is linked to transient recovery of atmospheric pCO2 and sustained deepening of the Tasmanian Gateway, promoting PLC throughflow. The three main climate transitional events across the studied interval (late Eocene–earliest Oligocene) in the Tasmanian Gateway region suggest that changes in ocean circulation due to accelerated deepening of the Tasmanian Gateway may not have been solely responsible for the changes in terrestrial climate and vegetation dynamics, but a series of regional and global events, including a change in stratification of water masses, sequestration of carbon from surface waters, and changes in pCO2 may have played vital roles

Late Eocene to late Oligocene terrestrial climate and vegetation change in the western Tasmanian region

While many palaeoclimate studies have focussed on the Eocene-Oligocene transition (EOT), little is known about the timing and drivers of the post-EOT climate recovery. To better understand and reconstruct terrestrial climate and vegetation dynamics from the late Eocene to late Oligocene (35.5–27.46 Ma), we use a new, high-resolution palynological record and quantitative sporomorph-based climate estimates recovered from ODP Site 1168 on the western Tasmanian margin. Late Eocene (35.50–34.81 Ma) floras reveal Nothofagus-dominated temperate forests with secondary Gymnostoma and minor thermophilic plant elements growing under wet conditions, with mean annual temperatures (MATs) of ∼13 °C. This is followed by a small decrease in terrestrial temperatures across the EOT by ∼2 °C. Apart from a slight decline in abundance of Gymnostoma, increases in the Fuscospora and Lophozonia-type Nothofagus, and the disappearance of palms (Arecaceae), vegetation remained relatively stable across the EOT. However, a prolonged interval of warm-temperate conditions after 33.0 Ma, independent of fluctuations in the current pCO2 record, imply additional regional controls on local climate. Changes in surface oceanographic currents, due to sustained deepening of the Tasmanian Gateway, may have played a significant role in sustaining warm-temperate vegetation in southern Australia post-EOT. The early Oligocene (PZ 3; 30.5–27.46 Ma) vegetation record still maintains the Nothofagus-dominated forest with a recovery in Gymnostoma. Gymnosperms (especially Araucariaceae, Dacrydium, and Podocarpus) and cryptogams expanded alongside an increase in overall species diversity. Sporomorph-based MATs averaged ∼11 °C in this interval. The expansion of cool-temperate forest (sustained cool-temperate climate conditions in our terrestrial records) matches the general declining pCO2 concentrations in the early Oligocene. The synchroneity between terrestrial and marine temperatures (MATs and SSTs gradually decline) and atmospheric pCO2 highlight the importance of pCO2 in driving terrestrial climate and vegetation change in the Tasmanian region during the early Oligocene

Understanding employees’ energy saving in the workplace : DR and the Philippines’ realities

Understanding how employees act at work to save energy and the meaning for sustainability and environmental protection is essential. This research aimed to analyze the influences of Subjective Norms (SN), Descriptive Norms (DN), and Environmental Knowledge (EK) on employees’ intention to save energy (ISE) in the Philippines (PH) and the Dominican Republic (DR). The effects of SN, DN, and EK on ISE were evaluated by comparing two developing countries and the mediation effect of EK on the relationship between DN, SN, and ISE. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), followed by structural equation modeling and path analysis based on samples collected from employees from DR (340) and PH (339), was performed. Also, construct convergent and discriminant validity were assessed using composite reliability, maximal reliability, average variance extracted, and maximum shared variance. The findings of this study indicate that SN influences ISE positively among employees in PH (β = 0.15, p < 0.05) but not among employees in DR. Descriptive Norms positively influence ISE among employees in PH (β = 0.47, p < 0.01) and DR (β = 0.27, p < 0.01), while EK has a positive and significant influence on the ISE among employees in PH (β = 0.22, p < 0.01) and not in DR. There is a partial mediation effect between SN and EK on ISE when EK is the mediator in PH, and no mediation effects for RD. The intention to save energy is significant in economic terms because reducing energy consumption can help decrease energy costs and improve business profitability and competitiveness; in social terms, it can reduce energy consumption worldwide and improve social health, reducing gas emissions and pollution

Discrimination in Welfare Distribution between Academic and Non- Academic Staff of selected Nigerian Universities: A Qualitative Perspective

Background: The study considered the unequal access to healthcare, housing and decent office space among academic and non-academic staff of Nigeria four universities (public and private) and how these have impacted on staff’s work output. Objective: It examined the intra-and-inter universities divergences in staff welfare provisions using three basic indices of welfare, namely: healthcare, housing accommodation and decent office provisions. Methods: The study used semi-structured in-depth interviews among 12 academics (6 seniors, 6 juniors) and 14 non-academics (8 senior and 6 junior) in two public and two private universities selected out of the list of universities within the Lagos and Ogun States. The qualitative data obtained were analysed following systematic-content analysis pattern and presented in adherence to RATS guidelines. The result shows that the abdication of welfare-provision responsibility in the public universities with unhealthy consequences paved way for private ownership and has not been totally benign. The finding revealed that there is high priority for academics in the allocation of welfare facilities especially housing accommodation and offices compared to non-academics in both private and public universities. It shows that the cost of medical bills in private universities are high, unaffordable to workers and are not overwhelmingly. Recommendation: The authors suggest that the implications for discrimination in welfare distribution between academic and non-academic could breed unhealthy working rivalry, and eventual substandard research activities with negative consequences on the quality of the graduates

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century

Southern high-latitude vegetation and climate change across the Eocene and Oligocene and the role of the widening Tasmanian Gateway

The shift from a greenhouse to an icehouse climate from the Eocene to the Oligocene is extensively documented by sea surface temperature records from the southwest Pacific and the Antarctic margin, which reveal evidence of significant long-term cooling. However, the identification of a driving mechanism (tectonic deepening of Southern Ocean gateways and/or declining pCO2 concentration) is contingent upon a greater comprehension of whether this cooling was also present in terrestrial environments. This study provides new records of Eocene to Oligocene vegetation and climate dynamics in the wider Australo-Antarctic region (southeastern Australia/Tasmania and New Zealand) in the context of the widening Tasmanian Gateway based on analyses of sporomorphs from ODP Site 1172, Site 1168, and TNW-1. Results from Tasmania showed a temperate Nothofagus-dominated rainforest with secondary Podocarpaceae (eastern Tasmania; ET) or Gymnostoma (western Tasmania; WT) during the late Eocene to Oligocene. Sporomorph-based climate estimates also showed a 2-3 °C terrestrial cooling (in ET) ~3 Myr prior to the EOT, coinciding with the regional Southern Ocean cooling known as the Priabonian Oxygen Maximum (PrOM); fluctuation between cool-and warm-temperate climate phases (ET & WT) coinciding with the initial deepening of the Tasmanian Gateway at ~35.5 Ma; ~2 °C cooling across the EOT, and a remarkable climate rebound in the early Oligocene coinciding with the global decline in pCO2 in the late Eocene and its recovery in the earliest Oligocene (ET and WT). However, the extended early Oligocene climate recovery seem to have resulted in a mismatch between pCO2 and sporomorph-based MATs in western Tasmania. Palynomorph-based biostratigraphic analyses of the TNW-1 drillcore in the Canterbury Basin, Southland, New Zealand, report a Porangan (middle Eocene) to Whaingaroan (late Oligocene) age, and assign a Whaingaroan age (early Oligocene) to the Marshall Paraconformity. The warm-temperate Casuarinaceae-dominated vegetation association of the Porangan is replaced by Nothofagus-dominated rainforest with secondary Casuarinaceae by the Bortonian, and into the Whaingaroan. Also, the Kaiatan (latest Eocene) palynoflora bears striking similarity with the Priabonian (PZ 2; ODP Site 1172) palynoflora record. However, further palynoflora comparison is severely constrained by the non-deposition/erosion of the Runangan of TNW-1 which coincides with the initial deepening of the Tasmanian Gateway. This study shows a strong link between the marine and terrestrial realm across the wider Australo-Antarctic region, a partly decoupling of vegetation and climate for each site used, providing evidence for varying importance of both tectonic (Tasmanian gateway deepening and widening) and pCO2 forcings