HISTOLOGICAL AND HISTOCHEMICAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE REPRODUCTIVE ORGANS OF Archachatina marginata ovum (GASTROPODA: ACHATINIDAE) AT DIFFERENT REPRODUCTIVE STATES

The histological and histochemical variation in association with morphological variation in the repro-ductive system of Archachatina marginata ovum was the target of this investigation. Forty- five snails were dissected and categorized into 5 different reproductive stages (low mating, high mating, high egg, gravid and post reproductive). The reproductive tracts which include: hermaphroditic duct, albu-men gland, spermoviduct and spermatheca and the ovotestis were processed for histological and histochemical staining. There were some variations in the architecture of the reproductive organs be-tween the active (high mating, high egg and gravid) and non active stages (low mating and post repro-ductive) states. The active states were generally associated with colloidal or granular secretions. Gly-cogen and alkaline phosphatase activities were associated together throughout the epithelium of the reproductive system of A. marginata ovum and they were more strongly indicated in tissues that are intimately connected to the growth and development of gametes. It was concluded that morphological variation in the secreting glands of the reproductive system of A. marginata ovum is closely associated with changes in the functional secretory activities of the glands

MORPHOMETRIC STUDY OF THE REPRODUCTIVE SYSTEM OF GIANT AFRICAN LAND SNAIL Archachatina marginata ovum (Pfeiffer) (Pulmonata: Achatinidae) FOUND IN ILE-IFE, SOUTHWESTERN NIGERIA.

The morphometry of the reproductive organs of the giant African land snail, Archachatina marginata ovum from wild collection at Ile-Ife, southwest Nigeria, was assessed during March - May (early rainy season) and August – October (late rainy season) of 2010. A total 134 snails were dissected and clas-sified into one of five different reproductive states (low mating readiness; high mating readiness; egg production; gravid and post reproductive). The five states were observed in snails collected during the early rainy season, whereas the gravid state was not observed in the collections during late rainy sea-son. Albumen gland was considerably enlarged at egg production state forming about 60 % of the total weight of the reproductive system, while vas deferens was significantly longer in snails at high mating readiness state. The sizes of the reproductive organs were not substantially related to the size of the snail as the coefficient of determination (r2) of the relationship were in most cases below 0.5. The over-all results indicated that variations in the morphology of the reproductive organs of A. marginata ovum are mostly state dependent and less related to the size of the snail and thus could be used reliably to categorise the snails into reproductive states

Far-infrared induced current in a ballistic channel -- potential barrier structure

We consider electron transport in a ballistic multi-mode channel structure in the presence of a transversely polarized far-infrared (FIR) field. The channel structure consists of a long resonance region connected to an adiabatic widening with a potential barrier at the end. At frequencies that match the mode energy separation in the resonance region we find distinct peaks in the photocurrent, caused by Rabi oscillations in the mode population. For an experimental situation in which the width of the channel is tunable via gates, we propose a method for reconstructing the spectrum of propagating modes, without having to use a tunable FIR source. With this method the change in the spectrum as the gate voltage is varied can be monitored.Comment: Submitted to Phys. Rev.

AN ASSESSMENT OF THE STATUS OF SMALL RICE THRESHERS IN NIGERIA

An assessment of existing rice thresher designs and products available within Nigeria and neighbour-         ing countries was carried out. The impetus for the study is the concern that low and poor quality of         local rice in Nigeria may be due, in important measure, to lack of appropriate and affordable small        threshers. On this basis, a reconnaissance work in Five Local Government Areas in Ogun State,    Erin        – Ijesha in Osun State, Igbimo in Ekiti State; Abakaliki in Ebonyi State, Makurdi in Benue State as well        as   Kura  -  Kano   and   Tundun   Wada   areas   of   Kano   State   was   carried   out.   Based   on   the   farmers’        evaluation   and   assessment   of   existing   rice   threshers   available   in   Nigeria,   the   study   recommended        three prototype small threshers that are pedal and petrol engine driven. The pedal operated thresher        was recommended for those with farm hectarage of less than 2. For threshing freshly harvested rice at        very   high   moisture   content,   the  IITA/WARDA   small   plot   spike-tooth   thresher   which   has   a  threshing        capacity of about 100kg/h was found to be appropriate for the small – scale farmers provided some         little modifications in the area of capacity and mobility were carried out while the multi-crop thresher of        the Institute of Agricultural Research and Training (IAR&T) Ibadan with a capacity of about 250kg/h        was recommended for those with farm hectarage of more than 5ha.&nbsp

Classification of Apple Diseases Using Deep Learning

Abstract: In this study, we explore the challenge of identifying and preventing diseases in apple trees, which is a popular activity but can be difficult due to the susceptibility of these trees to various diseases. To address this challenge, we propose the use of Convolutional Neural Networks, which have proven effective in automatically detecting plant diseases. To validate our approach, we use images of apple leaves, including Apple Rot Leaves, Leaf Blotch, Healthy Leaves, and Scab Leaves collected from Kaggle which is part from the Plant Village dataset. We generate a comprehensive training dataset using techniques such as image filtering, compression, and generation. Our model achieves impressive accuracy scores for all classes, with an overall accuracy of 99.93% on a dataset of 10,000 labeled images

Vortex Dynamics in Dissipative Systems

We derive the exact equation of motion for a vortex in two- and three- dimensional non-relativistic systems governed by the Ginzburg-Landau equation with complex coefficients. The velocity is given in terms of local gradients of the magnitude and phase of the complex field and is exact also for arbitrarily small inter-vortex distances. The results for vortices in a superfluid or a superconductor are recovered.Comment: revtex, 5 pages, 1 encapsulated postscript figure (included), uses aps.sty, epsf.te

DESIGN AND FABRICATION OF A LOW-COST CENTRIFUGAL HONEY EXTRACTOR

The traditional and screw press techniques were adopted and utilized extensively by Nigerian honey producers and these have led to the absence of a good quality and timely produced honey devoid of foreign materials and marketable by international standard. Ample information from literature survey showed that the Langstroth hive which is beyond the reach of common Nigerian bee farmer due to its high cost. A 750 W indigenous centrifugal honey extractor was developed using locally sourced materials.. The machine was tested at extraction speed levels of 272, 287, 351, 1445, 1730, 2300 and 2575 rpm. Quantifiable extractions were obtained at all speed levels except at a speed of 2575 rpm where a vicious crushed extract of honey and comb was observed. High speed extraction was not favorable as it resulted in the destruction of the honey comb. Honey extracted at the two lower speeds of 272 and 287 rpm were found to be purer with less foreign materials and of high quality.  This indigenous centrifugal honey extractor is also favorable for extraction of honey from other types of hives apart from the Langstroth hive and is marketable

A Knowledge Based System for Cucumber Diseases Diagnosis

The cucumber is a creeping vine that roots in the ground and grows up trellises or other supporting frames, wrapping around supports with thin, spiraling tendrils. The plant may also root in a soilless medium, whereby it will sprawl along the ground in lieu of a supporting structure. The vine has large leaves that form a canopy over the fruits. Among these common diseases, we single out the diseases that affect the cucumber, which is affected by about 22 diseases, with different symptoms for each disease. Today, technology is facilitating human life in all areas of life, and among these facilities are expert systems that have become an integral part of human life as they contain several systems and areas, for example: Artificial Intelligence (AI), which refers to systems or devices that simulate Human intelligence to perform tasks that can improve itself based on some human information, and other areas, and with reference to expert systems and their importance to humans, an integrated expert system has been created in the agricultural field that diagnoses cucumber diseases using CLIPS Expert System language Delphi language. The system was used to design and implement the proposed expert system. The system facilitates the diagnosis of cucumber-related diseases. There is no doubt that this expert system will help farmers and those involved in the agricultural field to diagnose cucumber-related diseases. Objectives: is to help farmers diagnose pear diseases in the correct way and how to treat these diseases. Method: The system contains a program that diagnoses 22 diseases that affect cucumber. Results: The expert system was evaluated by farmers and praised for helping them with it. Conclusion: The expert system for diagnosing cucumber diseases is effective and usable

A Proposed Expert System for Passion Fruit Diseases

Plant diseases are numerous in the world of agriculture. These diseases cause a lot of trouble to most farmers. Among these common diseases, we single out the diseases that affect the Passion fruit, which is affected by about seven diseases, with different symptoms for each disease. Today, technology is facilitating human life in all areas of life, and among these facilities are expert system, a computer program that uses artificial-intelligence methods to solve problems within a specialized domain that ordinarily requires human expertise. The first expert system was developed in 1965 by Edward Feigen Baum and Joshua Lederberg of Stanford University in California, U.S. Dendral, as their expert system was later known, was designed to analyses chemical compounds. Expert systems now have commercial applications in fields as diverse as medical diagnosis, petroleum engineering, and financial investing and other areas, and with reference to expert systems and their importance to humans, an integrated expert system has been created in the agricultural field that diagnoses Passion diseases using CLIPS Expert System language. The system was used to design and implement the proposed expert system. The system facilitates the diagnosis of Passion -related diseases. There is no doubt that this expert system will help farmers and those involved in the agricultural field to diagnose Passion -related diseases. Objectives: is to help farmers diagnose Passion diseases in the correct way and how to treat these diseases. Method: The system contains a program project that diagnoses 7 diseases that affect Passion and the seven diseases are: Brown spot, Septoria spot, Root and crown rot, Fusarium wilt, Anthracnose, Woodiness virus, Scab. Results: The expert system was evaluated by farmers and praised for helping them with it. Conclusion: The expert system for diagnosing Passion diseases is effective and usable