Meaning-making from wordless (or nearly wordless) picturebooks: what educational research expects and what readers have to say

Wordless (or nearly wordless) picturebooks are intriguing in terms of how readers make meaning from them. This article offers a conceptualization of existing studies in the field of education that use wordless picturebooks with young readers. While some of these studies contribute to understanding meaning-making, the pragmatic use of wordless picturebooks often does not take account of their particular nature and of the heightened role of the reader, leading to a mismatch between what the picturebook expects from the implied reader and the researchers’ expectations of what ‘real’ readers must do with these books. By highlighting observations from children’s literature scholarship and reader-response studies, this article aims to encourage a more interdisciplinary understanding of meaning-making. It also seeks to persuade educational researchers and mediators to consider investigative approaches that are not based on verbalization but are more in tune with the invitations that wordless picturebooks extend to young readers

Comparative agronomic effectiveness of two agrowastes and NPK fertilizer on the performance of Amaranthus caudatus

Production of agricultural wastes is increasing while soils are progressively losing organic matter due to intensive cultivation and climatic conditions. This makes the recycling of organic wastes a useful alternative to incineration, landfill or rubbish dumps. The effects of two agro- wastes and mineral fertilizer on growth and yield of leaf amaranth were assessed in a pot experiment at the Teaching and Research Farm, Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti. Treatments consisted of poultry manure (PM) and palm oil mill effluent (POME) each applied at 8 and 16MT/ha while NPK 15-15-15 was applied at 150, 200kgha-1 and no fertilizer as control. Seeds of amaranthus caudatus variety were sown in plastic pot (50x20x40cm) containing 20kg top soil. Treatments were arranged in a randomized complete block design replicated three times. Data were taken on plant height, stem girth, number of leaves plant-1, leaf area, root length, fresh weight, dry weight, edible yield and above ground plant weight at 6 weeks after planting. The results revealed that the agrowastes significantly (p<0.05) resulted in better performance of leaf amaranth. Application of 16MT/ha PM gave the highest fresh and edible weight of 211.23 and 98.80g respectively. POME also performed better than NPK fertilizer in some of the parameters measured. This indicated that PM and POME could serves as an alternative sources of nutrient to mineral fertilizer for leaf amaranth and also a sustainable fertility management strategy for crop production. Keywords: amaranth, palm oil mill effluent, organic fertilizer, NPK fertilizer, utilizatio

Antibacterial properties of rain tree (Albizia saman) and Mexican sunflower (Tothonia diversifolia) used as fodder in ruminant nutrition

Acetone and ethanol extracts of Albizia saman (ASL) and Tithonia diversifolia (TDL) leaves used as fodder for ruminant were evaluated for their antibacterial properties against selected pathogenic bacteria. Phytochemical screening was determined according to standard procedures, while antibacterial activity was by agar well diffusion and broth micro dilution methods. The levels of tannin (0.29 and 0.34 mg/100g); saponin (0.75 and 0.59 mg/100g); oxalates (0.17 and 0.14mg/100g); and phytate (0.11 and 0.12 mg/100g) in the fodder plants were below critical levels that may affect digestibility in ruminants. Acetone and ethanol extracts from ASL and TDL showed maximum zones of inhibition against Staphylococcus aureus (19.00 and 14.50mm; 23.00 and 21.50mm) and Pseudomonas aeruginosa (15.50 and 12.00mm; 18.50 and 17.00mm), respectively compared to Gentamycin (9.97mm). Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of acetone and ethanol extracts fromASL ranged from 0.10 to 0.28 mg/mL and 0.13 to 0.22 mg/mL, while TDL extracts ranged from 0.20 to 0.32 mg/mL and 0.20 to 0.31 mg/mL, respectively for all the tested organisms. Minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) values of ethanol extracts from both plant ranged from 0.5-0.80 mg/mL and 0.7-0.90 mg/mL compared to MBC values (0.02-0.04 mg/mL) of the reference antibiotic (gentamycin) for all the tested bacteria species. In conclusion, antibacterial properties exhibited by the plant extract implied that the bioactive compounds are potential antibacterial agents against pathogenic bacteria of ruminant or foodborne pathogens in vitro

Morphological evaluation of the superior colliculus of young Wistar rats following prenatal exposure to Carica papaya leaf extract

Aim: This study was carried out to determine the effects of prenatal administration of Carica papaya on the superior colliculi (SC) of Wistar rats.Materials and Methods: Twenty adult female Wistar rats were mated and randomly assigned to 4 groups, each comprising of 5 rats. The aqueous leaf extract of C. papaya was prepared at a concentration of 100 mg/kg, and administered to rats on days 9 and 10 of gestation (Group A); days 16 and 17 (Group B); and on days 9, 10, 16 and 17 (Group C); while Group D represented the control, and received distilled water throughout gestation. The grouping was designed to represent 2nd gestational week (Group A), 3rd gestational week (Group B), and a combination of 2nd and 3rd gestational week (Group C). After the pregnant rats had littered, the pups were sacrificed on postnatal days 1, 14 and 35. The SCs was identified in the brain specimen and fixed in 10% formol calcium, and the tissue was processed for histological studies using hematoxylin and eosin stains.Results: The leaf extract of C. papaya was associated with low birth weight, changes in growth rate and morphological changes in the histology of SCs, especially in animals exposed during the 3rd week of gestation.Conclusion: The use of C. papaya leaf extract during pregnancy is detrimental to fetal development and can affect the morphology and function of the SCs, with possible neurologic deficits after birth.Keywords: Carica papaya, histology, prenatal, superior colliculu

Prevalence and predictors of exclusive breastfeeding among mothers in a semi-urban Nigerian community: A cross-sectional study

Background: The uptake of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) is low globally including Nigeria despite its benefits and interventions. This study aimed to assess the prevalence and predictors of EBF among mothers in a semiurban Nigerian community. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study among nursing mothers attending the immunization clinic at the Federal Medical Centre, Owo, Ondo State. A semi-structured questionnaire containing the World Health Organization’s indicators for assessing breastfeeding practices was used for data collection. Results: A total of 386 mothers were recruited with a mean age of 30.8 ± 5.0 years. Among them, 149 (36.8%) were below 30 years, 345 (89.4%) have had ANC visit at least four times, and 259 (67.1%) had initiated breastfeeding immediately after delivery. The prevalence of EBF was 52.6%. Natural feeds were the common feeds introduced after 6 months among 159 (78.3%) mothers. One hundred and forty-four  (62.1%) nursing mothers aged 30 years or older practiced EBF compared to 72 (48.3%) persons below 30  years (X2 = 6.290, p = 0.012). Also, 38 (70.3%) mothers who have delivered four or more children practiced  EBF compared to 180 (54.2%) with fewer children (X2 = 5.437, p = 0.020). Nursing mothers aged  30 years or older had 36% higher odds of practicing EBF compared to younger persons (Adjusted  Odds Ratio = 1.358, 95%CI = 0.886 – 2.081, p = 0.160). Conclusion: To achieve the WHO recommended target of ensuring that 90% of nursing mothers practice EBF, advocacy and health education must be intensified