Skeletal malformations among the Clarias species from fish mongers in Ekiti State

Clarias species purchased from fish mongers from Ado – Ekiti, Ikun Ekiti, Itapaji – Ekiti Nigeria were examined for possible deformities in any part of their body. A total number of 360, 140, and 40 fish samples were from Ado – Ekiti, Ikun – Ekiti, and Itapaji – Ekiti respectively. Deformities of various types were observed only from Ado – Ekiti collection. The deformities observed are malformed mouth, big head, stumpy body, and multiple vertebral deformities. The possible cause (s) of the deformities may be as a result of stress, pollution from human activities or other factors such as poor nutrition, hereditary, diseases, etc. but these causes has not been properly determine

HYBRID INTERREGIONAL INPUT-OUTPUT CONSTRUCTION METHODS: APPLIED TO THE SEVEN REGION SPANISH INPUT-OUTPUT TABLE

This paper searches for an optimal combination of non-survey methods when constructing a Spanish interregional input-output table for the region of Madrid and the five provinces of the region of Castilla-La Mancha (CLM), given thirteen Spanish regional input-output (IO) tables for the period between 1999 and 2005. Hence, we develop different regression analyses to obtain the trade submatrices of the table. These regression analyses are based on statistical data on the road transport of goods, on input-output interpolation and extrapolation techniques to calculate the necessary coefficients. Finally a procedure is devised to tally the summation of the provincial and rest of Spain IO submatrices with the National IO table.

Media and Democracy In Nigeria: A Critique Of Liberal Perspective

Two main theoretical frameworks have been used to explain the relationship between the mass media and the democratic process. The first historically and probably the pervasive and influential is the liberal perspective which draws its main arguments from market theory and pluralist sociology. The other, critical media theory draws a lot from Marxist scholarship and social theory. This article discusses the relevance of the liberal narrative to the functions and structure of the Nigerian mass media. The article attempts to explicate the main principles of this perspective. Drawing from the literature, we discuss the arguments that have been advanced in critique of these principles. It is submitted that recent developments have undermined the credibility of the liberal perspective. Within the Nigerian context, the article posits that as presently constituted, the Nigerian mass media cannot fulfil the mandate of this Western-inspired theory. Though, it remains the over-arching explanation of framework, its inadequacies became more glaring if we consider the socio-historical context of journalism practice in Nigeria. Key words: Liberal perspective, democracy, fourth estate, journalism and instrumentalisatio

Transnational social mobility strategies and quality of work among latin-american women sex workers in Spain

[Abstract] The aim of this article is to analyse the quality of work of two of the main types of female sex work in Spain (clubs and in-call flats). In order to do so I will focus on the following working dimensions: wages, power relations, skills, alienation, health, violence, work life and stigma. Firstly, the article seeks to highlight the structural factors that condition the quality of work of Latin American female sex workers in Spain. These factors are closely connected to policies regarding migration and sex work, which foment irregular work arrangements (undocumented migrants and informal workers). Secondly, I analyse entry formats (indebted or autonomous migration) and how they impact on working conditions. Thirdly, the article considers the migrant women's work choices and the resulting living and working conditions they may encounter. I intend to show that Latin American women sex workers in Spain might opt for a certain type of work within the context of strategic decisions, as linked to their migratory and social mobility projects. These decisions have a family and a transnational scope (country of origin, country of destination). The analysis presented is based on qualitative fieldwork (semi-structured interviews) carried out in Galicia (north-west Spain).Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad; FEM2011-26210Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad; FEM2015-67164Xunta de Galicia; GRC2014/048COST Program Action; IS120

The Treatment of Patriarchy in Buchi Emecheta’s The Joys of Motherhood and Sefi Atta’s Everything Good Will Come

While studies on the patriarchal order and the marginalization of women in male-authored African novels abound, not much has been done to examine together the works of female novelists of different generational and ideological orientations. This study therefore examines the treatment of patriarchy in Buchi Emecheta’s The Joys of Motherhood and Sefi Atta’s Everything Good Will Come. The study is grounded on feminist theory. Feminism is considered appropriate because it is aimed at empowering women in the society, and the novels under review expose how women are oppressed and marginalized in many African societies, and stress the need for the women to challenge the status quo with a view to liberating themselves from the oppressive African men. The research is essentially library-based and involves textual analysis. The study demonstrates how female African novelists have responded to the phallic nature of the African literature by empowering the female characters in their novels, and unabashedly exposing the patriarchal proclivity of the African men. The study shows how the two novelists give a fair representation of the historical backgrounds of their novels. One recurring feature of these novels is that the feminist zeal of the novelists sometimes beclouds their sense of judgement. The male characters in the novels are unfairly represented and bestialised. The import of this is that, given the proliferation of promising African female novelists in our present generation, there is the need for them to pursue their feminist goal vigorously but realistically

Comentario 1. Reinterpretando el nexo entre género, migración y desarrollo a través de la lente de la «circulación del cuidado»

Aquest simposi ofereix una discussió crítica de les lògiques i dinàmiques entorn de la nova perspectiva de la «circulació de la cura» presentades per Loretta Baldassar i Laura Merla en el seu volum titulat Transnational Families, Migration and the Circulation of Care. Aquest comentari reinterpreta alguns dels principals debats entorn del nexe entre el gènere, la migració i el desenvolupament, a través de la lent de la «circulació de la cura».This symposium offers a critical discussion of the logics and dynamics behind the new ‘care circulation’ perspective offered by Loretta Baldassar and Laura Merla in their edited volume entitled “Transnational Families, Migration and the Circulation of Care”. This contribution revisits some of the major debates on the gender, migration and development nexus, through the lens of the ‘circulation of care’.Este simposio ofrece una discusión crítica de las lógicas y dinámicas en torno a la nueva perspectiva de la «circulación del cuidado» presentadas por Loretta Baldassar y Laura Merla en su volumen titulado Transnational Families, Migration and the Circulation of Care. Este comentario reinterpreta algunos de los principales debates en torno al nexo entre el género, la migración y el desarrollo, a través de la lente de la «circulación del cuidado»

E- Classroom of the 21st Century: Information Gaps

The introduction of  technology into the classroom  has revolutionized  teaching and learning process. The 21st century learning environment creates exciting learning for students to collaborate and learn at their own pace making them active participants in learning process. The teacher is nolonger a dictator, pouring knowledge into passive learners like empty vessels ready to be filled but a facilitator of teaching and learning process. Teachers need  to be well informed about the use technology and  the benefits of ICT resources in teaching and learning process. The study investigated E- Classroom  of the 21st Century: Information Gaps. The study employed the quasi experimental research of  the pre-test, post- test control group design. The population for the study consisted of all secondary school students in Ekiti State. The sample consisted of 80 students selected through purposive sampling technique. A 15 item research  instrument titled 21st century E- Classroom Achievement Test (ECAT) was used for the study. The validity of the instrument was ascertained by ICT and test and measurement experts. The reliability was determined using test- retest method. The reliability co-efficient of  0.75 was obtained  using Pearson Product Moment Correlation Analysis. The data collected were analysed using t-test and ANOVA. The hypothesis was  tested at 0.05 level of significance. The study revealed that the students exposed to the ICT package performed  better than those from the controlled group who were exposed to conventional method of  teaching. Based on the findings, it was recommended that teachers should employ varieties of techniques using  technology resources in their teaching repertoire to enhance students academic achievement. Keywords: 21st century, E-classroom, ICT resources, Information Gaps

Migración ecuatoriana y estrategias familiares de movilidad social: la relación dialéctica entre el capital financiero y emocional

This text deals with transnational strategies of social mobility in Ecuadorian migrant households in Spain. We apply the capital accumulation model (Moser, 2009) for this purpose. The main target of this article is, beyond thinking in terms of capital stock and accumulation, the analysis in depth of the dynamics of the different types of capital, that is to say, how they interact with each other in the framework of the social mobility strategies of the migrants and their families. We are bringing into light the way some households adopt investing decisions in capitals that don't translate into any addition or earnings in all cases, on the contrary, concentrating all their efforts on the accumulation of a certain asset they may, in some cases, lead to a loss of another. We will concentrate our analysis primarily on the dynamics between the physical and financial capital and the social and emotional capital, showing the tensions produced between these two types of assets. At the same time, we will highlight how migrants negotiate their family strategies of social mobility in the transnational area. Our study is based in empirical material obtained from qualitative fieldwork (in-depth interviews) with families of migrants in the urban district of Turubamba Bajo -(south of Quito) and in Madrid. A series of households were selected where interviews were carried out in the country of origin as well as in the context of immigration, with different family members, analysing the transnational social and economic strategies of families of migrant members. Family members of migrants established in Spain were interviewed in Quito, as well as key informants in the district (school teachers, nursery members of the staff, etc.). The research was framed within the projects "Impact of migration on the development: gender and transnationalism", Ministry of Science and Innovation (SEJ2007/63179) (Laura Oso, dir. 2007-2010),"Gender, transnationalism and intergenerational strategies of social mobility", Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (FEM2011/26210) (Laura Oso, dir. 201-1-2015) and “Gender, Crossed Mobilities and Transnational Dynamics”, Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (FEM2015-67164).El texto aborda las estrategias transnacionales de movilidad social de los hogares migrantes ecuatorianos en España. Para ello aplicamos el modelo de acumulación de capitales (Moser, 2009). El principal objetivo del artículo es, más allá de pensar en términos de acumulación y de stock de capitales, profundizar en la dinámica de los diferentes capitales en sí, en cómo interactúan entre ellos en el marco de las estrategias de movilidad social de las personas migrantes y sus familias. Sacamos a la luz cómo los hogares adoptan decisiones de inversión en capitales que no suponen siempre una suma o ganancia en todos ellos, sino que centrar las fuerzas en la acumulación de un determinado tipo de capital puede suponer un retroceso en otro. Nos centraremos fundamentalmente en analizar la dinámica entre el capital financiero, físico y el capital social y emocional, sacando a la luz las tensiones que se producen entre estas formas de activos. Y poniendo de manifiesto cómo los hogares negocian las estrategias familiares de movilidad social en el espacio transnacional. Nos basamos en el material empírico obtenido tras la realización de un trabajo de campo cualitativo (entrevistas en profundidad) con familias de migrantes en el barrio urbano de Turubamba Bajo (sur de Quito) y en Madrid. Se seleccionaron una serie de hogares con los cuales se llevaron a cabo entrevistas, tanto en el país de origen como en el contexto de inmigración, con los distintos miembros de la familia, analizando las estrategias económicas y sociales transnacionales de familias de personas migrantes. En Quito se entrevistó, tanto a familiares de migrantes asentados en España, como a informantes clave del barrio (maestras de escuela, personal de la guardería, etc.). La investigación se enmarcó dentro de los proyectos “El impacto de la migración en el desarrollo: género y transnacionalismo”, Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación (SEJ2007/63179) (Oso dir. 2007-2010) y “Género, transnacionalismo y estrategias intergeneracionales de movilidad social Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (FEM2011/26210) (Oso dir., 2011-2015). Así como en el proyecto de reciente aprobación “Genero, movilidades cruzadas y dinámicas transnacionales”, Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (FEM2015-67164

Isolation and characterization of synthetic detergentdegraders from wastewater

The biodegradability of the principal component of synthetic detergent products known as linear alkylbenzene sulphonate (LAS) has been contentious, hence the need to evaluate its primary biodegradation by indigenous microorganisms in wastewater ecosystem. The native microbial consortium of a wastewater ecosystem found to utilize detergent components were characterized using standard and conventional methods. The organisms identified were Enterococcus majodoratus, Klebsiella liquefasciens, Enterobacter liquefasciens, Klebsiella aerogenes, Escherichia coli, Enterobacter agglomerans, Staphylococcus albus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus sp., Klebsiella oxytoca, Brevibacterium sp., Myceliophthora thermophila, Geomyces sp., Alternaria alternata, Verticillium alboatrum, Aspergillus flavus, Trichoderma sp. and Aspergillus oryzae. Alkaline pH andmesophilic temperature range (33.9 – 34.3oC) was found to be supportive of the metabolic activities of the detergent-degraders in the tropical wastewater ecosystem. The bacterial detergent-degraders weremore of gram-negative than gram-positive. Fungal detergent-degrader activities were abruptly terminated as the pH shifted to the alkaline range probably due to production of alkaline intermediates.The biodegradation of the synthetic detergent components that occurs in wastewaters, sewage treatment plants and in the ultimate open-water receiving ecosystems is primarily the result of microbial activities

Influence of composting techniques on microbial succession, temperature and pH in a composting municipal solid waste

Composting of urban wastes was carried out using both passive aeration technique (PACT) and conventional pit method. Feacal coliforms, Pseudomonas, Streptococcus, Proteus , Seratia and Bacillus species as well as fungi were isolated at mesophilic stage of degradation. A number of these microorganisms did not grow at the thermophilic stage but grew at cooling down stage. The trends in microbial succession in the composting wastes in pot and pit were somewhat similar. There was, however, repeated re-heat after turning the wastes in the pit until about 5 months later. Each time the waste was turned in the pit, there was an increase in temperature until the 21st week. Temperature however, stabilized at the 7th week in the pot. pH also stabilized as the composting process progressed in the pit. Good quality compost was obtained in 5 weeks when PACT was used. Conventional pit method lasted over several weeks. Key Words: Municipal wastes; passive aeration; pit composting; temperature; microbial succession. African Journal of Biotechnology Vol. 3 (4), 2004: 239-24