Agricultural Co-Operatives and Training of Male and Female Farmers on Improved Rice (Oryza sativa) Production Techniques in Ini Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

This study assessed the extent to which agricultural cooperatives carryout the training of male and female farmers on improved rice (Oryza sativa) production techniques in Ini Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom state, Nigeria using research questions for 2,500 (male and female) rice farmer cooperative members in the study Area. Data analysis for 1600 completed questionnaire collected revealed that male and female farmers were not efficiently trained by agricultural cooperatives on improved rice production techniques. Moreso, there were no significant difference on the extent of carrying out the training of male and female farmers by agricultural cooperatives on improved rice production techniques in Ini Local Government Area. It is recommended among others that Agricultural cooperatives should organize periodic training sessions for rice farmers through the use of facilities and demonstration in the farm. The Government, through The Ministry of Agriculture should encourage and support agricultural cooperatives by providing materials and adequate funding to enable them perform their primary assignment creditably

Improving Crude Oil Contaminated Soil with Organic Amendments: Effect of Oil Palm Bunch Ash and Dried Poultry Litters on Soil Properties and Cassava Growth and Yields

In this study, onsite field experiments were carried out to evaluate the effects of amending a crude oil polluted soil with oil palm fruit bunch ash (OPFBA), dried poultry litters (DPL), soil bacterial, physico-chemical properties, as well as the growth and tuber yield of cassava (Manihot esculenta CRANTZ) grown on the amended soils using standard techniques. Results of autotrophic bacteria counts revealed that nitrogen fixing bacteria (NFB) populations in soils treated with OPBA+DPL combined, OPBA and DPL singly, recorded high bioloads in the magnitude of 105 , 103 , 105 CFU/g of soil respectively, whereas the group mean population was lower in the control soil (103 CFU/g). Similar trends were observed for SRB, PSB, and THB. Results of aggregate growth showed that while the mean plant heights and number of nodes increased, stem girth and leaf area were observed to decrease in 2017 when compared with those of 2016. Apart from number of tubers and weights that showed increase under all amendment treatments, tuber girth and length decreased under DPL amendments in 2017. The average findings of several chemical and physical characteristics of crude oil polluted soil after amendments and subsequent cultivation demonstrated that the addition of DPL and OPBA fructifies the soil by increasing reduced or lost qualities. When the amendments were used, the concentrations of organic carbon, accessible phosphorus, Ca, Mg, Na, and K were greatly enhanced, while the Total Petroleum Hydrocarbon (TPH) content was significantly reduced. In this study, the application of combination DPL + OPBA yields the greatest results in terms of ameliorating the impacts of crude oil in cultivable soils, as it increases fertility parameters for better cassava production in Niger Delta soils. The technology has been shown to be cost effective, efficient, and environmentally friendly, as well as capable of resolving waste management issues

Effect of Intercropping Leguminous Tree Species on Soil Nutrient Status, Growth and Yield of Arable Crops in Ukan Edemaya, Ikot Abasi Local Government Area, Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria

Intercropping improves the usage rate of a land while also maintaining soil fertility. This study is to examine the preliminary intercropping effect of leguminous trees species (Leucaena leucocephala (Lam), Gliricidia sepium (Jacq), and Senna siamae (Lam) on soil nutrient status, growth and yield of arable crops (Zea mays L) in two cropping seasons (2017 and 2018) using a field trial at Ukan Edemaya, Ikot Abasi Local Government Area of Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. Treatments were randomized within the blocks and reproduced four (4) times on a 0.04 hectare plot of land that was cleared, demarcated into four blocks, and manually tilled. The study was a two-factor factorial using a Randomized Complete Block Design layout (RCBC). The data was analyzed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), and treatment means were separated using Least Significant Difference (LSD < 0.05). The findings revealed that all arable crop growth and production were not significant in weeks 1-6 (WAP), but significant from weeks 7 to 14 (WAP). Arable crops planted in leucaena alleys outperformed those planted in Gliricidia and senna alleys and outperformed those planted in plots without leguminous plants. Leguminous tree species were shown to boost the growth and yield of arable crops, as well as rehabilitate a damaged fertility soil quality, according to the study. Farmers are urged to intercrop their arable crops with leguminous tree species in order to increase yield and provide fuel wood

Asymmetric interlimb transfer of concurrent adaptation to opposing dynamic forces

Interlimb transfer of a novel dynamic force has been well documented. It has also been shown that unimanual adaptation to opposing novel environments is possible if they are associated with different workspaces. The main aim of this study was to test if adaptation to opposing velocity dependent viscous forces with one arm could improve the initial performance of the other arm. The study also examined whether this interlimb transfer occurred across an extrinsic, spatial, coordinative system or an intrinsic, joint based, coordinative system. Subjects initially adapted to opposing viscous forces separated by target location. Our measure of performance was the correlation between the speed profiles of each movement within a force condition and an ‘average’ trajectory within null force conditions. Adaptation to the opposing forces was seen during initial acquisition with a significantly improved coefficient in epoch eight compared to epoch one. We then tested interlimb transfer from the dominant to non-dominant arm (D → ND) and vice-versa (ND → D) across either an extrinsic or intrinsic coordinative system. Interlimb transfer was only seen from the dominant to the non-dominant limb across an intrinsic coordinative system. These results support previous studies involving adaptation to a single dynamic force but also indicate that interlimb transfer of multiple opposing states is possible. This suggests that the information available at the level of representation allowing interlimb transfer can be more intricate than a general movement goal or a single perceived directional error

Engaging students in scenario-based assessment for final exams

We present our approaches to enhancing the authenticity of final exams across large first-year first semester biology units of cohort sizes between 300-1200 students. Historically exams were primarily used as an instrument that mainly assessed knowledge retention with limited provision of feedback to students. The necessity to shift to online learning during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic provided us with a challenging, yet opportune moment to transform our final examinations into an authentic learning experience for undergraduate biology students. We placed a large focus on integrating scenario-based questions in the final exam thereby assessing students’ ability to apply knowledge to real-world contexts. To enhance engagement with the assessment, we also provided personalised feedback for each student. With additional challenges around access to artificial intelligence and academic integrity, we share our experiences returning to in-person final examinations and evaluate the relevancy and benefits of scenario-based questions for student assessment and learning. We also share our approaches to feedforwarding initiatives to prepare students for examinations that is different to what most students would have experienced in their secondary schooling

Concurrent adaptation to opposing visual displacements during an alternating movement.

It has been suggested that, during tasks in which subjects are exposed to a visual rotation of cursor feedback, alternating bimanual adaptation to opposing rotations is as rapid as unimanual adaptation to a single rotation (Bock et al. in Exp Brain Res 162:513–519, 2005). However, that experiment did not test strict alternation of the limbs but short alternate blocks of trials. We have therefore tested adaptation under alternate left/right hand movement with opposing rotations. It was clear that the left and right hand, within the alternating conditions, learnt to adapt to the opposing displacements at a similar rate suggesting that two adaptive states were formed concurrently. We suggest that the separate limbs are used as contextual cues to switch between the relevant adaptive states. However, we found that during online correction the alternating conditions had a significantly slower rate of adaptation in comparison to the unimanual conditions. Control conditions indicate that the results are not directly due the alternation between limbs or to the constant switching of vision between the two eyes. The negative interference may originate from the requirement to dissociate the visual information of these two alternating displacements to allow online control of the two arms

Two-staging a comeback: A review of two-stage exams from 1996 to 2022

BACKGROUND Two-stage examinations are an alternative to a traditional examination, where an individual examination is followed by a group examination, often on the same questions. With pandemic remote learning leading to a re-assessment of examination formats, we investigated previous research on two-stage exams to understand how these assessments have been delivered and received by students, and we make suggestions based on this research and our own experience for how to deliver these exams in a large-cohort introductory biology unit. This research was published in the International Journal of Innovation in Science and Mathematics Educations (IJISME; Lee et al., 2022). AIMS We aimed to investigate trends in how two-stage exams were set, their discipline context, student performance and the student experience in studies published in the last ~25 years. DESIGN AND METHODS We performed a narrative literature review of research papers involving the use of two-stage examinations in STEM, from 1996 to 2022. We extracted from the 39 included studies data about the discipline, the weighting and timing of the group component, the type of questions asked, how groups were formed and the cohort size. We also extracted data on the student’s response: whether scores were higher in the group component, whether the exam improved understanding or retention, whether students favoured the format and whether stress was alleviated. RESULTS Trends were identified, with most surveyed exams using multiple-choice questions that were the same in the individual and the group component. Student feedback was very positive, and group component marks were almost always higher than individual component marks. However, results varied on improved understanding and reduction in stress, and few studies tested these factors. CONCLUSIONS Two-stage exams are well received by students, and group exams increase performance relative to individual exams. Further research is needed into measurable beneficial effects from the format. We provide our suggestions for implementing these examinations in a large introductory biology unit. REFERENCE Lee, T. R. C., Pye, M., Lilje, O., Nguyen, H. D., Hockey, S., de Bruyn, M. and can den Berg, F. T. (2022) Two-stage examinations in STEM: A narrative literature review. International Journal of Innovation in Science and Mathematics Education, 30(5), 73-90

Sub-movement organisation, pen pressure and muscle activity are modulated to precision demands in 2D tracking

The authors investigated how tracking performance, submovement organization, pen pressure and muscle activity in forearm and shoulder muscles were affected by target size in a 2D tracking task performed with a pen on a digitizer tablet. Twenty-six subjects took part in an experiment, in which either a small dot or a large dot was tracked, while it moved quasirandomly across a computer screen at a constant velocity of 2cm/s. The manipulation of precision level was successful, because mean distance to target and the standard deviation of this distance were significantly smaller with the small target than with the large target. With a small target, subjects trailed more behind the center of target and used submovements with larger amplitudes and of shorter duration, resulting in higher tracking accuracy. This change in submovement organization was accompanied by higher pen pressure, while at the same time muscle activity in the forearm extensors and flexors was increased, indicating higher endpoint stability. In conclusion, increased precision demands were accommodated by both a different organization of submovements and higher endpoint stability in a 2D tracking task performed with a pen on a digitizer tablet. © 2012 Copyright Taylor and Francis Group, LLC

Fatigue-induced changes of impedance and performance in target tracking

Kinematic variability is caused, in part, by force fluctuations. It has been shown empirically and numerically that the effects of force fluctuations on kinematics can be suppressed by increasing joint impedance. Given that force variability increases with muscular fatigue, we hypothesized that joint impedance would increase with fatigue to retain a prescribed accuracy level. To test this hypothesis, subjects tracked a target by elbow flexion and extension both with fatigued and unfatigued elbow flexor and extensor muscles. Joint impedance was estimated from controlled perturbations to the elbow. Contrary to the hypothesis, elbow impedance decreased, whereas performance, expressed as the time-on-target, was unaffected by fatigue. Further analysis of the data revealed that subjects changed their control strategy with increasing fatigue. Although their overall kinematic variability increased, task performance was retained by staying closer to the center of the target when fatigued. In conclusion, the present study reveals a limitation of impedance modulation in the control of movement variability

Retrograde Interference in Perceptual Learning of a Peripheral Hyperacuity Task

Consolidation, a process that stabilizes memory trace after initial acquisition, has been studied for over a century. A number of studies have shown that a skill or memory must be consolidated after acquisition so that it becomes resistant to interference from new information. Previous research found that training on a peripheral 3-dot hyperacuity task could retrogradely interfere with earlier training on the same task but with a mirrored stimulus configuration. However, a recent study failed to replicate this finding. Here we address the controversy by replicating both patterns of results, however, under different experimental settings. We find that retrograde interference occurs when eye-movements are tightly controlled, using a gaze-contingent display, where the peripheral stimuli were only presented when subjects maintained fixation. On the other hand, no retrograde interference was found in a group of subjects who performed the task without this fixation control. Our results provide a plausible explanation of why divergent results were found for retrograde interference in perceptual learning on the 3-dot hyperacuity task and confirm that retrograde interference can occur in this type of low-level perceptual learning. Furthermore, our results demonstrate the importance of eye-movement controls in studies of perceptual learning in the peripheral visual field