The Influence of Menstruation on the Academic Achievement of Senior Secondary School Biology Students in Irewole Local Government, Osun State, Nigeria.

Abstract: This study is designed to investigate the influence of menstruation on the academic achievement of senior secondary school Biology students in Irewole Local Government Area of Osun State, Nigeria. In the light of this, three specific objectives and research questions were highlighted not only to achieve but also to answer. The study employed quasi-experimental design. Besides, purposive sampling technique was used to take a sample of sixty-five (65) Grade 11 (Senior Secondary School II) students from three public high school within the study area. The data generated from the instrument that is Biology Achievement Test (BAT) was analysed with the aid of a component of inferential statistics. The findings revealed a significant relationship between the academic achievement of students in Biology and menstruation. This is because, students before their menstrual period had mean score of 45 marks which was slightly higher than the one they had during (that is 42 marks) their menstrual period. A significant association between the academic achievement of students in Biology and menstrual pains was also observed. However, there was no significant relationship between the academic achievement in Biology among participants and duration of menstruation. This means that number of days used to complete menstruation period was insignificant to academic achievement of the participants in Biology. It is inferred from the study that there is relationship between menstruation and students’ academic performance in Biology among public secondary schools. Recommendations such as provision of conducive facilities in schools, constant awareness programme on the subject matter among others were made

DIRECT AND INDIRECT EFFECTS OF PERSONALITY TYPE AND LEARNING STYLE PREFERENCES ON STUDENTS’ ACHIEVEMENT IN SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL BIOLOGY IN OSUN STATE, NIGERIA

Poor performance of students in Biology has been attributed generally to factors relating to the home, school and the students themselves. Previous studies have investigated personality type and learning style preferences in relation to students’ achievement in tertiary institutions rather than at the secondary school level. This study was therefore conducted to examine the effects of Myer’s Briggs personality type- ESTJ (Extroversion, Sensing, Thinking, Judging) and VAK (Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic) learning style preferences on students’ achievement in Biology at the Senior Secondary School (SSS) level. Three instruments [Cognitive Type Inventory (CTI), VAK Learning Style Indicators (VLSI), and Biology Achievement Test (BAT)] were administered on 1,480 SSS II Biology students. The results were presented using path analysis and multiple regressions. It was established that five hypothesized predictor variables (age, extroversion, sensing, thinking and kinesthetic) had direct effects on Biology achievement. On the other hand, only three hypothesized predictor variables (gender, age and thinking) had indirect effects on Biology achievement. However, sensing and kinesthetic preferences had the most significant direct effects on Biology achievement. Also, sensing had the highest total causal effect on Biology achievement. Students should be encouraged to develop improve and exhibit sensing and kinesthetic preferences when learning Biology.  Article visualizations

Assessment of pesticide residues and trace element contamination in market gardens of Togo

All intensive agriculture, like periurban agriculture, uses massive inputs such as agrochemicals. This study aims to assess the environmental impacts of agrochemical use in periurban agriculture in Togo. It was based on the chemical analyses of soil, water and vegetable samples. These analyses were carried out by gas chromatography on extracts from soil, water and vegetable samples. In soil samples, the concentrations of pesticide residues are lower than 20 ìg/kg of dry material. For water samples, contamination levels vary from 0.02 to 1.1 ìg/L of dry material with the highest levels for metalaxyl M (1.1 ìg/L) and for dimethoate (1 ìg/L). In vegetables, the concentrations measured are between 0.01 and 0.1 mg/kg of dry material. All these concentrations are affected by a positive factor of the maximum limits of residues. These agrochemicals, coupled with periurban environmental management led to the high concentrations of trace elements. Lead and cadmium concentrations in water are 10 and 21 times respectively higher than the maximum concentration allowable for drinking water by the WHO. The study showed that inappropriate use of agrochemicals in Togolese periurban agriculture creates ecological disturbances that could affect produce quality.Key words: Togo, periurban agriculture, agrochemicals, pesticide residues, trace element

Alternative Solvents for Moringa oleifera Seeds Extraction

Moringa oleifera is a versatile plant and has wide applicability. Two critical factors that make the oil more readily available for use are its ease of processing techniques and production rate. Solvent extraction using various solvents is common and is usually more efficient than mechanical presses. Hence investigating the suitability of three solvents-hexane, Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA) and Petroleum Ether (PE) in the extraction of moringa seeds from northern (sample 1) and southern (sample 2) parts of Nigeria was carried out using a soxhlet extractor between 2 and 12 h. The percentage yield of oil from the two samples was found to be dependent on the solvent used, the residence time and the source of the seed sample. Petroleum ether gave the highest yield of 49.38 and 37.57%, next was hexane with 44.94 and 34.71% while isopropyl alcohol gave 36.39 and 28.43%, for samples 1 and 2, respectively. For all solvents, sample 1 produced higher oil yield. The percentage oil yield increased with time reaching an optimum at between 8-10 h. From chromatographic analysis, besides other trace components, the predominant fatty acids present in the Moringa oleifera oil include oleic, stearic, palmitic, linoleic and palmitoleic acids. The overall composition of the oil indicated higher levels of unsaturated than saturated acids with oleic acid having the highest percentage composition of 68.8% in all the extracted oil samples. The results obtained from this investigation showed that the alternative solvents (IPA and PE) considered can potentially substitute n-hexane in Moringa oilseed extraction

Improving public agency performance using balanced scorecard in Lagos Internal Revenue Service (LIRS)

Improving public agency performance vis-à-vis productivity is the greatest challenge facing the public sector. The main objective of this study is to determine the effectiveness of performance measurement using balanced scorecard (BSC) in Lagos Internal Revenue Service (LIRS). Primary and secondary data were utilized for the study.  The primary data collected was analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Descriptive statistics, such as frequency tables and simple percentages, were used in data presentation and analysis. while the stated hypotheses were tested using Regression Analysis.  The study adopts the theory of change (ToC) postulated by Weiss as a theoretical basis. The findings of the study reveal that using the balanced scorecard to measure performance periodically with stakeholders' reflection in LIRS has increased significantly the annual revenue generation in Lagos State. The study recommends among others that more attention should be paid to the provision of adequate incentives as well as training and development on contemporary issues in tax management for tax officers to promote their efficiency and effectiveness in developing economies including Nigeria. Furthermore, since citizens' expectation on societal general development and demand varies across various divisions and localities in Lagos State, the state government should, therefore, accommodate the aspirations of the various groups to engender sustainable tax compliance by citizens

Sélection de sites pour la conservation in situ des ignames sauvages apparentées aux ignames cultivées : cas de Dioscorea praehensilis au Bénin

Dioscorea praehensilis est une igname sauvage apparentée aux ignames cultivées du complexe D. cayenensis-D. rotundata qui évolue en populations naturelles dans les forêts du Sud et du Centre-Bénin. Pour identifier les sites propices à la préservation in situ de ses populations naturelles et de sa diversité génétique, six forêts du sud et du centre Bénin (Agoua, Ahozon, Ewè, Kétou, Lama et Niaouli) ont été prospectées. Les forêts de la Lama, d’Ewè et de Niaouli sont les plus riches en D. praehensilis avec, respectivement, des densités moyennes de 109, 63 et 59 pieds/ha. Type de végétation, éclairement, type de sol, pressions anthropiques et animales sont les facteurs qui influencent la densité de l’espèce dans les formations végétales prospectées et ont permis de repréciser son écologie. Sur la base de la densité de l’espèce et de son importance pour les populations riveraines, de l’importance de la pression anthropique et animale, du degré d’implication de la population dans la conservation des forêts, de la richesse des forêts en espèces de Dioscorea importantes ou rares, de l’état actuel de conservation de la forêt et de l’existence d'un plan d'aménagement, les forêts classées de la Lama et de Niaouli ont été identifiées comme les meilleurs sites pour la conservation in situ de D. praehensilis au Benin. Du fait de sa richesse secondaire en l’espèce D. burkilliana devenue très rare, la dotation de la forêt d’Ahozon d’un plan d’aménagement et de gestion participative a été proposée. © 2013 International Formulae Group. All rights reserved.Mots clés : Bénin, conservation, Dioscorea praehensilis, igname sauvage, forêts classée

Antimicrobial activity of Crataeva religiosa Forst against bacteria isolated from Thryonomys swinderianus Temminck

An attempt has been made to carry out a screening on the antibacterial activity of leaves of Crateva religiosa Forst used in Benin traditional veterinary medicine against bacterial infection of Thryonomys swinderianus (class of Mammalia, family of Thryonomyidae) commonly called agouti or kholan. The aim of this study was to select the most active extracts and fractions which may be useful to combat these bacterial infections. Seven extracts from C. religiosa were screened for their antibacterial. The antibacterial activity was evaluated by both microtest method using p-iodonitrotetrazolium and bioautography against five microorganisms obtained from T. swinderianus (Escherichia coli, Shigella sonei, Staphylococcus aureus, Pasteurela pestis and Yersinia enterocolitica). The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and the total activity (TA) were determined. All extracts were effective against tested microorganisms at different levels (0.31 ≤ MIC ≤ 10 mg/ml). The screening experiment revealed that ethyl acetate extract was more potent than other extracts with the MIC values of 0.62 mg/ml against E. coli and 0.31 mg/ml against S. aureus, S. sonei, P. pestis and Y. enterocolitica. The results provide an evidence for the traditional use of C. religiosa for the treatment of infective diseases of T. swinderianus Temminck.Key words: Crataeva religiosa, Thryonomys swinderianus Temminck, ethnomedicine, Republic of Benin

Bio-preservative activities of Lactobacillus plantarum strains in fermenting Casssava ‘fufu’

The growth of three pathogens, namely Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and Salmonella typhii were investigated in fermenting and non-fermenting cassava. The pH of the steeped cassava was also examined during fermentation. Antimicrobial effects of the Lactobacillus plantarum on the pathogens were also determined by agar diffusion method. All the pathogens were inhibited by L. plantarum strains with Staph. aureus having the highest inhibitory zone followed by E. coli and S. thyphii. However, in the fermenting cassava, the pathogens increased in population within the first 36 h of the process and decreased to complete extinction after the 96 h of fermentation. The L. plantarum exhibited high but varying degree of inhibition on the pathogens. The findings justify the bio-preservative roles of lactic acid bacteria in traditional cassava products.Key words: Bio-preservation, Lactobacillus plantarum, fermentation, cassava and pathogens