Determinants of Agricultural Labour Productivity in the West African Sub-Region, 1970-2004

This paper examined the patterns and determinants of agricultural labour productivity among countries in West African sub-region over the period 1970 – 2004. The study was based on panel data extracted from FAOSTAT, the online statistical database of the Food and Agriculture Organisation as well as the database of United Nations Statistics Division and the Microsoft Encarta Encyclopaedia CD-ROM. The data were analyzed by a combination of descriptive and regression methods. The study revealed that eight (8) of the sixteen (16) West African countries (Cote d’Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Niger, Senegal and Togo) had average labour productivities that were lower during the 2000-2004 period than the average they stated with during the 1970s. The West-African average labour productivity ranged between 484.72 and 536.52 from 1970 to 2004. Regression analyses revealed that agricultural labour productivity among countries in the sub-region would rise with increase in literacy rates, increase in capital formation (savings), increase in rates of fertilizer and tractor use as well as increase in proportion of agricultural land put under irrigation (p<0.01). However, periods of military rule and civilian dictatorship (one party state) were identified as being associated with significantly lower agricultural labour productivity in the sub-region. It is recommended that Governments in West Africa should intensify their efforts in providing basic education to their people as well as providing support for increased private sector participation in the procurement and distribution of critical inputs like fertilizer, tractors services, etc. &nbsp

In vitro Action of Vernonia perrottetii Plant Extracts on Staphylococcus species Associated with Vulvovaginitis of Selected Pregnant Women in Lokoja, Nigeria

The study was carried out to test for the in vitro action of Vernonia perrottetii extracts against Staphylococcus species isolated from women with Vulvovaginitis using medically certified standard procedures. A total of 50 samples of intravaginal swab (ICS) samples were collected from consented pregnant women in a State Specialist Hospital in Nigeria and investigated for the presence of Staphylococcus species and effect of V. perrottetii extracts on the isolates. The phytochemical screening of the methanolic and aqueous extract shows that the plant contain secondary metabolites such as flavonoids, alkaloids, saponins with absence of phenol and anthraquinone. Isolate S. aureus (c) and Staphylococcus species(c) were resistant to amoxillin which served as control while other isolates were susceptible to the plant extracts. At a concentration of 1000mg/ml, aqueous extract of the plant exhibited appreciable sensitivity with a zone of inhibition of 26.7mm and 20.7mm at 500mg/ml and 1000mg/ml for S. xylosus. The results of the study imply that extracts of Vernonia perrottetii is a potential biocontrol agents of Staphyloccoci infection

Prediction of received signal power and propagation path loss in open/rural environments using modified free-space loss and Hata models

This paper describes a modification of the Free-Space and Hata formulae for the prediction of received signal power, P R and propagation path loss, L P , in two cellular mobile radio systems (CMRS), in the Northern Nigeria. Measurements of P R s were taken with a Cellular Mobile Radio test Receiver (Sagem OT 160), in some selected open/rural environments, when the receiver was being moved away from the base stations along the propagation paths. L P s were then obtained from values of measured P R s using an appropriate expression. A close comparison of measurement values and computed values from the free-space and Hata formulae revealed that direct application of these formulae is inappropriate for the prediction of these parameters in the region of investigation, as computed values fell short significantly from the corresponding measured values. Consequently, some correction factors have been introduced to both models and these have produced results which closely matched the measured values

Prevalence of stroke in three semi-urban communities in middle-belt region of Nigeria: A door to door survey

Introduction: the burden of stroke has been projected to increase for developing countries, but data are limited, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.This necessitated this study to determine the stroke prevalence in a semi urban community in middle-belt region of Nigeria. Methods: a twophasedoor-to-door study was performed in three semi-urban communities of  Kwara state; in the first phase 12,992 residents were screened andprobable stroke cases were identified by trained health care workers. In the second phase individuals adjudged to be positive for stroke were screened with a stroke-specific questionnaire and made to undergo a complete  neurological examination by a neurologist. Stroke diagnosis was based on clinical evaluation using WHO criteria. Results: out of the numbers that were screened, 18 probable stroke cases were identified in the first stage, and of these, 17 fulfilled WHO criteria for stroke, giving a crude prevalence rate of 1.31/1000 population. The prevalence of stroke was higher among the males than the females (1.54/1000 vs. 1.08/1000) with a ratio 1.4: 1. Sixteen subjects (94.1%) had one or more risk factors for stroke.  Uncontrolled systemic hypertension (82.4%) was the commonest risk  factors for stroke followed by transient ischaemic attack (TIA) (41.2%). Conclusion: stroke is a condition that is prevalent in our environment; especially in older adults and men. Uncontrolled systemic hypertension and previous transient ischaemic attacks were the commonest risk factors for stroke in our community

SOLVABILITY OF THE THIRD-ORDER KORTEWEG-DE VRIES (KDV) EQUATION BY VARIATIONAL ITERATION AND NEW ITERATIVE METHODS

This paper examined the approximate solution of the third-order Kortewed-de Vries (KdV) equations is obtained by the Variational Iteration Method (VIM) developed by Ji-Huan He and the New Iterative Method (NIM) developed by Daftardar Gejji and Jafari. These methods provide the solution in the form of a convergent series.which illustrate the ability and the effectiveness of the methods, some examples were provided. The results showed that the methods are very simple, effective, powerful and can easily be applied to other linear and nonlinear PDEs

Genome sequence of the mycotoxigenic crop pathogen Fusarium proliferatum strain ITEM 2341 from date palm

Fusarium proliferatum is a widely distributed fungal pathogen associated with more than 26 crop species important in global food security. Its strong mycotoxigenic capability with potential impacts on human and animal health is well recognized. In this work, we report the draft genome sequence of F. proliferatum strain ITEM 2341, originally isolated from date palm, providing a platform for further comparative and functional genomic investigations

Ameliorative Effect of Vitamin C on Alterations in Thyroid Hormones Concentrations Induced by Subchronic Coadministration of Chlorpyrifos and Lead in Wistar Rats

The present study evaluated the ameliorative effect of vitamin C on alteration in thyroid hormones induced by low-dose subchronic coadministration of chlorpyrifos (CPF) and lead (Pb). Forty Wistar rats were divided into 4 groups of 10 animals each. Groups I and II were administered soya oil (2 mL/kg) and vitamin C (100 mg/kg), respectively. Group III was coadministered CPF (4.25 mg/kg ~1/20th LD50) and Pb (250 mg/kg ~1/20th LD50), respectively. Group IV was pretreated with vitamin C (100 mg/kg) and then coadministered with CPF (4.25 mg/kg) and Pb (250 mg/kg), 30 min later. The regimens were administered by gavage for a period of 9 weeks. The marginal decrease in serum triiodothyronine and thyroxine and the significant increase in the concentrations of thyroid stimulating hormone and malonaldehyde in the group coadministered with CPF and Pb were ameliorated by vitamin C partly due to its antioxidant properties

Djelovanje per- i polifluoroalkilnih tvari na okolišne i ljudske mikroorganizme i njihov potencijal za bioremedijaciju

Utilised in a variety of consumer products, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are major environmental contaminants that accumulate in living organisms due to their highly hydrophobic, lipophobic, heat-resistant, and non-biodegradable properties. This review summarizes their effects on microbial populations in soils, aquatic and biogeochemical systems, and the human microbiome. Specific microbes are insensitive to and even thrive with PFAS contamination, such as Escherichia coli and the Proteobacteria in soil and aquatic environments, while some bacterial species, such as Actinobacteria and Chloroflexi, are sensitive and drop in population. Some bacterial species, in turn, have shown success in PFAS bioremediation, such as Acidimicrobium sp. and Pseudomonas parafulva.Budući da se koriste u izradi raznih potrošačkih proizvoda, per- i polifluoroalkilne tvari (engl. per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, krat. PFAS) veliki su zagađivači okoliša koji se nakupljaju u živim organizmima zbog svoje izrazite hidrofobičnosti, lipofobičnosti, otpornosti na topline i biološke nerazgradljivosti. Ovaj članak donosi sažeti pregled njihova djelovanja na populacije mikroba u tlu, vodnim i biogeokemijskim sustavima te na humanom mikrobiomu. Pojedini su mikrobi neosjetljivi na zagađenje PFAS-om, čak i napreduju, poput bakterije Escherichia coli i proteobakterija u tlu i vodi, a osjetljive su pojedine bakterijske vrste, poput rodova Actinobacteria i Chloroflexi, pa im se smanjuje populacija u takvom okružju. Neke su se, pak, bakterije pokazale uspješnima u bioremedijaciji, poput vrsta Acidimicrobium sp. i Pseudomonas parafulva

THE NEW ITERATIVE METHOD FOR SOLVING LINEAR AND NONLINEAR SYSTEMS OF PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS

In this paper, we used the New Iterative Method (NIM) developed by Daftardar-Gejji and Jafari for the solution of linear and nonlinear systems of partial differential equations. This method is very simple as it reduces the size of computation and readily converges to the exact solution. To demonstrate the efficiency of the method, some illustrative examples were provided. The results obtained confirmed that the method is an efficient method for a wide variety of systems of linear and nonlinear PDEs.&nbsp