Preliminary studies of inhibitions in Aspergillus flavus with extracts of two lichens and Bentex-T fungicide

One ml aqueous concentrations at 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 1.0, and 5.0 mg/ml of laboratory extracts of Hypogymnia physodes and Ramalina farinacea (Lichens), and Bentex-T, were incorporated separately in a basal broth culture medium inside conical flasks. Mycelial dry weight of Aspergillus flavus, grown on the medium with the extracts of the lichens, was inhibited between 70% - 80% compared to unincorporated control medium. Bentex-T inhibited the A. flavus between 60% - 65%. Sporulation of A. flavus was inhibited more by Bentex-T and the extract of R. farinacea by 60% - 75% than the 29% - 34% caused by H. physodes. Spores of A. flavus in control medium commenced germination after 2 h while it was mostly after 4 h or 6 h in the incorporated media. Inhibition of germination was significant at 5% level with 0.1 and 0.25 mg/ml and highly significant at 1% level with 0.5 to 5.0 mg/ml concentrations of the extracts and Bentex –T. The extract of R. farinacea appeared to be most inhibitory on the germination of the spore. Key Words: Lichen extracts, fungitoxic, Aspergillus flavus. African Journal of Biotechnology Vol.3(9) 2004: 468-47

Budgeting Strategies in Selected Federal Polytechnic Libraries in Nigeria

The study investigated budgeting strategies in selected Federal Polytechnic Libraries in Nigeria. Four research questions were raised and answered. The objectives of the research was to determine sources of funds for Federal Polytechnic Libraries in Nigeria, adequacy of budgeting allocation, types of budgeting system that are used, and to discover the level of polytechnic librarian involvement in the planning and budgeting for their libraries. A survey research method was adopted for this study and stratified random sampling technique was used to draw samples for the study. Questionnaire was developed and used to collect data from the samples. Data collected from the respondents was analysed using frequency distributions and percentages. The study discovered that the main sources of funds for polytechnic libraries in Nigeria were library grants and Education Trust Fund which recorded responses of (87.5%) and (22.5%) respectively. It was also identified that budget preparation and implementation were undertaken quarterly and executed by the library committees in all the sampled polytechnic libraries as recorded by (87.5%) and (63.4%) respectively. It established that the funds allocated to the colleges were inadequate as shown in the responses of (100%) of the respondents. The study concluded that there are not many researches in areas of budget strategies and implementation; whereas these are important areas in library financial management

AN EVALUATION OF STUDENTS’ GENERAL INTEREST IN COMPUTER STUDIES AND ITS IMPACT ON SUBJECT PERFORMANCE IN ADO LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF EKITI STATE, NIGERIA

This research work examined the effect of attitudes on performance of pupils in computer studies in Ekiti State SecondarySchools. The research work critically examined whether there is any correlation between the attitudes of students and theirperformance in computer studies. The research instrument that was used in the study was the questionnaire for both the studentsand the teachers in the selected secondary schools which was validated by the researcher’s supervisor. Chi-square was used toanalyze the data collected. The sample consisted of one hundred and fifty students and ten teachers from five carefully selectedsecondary schools from Ado Local Government Area of Ekiti State Nigeria . The result of the analysis showed that attitude is onecogent factor that influences performance, that there is no gender discrimination in the attitude of students towards computerstudies, that teacher’s qualification and instructional materials available also influence the attitudes of students. Based on thefindings of this study, recommendations were made. The government should organize seminars to upgrade and update teachersknowledge. The use of instructional materials is emphasized to motivate students and also the teaching methods must bereviewed so that there will lasting impression on students. There should be no gender discrimination in providing opportunitiesand scholarships for further studies in computer science and related disciplines.Keywords: . Evaluation, Students, Interest, Computer Studies, Subject and Performance

The estimation and projection of the electric power generation from corn residues in Nigeria based on liner regression analysis

A global desire for sustainable energy development to combat greenhouse gases (GHGs) emissions from energy sector has incited research endeavours on the exploitation of various kinds of renewable energy. However, presence of biomass resources in nearly every part of the world coupled with their ability to decarbonise electric power sector when used for electricity generation has attracted a very important attention for their exploitation. Thus, estimation and projection of the potential capability of different kinds of biomass resources for power generation is imperative. In the estimation and projection of electric power potential of a bioresidue, a standard formulation involving only two parameters is commonly employed by researchers. The parameters are the calorific value of residue and residue conversion factor. The estimations were made in country case study without taking into account another factor where some quantity of residues is diverted for contending applications. Therefore, this research presents a new mathematical technique called a Modified Nominal Bio-Power Capacity (MNBPC) by introducing the concept of residue availability factor. The new formulation is used for estimating the nominal power capacity of three corn residues (cob, straw and stalk) in Nigeria as a case study. A period of 15 years (1996-2010) is chosen for the estimation using corn production quantity obtained from United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation while the calorific values of the sample residues are obtained experimentally. The computation is also based on the average of different gasification efficiency of 31% adopted from literature. A projection of 10 years (2011-2020) based on the new formulation was performed using linear regression which is in line with the plan of action to integrate bioelectricity into the nation?s power sector by the year 2020. The least squares technique is considered to be superior for the projection because of its ability to correlate production quantity with time in a long forecasting scenario compared to other techniques. Based on the 70% collection rate (availability factor) of the residue surveyed in the country case study, computational findings estimated 2,570 MW (2.57 GW) nominal power capacity in the year 2010. This potential is approximately 33% of the total current installed capacity of 7,876 MW and 25.7% of the national electric power demand of 10,000 MW. The projection result shows that by the year 2020, a total capacity of 3,200 MW (3.2 GW) could be achieved with corn stalk residue exhibiting the highest potential of 73.1% of the total. This is based on 61% coefficients of determination between the residues? production trend with respect to time variation as evaluated using Pearson?s Product Moment Correlation Coefficient. Finally, the estimated and projected potential in this study has shown a significant contribution from the corn residues to the proposed biomass power generation in the country

Martyrs or Terrorists: Suicide bombing in Islamic Hermeneutics

Most sociologists, anthropologists and scholars with backgrounds different from the Islamic tradition had written off martyrdom as parallel to suicide. However, the concept of martyrdom in Islam is associated with an all-inclusive effort to make the word of Allah supreme on the surface of the earth. The adoption of suicide terrorism by some Muslim groups as a strategic objective of modern warfare is the thrust of this paper. The work explicates suicide terrorism as war tactic in contemporary time. It examines the evidence and claims that have been advanced for the permissibility of self-sacrifices operation (al-amaliyyat al-Istishhadiyyah) or martyrdom, and suicide bombing, which many of the contemporary groups consider as legitimate tactic of war and hence subsequently qualifying the one that is involved a martyr. To achieve this, the authors use the Qur’an, Hadith, different school of thoughts and contemporary scholar’s view to examine the position and claims that have been advanced. However, the various sources from classical times to our present day provide evidence that martyrdom or self-sacrifice operation is not alien to Islam but, the upsurge of suicide terrorism and suicide bombing among some militant Muslim groups today is not an influence of Islamic fundamentalism or conservatism as mostly explained in intellectual discourse rather it is adopted as a war tactic which exists in other traditions outside Islam and that its permissibility depends on the context of its deployment.Keywords: Jihad, Martyrs. Terrorists, Suicide, bombin

Amelioration of Purple Blotch Disease in Onion (Allium cepa L.) Seedlings with Organic Soil Amendments

Pot experiments with transplanted onion seedlings were evaluated for management of purple blotch disease. Sets of 100,150 and 200g of poultry droppings, cattle dung, neem leaves, rice husk and a mixture of rice husk and poultry droppings (1:1) were incorporated per kilogram of soil. Spore suspension of Alternaria porri (5x105) was also applied to the rhizosphere of the onion seedlings. Common symptoms of purple blotch (elliptical purple lesions, wilting and defoliation) were assessed. Poultry dropping amendment was most effective; reducing lesions to 15± 3.6% from 85± 2.6%, wilting reduced to 20± 4.0% from 70± 3.0% and defoliation to zero from 60± 3.5%. The amendments, especially at the concentration of 150 and 200g/kg soil reduced symptoms severity compared to control. Onion farming should be complemented with application of degradable organic materials, especally poultry droppings and cattle dung, to reduce the incidence and severity of purple blotch disease

Historical Analysis of Vocational Education in Western Nigeria, 1930s-1960s

This paper examined the evolution and development of vocational education in Nigeria. It is explained as a process towards the attainment of industrialization and entrepreneurship in Nigeria. Before the 1930s, there was little focus on the dissemination of vocational education for development in Nigeria. The findings revealed that training schemes were basically instituted to train manpower to facilitate exportation and generate revenue for the colonial government in Nigeria. The areas of vocational education covered are; agricultural education, textile training, domestic science education, secretarial and management education and so on. The conception of vocational education here is concerned about the types of training given to Nigerians and its impact on sustainable self-employment and industrialization in the postcolonial era. The work adopted a historical approach by using primary and secondary sources.The primary sources were archival materials from the National Archives Ibadan (NAI). The secondary sources are texts related to education and development in Nigeria. It was concluded that modernization is important to improve vocational education for development in Nigeria.Keywords: Vocational education, Development, Training, Education, Entrepreneurshi

The Nigerian Army as a Product of Its Colonial History: Problems of Re-building Cohesion for an Army in Transition

This work discusses the emergence and problems of cohesion as the Nigerian army. The fact that the Nigerian army emerged from an inherited colonial army, which also emerged from a band of military expeditors. The army was introduced into various patterns of cohesion. Described in this work is partitioned cohesion, a situation in which a group although seen as one, is subtly separated into units in which some are shown certain preferences. This partitioning, in the case of Nigeria saw the North being first preferred for its martial peoples, while at later stages the South, showing promise in terms of education, gained prominence in the corps of the NCO and officer cadre. This transitory preferences, although advantageous to the British colonialists, was of gross disadvantage to the new Nigerian army. With different perceptions about themselves, a gunpowder keg was left, just waiting to be lighted to blow. The different officer types created with time between 1946 and 1966 also saw a salient but obvious partition due to the fact that they were created in different ways, this differentiation in officer types, was worsened by the fact that they were a newly created group. The officer corps was not only new, but inadvertently immature to the process and so they exuded varying traits

The Coup d’état and Its Effect on Army Cohesion: The Case of Pre-Civil War Nigeria

This paper discusses problems associated with post-colonial cohesion of African armed forces due to the influence of their colonial orientation and past antecedents. The study focuses on the Nigerian Army and captures the fact that various constructions, conditionsand tendencies could either escalate or de-escalate the level of army cohesion depending on the need or otherwise for the system itself to integrate into a larger system. When an army originally has a mandate to protect a colonial system, its orientation might not necessarily change after a transition, which leads to emancipation.  The Case of Nigeria saw the problems of initial recruitment into the army, the processwas based on needs that required ethnic and regional accumulation in various sectors, and this brought about an inconvenient pattern, which negated unity after independence. The process of Nigerianisation too encouraged regional animosities due to various suspicions of ethno-regional domination. Keywords: Nigerian Army, Colonial Recruitment, Post-Independence Recruitment, Partitioned Cohesio