INFLUENCE OF INTER-ROW SPACING AND WEED CONTROL METHODS IN GROUNDNUT (Arachis hypogeal (L.)

Weed competition has been identified as one of the major obstacles in crop production. The produc-tion of groundnut is limited by high weed infestation resulting in yield losses ranging from 50 - 80% in Nigeria. Hence, the need to evaluate integrated weed control in its production. Field trials were there-fore conducted at the Teaching and Research Farm of the Federal University of Agriculture, Abeokuta (7o 20’ N, 30 23’ E) to evaluate the influence of inter-row spacing and weed control methods on growth and yield of groundnut during the wet seasons in 2009 and 2010. The experiment was a Randomised Complete Design (RCBD) laid out in a split plot with three replications. The main plot treatment con-sisted of three inter-row spacings of 60 cm, 75 cm and 90 cm while the subplots included five weed control treatments of commercial formulation of metolachlor plus promethyne mixture (codal) at 1.0 kg a.i/ha, codal at 1.0 kg a.i./ha followed by supplementary hoe weeding at 6 weeks after sowing (WAS), codal at 2 kg a.i./ha, hoe weeding at 3, 6 and 9 WAS and a weedy check. Inter-row spacings of 60 cm and 75 cm reduced weed growth with consequent higher yields compared to the inter-row spacings of 90 cm in the early season of 2009. Application of codal at 1.0 kg a.i./ha followed by supplementary hoe weeding at 6 WAS combined with 60cm inter-row spacing gave effective weed control and higher groundnut pod yield than hoe-weeded control in both years of experimentation

Effect of mentorship on regular teachers' selfefficacy towards implementation of inclusive education at basic education level

Impaired teachers' self-efficacy has contributed to delays in the implementation of inclusive education in Nigeria. Unfortunately, several efforts established towards ensuring the actualization of the Salamanca Declaration in Nigeria are yet to produce desired results. Although some past studies identified a mentor-mentee approach as a model that promotes the efficient implementation of established policies, paucity of research evidence exists on the implication of mentor-mentee approaches on the construction of teachers' self-efficacy for inclusive education, particularly at the basic level of education. Objectives. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of mentorship on in-service regular teachers' self-efficacy towards the implementation of inclusive education at the basic education level in Gombe State, Nigeria. Methods. A quasi-experimental research design was adopted for the study, while a purposive sampling technique was used to select 42 participants aged between 20 and 45 (M = 33.90, SD = 6.35) from two local government areas of the Gombe South Senatorial District. Participants were assigned to treatment and control groups, with 21 participants in each group. The Teachers' Sense of Efficacy Scale (a = .81) was used for data collection. Data collected was analysed with an independent sample t-test. Results. Findings showed the efficacy of a mentoring training program on the self-efficacy of in-service regular teachers towards effective implementation of inclusive education at the basic level of education. Also, male and older teachers had higher self-efficacy for the implementation of Inclusive education at the basic education level. Conclusion. Mentorship programs significantly facilitate the achievement of inclusive education, particularly at the basic level of education. Welldesigned mentorship programs for early career in-service regular teachers would equip them with an orientation that would guide them towards effective implementation of inclusive education at the basic level of education. Based on the outcome of the study appropriate mentorship strategy for novice teachers was recommended

Awareness Level and Adoption of Modular Construction for Affordable Housing in Nigeria: Architects’ Perspective

Modular construction is a construction method where pre-designed building units are constructed off-site, conveyed to site as components and assembled to form a building or structure. The construction method is adjudged to significantly reduce building time and offers good economic value which are some of its key benefits over traditional construction methods. This study evaluated architects’ awareness level and adoption of modular construction method in Nigeria, in order to ascertain its application level towards providing prompt affordable housing projects delivery in the country. The study is a survey research that engaged a pragmatic research approach. Both qualitative and quantitative inquiry methods were employed to carry out the research. Qualitative inquiry method was employed to gather relevant data used to develop a structured questionnaire that was used to collect quantitative data. The questionnaire was distributed to a hundred architects who were randomly selected from a hundred architectural firms registered to practice in Lagos State, the most populous state in Nigeria. A total of seventy-one participants provided data for the study. The data were analysed with statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) software, version 21. The result depicts that majority (87%) of the respondents are aware of modular construction as an approach used in building construction, but just few (32%) of the respondents have adopted modular construction in the delivery of affordable housing scheme in the study area. In addition, it was found that modular construction for affordable housing projects is mostly adopted for its waste reduction, construction time reduction and cost saving benefits. The study concludes that though architects’ awareness level of modular construction method and its benefits is high in Nigeria, its adoption by the architects for prompt delivery of affordable housing projects in the study area is low. Hence, appropriate measures were recommended to enhance the adoption of modular construction method by architects to combat housing challenges experienced in Nigeria

High Incidence of Forest Fires and Preventive Measures in Cocoa Research Institute Plantations Ibadan, Oyo State

This study was carried out to ascertain the high incidence of forest fire and its preventive measures in Cocoa Research Institute of Nigeria(CRIN) plantations Ibadan, Oyo state. Fire is used as work tool by rural population, it serves as land clearing method for agricultural land, flushes management for livestock, wastes disposal, honey gathering, animal tracking and hunting. A multistage sampling approach was used to select 120 respondents. Data were collected using interview schedule on socioeconomics characteristics, perceived causes of forest fire, effect of forest fire and preventive measures to forest fire. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistic. The result revealed that the mean age was 44.9 years and majority (72.7%) were male, 83.0% of them were married. Also a very good number of respondents (97.7%) has various level of education. Bush burning to eradicate weed as a perceived cause of forest fire was ranked 1st with the mean value of 1.36. Destruction of CRIN mandate crops parent materials as the effect of forest fire was ranked 1st with the mean value of 1.42 and controlled bush burning was ranked 1st with mean value of 1.64 among the preventive measure of forest fire. It was revealed that significant relationships were observed between sex (?2= 6.000, p = 0.014), Religion (?2= 8.693, p= 0.013) on the preventive measures of forest in CRIN plantations

Potentials of microorganisms associated with plantain peels in the Lagos metropolis for biodegradation and bioconversion.

The role of microbes in the degradation of plantain derived-wastes and their potential to produce cellulolytic enzymes was assessed. Soil samples of decomposing waste piles were collected from two major plantain markets in the Lagos metropolis and analyzed for physicochemical properties, toxic heavy metal content and microbial populations. Findings revealed that the values of moisture content of the two soils varied between 7.27±0.04 and 8.06±0.19 %. M-12 site had the highest organic matter content of 6.89±0.14 %. A similar pattern was observed for nitrate, phosphate and chloride levels while some heavy metals were also detected in varying and high amounts. The highest viable bacterial counts was 58.0±2.9 x 104 cfu/g at MU and there were no fungi at the site whereas M-12 had a fungal count of 40.0±3.3 x 103 cfu/g. Out of the total of 34 isolates encountered, 8 isolates having maximum cellulase activities were selected for further studies by the primary screening technique. These test organisms were then evaluated by secondary screening for enzyme production. The test organisms were phenotypically and biochemically characterized and identified as Klebsiella pneumoniae spp pneumoniae (2 strains), Klebsiella pneumoniae spp ozaenae, Enterobacter aerogenes, Providencia alcalifaciens, Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus and Aspergillus niger respectively. Both the bacteria and moulds were found to be capable of utilizing lignin and cellulosic substrates for growth and for production of cellulolytic enzymes. It is suggested that such microorganisms could be useful in bioconversion of cellulosic substrates like plantain-derived wastes for biotechnological application

Multi-proxy speleothem-based reconstruction of mid-MIS 3 climate in South Africa

The southern coast of South Africa displays a highly dynamical climate as it is at the convergence of the Atlantic and Indian oceans, and it is located near the subtropical/temperate zone boundary with seasonal influence of easterlies and westerlies. The region hosts some key archeological sites with records of significant cognitive, technological and social developments. Reconstructions of the state and variability of past climate and environmental conditions around sites of archeological significance can provide crucial context for understanding the evolution of early humans. Here we present a short but high-resolution record of hydroclimate and temperature in South Africa. Our reconstructions are based on trace elements, calcite and fluid inclusion stable isotopes, as well as fluid inclusion microthermometry, from a speleothem collected in Bloukrantz cave, in the De Hoop Nature Reserve in the southern Cape region of South Africa. Our record covers the time period from 48.3 to 45.2 ka during marine isotope stage 3. Both δ18Oc and δ13Cc show strong variability and covary with Sr/Ca. This correlation suggests that the control on these proxies originates from internal cave processes such as prior carbonate precipitation, which we infer to be related to precipitation amount. The hydroclimate indicators furthermore suggest a shift towards overall drier conditions after 46 ka, coincident with cooling in Antarctica and drier conditions in the eastern part of South Africa corresponding to the summer rainfall zone (SRZ). Fluid inclusion-based temperature reconstructions show good agreement between the oxygen isotope and microthermometry methods, and results from the latter display little variation throughout the record, with reconstructed temperatures close to the present-day cave temperature of 17.5 ∘C. Overall, the BL3 speleothem record thus suggests relatively stable temperature from 48.3 to 45.2 ka, whereas precipitation was variable with marked drier episodes on sub-millennial timescales.</p

Aurora-A/STK15/BTAK overexpression induces centrosome amplification, chromosomal instability, and transformation in human urothelial cells

Aurora-A/STK15/BTAK kinase encoding gene, located on chromosome 20q13, is frequently amplified and overexpressed in human cancers. Sen et al. previously demonstrated that Aurora-A amplification and overexpression are associated with aneuploidy and clinically aggressive bladder cancer (J Natl Cancer Inst (2002) 94, 1320-1329). To examine if this association is the direct result of Aurora-A gene amplification and overexpression, an immortalized human urothelial cell line (SV-HUC) was infected with an adenoviral Aurora-A-green fluorescent protein (Ad-Aurora-A-GFP) fusion construct inducing ectopic expression of the resulting fusion protein. Controls included mock-infected and adenoviral-GFP infected cells. Ectopic expression of transduced Aurora-A did not alter the doubling time of the SV-HUC cells but significantly increased the number of cells with multiple centrosomes displaying aneuploidy and increased colony formation in soft agar. This is the first report demonstrating that overexpression of Aurora-A induces centrosome anomalies together with chromosomal instability and malignant transformation-associated phenotypic changes in immortalized human urothelial cells, thus supporting the hypothesis that this gene plays an important role in the development of aggressive bladder cancer

The Role of Ethnic Directors in Corporate Social Responsibility: Does Culture matter? The Cultural Trait Theory Perspectives

This paper investigates the effect of cultural differences between ethnic directors on corporate social responsibility (CSR) of Public Liability Companies (PLCs) in Nigeria. Using the cultural trait theory, the study focuses on how the ethnic directors are influenced when making decisions concerning CSR. Adopting multiple regression analysis of data, the study investigates the three major ethnic groups (Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa) and finds cultural differences between the ethnic directors affect the adoption of CSR. Empirical results indicate that ethnic directors (Yoruba, Igbo and Hausa) were positively and significantly related to CSR. The paper contributes to the corporate governance and CSR debate concerning how ethnic directors’ decisions impact on CSR activities, particularly on the directors who are individualistic and collectivists towards CSR

The practice of hepatocellular cancer surveillance in Nigeria

Background: Hepatocellular cancer is a disease of global and public health importance due to the widespread distribution of risk factors and associated high case fatality. Hepatocellular Cancer (HCC) in Sub-Saharan Africa is commonly seen among the younger age groups (&lt;45 years) who present mostly in the terminal stage, when the disease is not amenable to any curative therapy. Hepatocellular Carcinoma surveillance employs the use of simple, cheap and readily available investigations, to detect early curable cancer in individuals with risk factors for HCC.Objectives:The aim of this study is to assess the practice of hepatocellular cancer screening among physicians.Methodolgy:This is a nationwide online survey carried out among physicians who care for patients with HCC. A questionnaire was sent out via a web link to all consenting doctors in Nigeria. The responses were collated in a cloud-based application and data was analysed using Epi-info version 20.Results:Atotal of 218 respondents, 142 were males (65.1 %) with a mean age of 37.6 ± 5.7 years. The modal age group was 31-40 years 153 (69.5%). The main factors considered as a hindrance to surveillance were; the cost of the tests (57.7%), failure of return of patients (50.5%) and not being aware of a surveillance program (45.2 %). The majority of the respondents were Gastroenterologists and Family Physicians. 54% of the gastroenterologists and 64% of the family physicians have never offered HCC surveillance to their patients.Conclusion:This survey highlights a knowledge gap in HCC surveillance among physicians. There is a need to make HCCsurveillance a daily routine among patients at risk by all physicians. Keywords: Surveillance, Hepatocellular Carcinoma, HBV, HCV, Cancer screening

Molecular pathways leading to loss of skeletal muscle mass in cancer cachexia can findings from animal models be translated to humans?

Background: Cachexia is a multi-factorial, systemic syndrome that especially affects patients with cancer of the gastrointestinal tract, and leads to reduced treatment response, survival and quality of life. The most important clinical feature of cachexia is the excessive wasting of skeletal muscle mass. Currently, an effective treatment is still lacking and the search for therapeutic targets continues. Even though a substantial number of animal studies have contributed to a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms of the loss of skeletal muscle mass, subsequent clinical trials of potential new drugs have not yet yielded any effective treatment for cancer cachexia. Therefore, we questioned to which degree findings from animal studies can be translated to humans in clinical practice and research. Discussion: A substantial amount of animal studies on the molecular mechanisms of muscle wasting in cancer cachexia has been conducted in recent years. This extensive review of the literature showed that most of their observations could not be consistently reproduced in studies on human skeletal muscle samples. However, studies on human material are scarce and limited in patient numbers and homogeneity. Therefore, their results have to be interpreted critically. Summary: More research is needed on human tissue samples to clarify the signaling pathways that lead to skeletal muscle loss, and to confirm pre-selected drug targets from animal models in clinical trials. In addition, improved diagnostic tools and standardized clinical criteria for cancer cachexia are needed to conduct standardized, randomized controlled trials of potential drug candidates in the future