The integrated approach of water hyacinth control on Lake Kainji: with special regard to the design, construction and installation of a water hyacinth barrier across the River Niger

This document lists the undesirable effects of water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) on fisheries in Lake Kainji (Nigeria) and the integrated Water Hyacinth Control Programme in its ongoing fisheries management and development activities on the lake. Special regard is given to the design, construction and installation of a water hyacinth barrier across the River Niger. (PDF contains 44 pages

Alternative income in Kainji Lake area: introduction of improved cocks to fisherfolk

Details are given of a study conducted in the framework of the Kainji Lake Fisheries Promotion Project to boost income from alternative sources. The project identified 'improved poultry keeping' as suitable for introduction around the Kainji Lake area. In the long term, the programme will assist increasing especially the income of female members of fishing families, since poultry is kept in the villages mainly by women. (PDF contains 35 pages

Theory and Practice in Philosophy and Education: A Conceptual Clarification

The paper takes off from the debate of Paul Hirst and Wilfred Carr on the position of philosophy of education, whether it could rightly be seen as a practical discipline or it is exclusively theoretical. While taking precautions on a hasty submission, the paper first examined some conceptions on the nature of theory and arrived at a definition of theory as a body of knowledge that is foundational and fulfils the function of describing, explaining and stipulating certain issues or problems. This makes theory comparable to practice, which is overt demonstration of what is known to serve a desired purpose. Practical activity was viewed from deliberate and non-deliberate perspectives and the submission was made that in either way, the practical rests on theoretical foundations. The paper also examined methods of theorising and observed that all the traditional methods of knowledge acquisition hold for theorising. The paper concludes on the submission that philosophy of education in its content and method is theoretical but must form a link with practicalities to be relevant to life.Keywords: Education, theory, practice, dichotom

MHD Flow of a Uniformly Stretched Vertical Permeable Membrane in the Presence of Zero Order Reaction and Quadratic Heat Generation

We present a magneto - hydrodynamic flow of a uniformly stretched vertical permeable surface undergoing Arrhenius heat reaction. The analytical solutions are obtained for concentration, temperature and velocity fields using an asymptotic approximation, similar to that of Ayeni et al 2004. It is shown that the temperature field and the velocity field depend heavily on the thermal grashof numbers, heat generation/absorption, magnetic induction, chemical reaction parameters and reaction order. It is also established that maximum velocity occurs in the body of the fluid close to the surface and not the surface

Enhancing competitive advantage through successful lean realisation within the Aviation Maintenance Repair and Overhaul (MRO) industry

Purpose: Lean is increasingly being applied within the aviation Maintenance and Repair (MRO) Industry to mitigate industry challenges. This Lean application is premised on its success within other industrial contexts particularly the automotive industry. Furthermore, many organisations within automotive industry have attributed their enhanced competitive positioning to the Lean application. Indeed, Toyota (a pioneer of Lean) present Lean as a key proponent to its global success. However, with literature suggesting that there cannot be a direct transference of Lean from one industry to another and with the MRO having distinct characteristics different from the automotive industry, this research seeks to present how competitive advantage can be achieved through successful Lean realisation. Design/Methodology/Approach: The status of MRO Lean engagements presented is first presented based on the syntheses of literature review and empirical study (facilitate by an industry-wide survey). The means through which the MRO realises its value proposition is established and the structural assessment of the MRO industry as it pertains to competitiveness is also defined. The role of Lean in enhancing the value delivery system to enhance competitive positioning is operationalised through a case study. Findings: Using Porter’s forces of competition, this research establishes the competitive MRO landscape revealing the distinct characteristics of the MRO industry and how Lean can be accurately appropriated to enhance competitive advantage. The MRO Value Delivery System (VDS) is also delineated providing the complete system within which Lean is to be deployed (as opposed to the prevalent limited application of Lean in operational context alone). The case exemplar successfully validates and operationalises the approach to Lean application within MRO to enhance competitive advantage. Research Limitations: A case study example was used for this research, and whilst the outcomes were consistent with the research proposal, it still requires wider validation. Practical and Social Implications: This research demystifies and helps MRO organisations in assessing their Lean engagements but also in provide a roadmap and informs their strategy in improving their competitive status through Lean realisation

THE IMPACT OF PARENTAL INVOLVEMENT ON ADOLESCENTS’ ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT IN NIGERIA

Parental involvement in education remains important for supporting educational achievement in adolescents. The purpose of this ex-post facto study was to evaluate the impact of parental involvement a multidimensional construct, on mathematics achievement in adolescents (9th graders) in Kwara State Nigeria. The study also evaluated the relationship between social capital, parental involvement and two motivational constructs, the growth mindset and learning goals. A total of 280 students in their third year of Junior secondary school in Kwara state Nigeria, participated in the study. The study was conducted using a 46-item survey of parental involvement administered once to students who volunteered to participate in the study at two secondary schools in Ilorin metropolis. A path analysis, which does numerous multiple regressions was conducted on the data to determine the unique contributions of the predictor variables parental involvement, social capital, growth mindset and learning goals to the dependent variable math achievement. The findings from the study show that social capital is a precursor of parental involvement, and both are indirect predictors of math achievement with learning goals acting as a significant mediational pathway. The study findings also indicate that social capital may be a barrier to equitable access to learning supports for math achievement. Recommendations stemming from the study findings include suggestions for the government, policymakers, parents, and school administrators for fostering parental involvement. There is also a need for further research to generate more robust data to contribute to existing empirical evidence of the benefits of parental involvement for adolescents

EFFECTS OF POPULATION DUE TO INTRA-ROW SPACING ON POSTHARVEST QUALITY OF GOLDEN MELON FRUITS

Golden melon (Cucumis melo L.) grown at different intra-row spacing contains different proximatecompositions and are of disparate quality. A field experiment was conducted at the Federal University ofAgriculture, Abeokuta, in the tropical rainforest/savannah transition zone of southwest Nigeria, to assess effectsof population due to intra-row spacing on proximate composition and some fruit physical and biochemicalqualities of golden melon. Treatments comprised of plant populations of 50,000, 25,000, 16,667, 12,500, and10,000 plants/ha at 20, 40, 60, 80, or 100 cm intra-row with a constant inter-row spacing of 100 cm. Data werecollected on proximate composition, carbohydrate, crude protein, ash, crude fiber, fat, dry matter and moisturecontent. Fruit length, fruit width, fruit firmness, titratable acids (TA), total soluble sugar (TSS) and vitamin Cwere determined. Results showed plant population due to intra-row spacing affected fruit proximate and qualitytraits. Population of 12,500 plants/ha from 80 cm intra-row spacing produced fruits with higher ash, fat, crudefibre and crude protein content; at 16,667 plants/ha (60 cm intra-row) produced fruits with higher carbohydratecontent. Population of 12,500 plants/ha from 80 cm intra-row produced longer and wider fruits, with higher TSSand more vitamin C. Therefore, plant population from specific intra-row spacing could impact on the proximatecomposition and physico-chemical composition of golden melon