Soil Health Improvement Technologies to Enhance Drought and Nutrient Resilience in Urban Agroecosystems in Zimbabwe

Soil degradation which is linked to poor soil organic matter management remains a significant barrier to sustained crop production in smallholder urban agriculture (UA) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). While organic nutrient resources are often used in UA to complement inorganic fertilisers in soil fertility management, they are usually scarce and of poor quality to provide optimum nutrients for crop uptake. Alternative soil nutrient management options are required. Aluminium-water treatment residual (Al-WTR), a by-product of the drinking water treatment process is an alternative organo-mineral resource that can be used to complement mineral and organic nutrient resources in urban agroecosystems. Although previous research has revealed the transformative effects of Al-WTR on soil physicochemical properties, there is still some inconsistency about the effects of Al-WTR on relations between plant yield and nutrients, particularly phosphorus (P). The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of co-applying Al-WTR in combination with other organic nutrient resources (compost, cattle manure and maize stover) as ‘co-amendments’ on soil physical, biological, and chemical properties, P sorption and maize productivity in UA in Zimbabwe. The study employed field, greenhouse, and laboratory approaches to test different Al-WTR-based options for improved soil health. The main treatments included single amendments of Al-WTR, compost (C), cattle manure (CM), maize stover (MS) or their co-amendments as Al-WTR + CM, Al-WTR + MS or Al-WTR + C; an unamended control and standard NPK. A field experiment to determine the influence of Al-WTR co-amendments on soil organic carbon (SOC) and selected soil physical properties showed higher accumulation of SOC and lower soil bulk density; higher soil structural stability, water holding capacity and higher maize grain yields in the co-amendments compared to the unamended soils. The co-amendment of Al-WTR and cattle manure (Al-WTR + CM) accumulated higher (4.96 g. kg-1) concentration of SOC and the lowest (1.30 g cm-3) bulk density, whilst the unamended control recorded the least (4.55 g. kg-1) in SOC and the highest (1.35 g. cm-3) bulk density. The co-amendment, Al-WTR + CM also exhibited greater soil structural stability, recording an average of 121.64 g. kg-1 water-stable aggregates (WSA) and 0.17 mm in mean weighted diameter (MWD), equating to an increase of 393% (WSA) and 141% (MWD), relative to the unamended control. The co-amendment, Al-WTR + CM also resulted in increments of at least 0.02 cm3 cm-3 in readily available water, whilst also retaining > 10% more water at field capacity relative to the control. Both co-amendments, Al-WTR + CM and Al-WTR and maize stover (Al-WTR + MS) in turn yielded four times more maize grain yield compared to the unamended control. Results also showed a higher biological activity in the co-amendments, suggestive of a high turnover potential of the co-amendments in restoring soil health. The co-amendment of Al-WTR + CM attained the highest microbial biomass carbon (190 ± 1.14 mg C kg-1) and microbial biomass nitrogen (35.80 ± 0.51 mg N kg-1) at 6 weeks after planting maize, whereas the least (120 ± 1.58 mg C kg- 1 and 18.72 ± 0.35 mg N kg-1) were recorded for the unamended control. Soil basal respiration (CO2-C emission) was higher in Al-WTR + MS, which gave the highest CO2-C emission of 167 ± 3.44 mg CO2-C kg-1 soil. The unamended control on the other hand recorded a higher metabolic quotient, releasing > 0.10 mg CO2-C microbial C day-1 more, compared to the co-amendments, suggesting more available carbon in the co-amendments and therefore less microbial strain compared to the unamended soil. Results of a short-term greenhouse experiment to evaluate the benefits of applying Al-WTR in combination with compost and inorganic P fertiliser, on soil chemical properties, and maize (Zea mays L.) productivity and nutrient uptake showed higher (3.92 ± 0.16 g) maize shoot biomass at 5 weeks after emergence in the co-amendment of 10% C + 10% Al-WTR, significantly (p <0.05) out-yielding the unamended control which yielded 1.33 ± 0.17 g. The addition of inorganic P fertiliser to the co-amendment (10% C + 10% Al-WTR + P) further increased maize shoot yield by about six-fold (7.23 ± 0.07 g), showing the important role of inorganic P fertilisers in crop production. The co-amendment, 10% Al-WTR + 10% C + P increased maize uptake of the micronutrients Zinc (Zn), Copper (Cu) and Manganese (Mn) by 13.63-, 1.08- and 0.79- mg kg-1, respectively, compared with the single amendment of 10% C + P. The enhanced micronutrient uptake can potentially improve maize grain quality and subsequently human nutrition for the urban population in SSA. A laboratory experiment to understand P sorption characteristics of a sandy soil co-amended with different ratios of Al-WTR and compost under varying levels of pH, particle size and P concentration showed higher maximum P sorption in the single amendment of Al-WTR compared to the co-amendments. The co-amendments in turn showed a reduction in crop inorganic P fertiliser requirements by ranges of 30 - 70% in the co-amendments compared to the single amendment of Al-WTR. Overall, results from this study showed that Al-WTR co-amendments can be used to re-build soil heath, enhance maize productivity, and improve human nutrition in smallholder urban agro-systems of Southern Africa and partly contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) linked to both soil and human health

Fluconazole resistance in clinical isolates of Candida albicans in some selected hospitals in Sokoto Metropolis

Aim: The aim of the study is to determine fluconazole resistance in clinical isolates of Candida albicans in some selected hospitals in Sokoto metropolis. Methods: A total of 170 samples were collected consisting of oral swabs, high vaginal swab (HVS) and endocervical swab (ECS). Standard mycological analyses such as culture on chromogenic agar, Germ tube test and antifungal susceptibility testing were carried out to isolate and identify C. albicans. Results: The most prevalent yeast isolated was C. albicans (41.2%) followed by C. krusei(17.6%), C.tropicalis (12.9%) and C. glabrata (1.2%). Prevalence of resistance and susceptibility were 34.3% and 65.7% respectively. Prevalence of resistance was higher in isolates from females (38.5%), age group 41-50 (100%) and ECS (50%). Conclusion: In this study, fluconazole resistant C.albicans is prevalent in Sokoto metropolis and there is need to review antibiotic policy. Keywords: C. albicans; fluconazole; Sokoto; resistance; ECS; HV

Abdullahi b. fodio as a Muslim jurist

This work is a critical and objective study of 'Abdullahi as a Muslim jurist. Chapter one deals with the background to 'Abdullahi's society and gives a brief account of the political, social, economic and religious conditions of the peoples of the Hausa States in the 18th century.. Chapter two gives a brief account of Abdullahi's life. It covers his education and preaching, and the part which he played in the Sokoto Jihad. It concludes with a brief sketch of his character. In chapter three we have tried to trace the personalities that most influenced 'Abdullahi's thinking. It is hoped that a knowledge of these personalities would help to account for Abdullah!'s views. Chapter four deals with 'Abdullahi's ideas on constitutional theory and government« and in particular his conception of the Caliphate and various departments of its administration. Chapter five deals with Abdullahi ideas on Islamic society and the vital role which he described to religious revival in the process of social reform. It deals with his ideas on the significance of rituals and the relationships between the various sections of Islamic society, and his attitude towards non-conformists like rebels and zindiqs. It deals with 'Abdullahi's ideas on the institution of marriage, the upbringing of children, and the lawful and unlawful means of the acquisition of wealth. In chapter six we have attempted to make a critical assessment of "Abdullah! as a mujtahid or an independent Muslim jurist. We dealt first with the principles which guided him in formulating his opinions. While stressing his independent juristic approach, we placed him as a mujtahid within the Maliki School of Law. We also showed how his choice of sources extended to the three orthodox schools of law

Masjid as an Institution of Reforming Almajiri Education System: A Policy Option for State Governments in Northern Nigeria

One of the critical issues bedeviling the Muslim community in Northern Nigeria is the current trend of the Almajiri system of education where children at tender age are made to excruciatingly fend for themselves in the name of search of Islamic knowledge. This has become a source of concern as the children are not only deprived of their basic rights of healthy and decent living, but are also prone to many misdemeanors. Numerous governmental and (non-) faith-based organizations have been struggling to transform the system. This paper highlights the crucial role of Masaajid as a rallying point for Muslims; for prayers, study cycles, holding meetings, conflict resolution, contracting marriages, offering charity, provision of shelter to the destitute, among others. Hence, the paper brings into limelight ways in which Masaajid in Northern Nigeria can be used through zakah and waqf, contribution of philanthropists and other stakeholders in reforming the Almajri system of education through the use of masaajid as alternative school system thereby implementing better ways of eradicating the scourge. The paper concludes that masaajid provide veritable alternatives for result-oriented learning in serene and descent atmosphere devoid of inhumane treatment and in conformity with the pristine teachings of Islam

Super-high temperature sensitivity of long-period gratings in B/Ge co-doped fiber

Long period fiber grating (LPFG) can be used as active gain controlling device in EDFA. However, LPFGs fabricated in the standard telecom fiber only have a typical temperature sensitivity of 3-10nm/100°C, which may not be sufficient for implementing tuneable filters capable of wide tuning range and high tuning efficiency. In this paper, we report a theoretical and experimental investigation of thermal properties of LPFGs fabricated in B/Ge co-doped optical fiber. We have found that the temperature sensitivity of the LPFGs in the B/Ge fiber is considerably increased compared with those produced in the standard fiber. The LPFGs written in the B/Ge fiber have achieved, on average, one order of magnitude higher sensitivity than that of the LPFGs produced in the standard telecom fiber. We have also identified that the thermal response of LPFG is strongly dependent on the order of the coupled resonant cladding mode. The maximum sensitivity of 1.75nm/°C achieved by the 10th cladding mode of the 240μm LPFG is nearly 24 times that of the minimum value (0.075nm/C) exhibited by the 30th mode of the 34μm LPFG. Such devices may lead to high-efficiency and low-cost thermal/electrical tunable loss filters or sensors with extremely high temperature resolution

Design of Power Efficient Power Amplifier for B3G Base Stations.

yesFourth generation systems require the use of both amplitude and phase modulation to efficiently utilize the available spectrum and to obtain high data rates, hence imposing stringent requirements on the power amplifier in terms of efficiency and linearity and requires the power amplifier to operate linearly and efficiently. The B3G base station transceiver Doherty power amplifier was designed to operate over the frequency range of 3.47GHz to 3.53GHz mobile WiMAX band using Freescale¿s N-Channel Enhancement-Mode Lateral MOSFET Transistor, MRF7S38010HR3; The performances of the Doherty amplifier are compared with that of the conventional Class AB amplifier. The results of 43 dBm output power and 66% power added efficiency are achieved

Compact FBG grating array structure for high spatial resolution distributed strain sensing

We report here an implementation of high-spatial resolution distributed sensors employing compact-grating-array structure, offering advantages of free designing dynamic range and simple interrogation by utilising established wavelength-division-multiplexing technique

Correlations Between Stress, Coping Strategies and Academic Performance of Undergraduate Students of Federal University Birnin-Kebbi, Kebbi State, Nigeria

The paper investigated the relationships among stress, coping strategies and academic performance of undergraduate students of Federal University Birnin-kebbi, Kebbi State. A correlational type of survey design was used for the study. Three faculties were randomly selected from the university. A Random sampling technique was used in selecting 337 students, both male and female for the study. The two research instruments were adopted from Okorie (2016): The Students Stress Questionnaire (SSQ) and Students Coping Strategy Questionnaire (SCSQ), Students Academic Performance Scores (SAPS) was constructed by the researchers. All the questionnaires have 25 items, each scored on a four-point Likert Scale ranging from (Strongly Agreed, Agreed, Disagreed, and Strongly Disagreed). Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient (r) was used to test hypothesis 1, and hypothesis 2 was analyzed using the t-test analysis. The finding of the study revealed that negative relationship exists between stress and academic performance of students with (r= -0.850, p=0.000) and significant difference existed between male and female students in their coping strategies with (t=0.5823, p=0.000). It is therefore concluded that stress constitute serious problems that distract the students from maximum academic output and effective social life. It was recommended among others that university environment should be made conducive by improving on hostel accommodation, conducive classrooms for lectures and amenities such as light and water