Survey of plant seedling production by private nurseries in Kano metropolis-Nigeria

This study examined the viability of seedling production in Kano metropolis by private nursery operators with the purpose of assessing whether it is financially profitable for people to engage in such enterprises to reduce unemployment in the State. This survey was carried out to assess the socio-economic contribution of private commercial forest/ornamental nurseries in Kano Metropolis. Multi-stage sampling technique was used; where five local governments Areas (LGAs) were randomly selected, ten wards were selected randomly in each of the LGAs; in each of the wards, ten respondents were randomly selected from each nursery. Two nurseries were selected out of which two respondents were administered with the copies of questionnaire. Most of the nursery operator respondents were within the age of 15 to 35 years (75%). This age bracket composed of youths and few (25%) adults which implied that commercial nursery business in the study area can be greatly improved upon, since it is concentrated mostly in the hands of young and able-bodied individuals. The seedlings identified at the nurseries consisted of 30 species; 16 ornamental species, 10 tree crops species and 4 forest species. The result of the economic analysis from this study showed that the rate of returns (RORT) was generally high with the highest returns on Apple (₦8, 900), Golden Palm (₦2,350), Ficus (₦1,193.33), Yellow bush (₦1,050) and Gmelina (₦1,033.33). Nursery business is an attractive business to the people in Kano metropolis and specifically to the unemployed youths. There is great need for adoption of this enterprise in order to reduce poverty and unemployment in the study area.Key words: Kano metropolis, Nursery, Ornamental plants, Seedling, Unemployment

Assessment on the effects of potting mixtures on germination and growth of Moringa oleifera (LAM) seedlings in Sudan savanna ecology zone of Nigeria

This study was carried out in the Forestry nursery, Audu Bako College of Agriculture  ambatta, Kano-Nigeria. The aim was to evaluate seed germination and the growth rates of Moringa oleifera (Lam) in three (3) different growth media; to determine the best growth medium to raise Moringa seedlings; and to determine which of the growth medium support vigorous and early growth for Plantation establishment in Sudan savanna ecology of Nigeria. The different soil media were: top soil, river sand and cow dung manure (treatment A); top soil, river sand and poultry manure (treatment B) and top soil and river sand (treatment C). Seeds of M. oleifera(Lam) tested for viability by floatation method were planted in different soil Media and replicated three times. The experiment was arranged in a Completely Randomized Design and watering was carried in all the treatments daily. The germination and growth of the seedlings were assessed for twelve weeks. Parameters measured were: germination rates, seedlings height, leaflets width and length, and leaflet numbers. Data were subjected to ANOVA and results showed that there was significant difference on parameters assessed on the 10th day (F=4.56, P=0.01 P<0.05) and 30th day (F=3.42, P=0.04 P<0.05) among the three treatments in terms of height (cm) but on the 20th day, there was no significant variation (F=1.02, P=0.37 P>0.05) in height of the seedlings among the treatments. Therefore, germination and early growth rate of Moringa oleifera seeds in treatment C (topsoil & river sand) demonstrated better growth potential on the average, than seeds planted in treatment A and B, respectively.Key words: Germination; Moringa oleifera (lam); Treatment; Seedlings; Media/medium; Parameter

Exploring double skin façade as strategy for achieving thermal comfort in proposed mixed use office complex Kano, Nigeria

Thermal comfort can be defined as a state of mind which a human feels neither too hot nor too cold. Thermal discomfort in the case of hot humid climates, becomes a great threat to our livelihood and thermal comfort in offices in general. The ability of designers to harness and use the building envelope make life much better and livable is of great importance. This research seeks to use Double skin façade as a strategy for improving indoor thermal comfort by testing the air gap between the double skins. Climate and Weather readings were obtained and used to simulate and check the effect of Double skin façade in improving indoor thermal comfort in office complex. Double skin facade has been suggested by many researchers as a possible alternative technique for improving indoor thermal comfort. The double skin facade study in this research involved computer simulation using Emissions Control Optimization TEChnology (ECOTEC). The result of the final base case model shows that double skin façade can increase the indoor thermal comfort in a building and the wider the air gap, the higher the thermal comfort by showing the hours of comfort and discomfort to the simulated office building. The other important factor is that it can continuously induce the flow of natural ventilation, regardless of the available wind outside of the office complex building. This effect is significant toward improving the thermal comfort performance in the office complex through passive natural ventilation

On the Oscillation of the Generalized Food-Limited Equations with Delay

- The objective of the paper is to find conditions for the oscillation of the food-limited equation. We established conditions for the oscillation of all solutions of the generalized foodlimited equation by transforming the equation to a non-linear delay differential equation and then to a scalar delay differential equation and using the property of the scalar delay differential equation to obtain our result. Similarly we establish conditions for the oscillation of all solutions of the foodlimited equation with several delays by transforming the equation to a scalar differential equation to obtain the oscillatory property

Effects of induction as an adjustment mechanism of recruits in industrial organizations in Nigeria

This study examined the dynamics of adjustment mechanisms on recruits in industrial organizations in Nigeria. The purpose of the study is to present a theoretical and statistical analysis of different types and processes of recruit‘s adjustments. The general objective is therefore to clarify the effect of adjustment mechanisms on recruits in industrial organizations in Nigeria. Survey research design was adopted to meet the objective. Questionnaire was used as a means of data collection. The total population of this study was 160 employees which represents the total workforce of three selected organizations in Abuja. The distribution of the population is as follows: National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) 95 (59.37%) employees, Abuja Graduate School (AGS) 35 (21.87%) employees and Trans Nationwide Express (TRANEX) 30 (18.75%) employees respectively and the units of analysis were the recruits. Recruits here mean staff who have spent between one to four years in different organizations. The onboarding theory was adopted and its relevance to this study was also justified to understand what motivates recruits. Quantitative analysis was chosen because it is one of the most suitable methods of data analysis for expressing in detail, the nature and feature of any given variable to avoid reader‘s bias. Findings of this study revealed, among others, that induction and good interpersonal relationship have significant impact on adjustment. It was concluded that there is need for individuals who are employed to get along in the organization so as to keep their job. Amongst the recommendations was that there is need for workplace restructuring in the organization to help both the workers and the organization realize their full potentials and goals. Key Words: Adjustment, Mechanism, Organization, Employee and Recruits

Urbanization and climate change: the role of road transport in carbon dioxide emission in Kano Metropolis, Nigeria

No AbstractKeywords: CO2 abatement, automobile density, climate change, global warming, greenhouse gase

Klippel-Feil syndrome presenting as recurrent abdominal pain in a teenager: importance of computed tomography scan in diagnostic workup

Klippel-Feil syndrome (KFS) is a segmentation and cleavage malformation of the cervical spine in the early weeks of foetal development. This is considered as a sporadic genetic abnormality, and is accompanied by multisystem disorders such as a short neck, cardiac disease, renal ectopia and other associated genitourinary syndromes. In this case report, we present the clinical and radiological findings of a 14-year old school boy who was referred to us from a private hospital for abdominopelvic ultrasound to ascertain his cause of recurrent abdominal pains since childhood. We also present the role of computed tomography in detecting multisystemabnormalities during a single hospital visit.Keywords: Recurrent abdominal pains, renal ectopia, multiple cervicothoracic vertebral fusions, Sprengel's scapula

Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibody among individuals aged above 15 years and residing in congregate settings in Dire Dawa city administration, Ethiopia

Background Determining the extent of seropositivity of SARS-CoV-2 antibody has the potential to guide prevention and control efforts. We aimed to determine the seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibody among individuals aged above15 years and residing in the congregate settings of Dire Dawa city administration, Ethiopia. Method We analyzed COVID-19 seroprevalence data on 684 individuals from a community based cross-sectional survey conducted among individuals aged above 15 years and residing in congregate settings in Dire Dawa from June 15 to July 30, 2020. Data were collected using interview and blood sample collection. Participants were asked about demographic characteristics, COVID-19 symptoms, and their practice of preventive measures. Seroprevalence was determined using SARS-CoV-2 IgG test. Bivariate and multivariate multilevel mixed effects logistic regression model was fitted and statistical significance was set at p value < 0.05. Result The estimated SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence was 3.2% (95 % CI 2.0–4.8) in the study region with no differences by age and sex but considerable differences were observed by self-reported practice of COVID-19 preventive measures. The cluster effect is not significant (P = 0.396) which has suggested no evidence of heterogeneity in SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence among the clusters. The odds of SARS-CoV-2 antibody seroprevalence were higher for individuals who were employed and work by moving from home to work area (AOR; 9.73 95% CI 2.51, 37.68), reported of not wearing facemasks when leaving home (AOR; 6.4 95% CI 2.30, 17.66) and did not practice physical distancing measures (AOR; 10 95% CI 3.01, 33.20) compared to their counterparts, respectively. Our estimated seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 among participants who reported not to have practiced social distancing measures was 12.8 (95% CI, 7.0, 19) and 1.5 (95% CI, 0.5, 2.5) among those who reported of practicing them. More than 80% of study participants reported of implementing infection prevention measures (face masks and physical distancing recommendations). Conclusion The detected SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence among the study participants was low at the time of the survey indicating higher proportion of population yet to be infected. COVID-19 preventive measures were associated with reduced seroprevalence and should be promoted to avoid transmission to the uninfected majority