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Economic Potential of Okra Cultivation for Limited Resource Farmers
Get PDFBackground: Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L. Moench), is an economically important vegetable crop with a potential to increase farm incomes of small producers. This is because okra is popular, easy to grow, and valuable with average retail prices of up to 9,565.00, 6,290.60 and $6,020.00, respectively. These represent 58.9%, 16.6% and 4.5% revenue increase over the green hybrid sparkler variety. Frozen okra revenue estimates followed the same trend. These findings suggests that Red Burgundy provides the highest revenue potential in terms of production and economics and would be the best variety for farmers in East Texas to grow
Spatial Variability of Manganese Oxide in Two Soilscapes: Upland-Lowland, and Riparian Buffer-Wetland Boundary- Wetland
Get PDFBackground: This research project describes the development
of a quantitative measurement methodology to determine the
concentration of manganese oxide (MnOx) in two soilscape
positions (Upland- Lowland and Riparian Buffer-Wetland
Boundary-Wetland). Methods: A reaction between the MnOx
in the soil sample and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) was initiated
to determine the level of MnOx reactivity in the soil sample. Data
was collected from four sites on Soilscape 1 (Upland, Lowland,
and two sites between the Uplands and Lowlands); within each
site, five soil profile depths and three sample replicates were
measured which comprised a total of 60 samples. Additionally,
data was collected from three sites on Soilscape 2 (Riparian
Buffer-Wetland Boundary-Wetland), within each site, three soil
profile depths and three sample replicates were measured which
comprised a total of 27 samples. Measurements were collected
and revalidated to assess the accuracy of the measurement
protocol. Results: Analysis of data collected from the surface
layers in Soilscape 1 indicated that the Lowland (Site 4) had the
highest level of MnOx followed by Site 3 with the lowest value
occurring at Site 2. A follow up, revalidation study of three of
the four sites from the surface layers on Soilscape 1 indicated
that the Lowland (Site 4) had the highest level followed by the
Midslope (Site 3) with the lowest value occurring at the Upland
(Site 1). Therefore, the revalidation study results matched two
of the three sites from the initial study. Correspondingly, the
data collected from the three sites from the surface layers on
Soilscape 2 indicated that the Wetland Boundary had the highest
level followed by Riparian Buffer with the lowest value occurring
at Wetland. The revalidation study results matched the initial study
for each of the three sites from the surface layers on Soilscape 2,
which indicated that the Wetland Boundary had the highest level
followed by the Riparian Buffer with the lowest value occurring
at the Wetland. Conclusion: The results of this study can be
used to easily determine the spatial variability o f MnOx levels in
soilscapes that range from Upland-Lowland and Riparian Buffer-
Wetland Boundary-Wetland, and the movement of soluble
MnOx ions within soilscapes by mass flow and/or diffusion
processes. In soils with adequate levels of MnOx ions, the use of
this methodology can assist in the delineation of the wetland
boundary, which has both an economic and land-use importance
to society, because of the importance of the ecological functions
of wetland ecosystems
Humility and inquiry: A response to tibor solymosi
No full textIn his essay, “Affording our Culture: ‘Smart’ Technology and the Prospects for Creative Democracy,” Tibor Solymosi addresses my challenge for neuropragmatism to counter what I have elsewhere called dopamine democracy.1 Although I believe that Solymosi has begun to provide an explanation for how neuropragmatism may counter dopamine democracy, especially with his conceptions Œ and cultural affordances, I respond with a helpful addition to his approach by returning to the theory of inquiry as put forth by John Dewey. In partic-ular, I focus on the phases of inquiry as colored by Dewey’s concept of humility. Solymosi does not pay adequate attention to the function of inquiry necessary for combatting dopamine democracy. His account of cultural affordances and education is strengthened by using Dewey’s concept of humility as a guiding disposition for neuropragmatic inquiry. Recognizing humility as an instrument of neuropragmatic inquiry provides us with a tool to better address the pitfalls of dopamine democracy, especially misinformation and incentive salience. My argument proceeds by first articulating dopamine democracy as a problem and Solymosi’s concept of cultural affordances and how he understands these as neuropragmatic tools to address the problem through educa-tion. I present humility as an instrumental concept derived from Dewey’s work on inquiry. I then suggest how humility may serve neuropragmatic inquiry to assist in combatting the problems of dopamine democracy
Expression dynamics of Integrin Subunit Beta 5 in bovine gametes and embryos imply functions in male fertility and early embryonic development
No full textIntegrins have been shown to act as signalling receptors, and they primarily recognise extracellular matrix ligands on the oocyte surface. However, their possible roles in oocyte activation and embryo development are not clearly understood. The objectives of this study were to evaluate expression of Integrin Subunit Beta 5 (ITGβ5) in bovine sperm, oocytes, and early embryos and to ascertain the evolutionary conservation of ITGβ5. To accomplish these objectives, we used western blotting to study expression levels of ITGβ5 protein in sperm and RT-qPCR to determine expression levels of ITGβ5 transcripts in oocytes and embryos. We have also used bioinformatic analysis to determine the evolutionary conservation of the ITGβ5 protein among various species. Western blotting showed that ITGβ5 protein was detectable in bull sperm. Moreover, results of RT-qPCR showed that levels of ITGβ5 were significantly higher in the two-cell embryos, followed by the 8–16-cell embryos. However, no significant difference in expression levels were noted for the morula and blastocyst stages as compared to MII oocytes. Bioinformatic analysis revealed that ITGβ5 is conserved among various species. We conclude that expression of ITGβ5 in bovine gametes and embryos implies an important role in fertilisation and embryogenesis
Life skill development and financial impact associated with a youth livestock sales program
No full textThe Sale of Junior Champions is a premier livestock auction and youth scholarship program held at Dixie Nationals as a part of Mississippi’s junior livestock program. The sale is open to 4-H and FFA members who qualified their livestock at the annual Dixie National Junior Round-Up. While youth livestock sales programs are commonly found at state and county fairs throughout the United States, demographic information and information concerning financial and life skill impacts of the program on participants is limited. Therefore, a survey instrument for the 2018 sale was designed to determine how the event has impacted the financial burden of continued education and life skill development of youth participants. Paper and electronic surveys were distributed during and after the event. Responses (n = 176) reflected a diverse group of participants including 4-H/FFA members (22%), parents of youth (22%), volunteers (21%), Extension employees/FFA advisors (22%), sale buyers/sponsors (12%), and others (2%). Most participants (45%) were older (40-60 years old). Almost half of the respondents (43%) had attended the sale 6 or more times, while 10% were first-time attendees. A driving force for attendance appeared to be the scholarships as 33% received or had a youth receiving a scholarship. Program participation promoted improvement in all life skills measured. Future educational goals in youths were reported to be positively impacted by sale participation (p \u3c 0.001). Understanding of sale participant demographics and financial and life skill impacts will assist in program justification, future program growth, and identifying groups where participation can be strengthened
Fucosyltransferase gene expression in goat endometrium during the estrous cycle and early pregnancy
No full textRegulation of the expression of the alpha(1,2)fucosyltransferase (FUT)genes and their enzymatic products, including the H-type 1 antigen (HT1), on the luminal surface of the uterus is believed to be critical for establishment of pregnancy in mammals. The FUT1 gene is a marker for conception rates in dairy cows and HT1 is a marker for uterine receptivity in rodents. To determine the spatiotemporal expression patterns of FUT1 and FUT2 genes in goats, endometrial tissues were obtained on six days spanning the estrous cycle (Days 5, 11, 13, 15, 17 and 19)and seven days spanning early pregnancy (Days 5, 11, 13, 15, 17, 19 and 25). In all data, we found no effect of status (cyclic or pregnant; P \u3e 0.1)and pooled data where appropriate. We cloned FUT1 cDNA from goat endometrium and made probes from it for Northern and slot blot analyses. The analyses indicated that FUT1 gene expression was high until Day 13, and then declined. In situ hybridization revealed a change in the cell-specificity of FUT1 gene expression over the estrous cycle and early pregnancy. In situ hybridization signal intensity scores indicated that FUT1 expression by uterine epithelium was high on Day 5, moderate on Day 11, and minimal on subsequent days. In situ hybridization signals in uterine glandular epithelial cells remained high from Day 5 to Day 13, with weaker signals thereafter. Quantitative reverse transcription-PCR (RT-qPCR)assays were used for quantitation of FUT1 and FUT2 mRNAs. Quantitative RT-qPCR data were generated from endometrium collected from cyclic and pregnant animals on Days 5, 11 and 17. Relative levels of FUT1 mRNA were high on Days 5 and 11, but then fell 5-fold by Day 17 (P \u3c 0.01). FUT2 mRNA concentrations were below the accurate detectable limit of the assay. High levels of HT1 were observed on the apical surface of uterine luminal epithelia on Days 5, 15, 17 and 19, with much lower levels on Days 11 and 13. Thus, data suggests that FUT1 is the primary enzyme responsible for the high levels of HT1 antigen present on the uterine luminal epithelium between Days 5 and 11 of the estrous cycle and early pregnancy. But changes in the expression of the FUT1 gene does not directly correlate to HT1 staining, which increased from Day 13–15. Future studies are required to understand the regulation of the HT1 antigen on the luminal surface of endometrium
Evaluation of chemical composition of Byrsocarpus dinklagei: An uncommon indigenous spice consumed in south-eastern Nigeria
No full textBackground: Spices especially in form of herbs and leaves, are commonly used in food preparation in eastern Nigeria. However, they are not usually accounted for in the nutritional content of foods. Byrsocarpus dinklagei is one of the uncommon aromatic spices added to cooked food for enhanced organolpetic properties and health purposes. Objective: This study evaluated the proximate, vitamins and phytochemical compositions of B. dinklagei (efu) spice. Methods: Seeds of B. dinklagei were dried in a cabinet dryer at 70oC to a constant weight and pulverized to powder. The ground powder was evaluated for proximate, vitamins and phytochemical compositions using standard methods. Data obtained was analyzed for mean and standard deviation. Results: The results showed that the spice contained 4.14% protein, 20.54% moisture, 2.19% fat, 1.83% ash, 1.94% crude fiber and 74.71% carbohydrate. Byrsocarpus dinklagei seeds powder contained 19.60 mg/100g of vitamin B2, 9.09 mg/100g vitamin C and 1.60 mg/100g of beta carotene. The mineral contents per 100g were 3.3mg Mg, 14.10 mg K, 0.9mg Na, 1.0 mg Ca, 212.0mg Mn, 598.0 mg Fe, 72 mg Cu and 144.0 mg Zn. The identified phytochemical content of B. dinklagei were 8.50 mg/100g of tannin, 115.10 mg/100g of alkaloid, 57.60 mg/100g of flavonoid, 21.00 mg/100g of saponin, 41.1 mg/100g of phytate and 25.00 mg/100g. Terpene profilr showed the presence of alpha-pinene, beta-myrcene, delta 3-carene, limonene, and rho-cymene as the main terpenes detected in the spice with a total terpene content of 50.70 mg/100g. Conclusion: The spice powder is a rich source of micronutrients and phytochemicals of biological significance
African American psychology: A positive psychology perspective
No full textThis innovative text is the first to examine the contemporary psychological experience of African Americans through the lens of a positive, strengths-based model. It combats the deficit perspective that has permeated the psychological literature about African Americans by focusing on the strengths that have facilitated their growth and resilience-while also considering existing challenges and struggles. The author examines in depth the major areas of psychological research across family, peer, and romantic relationships, education, work, ethnic-racial socialization and identity, prosocial behavior and civic engagement, and the mental and physical health of African Americans today. With a focus on real life applications, the text includes pedagogical elements introducing topics in Current Events, Interventions in Practice, Individual Issues, African Cultural Values, and Media and Technology. Additional features include learning objectives in each chapter, discussion questions, a closing summary, an extensive trove of additional resources, and PowerPoints and a sample syllabus for instructors. Print version of book includes free, searchable, digital access to the entire contents
An overview of the quality assurance programme for HIV rapid testing in South Africa: Outcome of a 2-year phased implementation of quality assurance program
No full textObjective This is the first large-scale assessment of the implementation of HIV Rapid Test Quality Improvement Initiative in South Africa. Methods We used a quasi-experimental one group post-test only design. The intervention implemented starting April 2014 comprised health-care worker training on quality assurance (QA) of HIV rapid testing and enrolment of the facilities in proficiency testing (PT), targeting 2,077 healthcare facilities in 32 high HIV burden districts. Following the intervention, two consecutive rounds of site assessments were undertaken. The first, conducted after a median of 7.5 months following the training, included 1,915 facilities that participated in the QA training, while the second, conducted after a median of one-year following the first-round assessment included 517 (27.0%) of the 1,915 facilities. In both assessments, the Stepwise-Process-for-Improving-the-quality-of-HIV-Rapid-Testing (SPI-RT) checklist was used to score facilities’ performance in 7 domains: training, physical facility, safety, pre-testing, testing, post-testing and external quality assessment. Facilities’ level of readiness for national certification was assessed. Result Between 2016 and 2017, there were four PT cycles. PT participation increased from 32.4% (620/1,915) in 2016 to 91.5% (1,753/1,915) in 2017. In each PT cycle, PT results were returned by 76%–87% of facilities and a satisfactory result (\u3e80%) was achieved by ≥95% of facilities. In the SPI-RT assessment, in round-one, 22.3% of facilities were close to or eligible for national certification—this significantly increased to 38.8% in round-two (P-value\u3c0.001). The median SPI-RT score for the domains HIV pre-testing (83.3%) and post-testing (72.2%) remained the same between the two rounds. The median score for the testing domain increased by 5.6% (to 77.8%). Conclusion Facilities performance on the domains that are critical for accuracy of diagnosis (i.e. pretesting, testing and post-testing) remained largely unchanged. This study provided several recommendations to improve QA implementation in South Africa, including the need to improve routine use of internal quality control for corrective actions
AG Day on The Hill Program College Of Agriculture And Human Sciences - 2019
Get PDFhttps://digitalcommons.pvamu.edu/pv-magazine/1007/thumbnail.jp