195 research outputs found
Mulato (Brachiaria sp.)
No full textSS-AGR-303, a 4-page fact sheet by J. Vendramini, U. Inyang, B. Sellers, L.E. Sollenberger, and M. Silveira, describes the apomictic hybrid of brachiaragrass with good growing potential for Florida pastures. Includes references. Published by the UF Department of Agronomy, May 2008.
SS AGR 303/AG310: Mulato II (Brachiaria sp.) (ufl.edu
SUSTAINABLE ENERGY IMPLEMENTATION IN URBAN NIGERIA
No full textA global new deal (describing a comprehensive programme designed to respond to multiple crises in financial, economic, environmental and social sectors) recently adopted by advanced countries comprises sustainable (renewable and efficient) energy and environmentally-friendly technologies. Despite the abundance of natural renewable energy resources in Nigeria, sustainable energy remains ignored and underplayed. Aetiological method and concept of postneoliberalism were used to analyse historical data on sustainable energy production and use in Nigeria. The findings include prolonged use of neoliberalistic political framework: military dictatorship, ineptitude in terms of adoption of sustainable energy due to the culture comprising historical scramble to steal and misappropriate funds earned from export, production and use, of fossil fuels (petroleum oil and natural gas). After criminally enriching themselves by stealing public funds, Nigeria’s elite (characterized by opulent living) over-use and rely on conventional energy technologies (CETs)-especially gigantic and powerful fossil fuel-run power generating sets It is concluded that the failure of Nigeria’s elite to facilitate massive and rapid implementation of sustainable energy technologies to address multiple crises hampering the achievement of sustainable development in the country beckons for the creation of new postneoliberalistic policies are required to promote massive and rapid implementation of sustainable energy technologies at decentralized sub-national urban regions based on the proven model of distributed generation and supply of SETs.postneoliberalism, sustainable energy technologies, Nigeria, conventional energy technologies
The political economy of international trade in hazardous and toxic wastes in West Africa: theoretical and case analysis, 1997
No full textThis dissertation examines international dumping trade in hazardous and toxic wastes and its impact on the trading countries in West Africa, relying on available and fairly limited information on transboundary movement of unwanted wastes shipped more often illegally for dumping from industrialized to poor West African countries between 1980- 1988. The drive for this trade in unwanted wastes from West African countries has been the seeming attraction for easy cash, while the drive from the industrialized countries has been the huge profit margin for the unsavory waste brokers, and the desperate need for cheap source of disposal. Given these motivations and the attendant health and environmental problems with inexplicable outcomes associated with this type of trade, the study takes off from the premise that proper economic development in this poor region of West Africa is not properly served by international trade in "unwanted wastes. This postulation, the paper explains, adopts two methods of analysis a theoretical approach and an empirical approach. The theoretical approach analyzes the realists, radical/marxists and dependency theorists arguments which favor protectionism, in contrast with the liberal theorists arguments which favor laissez-faire capitalism. In the empirical approach, analysis is made by developing and testing a hypothesis in five West African countries involved in the international wastes dumping trade. One major finding is that at least two of the five tested cases confirm the hypothesis--that the hazardous and toxic wastes dumping trade in West Africa follows the path of the poor, the corrupt or uninformed and it is exploitative. Conclusion derived from the analyses is that the international trade in "unwanted wastes does not serve proper economic development in West Africa and should be banned. The study recommends the elimination or minimization of more toxic wastes production through prevention and adoption of Al Gores new initiative of phasing out dirty production practices with sophisticated technology
A study of the protozoan fauna of the piedmont park lake Atlanta, Georgia, 1980
No full textThe purposes of this study were: (1) To examine the effects of temperature, hydrogen-ion concentration and food supply on the fluctuation of the protozoan population in the Piedmont Park Lake;(2) To collect the organisms, study their forms and movement and identify them. In Mastigophora, the optimal range of temperature species is more varied than that of Sarcodina. Euglena viridis was found at all seasons of the year. Few species in this group were identified during the cold period. Infusoria are capable of withstanding extremes in temperature. The species in this group were more abundant. Species of Amoeba were found few in numbers. This was probably due to their inability to thrive during the cold temperature. They tend to thrive better in warmer water. Sarcodina represent groups which mainly inhabit the bottom of the lake and their scarcity may be due to their inability to come to the surface of the water. Temperature of water was tested and hydrogen-ion concentration of water was noted to be another influencing factor. Euglena viridis occurred within the widest limit of relative pH. Ciliates were observed to occur within the average hydrogen-ion concentration of 7.
An intelligent clustering based methodology for confusable diseases diagnosis and monitoring
No full textThe combination of non-specific clinical manifestations that characterize confusable tropical disease and the probable lack of expertise and experience among physicians exponentially increases the potential for misdiagnosis and subsequent increased morbidity and mortality rates resulting from these diseases. In this paper, an intelligent system driven by fuzzy clustering algorithm and Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System for the investigation, diagnosis and management of similar and confusing symptoms of confusable diseases was developed. Data on patients diagnosed and confirmed by laboratory tests of viral hepatitis (H), malaria (M), typhoid fever (T) and urinary tract infection (U) were used for training, testing and validation of the system. The system assigns patients with severity levels in all the clusters. Results on clusters validity are satisfactory. Overlapping symptoms analysis shows that symptoms of both H and T have highest degree of overlapping while symptoms common to M and U yielded the least impact. Symptoms common to M, H and T only, have equal impact with that of M, T and U only. The symptoms that are common to all the four diseases under study yielded a 12.8% contribution to the degree of severity of each of the CTD diseases. The system compares favorably with diagnosis arrived at by experienced physicians and also provides patients‟ level of severity in each confusable disease and the degree of confusability of any two or more confusable diseases.Keywords: Confusable Diseases; Viral Hepatitis; Malaria; Typhoid Fever; Urinary Tract Infection; Clustering, ANFIS
An Intelligent Clustering Based Methodology for Confusable Diseases Diagnosis and Monitoring
No full textThe combination of non-specific clinical manifestations that characterize confusable tropical disease and the probable lack of expertise and experience among physicians exponentially increases the potential for misdiagnosis and subsequent increased morbidity and mortality rates resulting from these diseases. In this paper, an intelligent system driven by fuzzy clustering algorithm and Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System for the investigation, diagnosis and management of similar and confusing symptoms of confusable diseases was developed. Data on patients diagnosed and confirmed by laboratory tests of viral hepatitis (H), malaria (M), typhoid fever (T) and urinary tract infection (U) were used for training, testing and validation of the system. The system assigns patients with severity levels in all the clusters. Results on clusters validity are satisfactory. Overlapping symptoms analysis shows that symptoms of both H and T have highest degree of overlapping while symptoms common to M and U yielded the least impact. Symptoms common to M, H and T only, have equal impact with that of M, T and U only. The symptoms that are common to all the four diseases under study yielded a 12.8% contribution to the degree of severity of each of the CTD diseases. The system compares favorably with diagnosis arrived at by experienced physicians and also provides patients’ level of severity in each confusable disease and the degree of confusability of any two or moreconfusable diseases.Keywords: Confusable diseases; viral hepatitis; malaria; typhoid fever; urinary tract infection; Clustering, ANFI
Influence of dietary protein levels on nano-encapsulated Yucca schidigera extract and its effects on in vitro ruminal greenhouse gas production and fermentation dynamics
No full textThe influence of nano-encapsulated Yucca schidigera extract (YSE) on total gas (GP), ruminal methane (CH4), carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen sulphide (H2S) production, and fermentation activities of diets based on two different protein levels were investigated. A completely randomized experimental design with a factorial arrangement (2 × 4 × 4) with three replications was used. Factor 1 was the dietary protein levels (14%and 18%), factor 2 was the types of extracts used (TE; negative control (without extract), positive control (empty chitosan nano-capsules), Y. schidigera extract nano-capsules, and crude Y. schidigera extract), and factor 3 the doses of each type of extract (ED; 0-, 0.25-, 0.5-, and 1.0- mL extract/g DM). Nano-chitosan reduced the GP production with a higher protein level by 24.9% after 48 h while the crude extract elevated it. At both crude protein levels, the interaction of crude extract at an ED of 0.25 mL extract/g DM generated a higher volume of CH4 at 6 h (p = 0.001 and 0.001 respectively) compared to the volume generated by the negative control. The 0.25 mL extract/g DM extract for both the crude extract and nano-extract elicited higher and lower CO production at 6 h (p < 0.0001), respectively. Nano-chitosan at 0.25 mL extract/g DM resulted in less H2S produced at 6 h than when crude extract was used at the same dose and a higher protein level (p = 0.027). The ED did not significantly affect any of the parameters under consideration as used under lower protein levels. However, TE affected pH and dry matter degradability (p < 0.0001) while the interaction of both TE and ED impacted both CH4:SCFA and CH4:ME (p = 0.045) with higher and lower values obtained for nano-chitosan and the negative control, respectively. In conclusion, nano-chitosan at a higher protein level proved its antimicrobial property, and although the production of CO increased at 14% protein, in vitro fermentation indicated its ability to minimize the production of GP, methane and hydrogen sulphide in the rumen, and to boost the degradability of DM and methane conversion efficiency
An analysis of administrative problems in implementing federal and state guideline for day care centers in the state of Georgia, 1978
No full textThe Georgia Department of Human Resources has been designated by the Governor as a Single State Agency to administer the State Title XX program. In order to administer the program, Contract Services Section provides staff for a whole range of services. The problems connected with the implementation of both federal and state guidelines are analyzed and solutions are given. One of the problems is the adult-child ratio. The following solutions are put forward: (a) The program should not be funded entirely by welfare monies. (b) Giving matured high school students adequate training to be used as part of the teaching staff
Urbanization, ethnicity and politics in tropical Africa problems of national integration and political stability (a case study of the federal republic of Nigeria), 1977
No full textThe problems of nation-building are anything but new in Africa. The new cities of Africa have the same influence in nation-building as cities have nad in other parts of the world, but some of these nations which have ceen born under less fortunate conditions will find the achievement of nationalism and ethnic integration a very difficult task as is the case in Nigeria. Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa, and achieved her independence in I960 from British colonial rule. Geographically, socially and culturally it is a multi-national society. Its colonial history, its present problems and its future prospects and potentialities are in many respects typical of those of other African countries. However, Nigeria has in many other respects been distinguished by certain characteristic features which set it apart from other countries and make it of special interest and appeal. Among these was the peculiar set-up by Britain of the three regional governments with total control of these regions by each of the three main ethnic groups. Unfortunately, Britain did little to reconcile these varied political cultures in order to create an integrated Nigerian nation. The Richards Constitution of 1946 attempted to promote Nigerian unity, but it did not provide adequate political representation for the whole country. Furthermore, the impact of westernization was not felt equally by all tribal groups. Nigerian leaders inherited this state of affairs from the British, and their inability to cope effectively with the seemingly overwhelming problems permitted the continued expression of regional and ethnic host 11ities. In a short generation, 1900-1960, the quality of social and the style of political life in Nigeria assumed many different characteristics. Those years spanned the country's first surge of urban growth, the centralization and expansion of bureaucratic activities under colonial rule and a concurrent attempt at widening the bases of administration and political recruitment. This new transformation came in the wake of the British presence and the contact of the natives with European merchants and missionaries. But the important thing is that this transformation did not proceed everywhere at the same speed and its intensity varied from sector to sector, region to region, within the society. This unevenness in the developmental process led to an ardent struggle for power over the distribution or redistribution of scarce resources among the emergent contenders who were laying exclusive claims on the operation of the government. Thus, the period was not only a time of great political and social development, but also a time of profound political conflict, regional ism and tribalism. The main task of this case study then centers on the analysis of a set of structural changes and how these changes in turn generated the social climate that was conducive to political protests and developments in Nigeria during the period 1900-1970. In discussing this topic, anthropology, history, political science and sociology have equal relevance. Thus, in this study the writer has attempted to place the great struggles for power in the context of the whole range of historical facts with greater attention to the unevenness of change in the society and the divisions, and cleavages among and within the regions and ethnic groups. In the treatment of the subject, the following points are discussed: 1. Traditional urbanization in Africa. 2. Urbanization of ethnic groups in Nigeria. 3. Treatment of various ethnic groups by colonial administrators. 4. Early protests and political organization. 5. Intensification of the politics of tribalism in order to control the center. 6. Failure of the first Republic to integrate and possible suggestions for the future
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