Luminosity distance and redshift in the Szekeres inhomogeneous cosmological models

The Szekeres inhomogeneous models can be used to model the true lumpy universe that we observe. This family of exact solutions to Einstein's equations was originally derived with a general metric that has no symmetries. In this work, we develop and use a framework to integrate the angular diameter and luminosity distances in the general Szekeres models. We use the affine null geodesic equations in order to derive a set of first-order ordinary differential equations that can be integrated numerically to calculate the partial derivatives of the null vector components. These equations allow the integration in all generality of the distances in the Szekeres models and some examples are given. The redshift is determined from simultaneous integration of the null geodesic equations. This work does not assume spherical or axial symmetry, and the results will be useful for comparisons of the general Szekeres inhomogeneous models to current and future cosmological data.Comment: 14 pages, 1 figure, matches JCAP accepted versio

Land Use Conflict Between Farmers and Herders in Anambra State with Implications for Food Security

Herder-farmer conflicts threaten the livelihood resources of people particularly farming communities due to high dependence on natural resources for survival. The study described the personal characteristics of the respondents; identified the causes of the conflict between the farmers and the nomads; described the perceived socio-economic effects of conflicts and identified the coping strategies adopted by the farmers. Frustration-aggression and conflict theories guided the study. The primary data collected from 120 respondents using well-structured questionnaire were analysed with mean and multiple regression analysis. The findings revealed that women dominated crop farming by 61.67%, mean age was 42.83 with a household size average of 6 persons and mean size farm land of 2.45 hectares. The perceived causes of the conflict were land encroachment, crop damage by cattle, killing of stray cattle, inadequate grazing reserves for the nomads, indiscriminate bush burning and hatred for one another. The perceived socio-economic effects of the conflicts were reduction in cultivable farmlands, little or no seed/cutting for the next planting season, disruption in the transportation of farm produce and destruction of human lives and property. This study also showed that the coping strategies adopted by the farmers were formation of vigilant groups (86.67%), income diversification (85%) and combination of arable farming with other cash crops (71.67) amongst others. The study therefore recommends that the government should address issue of climate change, establish ranches, implement the open grazing ban and provide coping loan for farmers affected by the conflict. &nbsp

Assessment of Stress Management For Women Poultry Farmers in Aguata and Awka Agricultural Zones of Anambra State, Nigeria

Women poultry farmers play a critical role in food production in Nigeria, yet they face significant challenges that impact their mental and physical well-being, productivity, and the sustainability of their operations. The study described the socioeconomic characteristics of the women poultry farmers; identified the sources of stress among the respondents; ascertained the perceived effects of these on the respondents; and identified the coping mechanisms employed by the farmers to manage the stress. The study collected data from 60 respondents using questionnaire and interview schedule. Socio-economic characteristics of the respondents revealed that average age of the farmers was 37 years, with 58.33% of the respondents married and mean household size of 5 persons. The respondents had mean flock size of 76 birds and mean income of N200,500. Most farmers had attended 7-12 years of education (55%) and 51.67% accessed credit. About 80% of farms were family-owned, and 55% of respondents were members of cooperative society. The study identified major stressors as disease outbreaks (100%), unpredictable weather conditions (95%), feed price fluctuations (91.67%), market unpredictability (88.3%) and tedious waste disposal (81.67%). The major coping mechanisms adopted by the respondents were seeking support from family (73.33%) and diversification of farming activities (76%). Women poultry farmers in the study area face significant stress ranging from disease outbreak to exhaustion and effective stress management strategies will significantly alleviate their stress and enhance productivity. The study recommends for financial support through subsidies and grants, trainings, and provision of mental health services for the farmers

Development and Evaluation of Corn-Cowpea Mixtures as Protein Sources for Nigerian Infants.

The feasibility of producing a low cost, easy to use, and flatulence-free product from corn and cowpeas for Nigerian children was investigated. Cowpea slurry was naturally fermented for 48 hours at room temperature. The pH dropped from 6.38 to 4.20. In fermentation with the yeast, pichia guilliermondii Y-2075, for 72 hours at room temperature, the pH dropped to only 5.60. Soaking and wet milling resulted in nutrient losses. Drum drying of the product did not significantly reduce lysine levels, 90% being biologically available in most samples. Products with good biological value as measured by PER in excess of 2.0 were obtained. Results from NPR confirmed the PER trends. Protein levels increased in the corn:cowpea mixtures with increased proportion of cowpeas. Maximum complementary effect on protein quality was achieved when cowpeas contributed between 33 and 40% of the starting material. Beyond this range, protein quality was reduced even though protein content was higher. Fermentation increased protein levels in the blends. The increase was higher following yeast fermentation. Cystine content was significantly reduced in yeast fermented samples, thus lowering total sulfur amino acids. Except for tryptophan, fermentation increased the essential amino acids. Fermentation markedly affected the salt soluble protein units of the blends. SDS gel electrophoretic analysis showed that fermented samples contained only low molecular weight fractions, and the number of protein subunits were few. The degree of protein breakdown also was higher with yeast fermentation. Significant reduction in the levels of raffinose and stachyose was achieved by fermentation of cowpeas, yeast fermentation being more effective than natural fermentation in this regard. Stachyose was completely eliminated in one sample, and reduced more than 90% in others following yeast fermentation

Inclusive university education on the holistic empowerment of female science students’ in Enugu State: Implications for sustainable development goals attainment

The consistent home vices and divorce without recurring decimal to what causes it in Enugu State, Nigeria necessitated the study. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to investigate the influence of university education on the holistic empowerment of female science students in Enugu State: Implications for sustainable development goals. Four research questions and four null hypotheses tested at .05 level of significance guided the study. A correlational research design was adopted for the study. Simple random sampling technique was used in selecting 172 female science education students comprising 119 single and 53 married from Department of Science Education. The instrument used for data collection were four in number: the holistic empowerment of university education scale, (HEUES), intellectual empowerment scale (IES), financial empowerment scale (FES), and socio-cultural empowerment scale (SCES) adapted from 21 items scale of Abhinanadan, Abhishek, Sanath and Gururaj (2023). The reliability of the instruments was tested using Cronbach’s alpha which yielded indices of 0.76, 0.85, 0.91 and 0.75 respectively. Data were analyzed using mean, standard deviation and path analysis to test the proposed hypotheses. The finding of the study amongst others indicated that university education intellectually, financially and socio-culturally influenced holistic empowerment of female science students irrespective of marital status in Enugu state. Based on the findings, it was recommended that government agencies and private individuals to roll out measures to encourage female folk to attain university education

Antimicrobial and antihelminthic properties of shea butter (Vitellaria paradoxa)

The phytochemical, antimicrobial and antihelminthic screening of the crude extract of three types of Vitellaria paradoxa (shea butter) was investigated in this study. The crude extracts were dissolved in di-methylsulfoxide. The phytochemical constituents of the crude extracts were accessed and compared. Clinical isolates under aseptic conditions were collected from the Medical Microbiology Laboratory, University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital and further morphological and biochemical tests were carried out to identify this clinical isolates as; Staphylococcus sp., Escherichia sp., Pseudomonas sp., Klebsiella sp., Streptococcus sp and Candida sp. Inoculums were prepared and adjusted to 0.5ml Mc Farland standard of each test bacterium. It was spread onto sterile Muller Hinton Agar plates so as to achieve even growth. The plates were allowed to dry and a sterile cork borer (6.0mm diameter) was used to bore wells in the agar plates. Ofloxacine and Fluconazole was used as bacteria and fungi control respectively. The crude yellow extracts exhibited inhibitory activities that were found to be higher than crude white and ivory colored extract on all the test organisms. Despite the crude yellow extract exhibited higher inhibitory activities than the other extracts; the antibacterial activity was low in 10-1 to 10-4 dilutions for some bacteria. The crude extracts revealed the presence of Alkaloids, flavonoids, Cardiac glycosides, saponnin, and carbohydrates. Anthraquinnone and phlobatannin were absent in the extracts. This study also revealed that shea butter has no anti-helminth effect after 24hours exposure of the eggs of Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichuria in the shea oil sample rather; the DMSO used as control killed the eggs. This calls for further investigation

Effect of Tillage Methods and Spacing on the Productivity of Waterleaf

An experiment was carried out at the teaching and research farm of Federal University of Technology, Owerri, Nigeria to determine the effect of tillage methods and spacing on the productivity of waterleaf. The treatments consist of three tillage methods (flat, Mound and bed) and three spacing (25x25cm, 30x30cm and 40x40cm). The experiment was a 3x3 factorial arrangement laid out in a randomized complete block design (RCBD) and replicated three times. The results of the experiment indicate improved growth of leaves 40x40cm spacing at 4 and 6WAP. Tillage method using beds and flats produced better and higher yield than mound. However, the waterleaf propagated with 25x25cm spacing  produced highest yield (0.6kg/plot) 3000kg ha-1 while 40x40cm spacing  gave lowest yield (0.323kg/plot) 1610kg-1. From this experiment, the 25x25cm plant spacing is recommended to farmers for waterleaf planting because it maintained soil water because of the close spacing thus improving soil fertility. Farmers are advised to practice this method of vegetable farming which helps to maintain soil fertility for sustainability of vegetable crop production in their area

The Hammock and the Colonial Journey of Conquest: Reminiscences of British Colonialism among the West Niger-Igbo of Nigeria

The article considers the colonial meaning of the hammock. The conversion of the hammock from a stationary apparatus of leisure into that of a mobile train powered by human energy became identified with a symbol of British colonialism. But the introduction of the hammock was not accepted by the people hook, line and sinker; hence it was trailed by accounts of strong resistance and subsequent British policy of enforcement. The fear of the Hammock, carrying the White man on the hammock over a long distance became part of the colonial situation and its societal structure. The article includes a number of contemporary sources to throw light on this understanding of the hammock as not just a means of travel, but also of suppression

Value Addition to Beans: The Case of Bean Balls “Akara†Production in Idemili South Local Government of Anambra State, Nigeria

Aims: The study examined socio-economic characteristics of the bean balls producers, the profitability of production, determinants of profit, reasons for starting the business and constraints to production of bean balls in Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria. The great need to help homemakers in Nigeria better appreciate and prepare cowpea bean balls as snacks for income generation and women empowerment in Nigeria informed this study. Study Design: Multi-stage, purposive and random sampling techniques were used to select 50 respondents. Data were collected using structured questionnaire and analyzed by means of descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: Findings on socio-economic factors of the respondents gave mean age, education level and years of experience of 42.4years, 13.5years and 8.9 years respectively; the majority (92%) of the respondents were females, the majority (60%) married and most (70%) had a household size of 4-6 persons. The enterprise proved profitable with monthly mean net income and net return on investment values of ₦75,990 and 0.39 respectively. Significant determinants of net production returns were gender, educational level and costs of inputs. Main reasons for starting the business were a scarcity of job, profitable nature of the business, high demand and small start-up capital. Serious constraints to production of bean balls in the area were conjunctivitis due to emitted smoke, high and unstable price of raw materials and high cost of production. Policy measures such as bulk purchasing of beans, regulation of market prices of the product, provision of infrastructures (water, electricity), use of cooking gas as a source of heat would mitigate the problems, improve productivity, output and enterprise profitability. Conclusion: The bean ball production proved to be a profitable enterprise in the study area. Nevertheless, the efficiency and profitability would be improved if the constraints identified by the study are addressed as it will encourage many more people especially young, active and viable individuals, to venture into the enterprise

Clinical implementation of a knowledge based planning tool for prostate VMAT

Abstract Background A knowledge based planning tool has been developed and implemented for prostate VMAT radiotherapy plans providing a target average rectum dose value based on previously achievable values for similar rectum/PTV overlap. The purpose of this planning tool is to highlight sub-optimal clinical plans and to improve plan quality and consistency. Methods A historical cohort of 97 VMAT prostate plans was interrogated using a RayStation script and used to develop a local model for predicting optimum average rectum dose based on individual anatomy. A preliminary validation study was performed whereby historical plans identified as “optimal” and “sub-optimal” by the local model were replanned in a blinded study by four experienced planners and compared to the original clinical plan to assess whether any improvement in rectum dose was observed. The predictive model was then incorporated into a RayStation script and used as part of the clinical planning process. Planners were asked to use the script during planning to provide a patient specific prediction for optimum average rectum dose and to optimise the plan accordingly. Results Plans identified as “sub-optimal” in the validation study observed a statistically significant improvement in average rectum dose compared to the clinical plan when replanned whereas plans that were identified as “optimal” observed no improvement when replanned. This provided confidence that the local model can identify plans that were suboptimal in terms of rectal sparing. Clinical implementation of the knowledge based planning tool reduced the population-averaged mean rectum dose by 5.6Gy. There was a small but statistically significant increase in total MU and femoral head dose and a reduction in conformity index. These did not affect the clinical acceptability of the plans and no significant changes to other plan quality metrics were observed. Conclusions The knowledge-based planning tool has enabled substantial reductions in population-averaged mean rectum dose for prostate VMAT patients. This suggests plans are improved when planners receive quantitative feedback on plan quality against historical data