The Role of Technology in Nigerian Catfish Production: A Review

This article examines the state of Catfish production in Nigeria and the roles technology has played over the past decades. Heightened demand as a result of increased population puts considerable pressure on production. In response to this pressure aquaculturists ramped up production activities, this demand-driven increase exposes the major gaps as the industry struggles to cope with the absence of fundamental structures like inadequate structured funding, markets, processing and preservation facilities among others. Such gaps exist in all aspects of aquaculture and technology is a viable plug for many of them. The aquaculture of developing nations has certain peculiarities which predispose it to slow development. Many fishermen and aquaculturists in low-income regions are trapped in economic systems that result in relative poverty. Many reasons have been put forward to explain the dynamics behind these consequences with technology playing a major role from the consensus. Rapid advances in hatchery, water quality and molecular technology have been identified as some of the active drivers of Catfish production in Nigeria. The article focuses on the history, progress and prospects of aquaculture technology in Nigeria. It does so by reviewing the technologies already established in Catfish farming and the impact of their roles in balancing fish demand and supply.

Ten years from propagule to mature plant of Butia purpurascens Glassman (Arecaceae): an endemic and endangered palm of the Brazilian Cerrado

With occurrence mainly in the southwest Goiás, Butia purpurascens has fruits and leaves widely extracted by the regional population. Coexists with exotic grasses, frequent burnings and cattle’s grazing and trampling. Young individuals are rarely seen. We aim to provide information about propagules, seedling formation and the monitoring of saplings of B. purpurascens until adults in reproductive phase. Fruits were selected, measured and benefited after harvest. Of 6,000 fruits collected 3,112 were discarded for being perforated by Conotrachelus weevils. The experiment divided 2,600 fruits into 13 treatments, distributed in ripe and immature fruits, with and without pulp. In addition, we adopt mechanical and chemical break dormancy mechanisms, different storage periods and seeding depths. After sixteen months of monitoring, the formation of eleven seedlings was obtained without distinction of any treatment. Seedlings and saplings developed slowly, taking two years to emit the first metaphyll. Over time, ten individuals died, most from fungal attack. After ten years, the only surviving palm generated two inflorescences, which produced fruit. The inefficient seedling production and the slow development of saplings, combined with the impact of the extractivism and the high rate of predation of the pyrenes, suggest the low recruitment rate of the species observed, in natural conditions. This type of data is one of the important tools for creating guidelines for the species conservation. Therefore, we suggest considering the reclassification of B. purpurascens as a Critically Endangered species in the Official List of Threatened Brazilian Species of Extinction.

Challenges of e-Mentoring Medical Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic

In the current pandemic scenario, the School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia had adopted an e-mentoring system to help undergraduate medical students acclimatise to new subjects, improve academic performance and decrease attrition. The authors highlight the challenges of e-mentoring, including aspects of interpersonal dynamics, slow development of relationships in e-mentoring and the requirement of specific skills in technology for useful online mentoring, are the few challenges discussed. Some possible solutions were also shared. This article is beneficial to institutions implementing or planning to implement an e-mentoring system.

The effect of weather conditions in southern Russia on the frost resistance of apricot generative buds

One of the reasons limiting the apricot expansion in the world is the short period of winter dormancy in the plants and the rapid development of generative buds in the spring. Apricot flower buds often die even after small spring return frosts that limit the commercial culture of this fruit crop. The aim of this investigation was to study collection-breeding plantations and select frost-resistant genotypes that have promise for commercial and breeding use. To solve this problem, the frost resistance of generative buds in 50 apricot cultivars and the breeding forms of various origins were studied by freezing treatments of the branches in a climatic chamber. The Czech cultivar ‘Leala’ was selected due to its best frost resistance. In late winter 2020–2021, six cultivars and breeding forms, which kept 41.8 to 65.9% of the generative buds alive, were identified. These genotypes are characterised by a slow development that prevents any negative freezing temperature effects. Thus, the results of the study confirmed the dependence of the adaptation mechanisms in apricot plants on the rates of their morphogenesis and abiotic factor pressures.

Temperature Stress on Physiological and Morphological Traits in Rhizophora apiculata

Global warming has had considerable effects on vital ecosystems, which has also been caused by increased temperatures and CO2 that follow changes in different abiotic factors, which poses threats to mangrove forests environment. This research was conducted to examine the physiological and morphological characteristics of the Rhizophora apiculata mangrove regarding higher air temperature for the variety of tree species that respond to climate change. Seedlings were cultivated for three months in regulated growth chambers with three varying temperatures of 38°C, 21°C under CO2 at 450 ppm, and ambient CO2 concentration i.e., 450 ± 20 ppm under average temperature at 28°C as the control condition. The plants were treated every 48 hours with 3 L of saline water of 28 ppt. After two weeks at high temperature, the mangrove showed positive results for all parameters. The temperature variations resulted in major variations, such as negative for increased temperature resulting in extreme damage to many samples while positive for decreased temperature resulting in slow development. The physiological results show decreased photosynthesis rates compared to controlled samples. These findings indicate that low photosynthetic capability levels could have occurred due to reduced CO2 fixative reaction mechanism, photosynthetic pigment material, and the discrepancy between respiratory and photosynthesis rate.

Analysis of the main causes of technological oil losses and features of the innovation management process in the oil and gas industry

The article considers the main reasons for the occurrence of technological losses of oil, as well as the state of innovation activity in the oil and gas complex of Russia and abroad. The main idea of modern trends in the oil industry, today, has become energy saving. The preparation and processing of associated petroleum gas is directly related to high energy intensity indicators, since these processes are carried out by creating and maintaining a continuous technology. The interest of manufacturers in reducing the costs (resource and financial) for production without compromising the quality of products leads to innovative growth. The goal is to reduce electricity consumption, so one of the main ideas of the developments is to create new technologies that are aimed at rational use of energy. The largest energy costs are spent on: gas compression, its movement around the production facility, creating positive and negative temperature values in a wide range, as well as maintaining the operation of the equipment at the created temperature regime. In the period of economic globalization, the task of effective development of oil and gas complex is more urgent than ever. An important role in the modern economy is played by the innovative activity of oil and gas processing enterprises, which contributes to improving the quality of services and goods. Lack of resources, depreciation of technical funds, old wells, as well as the slow development of new oil and gas fields leads to a slow development of industry, which necessitates the introduction and active use of innovative technologies. The article also presents methods for evaluating the commercial efficiency of investments, highlights the main principles for evaluating the effectiveness of an investment project in the oil and gas industry.

Renovate or defeat: about creation of Russian Imperial bureaucracy and “domino principle” in Petrine reforms

The article considers the process of reforming the civil service in the context of the state transformations of Peter the Great. The author pays special attention to the periodization of reforms. Based on its analysis, the conclusion is drawn not only about the validity of the chronological division of Peter the Great’s state transformations into conditionally spontaneous and organized stages, but also about a kind of “domino principle”: the implementation of one reform necessitated the next. The author gives his own interpretation of the features of the formation of the imperial bureaucracy in Russia in the first quarter of the XVIII century. The relatively slow development of this process is noted, which can be explained by the inertia of the bureaucracy itself and, first of all, the podyachy corps.