'Wound cat'

'Wound man' refers to a stylised diagram used in early medical textbooks to illustrate the various injuries that the human body can sustain in battle. We have adapted this concept to create 'Wound cat', as a way to emphasise the type and location of injuries cats may inflict on one another during combat. We have further extended this concept to include wounds that may result from interactions with rodents and snakes. It is hoped that our 'Wound cat' concept will assist less experienced clinicians locate sites of cat bites and scratches, and to recognise why certain infections arise in particular stereotyped locations. In addition, this approach should assist veterinarians in determining which pathogens are most likely to be involved in wounds located in a given anatomical region.     

Molecular breeding for resistance to black rot [<Emphasis Type="Italic">Xanthomonas campestris</Emphasis> pv. <Emphasis Type="Italic">campestris</Emphasis> (Pammel) Dowson] in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Brassicas</Emphasis>: recent advances

The Brassicas are affected by several diseases, of which black rot, Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris (Pam.) Dowson (Xcc), is one of the most widespread and devastating worldwide. The black rot bacteria causes systemic infection in the susceptible plants and penetrate the plants through the hydathodes or wounds. Typical disease symptoms are ‘V’ shaped necrotic lesions appearing from the leaf margins with blackened veins. Periodic outbreaks of the black rot pathogen have occurred worldwide, especially in the continental regions, where high temperatures and humidity favor the incidence of disease occurrence causing huge yield loss. The challenge to control the losses in vegetable brassicas production is made more difficult by the adverse climatic changes and evolution of new pathogenic races. The development of black rot resistant hybrids/varieties is the most reliable long term practical solution for effective disease control. Identification of new resistant genetic resources, tightly linked markers with resistance loci and QTL mapping would facilitate the breeding programme for black rot resistance. Information regarding genetics of resistance and mapping of resistance genes/QTLs will accelerate the marker assisted resistance breeding in brassica crops against Xcc. In future we need to identify the race specific candidate genes for and their validation through transgenics and gene expression. Moreover, it is imperative to identify functional markers for resistance genes through identification of R gene families and their relationship with resistance expression. This comprehensive review will help the researchers working in this area to understand the dynamics of black resistance breeding and to formulate future breeding strategies.     

Assessment of Mobile Phone Usage Among Farmers in Keana Local Government Area of Nasarawa State,Nigeria

This study assessed the usage of mobile phones among farmers in the Keana Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, Nigeria. One hundred and fifty-eight respondents were selected using purposive and random sampling techniques. Primary data were used, and collected using a structured questionnaire. Research revealed that a majority of the respondents (60.1%) had a medium level of use of mobile phones. The mobile phone network preferred by respondents was MTN (32.3%). The major factor affecting the use of mobile phones is poor network coverage (22.1%). Possession of formal education, income, and sex of the respondents significantly affected their level of use of mobile phones. It is therefore recommended that network providers be supervised by the Government to ensure quality service delivery, and other network providers encouraged to improve on their services.