Philosophy of Music Education in Nigeria: Content Analysis of Music Curriculum for Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE)

The philosophy of music curriculum for  Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) developed by the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) is conceived from the background of Western music therefore, it impacts little or no learning of Nigerian music. Music is an essential, inseparable and a fundamental part of African cultures. The traditional systems of the Nigerian society consider music to be an indispensable part of education and some families were renowned with long traditions of music making.  The mode of training notably involved a long period of apprenticeship with imitation approach as a major method of the teaching-learning process.   Against this background, this paper examines the content of the music curriculum for the Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE) in relation to its stated philosophy and objectives and that of the Nigerian cultural system.  It further examines the possibility of replacing most of the repertoire of imposed Western musical tradition with Nigerian musical heritage, in order to make it more relevant to the student’s social environment and for the economic advancement of the lots of its graduates and the society at large. Keywords: Curriculum, Philosophy of Music Education, Content Analysis, Nigerian Certificate in Education (NCE)

Teacher’s Perception of Indigenous Music Knowledge as a Panacea to Music Curriculum in Nigerian Schools

Music in Nigerian societies is a way of life that carries the qualities, traits and values of the culture it proclaims. Music as an integral and vital part of culture plays a noble role that cannot be over emphasized. It is a medium through which facts and values of the society are preserved and, passed from one generation to another. Conversely, whether formal or informal, education serves as a powerful tool for national development. This paper examines the concept of indigenous knowledge system; highlight some methods of indigenous knowledge system and majorly teachers’ perception of indigenous music knowledge through sixty (60) music teachers. Six (6) institutions of higher learning that has music department: one polytechnic, five colleges of education and twenty (20) selected secondary schools that offer music as a subject in Osun and Oyo state were selected respectively for the study, Keywords: Culture; indigenous knowledge system; Music education; Methods; Nigeria; Teaching and learning Proces

Music Education as a Pillar to Sustainable Development in Nigeria

The paper attempts to reveal the importance of music education as an art as well as indispensable aspect of every single culture which serves as indisputable support to sustainable development in Nigeria. It is a veritable avenue that enables societies to transmit music and musical skills from one generation to the incoming ones. The research is based on a comprehensive literature review on the impact of music to sustainable development. This paper contextualised that music education is imperative to Sustainable Development, to the adult it is a vital force of self-expression, communication and  empowerment  economically, in growing children, involvement in music education will promote their creative ability, thereby contribute to the full development of intellectual capacities, apt emotional development that gives the right values and feelings to various events and happenings, music helps to develop skills, innate and instinctive talent in human being and recommend that the informal music teaching should be incorporated into school system so as to transmit and preserve the cultural music and  that the study  of music should be made compulsory at all levels of the Nigerian educational system. Keywords: Sustainable Development, Music Education, Music as a Pillar to Sustainable Development

AMPK and SIRT1 activation contribute to inhibition of neuroinflammation by thymoquinone in BV2 microglia

Thymoquinone is a known inhibitor of neuroinflammation. However, the mechanism(s) involved in its action remain largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the roles of cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS), 5′ AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and sirtuin 1 (SIRT1) in the anti-neuroinflammatory activity of thymoquinone. We investigated effects of the compound on ROS generation in LPS-activated microglia using the fluorescent 2′,7′-dichlorofluorescin diacetate (DCFDA)-cellular ROS detection. Immunoblotting was used to detect protein levels of p40phox, gp91phox, AMPK, LKB1 and SIRT1. Additionally, ELISA and immunofluorescence were used to detect nuclear accumulation of SIRT1. NAD+/NADH assay was also performed. The roles of AMPK and SIRT1 in anti-inflammatory activity of thymoquinone were investigated using RNAi and pharmacological inhibition. Our results show that thymoquinone reduced cellular ROS generation, possibly through inhibition of p40phox and gp91phox protein. Treatment of BV2 microglia with thymoquinone also resulted in elevation in the levels of LKB1 and phospho-AMPK proteins. We further observed that thymoquinone reduced cytoplasmic levels and increased nuclear accumulation of SIRT1 protein and increased levels of NAD+. Results also show that the anti-inflammatory activity of thymoquinone was abolished when the expressions of AMPK and SIRT1 were suppressed by RNAi or pharmacological antagonists. Pharmacological antagonism of AMPK reversed thymoquinone-induced increase in SIRT1. Taken together, we propose that thymoquinone inhibits cellular ROS generation in LPS-activated BV2 microglia. It is also suggested that activation of both AMPK and NAD+/SIRT1 may contribute to the anti-inflammatory, but not antioxidant activity of the compound in BV2 microglia

The Effects of Time Varying Curvature on Species Transport in Coronary Arteries

Alterations in mass transport patterns of low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and oxygen are known to cause atherosclerosis in larger arteries. We hypothesise that the species transport processes in coronary arteries may be affected by their physiological motion, a factor which has not been considered widely in mass transfer studies. Hence, we numerically simulated the mass transport of LDL and oxygen in an idealized moving coronary artery model under both steady and pulsatile flow conditions. A physiological inlet velocity and a sinusoidal curvature waveform were specified as velocity and wall motion boundary conditions. The results predicted elevation of LDL flux, impaired oxygen flux and low wall shear stress (WSS) along the inner wall of curvature, a predilection site for atherosclerosis. The wall motion induced changes in the velocity and WSS patterns were only secondary to the pulsatile flow effects. The temporal variations in flow and WSS due to the flow pulsation and wall motion did not affect temporal changes in the species wall flux. However, the wall motion did alter the time-averaged oxygen and LDL flux in the order of 26% and 12% respectively. Taken together, these results suggest that the wall motion may play an important role in coronary arterial transport processes and emphasise the need for further investigation

A Family of Helminth Molecules that Modulate Innate Cell Responses via Molecular Mimicry of Host Antimicrobial Peptides

Over the last decade a significant number of studies have highlighted the central role of host antimicrobial (or defence) peptides in modulating the response of innate immune cells to pathogen-associated ligands. In humans, the most widely studied antimicrobial peptide is LL-37, a 37-residue peptide containing an amphipathic helix that is released via proteolytic cleavage of the precursor protein CAP18. Owing to its ability to protect against lethal endotoxaemia and clinically-relevant bacterial infections, LL-37 and its derivatives are seen as attractive candidates for anti-sepsis therapies. We have identified a novel family of molecules secreted by parasitic helminths (helminth defence molecules; HDMs) that exhibit similar biochemical and functional characteristics to human defence peptides, particularly CAP18. The HDM secreted by Fasciola hepatica (FhHDM-1) adopts a predominantly α-helical structure in solution. Processing of FhHDM-1 by F. hepatica cathepsin L1 releases a 34-residue C-terminal fragment containing a conserved amphipathic helix. This is analogous to the proteolytic processing of CAP18 to release LL-37, which modulates innate cell activation by classical toll-like receptor (TLR) ligands such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS). We show that full-length recombinant FhHDM-1 and a peptide analogue of the amphipathic C-terminus bind directly to LPS in a concentration-dependent manner, reducing its interaction with both LPS-binding protein (LBP) and the surface of macrophages. Furthermore, FhHDM-1 and the amphipathic C-terminal peptide protect mice against LPS-induced inflammation by significantly reducing the release of inflammatory mediators from macrophages. We propose that HDMs, by mimicking the function of host defence peptides, represent a novel family of innate cell modulators with therapeutic potential in anti-sepsis treatments and prevention of inflammation

Observation préliminaire sur la pathogénicité de <em>Fasciola gigantica</em> chez des brebis gestantes de race naine d'Afrique de l'Ouest

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Indices biochimiques chez des zébus Blancs Fulani au Nigeria

L'auteur a étudié les valeurs de 14 constituants biochimiques du sang du zébu Blanc Fulani normal, qui ont été comparées avec celles déjà publiées concernant tant le bétail tropical que celui des régions tempérées. Il conclut que les très légères différences observées entre le bétail tropical et tempéré peuvent être dues à l'influence de facteurs alimentaires ou pathologique

Effet <em>in vitro</em> du nitroxynil (Trodax R) et du rafoxanide sur <em>Fasciola gigantica</em> adulte

L'auteur a étudié les effets du nitroxynil et du rafoxanide sur les contractions de Fasciola gigantica adultes plongées dans un milieu liquide enrichi par l'une ou l'autre de ces drogues à des concentrations différentes. L'amplitude des contractions est réduite à son minimum lorsque la concentration atteint le taux de 50 mg/ml pour le rafoxanide et de 20 mg/ml pour le nitroxynil. Elles cessent alors au bout de deux minutes d'un pareil traitement. Des hypothèses sont émises sur le mode d'action des deux corps étudié