Controlling Fungus Attack on Indigenous Ghanaian Vegetable Tanned Leathers

The attack of fungus on indigenous Ghanaian tanned leather and leather products lessen their surface qualities and socio-economic values. The paper describes technology that can be adopted to control the development of mould that affect the value of leather and leather products as a result of fungus attack.. Experiments were carried out using material/technical means to determine the possibility of restraining the negative impact of fungus attack associated with indigenous tanned leathers. The material/technical means refer to the use of sanding tool, to sand off excess flesh on the flesh side of leather; then also washing over leather with lime juice, boarding bee wax into leather and again rubbing over leather with thin layer of spray lacquer to protect it from moisture. The experiments proved that the presence of excess flesh and fatty substances left after tanning are the primary causes for development of mould on leather and finished leather products. The technology so devised has led to the production of leathers that can resist the effect of fungus attack. Key Words: Fungus, Moisture, Sanding, Mould, Leather

Integrated Flower Vases in Clayware and Wood

The local pottery industry faces tremendous challenges from the increasing interest Ghanaian are showing in imported products because of their functional value, quality and aesthetic appeal. This is due among others, to the monotonous approach to production and finishing of indigenous products, conditions that also marred the philosophical impact they are supposed to convey. To overcome some of these challenges the researchers experimented on the integration clay-wear and wood for the production of flower vases. The qualitative research method where observational, experimental and descriptive approaches were employed to investigate the viability of integrating clay-wear with wood for the project. The research unveiled that clay-wear and wood can be integrated in the production of finished products that are functional, aesthetically presentable and of high quality. Besides, it is also proven that with appropriate manipulation through experiment other locally available raw materials can be used to produce products would convey the Ghanaian culture to would be buyers and the outside world. Keywords: Clay, Wood, Integration, Decoration, Production

Voices in Undergraduate Research Experience (VURE) Panel Session

Voices in Undergraduate Research Experience (VURE) brings awareness to opportunities for undergraduates to do academic research and creative work, especially students who identify as members of a minority community. Opportunities to engage in research work and creative activities can enhance a student’s opportunity freedoms, confidence, and sense of belonging (Hart, 2012 and 2019; Walker 2008). Additionally, a key outcome for socially just higher education experiences should include opportunities for social mobility, to engage in theoretical and powerful knowledge, and to learn skills for the knowledge economy (Calitz, 2017; Olssen & Peters, 2005; Wheelahan, 2012). The VURE team initiated a listening process to gather advice and solicit support from various stakeholders like the Office of Human Rights, Equity, and Accessibility, the Anti-Black Racism Task Force, and the Aboriginal Education Centre, amongst many other offices. In the ongoing listening process, the VURE team aims to understand questions of belonging across groups as rationales for undergraduates\u27 desire and awareness of conducting research and creative work with faculty and their peers (Langford & Clance, 1993; Stiwich, McCunn, and Dayal). VURE aims to establish a reflective and engaged student network that inspires inclusive affiliations among peers, research networks, and faculty researchers (Walker, 2006, 2008; Weeks, Villeneuve, Hutchinson, Roger, Versnel, & Packer, 2015). This is a panel presentation with four University of Windsor undergraduate students. References Calitz, T. M. (2017). Designing capability-informed pedagogy using participatory student research. In Socially Just Pedagogies, Capabilities and Quality in Higher Education (pp. 153-175). Palgrave Macmillan, London. Hart, C. S. (2012). Aspirations, education, and social justice: Applying Sen and Bourdieu. A&C Black. Hart, C. S. (2019). Education, inequality and social justice: A critical analysis applying the Sen-Bourdieu Analytical Framework. Policy Futures in Education, 17(5), 582-598. Langford, J., & Clance, P. R. (1993). The imposter phenomenon: Recent research findings regarding dynamics, personality and family patterns and their implications for treatment. Psychotherapy: theory, research, practice, training, 30(3), 495. Olssen. M. & Peters, M.A. (2005) Neoliberalism, higher education and the knowledge economy: from the free market to knowledge capitalism, Journal of Education Policy, 20(3), 313-345, DOI: 10.1080/02680930500108718 Stiwich, K. D., McCunn, L. J., & Dayal, C. (2019). Woolly Stories: An Art-Based Narrative Approach to Place Attachment. Engaged Scholar Journal: Community-Engaged Research, Teaching, and Learning, 5(2), 245-253. https://doi.org/10.15402/esj.v5i2.68348 Walker, M. (2008). A human capabilities framework for evaluating student learning. Teaching in Higher Education, 13(4), 477–487. doi: 10.1080/13562510802169764 Weeks, L. E., Villeneuve, M. A., Hutchinson, S., Roger, K., Versnel, J., & Packer, T. (2015). What We Learned about Mentoring Research Assistants Employed in a Complex, Mixed-Methods Health Study. Canadian Journal of Higher Education, 45(4), 207–228. https://doi.org/10.47678/cjhe.v45i4.184492 Wheelahan, L. (2012). Why knowledge matters in curriculum: A social realist argument. Routledge

NarE: a novel ADP-ribosyltransferase from Neisseria meningitidis.

Mono ADP-ribosyltransferases (ADPRTs) are a class of functionally conserved enzymes present in prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms. In bacteria, these enzymes often act as potent toxins and play an important role in pathogenesis. Here we report a profile-based computational approach that, assisted by secondary structure predictions, has allowed the identification of a previously undiscovered ADP-ribosyltransferase in Neisseria meningitidis (NarE). NarE shows structural homologies with E. coli heat-labile enterotoxin (LT) and cholera toxin (CT) and possesses ADP-ribosylating and NAD-glycohydrolase activities. As in the case of LT and CT, NarE catalyses the transfer of the ADP-ribose moiety to arginine residues. Despite the absence of a signal peptide, the protein is efficiently exported into the periplasm of Neisseria. The narE gene is present in 25 out of 43 strains analysed, is always present in ET-5 and Lineage 3 but absent in ET-37 and Cluster A4 hypervirulent lineages. When present, the gene is 100% conserved in sequence and is inserted upstream of and co-transcribed with the lipoamide dehydrogenase E3 gene. Possible roles in the pathogenesis of N. meningitidis are discussed

Vaccination against Neisseria meningitidis Using Three Variants of the Lipoprotein GNA1870

Sepsis and meningitis caused by serogroup B meningococcus are devastating diseases of infants and young adults, which cannot yet be prevented by vaccination. By genome mining, we discovered GNA1870, a new surface-exposed lipoprotein of Neisseria meningitidis that induces high levels of bactericidal antibodies. The antigen is expressed by all strains of N. meningitidis tested. Sequencing of the gene in 71 strains representative of the genetic and geographic diversity of the N. meningitidis population, showed that the protein can be divided into three variants. Conservation within each variant ranges between 91.6 to 100%, while between the variants the conservation can be as low as 62.8%. The level of expression varies between strains, which can be classified as high, intermediate, and low expressors. Antibodies against a recombinant form of the protein elicit complement-mediated killing of the strains that carry the same variant and induce passive protection in the infant rat model. Bactericidal titers are highest against those strains expressing high yields of the protein; however, even the very low expressors are efficiently killed. The novel antigen is a top candidate for the development of a new vaccine against meningococcus

Emerging Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli Strains?

Escherichia coli strains of nonenteropathogenic serogroups carrying eae but lacking the enteropathogenic E. coli adherence factor plasmid and Shiga toxin DNA probe sequences were isolated from patients (children, adults, and AIDS patients) with and without diarrhea in Brazil. Although diverse in phenotype and genotype, some strains are potentially diarrheagenic

Human intestinal tissue tropism of intimin epsilon O103 Escherichia coli

Human intestinal in vitro organ culture was used to assess the tissue tropism of human isolates of Escherichia coli O103:H2 and O103:H- that express intimin F. Both strains showed tropism for follicle associated epithelium and limited adhesion to other regions of the small and large intestine. This is similar to the tissue tropism shown by intimin gamma enterohaemorrhagic (EHEC) O157:H7, but distinct from that of intimin a enteropathogenic (EPEC) O127:H6. (C) 2002 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserve