(Re)-interrogating the “Darkness” in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness and Achebe’s No Longer at Ease

Over the years, many critics especially of the African extraction, have regarded and described Conrad’s Heart of Darkness as a racist tale based on the manner in which Africa(ns) is/are depicted in the novella. Of greatest importance is the manner in which Africa is represented as the “heart of darkness” which provoked Achebe’s 1975 response in his article - ‘An Image of Africa: Racism in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness’ where he out rightly discarded the work as a racist tale. “Darkness” which is metaphorically translated to African primitivity, backwardness, uncivilization, illiteracy and crudity, is critically re-interrogated here with the evidential facts surging from the text which finds strong corresponding support in No Longer at Ease. The aim of the paper which is in two parts is first, to articulate the first-hand information from the “first-class agent,” in the text - Mr. Kurtz by paying particular close attention on his character to better interpret the events and condition of the “heart of darkness” and; second, to examine what has been argued as “darkness” which ironically is found present in Achebe’s No Longer at Ease and even still proliferates in many present day African societies. Through the process of this metacriticism, the real deals of what happened in the Interior are found, as directly extracted from the mouth of Mr. Kurtz while the issue of African backwardness (darkness) is also found to subsist within the African life as could be located in No longer at Ease

Tobacco use and oral health of inmates in a Nigerian prison

Objectives: To determine the effect of tobacco use on oral health status of inmates of a federal prison in Enugu, Nigeria.Materials and Methods: The study involved 230 inmates of the Nigerian Prison in Enugu. An interviewer‑administered questionnaire was used to collect data on the demographic characteristics of the participants, oral hygiene methods, and smoking habits. An intra‑oral examination to determine their oral health status was done using simplified oral hygiene index (OHI‑S) for the oral hygiene status, the modified decayed missing and filled teeth (DMFT) index for caries status, and community periodontal index of treatment needs (CPITN) for the periodontal needs. Statistical Package for Social Sciences software, version 15 was used to analyze data.Results: One hundred and twenty participants (52.2%) were current smokers. Mean DMFT of smokers and nonsmokers were 2.38 ± 0.71 and 2.25 ± 0.83 respectively (P = 0.508) while mean Community Periodontal Index (CPI) scores of smokers and nonsmokers were 4.71 ± 1.26 and 2.27 ± 0.86, respectively (P = 0.276). Oral soft tissue lesions such as mucosal burn, oral leukoplakia‑like lesions were found mainly in the tobacco users.Conclusion: Tobacco use had a negative effect on the oral health of the participants as smokers had worse oral health profile than non‑smokers. They may benefit from counseling programs with the view to educate them on the effect of tobacco use on oral health and by extension, the general health. The full implementation of the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC) treaty in Nigeria could help in curtailing these unwanted consequences of tobacco use.Keywords: Oral health promotion, prisoners, periodontal health, tobacco useNigerian Journal of Clinical Practice • Oct-Dec 2013 • Vol 16 • Issue

Pattern of presentation of oral health conditions by children at University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu: A retrospective study

Aim: The study aimed to determine the pattern of occurrence of oral conditions among children that attended the Child Dental Health clinic of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Enugu over a 45 months period.Materials and Methods: Clinical records of 305 patients, aged 3 days to 16 years, who attended the Child Dental Health Clinic of the UNTH from April 2008 to December 2011 were retrieved and analyzed.Results: Out of a total of 305 children who visited the Child Dental Health Clinic within this period, there were 148 (48.5%) males and 157 (51.5%) females. The ages ranged from 3 days to 16 years with a mean age of 9.05 years, only 4.6% made asymptomatic visit while 95.4% made symptomatic visit. 68.2% had caries and its sequeale, with no significant difference across the gender (P = 1.472). Nearly 91.1% had periodontal diseases, with a significant difference noted (P = 0.020) 2% had tooth developmental anomalies, 10.5% had traumatic dental injuries, 12.1% had malocclusion and other esthetic problems, 15.1% had other oral pathologies, 14.4% had abnormalities of tooth eruption.Conclusion: A significant 95.4% of the children made symptomatic visit. Periodontal disease was the most prevalent finding followed by dental caries. There is an urgent need to increase dental health awareness among children through school based continuing dental education program and also among other pediatric care givers such as parents, teachers, and pediatricians.Key words: Asymptomatic visits, oral health conditions, pattern of presentation, symptomati

Deconstructing Truth as a Symbolic Construct in Mukoma wa Ngugi’s Nairobi Heat

As a literary work which builds its plot on the intricacies of crime and murder, Mukoma wa Ngugi's Nairobi Heat has many of its criticisms focused on vices thus giving the text a meaning as expected, of a crime fiction. However, critical discourse has not been focused on deconstructing the symbolic idea of Truth in the text and its relevance in generating new and multiple meanings in the text. Therefore, through a close reading, this research aims to explicate the running idea of truth in the novel as a symbolic construct and traces the chains of multiple meaning it signifies. This is achieved through a focus on Paul Ricoeur's dialectical hermeneutics of faith and suspicion, which seeks to unearth hidden meanings from the primary symbol. To this end, the research focused on three objectives, first, it devotes itself to the identification of truth as a symbolic construct in the text; second, analyses the symbol of truth based on the hermeneutics of faith, which reveals truth to be that centred on the true reasons behind the death of Marcy Jane and other crimes in the text thus making it a quest for justice: while lastly, the symbol of truth is critiqued based on the hermeneutics of suspicion, which demystifies the hidden meaning of truth as truth for self-identification and truth about Africa which also serves as the supreme finding of the research. Keywords: Truth, Symbol, Hermeneutics, Faith, Suspicion, Meaning, Mukoma. DOI: 10.7176/JLLL/95-02 Publication date: January 31st 202

Recombinant expression and characterization of quinone-containing novel glycine oxidase from Marinomonas mediterranea

　Novel glycine oxidase (GlyOX) from Marinomonas mediterranea depends on cysteine tryptophilquinone (CTQ) and catalyzes the oxidative deamination of glycine to produce a glyoxylate, ammonia, and hydrogen peroxide. M. mediterranea GlyOX genes (goxA and goxB) were cloned and recombinant GlyOX was heterologously expressed by E. coli. The purification of recombinant GlyOX was carried out by metal affinity and DEAE-Toyopearl 650M column chromatographies. M. mediterranea GlyOX was homotetramic with a molecular mass of 76kDa and showed optimum activity around 30°C and at pH 5.0, and stability below 50°C and between pH 5.0 to 9.0. M. mediterranea GlyOX shows a strict substrate specificity toward glycine, and the Michaelis constant for glycine was 0.5mM. M. mediterranea GlyOX could determine the quantity of glycine in human serum and human blood plasma with high sensitivity. This study revealed the catalytic and structural properties of M. mediterranea GlyOX with high substrate specificity., ,

Sulfur-Switch Ugi Reaction for Macrocyclic Disulfide-Bridged Peptidomimetics

A general strategy is introduced for the efficient synthetic access of disulfide linked artificial macrocycles via a Ugi four-component reaction (U4CR) followed by oxidative cyclization. The double-mercapto input is proposed for use in the Ugi reaction, thereby yielding all six topologically possible combinations. The protocol is convergent and short and enables the production of novel disulfide peptidomimetics in a highly general fashion

The Impact of Phenological Gaps on Leaf Characteristics and Foliage Dynamics of an Understory Dwarf Bamboo, Sasa kurilensis

Phenological gaps exert a significant influence on the growth of dwarf bamboos. However, how dwarf bamboos respond to and exploit these phenological gaps remain enigmatic. The light environment, soil nutrients, leaf morphology, maximum photosynthetic rate, foliage dynamics, and branching characteristics of Sasa kurilensis were examined under the canopies of Fagus crenata and Magnolia obovata. The goal was to elucidate the adaptive responses of S. kurilensis to phenological gaps in the forest understory. The findings suggest that phenological gaps under an M. obovata canopy augment the available biomass of S. kurilensis, enhancing leaf area, leaf thickness, and carbon content per unit area. However, these gaps do not appreciably influence the maximum photosynthetic rate, total leaf number, leaf lifespan, branch number, and average branch length. These findings underscore the significant impact of annually recurring phenological gaps on various aspects of S. kurilensis growth, such as its aboveground biomass, leaf morphology, and leaf biochemical characteristics. It appears that leaf morphology is a pivotal trait in the response of S. kurilensis to phenological gaps. Given the potential ubiquity of the influence of phenological gaps on dwarf bamboos across most deciduous broadleaf forests, this canopy phenomenon should not be overlooked

Autocrine/paracrine role of adrenomedullin in cultured endothelial and mesangial cells

Autocrine/paracrine role of adrenomedullin in cultured endothelial and mesangial cells. Adrenomedullin (AM), a potent vasorelaxant and natriuretic peptide isolated from human pheochromocytoma, is present in the kidney and secreted from endothelial cells (EC) and vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC), but the functional role of AM is still unclear. To clarify the significance of AM as a local regulator, we investigated its secretion and action in cultured cells, and examined the effects of neutralization using a specific monoclonal antibody against AM. The prepared antibody directed against the ring structure showed a high affinity for human and rat AM. Using radioimmunoassay with this antibody, we found significant secretion from cultured rat mesangial cells (MC) of a 6-kDa mature form of AM as seen from EC and VSMC. The addition of AM into cultured cells dose-dependently increased cAMP production and potently inhibited PDGF-stimulated thymidine incorporation. Pretreatment with the monoclonal antibody completely abolished cAMP increase induced by exogenous AM. Moreover, antibody neutralization of endogenously secreted AM in cultured EC, but not in MC or VSMC, markedly (by ∼70%) reduced basal cAMP production and significantly (1.7-fold) enhanced DNA synthesis. These results indicate that AM, acting as an autocrine/paracrine regulator, exerts an antiproliferative action on EC and MC, and suggest its role as a local modulator of endothelial and mesangial function

Autocrine/paracrine role of adrenomedullin in cultured endothelial and mesangial cells

Autocrine/paracrine role of adrenomedullin in cultured endothelial and mesangial cells. Adrenomedullin (AM), a potent vasorelaxant and natriuretic peptide isolated from human pheochromocytoma, is present in the kidney and secreted from endothelial cells (EC) and vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC), but the functional role of AM is still unclear. To clarify the significance of AM as a local regulator, we investigated its secretion and action in cultured cells, and examined the effects of neutralization using a specific monoclonal antibody against AM. The prepared antibody directed against the ring structure showed a high affinity for human and rat AM. Using radioimmunoassay with this antibody, we found significant secretion from cultured rat mesangial cells (MC) of a 6-kDa mature form of AM as seen from EC and VSMC. The addition of AM into cultured cells dose-dependently increased cAMP production and potently inhibited PDGF-stimulated thymidine incorporation. Pretreatment with the monoclonal antibody completely abolished cAMP increase induced by exogenous AM. Moreover, antibody neutralization of endogenously secreted AM in cultured EC, but not in MC or VSMC, markedly (by ∼70%) reduced basal cAMP production and significantly (1.7-fold) enhanced DNA synthesis. These results indicate that AM, acting as an autocrine/paracrine regulator, exerts an antiproliferative action on EC and MC, and suggest its role as a local modulator of endothelial and mesangial function