Characterisation, Authority and Ideology in Ngũgĩ’s Devil on the Cross

This paper analyses the direct characterisation passages in Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s novel Devil on the Cross (1982). It identifies the different uses of modality, an indicator of narratorial authority, in order to show how the predominant use of modalisation has helped the narrators to mark not only their externality to what they depict, but also their subjectivity or lack of confidence with regard to their interpretations of capitalist characters’ actions. Yet, with a near exclusive use of modulation with regard to the depiction of proletarian personages, these narrators have somehow given clues about their closeness to and admiration for them. All this has helped to deduce their ideological orientation regarding the two groups of characters. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n4s3p27

Instruments for the identification of patients in need of palliative care: protocol for a systematic review of measurement properties.

The objective of this review is to provide a comprehensive overview of the psychometric properties of available clinician-reported instruments developed to identify patients in need of general and specialized palliative care in acute care settings. Identification of patients in need of palliative care has been recognized as an area where many health care professionals need guidance. Differentiating between patients who require general palliative care and patients with more complex conditions who need specialized palliative care is particularly challenging. To our knowledge, no dedicated instruments are available to date to assist health care professionals to make this identification. Included studies will report on i) instruments aiming to identify patients in need of palliative care, ii) adult patients in need of palliative care in acute-care settings, iii) clinician-reported outcome measures, or iv) the development process or one or more of its measurement properties. Studies conducted in intensive care units, emergency departments, or nursing homes will be excluded. We will search for studies published in English and French in a variety of sources, including Embase, Medline Ovid SP, PubMed, CINAHL EBSCO, Google Scholar, government websites, and hospice websites. All citations will be screened and selected by two independent reviewers. Data extraction, quality assessment, and syntheses of included studies will be performed according to the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) criteria. PROSPERO CRD42020150074

Use of the HEC RAS model for the analysis of exceptional floods in the Ouémé basin

The Ouémé River basin extends over almost half of Benin's territory, entirely located in a humid tropical climate. This river system includes a deltaic zone (delta of the Ouémé) known for its high agricultural potential and thus subject to a socio-economic development agenda. The Ouémé delta is facing recurrent floods that maintain rural agricultural population into a retrograding crisis with significant damages such as losses of properties. The objective of this study is to improve decision-making in the Ouémé basin through the simulation of exceptional floods using the HEC-RAS model. The HEC RAS model is a conceptual model, which works through mathematical and physical formulas to implement environmental phenomena for forecasting, understanding and analysis purposes. The model inputs used are basin GIS data, hydro-meteorological data, characteristics of existing hydraulic structures, etc. The targeted outputs include 1D/2D/3D view plans with support of satellite images, tables, graphs and curves. It is worth mentioning that the model provides outputs compatible with other tools, such as civil engineering (Civil 3D, Revit, Infraworks, etc.) and GIS, that help to expand the valorization fields. The implementation of the model in the Ouémé basin has made it possible to note: (i) that the recurring effect of losses and damages is justified by the settlement of the population on the river banks; (ii) that there is an important agricultural production in areas of high flood risk; (iii) that depending on the occurrence of the phenomenon, the flooded extent and the height of submersion remains variable, and more important for extreme flooding; (iv) about 12.07 % occurrence of river flood against 13.24 % for flash flood at a return period of 30 years. Moreover, it is very relevant to note that most of flood waters converge to the western part of the basin (an area with a low risk of flooding, stretched over 63.68 km2) and to the eastern part around the Damè-Wogon depression (an area at high risk of flooding, stretched over 10.49 km2).</p

Cowries in the archaeology of West Africa: the present picture

Despite the perceived importance of cowrie shells as indicators of long-distance connections in the West African past, their distribution and consumption patterns in archaeological contexts remain surprisingly underexplored, a gap that is only partly explicable by the sparse distribution of archaeological sites within the sub-continent. General writings on the timeline of importation of cowries into West Africa often fail to take into account the latest archaeological evidence and rely instead on accounts drawn from historical or ethnographic documents. This paper is based on a first-hand assessment of over 4500 shells from 78 sites across West Africa, examining chronology, shell species and processes of modification to assess what distribution patterns can tell us about the history of importation and usage of cowries. These first-hand analyses are paralleled by a consideration of published materials. We re-examine the default assumption that two distinct routes of entry existed — one overland from North Africa before the fifteenth century, another coming into use from the time sea links were established with the East African coast and becoming predominant by the middle of the nineteenth century. We focus on the eastern part of West Africa, where the importance of imported cowries to local communities in relatively recent periods is well known and from where we have a good archaeological sample. The conclusion is that on suitably large assemblages shell size can be an indication of provenance and that, while the present archaeological picture seems largely to confirm historical sources, much of this may be due to the discrepancy in archaeological data available from the Sahara/Sahel zone compared to the more forested regions of the sub-continent. Future archaeological work will clarify this matter

Comparison of one-site vs. multi-sites calibration schemes for hydrological modelling of nested catchments in the West African Sahel

Runoff simulation in highly anthropized catchments is complex, but essential for water management, especially in poorly gauged and data-scarce hydrosystems of the West African Sahel. This study aims to evaluate the effect of different calibration schemes on runoff simulation. The physically-based and semi-distributed hydrological SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) model is used to simulate daily runoff in the Nakanbé catchment at Wayen station in Burkina Faso (in the West African Sahel) over the period 2006–2012. Four (4) hydrometric stations (Dombré, Rambo, Ramsa and Wayen) gauging 4 nested catchments (ranging from 1060 to 21 178 km2 in size) are considered. The added value of the consideration of nested catchments is assessed through the following 3 calibration schemes: one-site (OS) at the entire catchment outlet (Wayen); multi-sites with nested sub-catchments (MS1); and multi-sites without considering nested sub-catchments (MS2). The results indicate that OS and MS2 schemes perform well (KGE &gt; 0.7, |PBIAS|&lt;3 %), with MS2 scheme being superior (KGE, PBIAS). However, the MS1 scheme (KGE = 0.68; PBIAS = −22.9 %) performed worse in comparison to the traditional OS scheme. The comparison of the three modelling schemes provides evidence that accounting for nested sub-catchments does not necessarily improve the quality of rainfall-runoff simulations. Yet, multi-site calibration should be favoured when catchments are not nested.</p

Exploring the Textual Metafunction in a Biblical-Fictional Parable in Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s Devil on the Cross

This paper explores the textual metafunctional patterns in two fictional versions of a Biblical Parable in Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s novel Devil on the Cross (1982) in order to find the similarities and differences between their compositional features. It critically draws on the theory of systemic functional linguistics expounded by specialists like Halliday (1994), Halliday and Matthiessen (2004) and Eggins (2004) to overview the theoretical background to the study, with focus on the grammar of textual meaning, proposes a new Theme classification and uses it to analyze the Thematic structure and taxis system of the two extracts. The researcher has come to the conclusion that, though they are initially spoken, these texts show such interesting textual-meaning properties as the density of ellipsis, of circumstantial and interpersonal thematization, of taxis and rank shift that they should be qualified to belong to both spoken and written mode of discourse.

Semiotics of Power and Dictatorship in Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s Later Novels

This paper explores the different uses of symbols to express power and interpersonal relationship in Ngũgĩ’s bulkiest novel Wizard of the Crow (2006), with a few illustrations from Matigari (1987). It draws on the semiotic approach and identifies about a hundred discourse strings in which signs are used to express tenor between characters. In the main, supernatural, faunal and floral symbols are found to be main vehicles of power, though many other such avenues as ‘vocations’, ‘social and gender-related symbols’ and ‘biblical characterisation and numerology’, etc are unexplored here for space constraints. Before the analysis, it is deemed necessary to overview the theoretical background to the study in which relevant concepts have been clarified. It has been concluded that there is no other work in which power is so much expressed through the explored devices as in Wizard of the Crow. Keywords: tenor, symbol, index, proverb, modality metaphor, modaliser/ weakener, modulator/strengthene

Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions for Self-Regulatory Failures in Adolescents Suffering from Externalizing Symptoms: A Scoping Review.

Deficits of self-regulation (SR) are a hallmark of externalizing (EXT: offending or aggressive behaviors) symptoms in adolescence. This scoping review aims (1) to map non-pharmaceutical interventions targeting SR processes to reduce EXT symptoms in adolescents and (2) to identify research gaps, both of which will provide recommendations for future studies. Systematic searches were carried out in eight bibliographic databases up to March 2021, combining the following concepts: self-regulation, externalizing symptoms, adolescents, and non-pharmaceutical interventions. We identified 239 studies, including 24,180 youths, mainly from North America, which described a plethora of non-pharmaceutical interventions targeting SR to alleviate EXT symptoms in adolescents (10-18 years of age). The majority of studies (about 70%, k = 162) represent samples with interventions exposed to "selective" or "indicated" prevention. Curriculum-based (i.e., multiple approaches targeting several domains such as emotion, cognition, and social) interventions (31.4%) were the most common type of intervention. Moreover, studies on cognitive-based interventions, mind-based interventions, and emotional-based interventions have increased over the last decades. Network analyses allowed us to identify several hubs between curriculum-based interventions, cognitive SR processes, as well as aggressiveness, conduct problems, and irritability/anger dysregulation. In addition, we identified gaps of studies concerning the physiological SR processes and on some types of interventions (i.e., body-based interventions and externally mediated interventions) or, more specifically, on promising tools, such as biofeedback, neurofeedback, as well as programs targeting neuropsychological processes (e.g., cognitive remediation). This scoping review stresses the plethora of interventions, identified hubs, and emerging fields, as well as some gaps in the literature, which together may orient future studies

Effets de la consommation de l'huile d'Afraegle paniculata sur les parametres hematologiques et physiologiques chez les rats

L'huile d'Afraegle paniculata est une huile végétale de couleur jaune-pâle extraite à partir des graines par la méthode chimique Soxhlet avec une teneur en huile de 45%.L’objectif de cette étude est de déterminer les effets de cette huile sur les paramètres hématologiques et physiologiques comparés à ceux de l'huile d'Arachis hypogaea (arachide) prise comme huile de référence après 28 jours d'expérience. L'étude est faite sur 42 rats de genre Albinos Wistar divisés en sept lots de six rats. Le premier lot, le contrôle, n’a reçu aucune huile tandis que les autres lots ont reçu quotidiennement en supplémentation par gavage soit l'une des deux types d’huiles à l'une de ces concentrations: 2,5μl.g-1; 5μl.g-1 et 7,5μl.g-1. Le poids corporel des rats, l'aspect des crottes ont été notés tous les jours. A la fin, le sang de chaque rat a été recueilli dans un tube avec anticoagulant pour les examens hématologiques.Les résultats montrent que tous les rats ont survécu avec un état général normal. Ils ne présentaient aucun signe d’intoxication alimentaire. L’observation macroscopique des crottes n'a pas révélé la présence de diarrhées ni de crottes sanguinolentes. Chez tous les lots, le gain en poids, l'impact sur les lignées érythrocytaire et plaquettaire sont identiques (p&gt;0,05). Particulièrement pour l'huile d'A. panculata, le nombre des leucocytes est légèrement plus élevé que celui des autres bien que non significatif. Mais à 7,5μl.g-1 de concentration, l'huile favoriserait l'augmentation significative des polynucléaires neutrophiles (p&lt;0,05), chefs d'orchestre de l'immunité cellulaire. Mais d'autres investigations restent à mener pour attester l’innocuité de cette huile.Mots clés: Afraegle paniculata, huiles, gavage, ratsEnglish Title: Effects of consumption of Afraegle paniculata's oil on physiological and hematological parameters in ratsEnglish AbstractThe Afraegle paniculata's oil is a pale yellow vegetable oil extracted from seeds by the Soxhlet chemical method (hexane extract) with 45% of an oil content.The objective of this study is to determine the effects of this oil on hematological and physiological parameters compared to those of Arachis hypogaea's (peanut) oil took as a reference after 28 days of experience. The study was carried out on 42 Albinos Wistartype rats. They were divided into seven (7) homogeneous groups with six (6) per group (n=6 each). The first group, the control one, didn't receive any dose of oil during the entire study. While the other 6 groups received daily gavage with three increasing  volumes 2.5μl.g-1; 5μl.g-1 and 7.5μl.g-1. The weight of the rats, the aspect of the droppings were daily reported. At the end, the blood was collected in an anti-coagulant (EDTA) tube for the hematological tests.The results showed that all the rats survived during the duration of the study with a normal general aspect and showed no signs of food poison. The macroscopic observation of the droppings didn't reveal the presence of diarrhea. The weight gain is similar in all groups (p&gt;0.05). Both the two oils have no effect on erythrocytes and thrombocytes descendant (p&gt;0.05). Especially for the A. panculata's oil, the leucocyte count is slightly higher than that of the others although not significant. But at 7.5μl.g-1 concentration, the oil would promote the significant increase of neutrophils (p &lt;0.05), responsible of cellular immunity. Other investigations remain to be carried out to prove its safety.Keywords: Afraegle paniculata, oils, gavage, rat