Lizards as laboratory animals

No abstract availabl

Adsorption kinetics of cadmium and lead by chitosan

An evaluation of the kinetics and capacity of chitosan to trap lead and cadmium ions in aqueous solution was carried out at 25oC using concentration and contact time as parameters. The experimentswere done as batch process. Our results show that the adsorption process is concentration-driven with high capacity of chitosan for the adsorption of these metal ions. The Infra red spectroscopic study on the chitosan and the metal-chitosan complexes reveal a metal coordination based on the observed characteristic band changes. At initial lead concentrations of 1000, 500, 400, 250 and 100 mg/L, the adsorbed lead ion concentrations are 557, 265, 218, 132 and 65 mg/L, respectively. However, for the cadmium, the adsorbed concentrations are 263, 165, 152, 78 and 45 mg/L, respectively at the same initial concentrations. The lead and cadmium adsorption kinetic behavior could not be described using the Langmuir isotherm over the whole concentration range but Freundlich isotherm conforms to the experimental data

Study of structures and classes in the grammar of modern Yoruba

The present study differs from any previous study in that it is consciously based on a theory. Unlike previous grammars, categories established in the grammar are defined, and their relation to one another is implied in the interrelation of the hierarchy of units in the theory. The categories set up for the grammar are based on the internal structure of the language and are not derived from the categories of English Grammar or of any other language

PHYTO-REMEDIATION OF LEAD-CONTAMINATED SOIL USING AMARANTHUS CRUENTUS

Previous studies have shown that some vegetables have the ability to absorb metals from soil. Since they are early maturity species, they possess the potential to be used as phytoremediating agents. Also, synthetic chelates have been found to induce lead desorption from soil matrix, thereby enhancing uptake into plant tissues. Therefore, a study was carried out to determine the potential of Amaranthus cruentus as a soil lead remediating plant. The experiment was carried out using a randomized block design. Soil samples were subjected to five levels of lead contamination namely control, 600ppm, 600ppm + EDTA, 1800ppm and 1800ppm + EDTA, each treatment had five replicates. Three plants each were carefully transplanted from nursery to experimental pots and grown for 32 days. Ethylenediaminetetra acetic(EDTA) (3.0 mmole EDTA/kg soil) was applied to EDTA amended treatment 8 days before harvesting. The result showed that EDTA has some effect on lead solubility in soil as well as lead absorption by A.cruentus. However, there were variable increases in lead uptake from the contaminated soil to the plants. Lead contamination did not have significant effect on growth and yield parameters of A cruentus. Since the transfer factor (TF) of the plant is greater than one, it may be a promising species for phytoremediation.Amaranthus cruentus, Lead, phytoremediation, soil, Land Economics/Use,

Musical Intervention in Coronavirus Pandemic: A pragmatic Analysis of Wasiu Alabi Pasuma’s Corona Be Gone

Music has always lent itself out as a tool for social reengineering, and it has not done less in the face of the global pandemic. In view of this, this paper analyses a track titled Corona Be Gone in the album, MMM (Money Making Machine) by a notable Fuji musician, Wasiu Alabi Pasuma. The study deploys Jacob Mey’s Pragmatic Acts Theory to account for Pasuma’s musical intervention in the pandemic with a view to showing how music serves as a veritable tool for curtailing the virus and addressing other societal issues. Excerpts are purposively drawn from the track in line with the aim of the study. The analysis is structured along three major issues revealed in the song which are:  general admonition, leadership failure and spiritual succour. The general admonition is concretised with the pragmatic acts of lamenting, cautioning/enlightening and teasing, the leadership failure is shown through the pragmatic acts of satirising and the spiritual succor is revealed through the pract of praying. The paper concludes that even if music cannot proffer curative solution to the pandemic, it sensitises on preventive measures through its lyrics

Modern African Verse and the Politics of Authentication

In his article Modern African Verse and the Politics of Authentication Gabriel S. Bamgbose argues that the authenticity of modern African poetry is marked by the intricate tie between African verse and African life in its diversities and complexities. Bamgbose examines the modern nature of African poetry, its oral roots, its treatment of colonial, and cultural nationalist issues, its issues of négritude, language, radical consciousness, gender, and its international nature. Bamgbose draws on the poetry of Okot p\u27Bitek, Taban Lo Liyong, and Frank Chipasula of East Africa, Tchikaya U Tam\u27si, Tati Loutard, and Gahlia Gwangwa\u27a of Central Africa, and Dennis Brutus, Agostinho Neto, and Luvuyo Mkangelwa of Southern Africa (he excludes poetry from West Africa, which has often taken the front space in critical discourse on modern African poetry). In doing so, he reveals that modern African poetry possesses a complex nature, a direct representation of the spirit, identities, and realities of Black Africa and Africans

Modern African Poetry and the Issues of Gender: The Nigerian Literary Scene

The major engagement of this paper is to examine gender issues in modern African poetry with specific reference to the Nigerian literary scene. Critics have often paid attention to fictions and plays produced by women with very little attention paid to their poetic art. Obi Maduakor has studied the contributions of two Southern women, Catherine Acholonu and Omolara Ogundipe-Leslie, to the development of women poetry in Nigeria. Also, Aderemi Raji-Oyelade has provided an insight into the poetry of Northern Nigerian women. However, this study attempts to examine how women from these various regions have come together to form a whole Nigerian women poetic canon. This paper samples the representative poetic works of three Southern women poets, Catherine Acholonu, Ifi Amadiume, Omalara Ogundipe-Leslie, and three Northern women poets, Angela Miri, Binta Mohammad and Fatima Alkali. The study adopts the feminist theoretical perspective in its Afrocentric mode in view of its relevance to the analysis of gender topicalities in the poetic discourse examined. The study shows that women poets reveal a considerable level of concern for their fellow womenfolk and the socio-political and cultural state of their country in their poetic engagements. Thus, it is concluded that women poets have truly arrived on the Nigerian literary scene and have come to compete favourably with their male counterparts. Now, they have their own distinct voice in the Nigerian poetic canon.   Keywords: Gender, Modern African Poetry, Feminist, Nigerian Women Poetry

Pragmatic and Discourse Functions in Jenifa’s Diary

Existing studies on comedies in Nigeria have focused mainly on stand-up comedy, with little attention devoted to situation comedies. This study, therefore, investigates the pragmatic acts that are used to reflect inherent societal issues revealed under the guise of humour in a Nigerian sitcom, Jenifa’s Diary. Drawing excerpts purposively sampled from the first three seasons of the sitcom and subjecting them to the analytical tools of Jacob Mey’s pragmatic acts and Meyer’s functions of humour, the study shows the discourse functions of social and moral consciousness which address issues of incivility, domestic violence, poor etiquette, lying and indecent dressing. These discourse functions are achieved through the practs of warning, informing, enculturating and advising, and the communication functions named enforcement and differentiation. The study concludes that sitcoms are not just scripted to amuse viewers but also to address the state of the nations where they are set

Toxicity assessment of treated effluents from a textile industry in Lagos, Nigeria

Water pollution caused by industrial effluent discharges has become a worrisome phenomenon due to its impact on environmental health and safety. Textile industries contribute immensely to surface water deterioration and are categorized among the most polluting in all industrial sectors. For this reason, the toxicity of treated textile effluent was assessed in Celossia argentea by exposing them to effluent-polluted surface water from Ibeshe River. In the present study, parameters investigated includes, growth, photosynthetic pigment content, lipid peroxidation, and metal accumulation. The results showed that treated textile effluent from Nichemtex Company, affected the growth, dry biomass, root development and photosynthetic pigment content of C. argentea. The treated effluent caused 41% growth inhibition while the total chlorophyll decreased by 59.87% in relation to the control plants. Furthermore, it also elevated the levels of lipid peroxidation and heavy metals in the plant. It was therefore implicated that treated textile effluent entering Ibeshe River could cause toxic effects on organisms. It was emphasized that using the water for irrigation and as portable water in its present state is unsafe.Key words: Textile effluent, toxicity, surface waters, growth inhibition, Celosia argentea