The Eye of the Earth: Niyi Osundare as a Poet of Nature

It can be said with considerable justification that Niyi Osundare is one of themost fecund poets writing in Africa today. A Nigerian of Yoruba extraction,his poetry is richly coloured by common expressions of traditional life (likeproverbs and songs) which reflects the world view of his people. Besides, hispoetry is accessible because in it he assumes the voice of the unletteredpeasants and villagers ‘who speak plain without feigning sophistication’(Ohaeto 7). His themes are many and varied. They range from apreoccupation with the poor and down-trodden in society to an engagementwith Africa’s socio-political problems and a revolutionary vision that willbring about a new Africa. In all these Osundare is not blind to his physicalenvironment. In fact most of Osundare’s poetry dwells on the impoverishmentand decay of the rural communities. His fourth collection of poetry The Eyeof the Earth is entirely devoted to mother-earth and other forms of physicalnature. It is the object of this piece to ascertain the extent to which Osundarequalifies as a poet of nature in this collection

The drama in cross-cultural marriages and stereotypes in central Nigeria: The tiv-igede paradigm in the global age

Nio Abstract

Do Institutions and Social Capital matter in the Economic Development of Nigeria?

Abstract. This paper addresses the impact of institutions and social capital on economic development of Nigeria. It advanced an argument that economic prosperity of a country is embedded in social organizations and transformations of her institutions built from social capital. The methodology adopted was quantitative and qualitative. The results present a declining negative impact of social capital and institutional variables on economic development; affirming the importance of social capital on institutional quality. Therefore, the way forward is taking a tougher stance against abuse of power and employ mechanism of social capital to reconcile conflict among social, political and economic interest groups.Keywords: Institutions, Social capital, Economic development.JEL. D70, H10, O10, O40

Limiting Iron Acquisition of E. Coli With Anti-TonB1 and AntiTonB2​

The bacteria E Coli infect approximately 200,000 individuals in the United States and can lead to critical illnesses. The transfer of iron from the bloodstream to bacteria is one of the main requirements for the survival. One of the mechanisms to obtain iron by use of siderophores and the protein FhuA was investigated. Undergraduate students grouped into teams to each explain a unique molecular story- modeled in Jmol/Pymol and demonstrated through a poster and PowerPoint. Using the PDB file, 2GRX, a drug to inhibit the TonB-Ton Box interaction which provides the FhuA iron mechanism energy to operate was researched. A protein model was designed to bind to the Ton Box region of FhuA with higher affinity by altering polar and charged residues to nonpolar or aliphatic residues that were present in the original TonB protein through programs Pymol and Jmol. The presence of many nonpolar amino acids in residues 8-16 and 588-592 of FhuA and the charged amino acids in residues 166-170 and 225-235 of TonB suggest that mutations of R166F, N227L, K231A on the tonB will lead to a protein with a stronger interaction with the Ton Box. The change from Arginine 166 to Phenlyalanine facilitates a nonpolar-nonpolar interaction between the TonB and Alanine of FhuA. Similarly, mutating polar asparagine to nonpolar leucine and the change of positively charged Lysine to uncharged Alanine will allow a stronger interaction. These hypothesized interactions of the mutated Anti-TonB1 with the FhuA are based on predicted outcomes because of the limitations of programmed docking of large proteins. Through the research and design of the course, students were able to develop skills with protein interface programs such as Pymol, Jmol, and Pyrx. This project was made possible by Nova Southeastern University and the guidance from Dr. Arthur Sikora and Dr. Emily Schmitt Lavin.https://nsuworks.nova.edu/protein_modeling_reports/1001/thumbnail.jp

SIMULASI KONSERVASI LAHAN KRITIS TERHADAP HASIL AIR (WATER YIELD) DAERAH ALIRAN SUNGAI (DAS) KURANJI MENGGUNAKAN MODEL SWAT (SOIL AND WATER ASSESMENT TOOL)

Perubahan iklim dan penggunaan lahan memiliki dampak yang besar terhadap keseimbangan air. Perubahan penggunaan lahan merupakan penyebab utama tingginya run off dibandingkan dengan faktor lainnya. Bencana alam yang terjadi di wilayah DAS (Daerah Aliran Sungai) merupakan indikasi bahwa fungsi hidrologi di wilayah DAS dalam keadaan terganggu dan tidak dapat mendukung sistem tata air yang optimal. Hampir setiap tahun terjadi banjir di kawasan DAS Kuranji yang menimbulkan kerugian secara materil dan korban jiwa. Salah satu bentuk upaya untuk menjaga kelestarian DAS adalah dengan melakukan konservasi pada wilayah – wilayah yang memberikan dampak buruk terhadap DAS seperti lahan kritis. Tujuan penelitian ini adalah mensimulasikan konservasi lahan kritis DAS Kuranji terhadap perubahan hasil air. Simulasi dilakukan terhadap 3 skenario penggunaan lahan yaitu konservasi 50 %, 80 % dan 100 % terhadap luas lahan kritis. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa terdapat 818,92 ha lahan kritis yang bisa digunakan untuk lahan konservasi. Simulasi perubahan penggunaan lahan terhadap lahan kritis dari beberapa skenario menunjukkan bahwa skenario konservasi 100 % menunjukkan kondisi hidrologi yang lebih baik. Artinya, semakin luas lahan yang di konservasi menjadi hutan campuran maka akan menurunkan hasil air, sehingga menurunkan aliran permukaan dan menaikkan volume air tanah DA

Imported Intermediate Inputs and Manufactured Exports in Nigeria: The Role of Dual Exchange Rate Regime

This study examines the direction and significance of imported intermediate inputs on manufactured exports in Nigeria under the role of dual exchange rate regime between the period of Q1 2000 to Q4 2018 using data sourced from the World Bank, African Development Bank and Central Bank of Nigeria databases. Vector Error Correction Model was employed to ascertain the relationship among the variables. The results show that all explanatory variables are cointegrated in the long run. The findings from the impulse response analysis points to the existence of a negative response from imported intermediate inputs to manufacturing export, though statistically insignificant. The results indicate a positive and significant response of exchange rate spread on export performance. The result of the Variance Decomposition shows that in addition to own shocks, between 5 to 12 per cent of the variations in manufacturing export are due to shocks in imported intermediate inputs and exchange rate spread respectively. Policy that will work towards achieving a unified the exchange rate system, boosting intermediate imports of intermediate inputs used by local manufacturers to help expand manufacturing exports are recommended based on the findings

ANALISIS KESESUAIAN LAHAN UNTUK PENGEMBANGAN TANAMAN KAYU MANIS (Cinnamomum burmanii BL.) DI KABUPATEN SOLOK SELATAN

Sektor pertanian memegang peranan penting dalam perekonomian Indonesia, seperti subsektor perkebunan. Salah satu tanaman perkebunan yang mempunyai nilai ekonomis tinggi di Indonesia adalah tanaman kayu manis (Cinnamomum burmanii BL.). Selain itu, tanaman kayu manis juga dapat berfungsi sebagai tanaman penghijauan dan konservasi lahan, khususnya di tebing – tebing dan kaki pegunungan serta daerah aliran sungai. Kabupaten Kerinci dan Merangin di Provinsi Jambi merupakan penghasil kayu manis nomor tiga di dunia. Kabupaten Solok Selatan merupakan salah satu daerah yang terletak di Provinsi Sumatera Barat yang berbatasan langsung dengan Kabupaten Kerinci Provinsi Jambi. Kabupaten Solok Selatan memiliki karakteristik iklim dan topografi yang hampir sama dengan Kabupaten Kerinci. Oleh karena itu, tanaman kayu manis bisa dikembangkan di Kabupaten Solok Selatan dengan memperhatikan kesesuaian lahan yang ada. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui kesesuaian lahan tanaman kayu manis di Kabupaten Solok Selatan dalam upaya pengembangan tanaman kayu manis di Kabupaten Solok Selatan. Berdasarkan hasil penelitian diperoleh lahan tersedia untuk pengembangan tanaman kayu manis seluas 86.430,15 ha atau 24,07 % dan lahan tidak tersedia seluas 272.574,72 ha atau 75,93 %. Setelah dilakukan overlay terhadap masing - masing parameter kesesuaian lahan tanaman kayu manis (curah hujan, jenis tanah, temperature, dan kelerengan), maka didapatkan lahan kelas S1 (Sangat Sesuai) seluas 24.775,00 ha atau 6,90 %, lahan kelas S2 (Cukup Sesuai) seluas 61.598,04 ha atau 17,16 % dan lahan kelas S3 (Sesuai Marginal) 57,11 ha atau 0,07 %. Analisis Produksi tanaman kayu manis dari lahan tersedia menghasilkan 1.209.225,56 ton kulit kering dalam rentang waktu 8 tahun pembudidayaan dengan harga Rp. 24.184.511.200. Kata Kunci : kayu manis, kesesuaian lahan, Kabupaten Solok Selata