The Transformation of Men into Masquerades and Indian Madras into Masquerade Cloth in Buguma, Nigeria

The Kalahari Ijo people of the Niger Delta area of southeastern Nigeria use a group of dark indigo-blue cloths with white patterning to cover the faces of masquerade performers. Subsumed under the name of alubite (masquerade cloth) are at least three distinct types: (1) ukara cloth, an indigo-resist of imported muslin, stitched and dyed by Igbo craftsmen, (2) alubite cloth, a gauze-weave, also an indigo-resist, but of unknown provenance, and (3) pelete bite, an Indian madras from which threads are cut and pulled by Kalahari women to form a new pattern. The first two types of cloth apparently come from non-Kalahari sources. The third, pelete bite, transforms dark blue and white imported madras, using local technology, into a patterned masquerade cloth for which there is a cultural demand. We focus on this transformation, examining particular types of Indian madras considered appropriate for this adaptation and the ways that these cloths are altered (i.e., cut and pulled), their relationship in color and design to ukara and to the other alubite cloths, and the significance of the triangular motif, alu, for depicting water spirits in masquerade performances

The Transformation of Men into Masquerades and Indian Madras into Masquerade Cloth in Buguma, Nigeria

The Kalahari Ijo people of the Niger Delta area of southeastern Nigeria use a group of dark indigo-blue cloths with white patterning to cover the faces of masquerade performers. Subsumed under the name of alubite (masquerade cloth) are at least three distinct types: (1) ukara cloth, an indigo-resist of imported muslin, stitched and dyed by Igbo craftsmen, (2) alubite cloth, a gauze-weave, also an indigo-resist, but of unknown provenance, and (3) pelete bite, an Indian madras from which threads are cut and pulled by Kalahari women to form a new pattern. The first two types of cloth apparently come from non-Kalahari sources. The third, pelete bite, transforms dark blue and white imported madras, using local technology, into a patterned masquerade cloth for which there is a cultural demand. We focus on this transformation, examining particular types of Indian madras considered appropriate for this adaptation and the ways that these cloths are altered (i.e., cut and pulled), their relationship in color and design to ukara and to the other alubite cloths, and the significance of the triangular motif, alu, for depicting water spirits in masquerade performances

The Transformation of Men into Masquerades and Indian Madras into Masquerade Cloth in Buguma, Nigeria

The Kalahari Ijo people of the Niger Delta area of southeastern Nigeria use a group of dark indigo-blue cloths with white patterning to cover the faces of masquerade performers. Subsumed under the name of alubite (masquerade cloth) are at least three distinct types: (1) ukara cloth, an indigo-resist of imported muslin, stitched and dyed by Igbo craftsmen, (2) alubite cloth, a gauze-weave, also an indigo-resist, but of unknown provenance, and (3) pelete bite, an Indian madras from which threads are cut and pulled by Kalahari women to form a new pattern. The first two types of cloth apparently come from non-Kalahari sources. The third, pelete bite, transforms dark blue and white imported madras, using local technology, into a patterned masquerade cloth for which there is a cultural demand. We focus on this transformation, examining particular types of Indian madras considered appropriate for this adaptation and the ways that these cloths are altered (i.e., cut and pulled), their relationship in color and design to ukara and to the other alubite cloths, and the significance of the triangular motif, alu, for depicting water spirits in masquerade performances

Interplay of phase boundary anisotropy and electro-autocatalytic surface reactions on the lithium intercalation dynamics in LiX_XFePO4_4 platelet-like nanoparticles

Experiments on single crystal Li$_X$FePO$_4$ (LFP) nanoparticles indicate rich nonequilibrium phase behavior, such as suppression of phase separation at high lithiation rates, striped patterns of coherent phase boundaries, nucleation by binarysolid surface wetting and intercalation waves. These observations have been successfully predicted (prior to the experiments) by 1D depth-averaged phase-field models, which neglect any subsurface phase separation. In this paper, using an electro-chemo-mechanical phase-field model, we investigate the coherent non-equilibrium subsurface phase morphologies that develop in the $ab$- plane of platelet-like single-crystal platelet-like Li$_X$FePO$_4$ nanoparticles. Finite element simulations are performed for 2D plane-stress conditions in the $ab$- plane, and validated by 3D simulations, showing similar results. We show that the anisotropy of the interfacial tension tensor, coupled with electroautocatalytic surface intercalation reactions, plays a crucial role in determining the subsurface phase morphology. With isotropic interfacial tension, subsurface phase separation is observed, independent of the reaction kinetics, but for strong anisotropy, phase separation is controlled by surface reactions, as assumed in 1D models. Moreover, the driven intercalation reaction suppresses phase separation during lithiation, while enhancing it during delithiation, by electro-autocatalysis, in quantitative agreement with {\it in operando} imaging experiments in single-crystalline nanoparticles, given measured reaction rate constants

1861-08-05 Elisha Arable writes Governor Washburn for information about his relative William Howard

https://digitalmaine.com/cw_me_3rd_regiment_corr/1081/thumbnail.jp

1861-08-01 Elisha B. Arable seeks the enlistment certificate of brother-in-law William C. Howard

https://digitalmaine.com/cw_me_3rd_regiment_corr/1077/thumbnail.jp

Ethnobotanical knowledge of children in selected communities in plateau state, Nigeria: Drivers of children’s plant knowledge and the conservation implications for the future of biodiversity

The study was conducted to assess the ethnobotanical knowledge of primary school children in six selected communities of Plateau State, Nigeria and to determine the drivers of their knowledge including methods of knowledge acquisition and transmission. Six different rural communities from Plateau State Nigeria were  selected for the study; two schools in each community (total, 156 respondents). Data was collected through a mixed methods approach, using focus group plant identification exercise, picture identification activity, and oral interviews. Data was analyzed using simple descriptive statistics and frequencies. Results revealed that children had a relatively low knowledge of plants (30.3%), although this was mostly indigenous plants. A greater  proportion (40.6 %) of children held no ethnobotanical knowledge, 19.5 % could identify both exotic and  indigenous plants, while a further 9.6% identified only exotic species. Furthermore, the results revealed that parents, mostly mothers were the major transmitters of plant knowledge. We conclude that children’s ethnobotanical knowledge of plants was relatively low, and that there is a need to deliberately encourage local involvement of children in practical plant learning activities to help improve their plant knowledge if they are to become effective and knowledgeable custodians and stewards of our future biodiversity

Mutant Prevention Concentrations of Some Aminoglycoside Antibiotics for Fecal Isolates of Escherichia coli under different Growth Temperatures

For optimal efficacy, an antibiotic must achieve and sustain at the site of infection, a concentration that can inhibit growth of the bacteria. However, a bacterial infection may contain subpopulations of mutant variants with reduced susceptibility to the antimicrobial agent. There is a great need to periodically evaluate the mutant prevention concentration (MPC) of antibiotic to provide a basis for altering dosing regimens such that the growth of resistant organisms could be curtailed. To evaluate the mutant prevention concentrations (MPCs) of streptomycin, gentamicin and amikacin for fecal Escherichia coli isolates under different growth temperatures and determine the extent of recovery of resistant mutants at such temperatures. Fifty (50) isolates of E. coli were isolated from stools of patients attending Nasarawa State University Keffi Health Centre in Keffi, Nigeria and identified using standard protocol. Antibiotic minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) were determined using macro-broth dilution method of the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) with incubation for 24 h at 37°C and 41°C. MIC for 50% (MIC50) and 90% (MIC90) of isolates were then generated from the plot of cumulative frequency curve. MPCs were measured by spreading a series of agar plates containing known aminoglycoside concentrations with approximately 1010 CFU of E. coli culture and incubated for 48 h at 37°C and 41°C. The lowest aminoglycoside concentration that prevented the growth of resistant colonies was taken as the MPC. MPCs for 50% (MPC50) and 90% (MPC90) of isolates were then generated from the plot of cumulative frequency of the MPCs obtained. MPC/MIC ratios for 50% (MPC50/MIC50) and 90% (MPC90/MIC90) of isolates were also determined. Bacteria surviving (persisting) at MPC were isolated and quantified after 48 h. Statistical analyses of data were done by one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). For each of the drugs, MPC50 and MPC50/MIC50 were the same at both 37°C and 41°C. MPC50 values were: streptomycin (44.2 ?g/ml [?32.0 ?g/ml]); gentamicin (44.2 ?g/ml [?32.0 ?g/ml]); and amikacin (37.4 ?g/ml [?32.0 ?g/ml]); and MPC50/MIC50 ratios for each drug at both temperatures were ? 3. MPC90 and MPC90/MIC90 were the same for each drug at both 37°C and 41°C. MPC90 values were: streptomycin (253.2 ?g/ml [?256.0 ?g/ml]), gentamicin (209.0 ?g/ml [?256.0 ?g/ml]), and amikacin (128.0 ?g/ml); and MPC90/MIC90 ratios for each drug at both temperatures were ? 4. Mutant recoveries at the MPCs of the drugs for 50% of the isolates were significantly (P < 0.05) different both at 37°C (P = 0.0089) and 41°C (P = 0.0011). However, mutant recoveries at the MPCs of the drugs for 90% the isolates were insignificantly (P >0.05) different at 37°C (P = 0.0055) but significantly (P > 0.005) different at 41°C (P = 0.0080). Whether at normal body temperature or at a higher body temperature usually obtained during fever, E. coli selects and enrich for resistant mutants less easily against streptomycin than gentamicin or amikacin. The extent of recovery of mutants however, is higher at the higher temperature, justifying the common practice of administering high dosage of antimicrobial agent at high body temperature during therapy of bacterial disease. Keywords: Mutant Prevention Concentration, Escherichia coli, Aminoglycosid

Cilia Have a Significant Role in Regulating Cell Size in Response to Fluid Flow Induced Shear Stress in a Flow Chamber

Cilia are hair-like protrusions on the apical surface of cells. Their function is to relay mechanical signals like shear stress from extracellular into intracellular environment and thereby maintain cellular homeostasis. Ciliary dysfunctions include polycystic kidney disease and new therapeutic interventions based on ciliary function are under investigation. The current study evaluates the use of a custom designed fluid flow chamber’s ability to study the role of cilia in regulating cell size in response to shear stress. A fluid flow chamber that continually maintains laminar flow at different flow rates and temperature was designed. Endothelial wild type cells (ETWT) that have cilia and polycystic kidney disease cells (PKD) that lost their ciliary function are grown on different glass slides. Cells on each glass slide are then exposed to continuous flow of phosphate-buffered saline at 37oC in the flow chamber. The optimal flow rate and duration of flow were first determined by measuring the total protein concentration before and after exposing the cells. Cell radius and area before and after exposing them to flow are measured using the NIS Software available on the microscope. The results from protein concentrations (n=12) indicate that cells are still attached at normal physiological flow rate 467 mL/min (2.8 µg/µL) and did not significantly differ from 60 mL/min (4.08 µg/µL) or 600 mL/min (2.73 µg/µL). The results for duration of fluid flow (n=22) show that 60 minutes (0.09 + 0.01 µg/µL) is optimal compared to 120 minutes (0.06 + 0.01 µg/µL) or 180 minutes (0.10 + 0.02 µg/µL). Under these optimal conditions, the average area of ETWT cells (n=300) measured from different slides before and after the flow is 4420.81+ 67.40 µm2 and 4678.17 + 87.15 µm2 (n=200) respectively. For PKD cells, the average area before and after the flow (n=300) is 5682.46 + 105.48 µm2 and 4173.74 + 263.97 µm2 (n=250). These results are in agreement with the published literature on the ability of cilia to maintain cell size in ETWT cells in response to shear stress that is similar to normal blood flow. However, under similar conditions, PKD cells could not maintain their cell size as the mechano-chemical signaling pathway that communicates external signals to prepare appropriate intracellular response is disrupted. These results provide confirmation that the custom designed parallel plate fluid flow chamber is a reliable tool to investigate the specific targets in the mechano-chemical cell signaling pathways

Embedding of Cortical Representations by the Superficial Patch System

Pyramidal cells in layers 2 and 3 of the neocortex of many species collectively form a clustered system of lateral axonal projections (the superficial patch system—Lund JS, Angelucci A, Bressloff PC. 2003. Anatomical substrates for functional columns in macaque monkey primary visual cortex. Cereb Cortex. 13:15-24. or daisy architecture—Douglas RJ, Martin KAC. 2004. Neuronal circuits of the neocortex. Annu Rev Neurosci. 27:419-451.), but the function performed by this general feature of the cortical architecture remains obscure. By comparing the spatial configuration of labeled patches with the configuration of responses to drifting grating stimuli, we found the spatial organizations both of the patch system and of the cortical response to be highly conserved between cat and monkey primary visual cortex. More importantly, the configuration of the superficial patch system is directly reflected in the arrangement of function across monkey primary visual cortex. Our results indicate a close relationship between the structure of the superficial patch system and cortical responses encoding a single value across the surface of visual cortex (self-consistent states). This relationship is consistent with the spontaneous emergence of orientation response-like activity patterns during ongoing cortical activity (Kenet T, Bibitchkov D, Tsodyks M, Grinvald A, Arieli A. 2003. Spontaneously emerging cortical representations of visual attributes. Nature. 425:954-956.). We conclude that the superficial patch system is the physical encoding of self-consistent cortical states, and that a set of concurrently labeled patches participate in a network of mutually consistent representations of cortical inpu