National integration and social stability – the imperative of English language

In a multi-lingual and multi-ethnicity society, integration and social stability are pivotal issues. Given the socio-linguistic, cultural, religious, political and economic nature of the Nigerian nation-state, sociological issues bordering on national integration and social stability cannot but arise. However, the question emanating from these social factors is: what is the imperative for experiencing sustainable integration, development and fulfillment in a nation-state like Nigeria where such social factors abound? This paper therefore examines the imperative of English Language in achieving social stability, while acting as agent of socio-linguistic justice and an integrative force on the various ethnic nationalities and a veritable utility tool for sustaining the same national integration and social stability.Key Words: National Integration, Social Stability, English Language, Multi- Lingual Society, Multi-Ethnic Society, Nigerian Nation-State

Speciation of arsenic metabolites in the urine of occupational workers and experimental rats using an optimised hydride cold-trapping method

A hydride cold-trapping technique was developed and optimised for the measurement of urinary arsenic metabolites. The analytical precision of the method was found to be 6.1, 4.0 and 4.8% (n = 5) for inorganic arsenic (As-i), monomethylarsonate (MMA) and dimethylarsinate (DMA), respectively, with recoveries close to 100%, The detection limits were 1.0, 1.3 and 3 ng for As-i, MMA and DMA, respectively. The method was then used to analyse urine samples obtained from three groups of workers for occupational exposure in three companies where copper chrome arsenate was used for timber treatment. The results were compared with those for a normal control group of laboratory workers. Arsenic and its metabolites were also measured in experimental rats given 5 mg As kg(-1) body mass by oral gavage in the form of sodium arsenite, calcium arsenite or sodium arsenate. Occupational workers showed a significantly higher excretion of As-i, Up to two fold increases of urinary As-i excretion in rats compared with control rats were also observed in animals dosed with various forms of arsenicals. The method is suitable for the measurement of arsenic metabolites in urine of both humans and experimental animals

A catchment-scale irrigation systems model for sugarcane Part 1: Model development

In South Africa, the demand for water exceeds available supplies in many catchments. In order to justify existing water requirements and to budget and plan in the context of growing uncertainty regarding water availability, a model to assist in the assessment and management of catchment water supply and demand interactions, and the associated impacts on theprofitability of irrigated sugarcane, has been developed. The model, ACRUCane, operates as a submodel within the ACRU agrohydrological model and simulates the water budget of a field of irrigated sugarcane. The water budget is based on the integration of several widely accepted algorithms and concepts, accounts for different irrigation system types performing at different levels of uniformity and different water management strategies. Furthermore, it can simulate a wide variety ofwater availability scenarios and constraints through its link with ACRU simulated hydrology. The crop yield algorithms used in the model were verified using data from three different irrigation trials with widely varying irrigation treatments, where the model was shown to adequately distinguish the impacts of different watering strategies on crop yields. A description of the model algorithms and results from verification studies are presented in this paper. Application of the model is presentedin a companion paper

Where do tuberculosis patients go for treatment before reporting to DOTS clinics in southern Nigeria

No Abstract.Tanzania Health Research Bulletin Vol. 9(2) 2007: pp.94-10

Arginase from kiwifruit: properties and seasonal variation

The in vitro activity of arginase (EC 3.5.3.1) was investigated in youngest-mature leaves and roots (1-3 mm diameter) of kiwifruit vines (Actinidia deliciosa var. deliciosa) during an annual growth cycle, and enzyme from root material partially purified. No seasonal trend in the specific activity of arginase was observed in roots. Measurements in leaves, however, rose gradually during early growth and plateaued c. 17 weeks after budbreak. Changes in arginase activity were not correlated with changes in the concentration of arginine (substrate) or glutamine (likely end-product of arginine catabolism) in either tissue during the growth cycle. Purification was by (NH4)2SO4 precipitation and DEAE-cellulose chromatography. The kinetic properties of the enzyme, purified 60-fold over that in crude extracts, indicated a pH optimum of 8.8, and a Km (L-arginine) of 7.85 mM. Partially-purified enzyme was deactivated by dialysis against EDTA, and reactivated in the presence of Mn²⁺, Co²⁺, and Ni²⁺

Plasma Bmil mRNA as a potential prognostic biomarker for distant metastasis in colorectal cancer patients

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Testing Ecological Theory with Lianas

Lianas constitute a diverse polyphyletic plant group that is advancing our understanding of ecological theory. Specifically, lianas are providing new insights into the mechanisms that control plant distribution and diversity maintenance. For example, there is now evidence that a single, scalable mechanism may explain local, regional, and pan‐tropical distribution of lianas, as well as the maintenance of liana species diversity. The ability to outcompete trees under dry, stressful conditions in seasonal forests provides lianas a growth advantage that, over time, results in relatively high abundance in seasonal forests and low abundance in aseasonal forests. Lianas may also gain a similar growth advantage following disturbance, thus explaining why liana density and diversity peak following disturbance at the local, forest scale. The study of ecology, however, is more than the effect of the environment on organisms; it also includes the effects of organisms on the environment. Considerable empirical evidence now indicates that lianas substantially alter their environment by consuming resources, suppressing tree performance, and influencing emergent properties of forests, such as ecosystem functioning, plant and animal diversity, and community composition. These recent studies using lianas are transcending classical tropical ecology research and are now providing novel insights into fundamental ecological theory

(Dis)connections between specific language impairment and dyslexia in Chinese

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Relation of C-reactive protein to body fat distribution and features of the metabolic syndrome in Europeans and South Asians.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between circulating C-reactive protein (CRP) concentrations and indices of body fat distribution and the insulin resistance syndrome in South Asians and Europeans. DESIGN: : Cross-sectional study. SUBJECTS: A total of 113 healthy South Asian and European men and women in West London (age 40-55 y, body mass index (BMI) 17-34 kg/m(2)). MEASUREMENTS: Fatness and fat distribution parameters (by anthropometry, dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and abdominal CT scan); oral glucose tolerance test with insulin response; modified fat tolerance test; and CRP concentration by sensitive ELISA. RESULTS: Median CRP level in South Asian women was nearly double that in European women (1.35 vs 0.70 mg/1, P=0.05). Measures of obesity and CRP concentration were significantly associated in both ethnic groups. The correlation to CRP was especially strong among South Asians (P0.15). CONCLUSION: We suggest that adiposity and in particular visceral adipose tissue is a key promoter of low-grade chronic inflammation. This observation may in part account for the association of CRP with markers of the metabolic syndrome. Future studies should confirm whether CRP concentrations are elevated in South Asians and whether losing weight by exercise or diet, or reduction in visceral fat mass, is associated with reduction in plasma CRP concentrations

Development of dependable controllers in the context of machines design

Proceedings of ICMD 2013In the domain of machines' design, one of the most important issues to solve is related with the controller's design, mainly, guaranteeing that the machine will behave as expected. In order to achieve a dependable controller, some steps can be considered, such as the formalization of its specification - before being translated to the program that will be inserted in the controller device - and the respective analysis and verification. Nowadays, some formal analysis techniques, such as formal verification, are used to achieve this purpose. The dependability of a controller, however, is impacted by its execution context. This paper proposes an approach for the formal verification of the specification of mechatronic system's controllers, which considers, on the formal verification tasks, the behavior of the plant and the behavior of the Human Machine Interface of the Mechatronic system. Some conclusions are extrapolated for other systems of the same kind