Visual Arts Practice: A Catalyst for Developing a Local Economy in Nigeria

Nigerian operates a mono-economy, which can be assessed based on its operation despite other numerous potentials that abound. The indices that make for economic growth if well harnessed can lead to Nigeria out of the wood. One area of focus is the visual arts practice vis-à-vis its capacity to be a catalyst for developing a local economy in Nigeria. The institutional capacity to develop art to contribute to the GDP (Growth Domestic Product) of the economy is lacking or they are not playing their role as expected. Record sales have been achieved of Nigerian artworks and of other artists around the globe. It is envisaged that in the near distant future, art will become a part of the major drivers of the Nigerian economy. Key words: Local economy, Auction houses, Art practices, Art collection and Art pricin

Effect of Myristica fragrans Houtt. Seed (Nutmeg) on Helicobacter pylori induced gastritis in albino rats: in vitro and in vivo studies

The anti-Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) activities of dichloromethane and methanol extracts of Myristica fragrans Houtt. seed (nutmeg) was studied to authenticate traditional use in gastrointestinal disorder. Anti-H. pylori activities using the agar dilution method was investigated in 39 strains of H. pylori comprising 38 clinical isolates and a standard strain. Bactericidal studies were done by the viable counting technique. The effect of 500 mg/kg and 250 mg/kg body weight of the methanol extract of nutmeg on H. pylori-induced gastritis and colonization was investigated in albino rats. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was 6.25 mg/mL while the minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC) ranged from 6.25 mg/mL to 100 mg/mL. Bacterial density score of the gastric mucosa reduced from 5.0 ± 7.07 x 108 to 1.6 ± 1.4 x 104 and 3.45 ± 1.4 x 104 CFU/mL (mean ± SD, p < 0.05) after treatment with 500 mg/kg body weight and Ofloxacin 400 mg/kg respectively. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) tested the effect of the groups on the treatment days and revealed a significant difference between the treatments at p< 0.05. The results of these studies have proven the activities of Myristica fragrans Houtt. seed on H. pylori - induced gastritis in albino rats.Keywords: Crude extracts, susceptibility testings, bactericidal studies, bacterial inoculation, histopathological examinations

Use of Media by Contemporary Nigerian Artists to Develop Metaphoric Concept in Painting

This paper is intended to arouse a discourse in the use of media in developing metaphoric concept in painting in the Nigerian contemporary art space. The question pertinent to scholars include; which are the most used media and why? Is the acceptance and patronage by collectors and buyers what determine the use of media of expression? Other reasons could be the art curriculum in higher institution of learning, individual and public perception and resourcefulness and a host of other personal preferences. Artists’oil colour is the most popular medium of expression from available resource materials. It is envisioned that other media like watercolour, mixed media, pastel, enamels, charcoal, tempera, acrylic, ink and pen, would become a focus for artists. Artists within and outside Nigeria were reviewed and their works. It is expected that artists would take up the challenge to start exploiting other media of expression in painting. Key Words: Media, Contemporary, Artists, Metaphoric, Paintin

Antibacterial and antioxidant activities of hydroalcoholic stem bark extract of Schotia latifolia Jacq

AbstractObjectiveTo investigate the antibacterial and antioxidant activities of hydroalcoholic extract of Schotia latifolia (S. latifolia) bark commonly used in South Africa traditional medicine for the treatment of various ailments.MethodsThe antibacterial test and MIC was determined by using agar well diffusion and dilution methods respectively against eight strains of bacteria. The total phenol, proanthocyanidin and flavonoid contents of S. latifolia were assessed using standard methods. The antioxidant activity of the extract was evaluated using ferric reducing power and the free radical scavenging activity against 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2’-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic-acid (ABTS), nitric oxide (NO), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and lipid oxidation (LO).ResultsThe antibacterial activity demonstrated an appreciable effect against all the gram positive bacteria at MIC between 0.016 and 10 mg/mL while that of gram negative bacteria was above 10 mg/mL. The plant extract exhibited high concentration of proanthocyanidin [(300.00±0.10) mg CE/g], followed by flavonoid [(12.46±0.04 mg) TE/g] and phenol [(11.06±0.03) mg QE/g] contents. Similarly, the extract at 0.5 mg/mL scavenges DPPH, ABTS, H2O2, LO and NO by 87.55%, 89.47%, 77.15%, 86.48% and 77.75% of the radicals respectively. The reducing power was also found to be concentration dependent.ConclusionsOur data suggest that S. latifolia extract has antibacterial and antioxidants activity and thus could be used as alternative therapy against antibiotic resistance bacteria and to prevent many radical related diseases

Grid Computing: A Desirable Tool for Electronic Governance

This paper explained how Government at different levels can apply Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to achieve efficiency, effectiveness, transparency and accountability in Government to Government (G2G), Government to Employee (G2E), Government to Citizen (G2C) and Government to Business (G2B).    This application is referred to as Electronic Governance (e-Governance).   The system enables citizens to make best use of automated administration processes that are accessible on-line.   Grid computing is an ideal solution to this type of administrative processes.  This paper therefore presents how Grid computing can be used to effectively and efficiently meet the yearnings of citizenry. In this paper, we demonstrated the creation of a virtual environment by using Grid technologies to a specific e-governance application on distributed resources.  We presented a framework for the adoption of grid computing for e-governance management using Electronic Bill server (EB server), Comprehensive Welfare and Social Services server (CWSS server) and Corporation sever (C server).  Experiments were run with the Grid environment and without Grid environment by considering the number of jobs completed and the period to complete various jobs submitted for processing using MATLAB. The number of jobs completed by EB server by using Grid: are 20, 40, 60, 80,100 and 120 while 15, 25, 33, 60, 72 and 90 were completed without Grid under the same condition.  The numbers of jobs completed by CWSS server with Grid are: 30,50,70,90,120 and 130 while 22.5, 37.5, 52.5, 67.5 90 and 97.5 were completed without Grid.   The numbers of jobs completed by Corporation server under Grid are: 30,50,70,90,120 and 130 while 24, 40,56,72,96 and 104 were completed without Grid.   The period to complete various jobs submitted for processing by the EB serve under Grid are: 18,30, 42,54,72 and 88minutes while 30,50,70,90,120 and 130minutes were required without Grid.     For CWSS server, the period to complete various jobs submitted for processing under Grid are: 6.5.19.5,32.5,45.5,58.5,78 and 84.5 minutes while 10, 30,50,70,90,120 and 130minutes  were required without Grid.  For Corporation server, the period to complete various jobs submitted for processing under Grid are:  6.4,19.2,32,44.8,57.6, 76.8 and 82.2minutes while 10,30,50,70,90 120, and 130minutes were required without Grid. The result of simulation revealed that implementing an e-Governance solution was cost effective, efficient, consistent and reduced job processing time with high quality of result and providing better services to citizens. Key words: E-Governance, Grid Applications, Grid Computing, Grid environment, Grid Infrastructure and Grid Resource Broke

Commodification of tertiary institutions : a study of the University of Natal's corporate advertising campaign.

Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2000.Following the global 'capitalisation' of public institutions, academic institutions have embarked continuously on a drive towards 'marketisation' and commodification of their services. Tertiary institutions are utilising aggressive marketing strategies and media campaigns to attract students. This study examines the advertising campaign embarked on by the University of Natal in 1998/ 1999. This is a first stage of a two-tier marketing strategy, and it involves brand-building the University. This research assesses the University of Natal's advertising campaign both on radio and in print, it analyses the campaign from creative conceptualisation to media exposure, while giving a brief background to advertising and commodification trends among tertiary institutions in South Africa. Eric Michaels' (1990) proposal of a circular message transmission model called 'hermeneutic circle' (12-28) of a teleported text serves as the theoretical backdrop for the assessment of lhe conceptualisation process to the media exposure of the campaign. A semiotic analysis of the University of Natal's advertising campaign is also given and located within a particular context in the 'henneneutic circle'. Various focus group discussions were conducted : one comprising mainly white students from Pinetown Girls High School in Standard Nine; the second, mainly Indian students in their matric year at Queensburgh High School. The others comprised of black students from Ferndale Secondary School, Phoenix, but who reside in KwaMashu, and also black students from Amangwane High School in Bergeville, near Ladysmith. One on one interviews were also conducted with high school students. Most of these students were in Standard Nine with some completing their matric year. These discussions were conducted separately to avoid any kind of intimidation and domination of the discussions by students from the private schools who are more fluent in the command of the English language. The other group comprised of an alumnus, a parent, four students - two local and two international, and two staff members of the University. Their comments provide information in identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the campaign as well as the evaluation of the campaign concepts and contents in correlation with the cultural contexts of the target groups. The group discussions also provide insight into the reception and perception of the campaign

Universal access wheel : towards achieving universal access to ICT in Africa

This paper argues against the idea that simply providing access to information and communication technology devices and infrastructures in semi-urban, rural and remote locales has accelerated the universal service and access programme in Africa. In doing this, the paper posits an holistic approach to extending information and communication technology services. This approach takes cognisance of the socio-cultural landscape and also notes that information and communication technology service extension should work in tandem with extension of other social utilities. A universal access wheel is conceptualised, which proposes that various elements should be in place, in order to achieve the goal of universal access, specifically in Africa. The paper revisits the diverse meanings of universal service and access and analyses the importance of providing access to information and communication technology services in developing regions of the world, such as Africa. The universal access wheel does not project totality; rather it provides flexibility and dynamism typical of the information and communication technology sector. Consequently, as other elements and issues arise, they may be added to the wheel

Phytochemicals Analysis and Medicinal Potentials of Hydroalcoholic Extract from Curtisia dentata (Burm.f) C.A. Sm Stem Bark

Curtisia dentata (CD) is a vulnerable medicinal plant used for the treatment of stomach ailments in South Africa. However, there is a lack of sufficient data on its phytochemical components and medicinal properties. The phytochemical analysis of the extract was estimated using standard assay methods while its antibacterial activity was determined by the agar dilution method against selected bacteria. The antioxidant activity of the extract was done using ferric reducing power, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2′-azino-bis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic-acid (ABTS), nitric oxide (NO), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and lipid peroxidation (LPO). The cytotoxicity assay of the extract was assessed using the brine shrimp lethality test with LC50 value of 0.302 mg/mL. The antibacterial activity of the extract demonstrated an appreciable broad spectrum activity against the tested bacteria with minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) ranges between 5000 and 0.5 mg/L. Both phenol and flavonoid concentrations were 14.86 mg tannic acid equivalent/g and 13.64 mg quercetin equivalent/g, respectively. The percentage composition of saponins (13.26) was highest, followed by steroids (1.42), while alkaloids and tannins had the same value of 0.51. Similarly, IC50 values of the extract against DPPH, ABTS, H2O2, LPO and NO were 0.017, 0.018, 0.159, 0.06 and 0.052 mg/mL, respectively. The reducing power of the extract was found to be concentration dependent. Our data suggest that the 70% ethanol extract from the CD extract has antibacterial and antioxidant properties due to the presence of bio-active compounds and thus support its folkloric use in the treatment of diseases

A Comparative Study of Tool-Pin Profile on Process Response of Friction Stir Welding of AA6082-T6 Aluminium Alloy

This paper presents research work conducted to experimentally establish the process response of two diverse shaped tool-pin profiles for friction stir welding (FSW) AA6082-T6 aluminium. The dwell time was optimised by plunging each tool-pin into a plate sample until the spindle torque stabilised thus ensuring sufficient plasticised material in contact with tool shoulder and the tool-pins. The welds were conducted by employing the optimised dwell time, which in turn revealed a minimised process response time and distance to reach weld stability with respect to (1) the force exerted on the tool-pin in the welding direction, Fx , and (2) the spindle torque, T, during the welding process. Both Fx and T stabilised well within the set (pre-determined) ramp-up distance of 20 mm, indicating that the effective (useful) weld length is maximised. The macrographs also revealed good dynamic material flow within the nugget zone regions and more evident in the nugget zone of the flared tool

Antiplasmid and antimicrobial activities of synthetic and natural products from selected medicinal plants

This PhD thesis is part of ongoing project to identify plant natural products and selected synthetic compounds that possess antimicrobial properties; and are able to promote plasmid loss or interfere with bacterial conjugation. The conjugative broad host plasmids investigated include PKM101 (Inc N), TP114 (Inc I2), PUB307 (Inc P), and low- copy number plasmids: R6K (Inc X), R7K (Inc W) and R1-drd-19 (Inc F11). They represented the incompatibility plasmid groups that are currently associated with gross dissemination of antibiotic resistance in bacteria. A series of plant extracts evaluated at sub-inhibitory concentration of 100 mg/L, were shown to inhibit bacterial plasmid conjugation and their active constituents were isolated and characterised. Mallotus philippinensis yielded rottlerin and red compound, with good to moderate antibacterial activity against multidrug resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains, and had a broad range inhibition against the resistant plasmids. Investigation of extracts from the resin of Cannabis sativa L. identified tetrahydrocannabinolic acid (THCA) and cannabinolic acid (CBNA) which in addition to two synthetic cannabinoids: cannabigerol and olivetol inhibited the conjugal transfer of TP114 between E. coli strains. The antiplasmid activities of Δ9-THC, CBN, CBD, significantly reduced the transfer of amoxicillin–resistance conferring PKM 101. Methanolic extract from the dried fruits of Evodia rutaecarpa yielded evodiamine, rutaecarpine and naturally-isolated sucrose. Rutaecarpine was the most active alkaloid against NorA-expressing SA1199B and XU212 strain expressing TetK efflux mechanism. Evodiamine and sucrose had lesser antibacterial effect as well as low level of inhibition against the plasmids. Rutaecarpine and evocarpine remarkably reduced the transfer frequency of PKM 101, showing a high 2 level effect of inhibition by the compound. The bioassay-guided analysis of Capsicum annuum L. yielded capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin (DHC) which demonstrated moderate antibacterial activities but inhibited conjugal transfer of R-plasmids actively. Capsaicin exhibited a broad range antiplasmid activity while DHC showed selective inhibition. The effect of synthetic compounds that were assessed: ferulenol, 6-gingerol and 6-shogoal were twice as effective against the transfer of PKM 101, TP114 and PUB307 compared to capsaicin, while nonivamide had no remarkable activity. With the exception of promethazine, capsaicin and dihydrocapsaicin that showed some interaction with DNA due to decreased fluorescence which suggests binding, the rest of the compounds: rottlerin, red compound, ferulenol, evocarpine, rutaecarpine, 6-gingerol, 6-shogaol and nonivamide did not bind to DNA. This may indicate other probable mechanism of antiplasmid action of the compounds. Together, some of these compounds were notable for their dual properties: robust antistaphylococcal activity and a broad host range antiplasmid effect, and are reported for the very first time. Such potentials are valuable in the discovery of next generation antimicrobial drugs