Opinion Poll Surveys on Public Sentiments towards the Arts in Nigeria

This paper is aimed at establishing the need to recognize and support the arts in the development of culture through opinion poll surveys on public sentiments towards the arts. Particular reference is made to Nigeria as a paradigm for trends and developments in Africa and the rest of the developing world. The increasing awareness of the potentiality of the arts in the development of culture requires an investigation into the public perspectives on the arts and culture. Little or no attention was, until recently, paid to this issue which has been a regular exercise in advanced countries. However, the paper observes that there is a lack of public awareness of the need to support the arts in performing its crucial roles in the development of culture; though respondents feel that the arts have the potential to promote their culture. Consequently, the way forward is for the government to develop an atmosphere in which both the arts and the artists can flourish

Problem-solving in management: Peculiarities of the arts

Much of a manager’s job involves problem-solving or decisionmaking.In the scheme of general affairs, human beings, managers as well as managers of managers are the ones who make things happen. In other words, neither the situation being managed (the organisation or group and its environment) nor the interventions and impact of the manager are static. Both organisational processes and managerial processes are constantly changing and shifting in relation to each other over time - be it a positive change or otherwise. Positive changes include growth in the market share, increased technological capability and greater understanding and support of corporate objectives by key employees. There are equallyimportant organisational changes that represent decline. The successful manager is able to direct and support the processes that move the organisation toward strategic success and reverse or minimise the effect of processes of decline. Thus, the manager has to be given adequate training to prepare him for the challenge ahead of him-the challenge of problem-solving or good decisionmaking. It is against this backdrop that this essay attempts to examine the concept of management as a problem-solving phenomenon with particular reference to arts management

Faith-Based Civil Society Organizations and the Protection of Victims of Human Rights Abuses in Nigeria

Nigeria has witnessed various forms of human rights violations such as extrajudicial killings, rape, and torture during both military and civilian regimes. Amnesty International, the U.S. State Department, and the Political Terror Scale of the Centre for Systemic Peace indicate that Nigeria is a country characterized by generalized human rights violations. Over the years, several scholars have examined the causes, nature, responses of the state, and reasons for the persistence of human rights violations in Nigeria. A careful consideration of these studies indicates that the role of faith-based civil society organizations in the protection of victims of human rights abuses has not been holistically examined. Consequently, this study seeks to answer the following questions: What are the views of faith-based civil society organizations in Nigeria on human rights and the protection of victims of human rights violations? Do religious extremism and violent activities create a disposition of indifference on the responses of faith-based civil society organizations to the protection of victims of human rights violations in conflict-affected areas of Nigeria? What strategies do faith-based civil society organizations in Nigeria use in the protection of victims of human rights abuses in conflict-affected areas of Nigeria? These questions were answered with the aid of primary data collected through observation, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions with participants from faith-based organizations such as Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Interfaith Mediation Centre. Secondary data were also sourced from magazines, newspaper reports, and websites. The study shows that faith-based civil society organizations in Nigeria view the protection of victims of human rights violations in conflict-affected areas of Nigeria as an activity that should be carried out without religious bias. Additionally, religious extremism and violent activities have not created a disposition of indifference on the responses of faith-based civil society organizations to the protection of victims of human rights violations in conflict-affected areas of Nigeria

Diasporic culture, Cultural transformation and grass root development in Francophone Africa

One significant aspect of the African slaves who were shipped out of Africa during the transatlantic slave trade was the retention and preservation of the African culture. These values over the years have either been watered down, compromised or have been influenced by external cultural influences. Though, these Africans now live in the diaspora, literature has been able to reveal their attitudes, experiences and cultural preoccupations in the new world. Using the cultural approach, this reading seeks through survey, participation, and interviews to contribute to the literature by analyzing the cultural preoccupations of the Francophone diasporic communities, and discusses the impact of the diasporic cultural activities as a driving force in poverty alleviation while redefining the social relations between the communities and their homeland.Key words: Diasporic culture, Franco - diaspora, Poverty alleviation, DiasporicCommunities, Cultural preoccupation

BMP signals: Mediated by stroma or thymocytes?

This is an invited comment on the paper by Hager-Theodorides AL, et al. Cell Cycle 2014; 13:324–33; PMID:24240189; http://dx.doi.org/10.4161/cc.27118 which is published in the same journa

Escargot and the Francophone cuisine: A tool for cultural transformation

Snail production has gained prominence in recent years. Researchers’ evidence shows snail as an emerging domestic micro-livestock of importance in developing countries. ‘Escargot’, as commonly called by the French and Francophones is seen by various researchers not only as an Agricultural farm product for food, but also considered a useful pharmaceutical, industrial and economic product which contributes to the growth and transformation of the nation. This study is carried out to reveal other relevance of snail in creativity, identity and cultural transformation in Francophone AfricaKeywords: Escargot, Giant African land Snail(GALS), Identity transformation, Creativity, Cultural independenc

Impacts of Dramatic Theory and Criticism on the Development of Drama and Theatre: A Periscopic Survey

The paper discusses, periscopically, the paradigmatic impacts of critical theory and criticism on the development of drama and theatre through the ages; from the classical periods; through the medieval, the Renaissance, the Romantic, Neoclassical to the modern period of realism and naturalism. It alludes to how each of these periods as well as the postmodernist period attempts to show its own temper as being radically different from their predecessors, and how; though the reader would note, unequivocally, that the apple hardly falls far from its tree progenitor. This is how the relationship between the anti-realistic modes and their realistic cousins can be perceived and interpreted. It briefly discusses the recurrent controversies between the Western dramatic weltanschauung vis-à-vis the African cosmology in terms of the theoretical impacts of the former on the latter, concluding that the need for African theory and criticism to come of age cannot be overemphasized.LWATI: A Journal of Contemporary Research, 8(1), 167-183, 201

“French is not my Language”: Reactions by Foreign Language Learners in Africa

Learning a new language is not often as easy as one may think, especially, where there are no work compulsions or anything of serious importance that motivates one or make it a necessity. In Africa, and specifically in Anglophone countries, and among English speakers, learning French is trailed by a reaction one may describe, as “French is not my Language”. What this reaction embodies is a psychological and social manifestation of lack of motivation, confidence, and satisfaction in learning. Thus, the objectives of the research are; to identify the role of the Immediate Study Environment (ISE) in motivating, building confidence and ensuring satisfaction in the learners of the foreign languages and to determine the extent to which the ISE affects the student’s decision to continue or not to continue with the language. The result shows that the Immediate Study Environment (ISE) plays a major role in motivating or de-motivating learners, it further shows that the ISE impacts greatly on learners’ decision to or not to continue with the target language. Keywords: French language, Immediate Study Environment (ISE) , Target language Anglophone, Foreign language, Motivatio

The Effect of Alcohol on G protein expression in Drosophila Melanogaster

Alcohol is one of the most widely used and socially acceptable drugs in the world. However, its chronic use can lead to serious problems including the development of tolerance. Acute and chronic use of ethanol leads to short-term and long-term changes in gene expression in the brain resulting in cellular and molecular adaptations that are associated with addictive behaviours. Our understanding of the mechanisms by which alcohol produces these changes in the brain is not fully understood. Ethanol affects the function of receptors including G protein-coupled receptors that activate heterotrimeric G proteins. The aim of this thesis is to understand whether ethanol can cause changes in G protein gene expression using Drosophila melanogaster as a model. Drosophila is a genetically tractable organism suitable to investigate the neural substrates of neuroadaptive responses to ethanol. The response to ethanol and the onset of tolerance was measured in wild-type and mutant Drosophila. While tolerance was consistently observed in all fly populations, individual differences in sensitivity to alcohol were observed, which prompted the isolation of subpopulations of Drosophila with distinct ethanol characteristics. Relative mRNA expression in G protein subunits was measured using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction in different Drosophila strains (wild-type, subpopulations of early and late responders, G protein mutants and dopamine 1-like D2 receptor mutants) that have received zero, one, two or three ethanol exposures at 24 h intervals. When measured in the wild-type strains, changes in G protein subunits expression were variable. However in a subpopulations of early responders that were selected for high ethanol sensitivity, a non-statistically significant decrease of two Gα-protein subunits: Gi and Gq were observed. When measured in two Drosophila mutant strains, flies with ii either deletion of dopamine D2 receptor or a mutated Gi gene subunit, statistically significant changes were observed in Gi and Gq subunits. In a further study, a mutant expressing non-functional Gq, the Gi expression was not affected by the ethanol treatment suggesting a possible crosstalk between different signalling pathways. These results justify a more detailed investigation of changes in G protein subunits following acute and chronic exposure to ethanol in Drosophila, which will allow verifying the hypothesis that changes in gene expression of G proteins participate in addictive behaviours in Drosophila. These findings in Drosophila, which share genetic and functional characteristics with the mammalian nervous system, could translate into important advances in identifying targets for treatment for alcohol addiction in humans

Efecto de dosis aguda de alcohol sobre las características bioquímicas del síndrome X en distintas categorías de bebedores nigerianos hombres y mujeres en aparente buen estado de salud

Background: «Syndrome X», known since the 1980’s is a disease condition precipitated by insulin resistance. Insulin resistance causes glucose and insulin to accumulate in the blood. Syndrome X is characterized by abnormal values of triacylglycerol (TAG), blood pressure (BP), glucose and HDL-cholesterol-all risk factors for heart disease. Insulin resistance may be exacerbated by bad diet, poor lifestyle, absence of physical activity, genetic predisposition and being overweight. However, recent reports have shown that poor lifestyle is likely to be the main cause rather than bad diet or being overweight. Even though heavy consumption of alcohol could be regarded as a poor lifestyle, its relationship to the biochemical features and symptoms of syndrome X in both genders is yet to be properly documented among Nigerian drinkers of alcohol. Methods: To establish a baseline information on the relationship between alcohol consumption and Syndrome X among Nigerians, two hundred and seventy-four consenting individuals in apparent good health and who were either light (53 male, 44 female), moderate (51 male, 42 female) or heavy (46 male, 38 female) drinkers of alcohol were selected. They had no personal or familial history of CHD, stroke, cancer or related diseases. The drinkers were tested using an acute dose (1 g ethanol/kg body weight) of alcohol. Results: Results show that the administered acute dose (1 g ethanol/kg body weight) increased serum glucose, (p>0.05), TAG (p<0.05) and BP (p<0.05) (some biochemical risk factors of Syndrome X) in both genders irrespective of the drinking category. However, alcohol-induced changes were highest among the female heavy drinkers. Thus, observations from this study suggest that heavy consumption of alcohol by especially the female folk could alter the pathways that metabolize carbohydrates and lipids and this may increase the risk of Syndrome X. Conclusions: Based on the available evidence, it would be reasonable to conclude that heavy consumption of alcohol by Nigerian women especially may be yet another predisposing lifestyle to Syndrome X. The incidence of Syndrome X among drinkers of alcohol should be further investigated in order to provide clues to the underlying molecular mechanisms. This is important in order to strategize therapeutic approaches, since individuals with the disease may not recognize it. Antecedentes: Desde la década de 1980 se conoce el síndrome X, entidad patológica que se precipita por la resistencia a la insulina. A su turno, esta resistencia hace que la glucosa y la insulina se acumulen en la sangre. El síndrome X se caracteriza por valores anormales de triacilglicerol (TAG), presión sanguínea (PS), glucosa y colesterol de alta densidad (HDL), que son todos elementos de riesgo para enfermedades cardíacas. La resistencia a la insulina se puede aumentar por malos hábitos dietéticos, falta de actividad física, predisposición genética y sobrepeso. Sin embargo, varios informes recientes demostraron que un estilo de vida poco saludable puede ser también una causa principal del síndrome, quizá más que los malos hábitos dietéticos o el sobrepeso. Aunque el consumo alto de alcohol se podría considerar como un estilo de vida poco saludable, su relación con los factores bioquímicos y los síntomas del síndrome X, en ambos géneros, aún no se ha documentado de manera precisa entre los nigerianos consumidores de alcohol. Métodos: Establecer una información de base acerca de las relaciones entre consumo de alcohol y síndrome X para 264 nigerianos en aparente buen estado de salud que participaron de modo voluntario en el estudio. Aunque todos consumían alcohol, entre ellos había consumidores ligeros (53 hombres, 44 mujeres); consumidores moderados (51 hombres, 42 mujeres); y consumidores pesados (46 hombres, 38 mujeres). Ninguno tenía historia familiar de enfermedad cardíaca coronaria (ECC), accidentes cerebro-vasculares, cáncer, y otras enfermedades relacionadas. A todos se les examinó con una dosis de prueba (1 g de etanol/kg peso corporal) de alcohol. Resultados: Se comprobó que la dosis de prueba administrada (1 g de etanol/kg peso corporal) aumentó los niveles sanguíneos de glucosa (p>0.05) y TAG (p<0.05), así como la PS (p<0.05), factores de riesgo para el Síndrome X en ambos géneros, sin tener en cuenta la categoría del consumidor. Sin embargo, los cambios inducidos por el alcohol fueron más altos en las mujeres de consumo pesado. Así, pues, las observaciones de este estudio sugieren que el consumo alto de alcohol, sobre todo en las mujeres, puede alterar las vías del metabolismo de carbohidratos y lípidos y de esta manera aumentar el riesgo del síndrome X. Conclusiones: Con base en la evidencia disponible, es razonable concluir que el consumo elevado de alcohol especialmente en las mujeres nigerianas puede ser otro estilo de vida poco saludable que predispone al síndrome X. La incidencia del síndrome X entre los consumidores de alcohol se debería investigar más a fin de suministrar sugerencias e indicios acerca de los mecanismos moleculares subyacentes. Esto es importante para diseñar estrategias en los manejos terapéuticos, pues los individuos con la enfermedad no la pueden reconocer