Kinetic Study and Characterization of 1,4-β-Endoglucanase of Aspergillus niger ANL301

Submerged fermentation of Aspergillus niger ANL 301 in basal medium containing cellulose as sole carbon source, yielded crude extracellular proteins with 0.54 ± 0.02 units mg protein-1 of 1,4-β-endoglucanase activity. Partial purification by ammonium sulphate precipitation (80% saturation) and gel filtration on Sephadex 25-300 gave two active fractions of 1,4-β-endoglucanase, which exhibited close activity towards carboxymethyl-cellulose (CMC). The pH profile of the pooled enzyme fractions showed three activity peaks at pH 3.5, 5.5 and 7.0. The enzyme was most active at pH 5.5 and showed optimal activity at 50°C. Vmax of 4.4 ± 0.4 µmol min-1 mg protein-1 and Km of 12.5 ± 0.4 gL-1 was obtained with CMC for the enzyme. Different divalent metal ions and EDTA affected the enzyme activity at 2.0 mM concentrations in different ways. Mn2+ and Fe2+ exhibited 253.4 and 24.0% stimulatory effects, respectively on the enzyme activity. Mg2+, Ca2+, Cu2+, and Zn2+ inhibited the enzyme by between 22.3 and 29.4%, whereas 75.0 and 71.3% inhibition were obtained with Hg2+ and EDTA, respectively. Manganese ion showed an exceptional activation of the 1,4-β-endoglucanase. The organism produced two types of 1,4-β-endoglucanase with different molecular weights

The British Conquest and Resistance of Sokoto Caliphate, 1897-1903: Crisis, Conflicts and Resistance

The contact the Africans had with the Europeans dated back to the 9th century, However, the European presence and penetration did not take place until the late 15th and the first-half of the 19th centuries respectively. The exploration was pioneered by the Dutch and the Portuguese and the British dominated the period. By the middle of the 19th century, the presence of the Europeans had started to gain momentum and thus threats to African kingdoms as well as chiefdoms. It was the situation that posed threats to the Sokoto Caliphate established by the Jihad of Uthman Dan Fodio in 1804. The British conquest and the peoples’ resistance is the thrust of the paper. It examines the weighty issues that surrounded the conquest of one of the most organised caliphate in the Western Sudan. The academic paper is presented in historical methodology adopting the interpretative approach. Keywords: British, Conquest, Resistance, Sokoto Caliphate

The Doldrums of Nigeria’s Amalgamation: A Historical Re-Appraisal

With a long historical background of interactions, the various ethno-linguistic groups occupying different regions and established on distinct cultural backgrounds, religious affiliations and political creeds were merged by the British authority in what became known as the 1914 Amalgamation. It was supposedly to be a historical landmark for Nigeria giant stride for greatness. However, those dreams and aspirations have never been realized. Thus, since the amalgamation, efforts have been geared towards a truly national integration where the chasm of distinct ethnic, cultural, religious and political ideologies would be assimilated into a united Nigeria. In colonial and post-colonial Nigeria, the British administrators and the Nigerian political leaders had respectively designed policies and programmes to ensure united country. Nevertheless, the lacunas among the regions and ethnic compositions have continued to widen founded on crisis of colonial creation, nationalists’ vituperations and politicians’ imbroglio. Hence, the doldrums in various facets of development in centenary Nigeria has remained endless. Consequently, Nigeria’s developmental stride has been stalled. The paper examines the doldrums of unity that have bedeviled hundred years of Nigeria. The methodology adopts primary and secondary sources as well as internet materials presented in text interpretation and thematic chronology. Keywords: Doldrums, Nigeria, Amalgamation, Colonialism, Nationalis

Development of a Reciprocating Motion Cassava Slicing Machine

The development of cassava reciprocating slicing machine was achieved using locally sourced materials that is affordable and effective. Although hand slicing is the cheapest form of slicing operation, but it has posed to be labour intensive, time-wasting, and hazardous. This necessitated the design and development of a cassava slicing machine. The machine's capacity for boiled and unboiled cassava root was calculated as 22.8kg/hr, with an average slicing time of 0.005hr for boiled and 0.00455hr for unboiled cassava root. The machine has low labour requirements and power consumption. The cassava reciprocating slicing machine use electric motor of 0.75kw (1hp) rating, with a speed of 99rpm. The machine is made with stainless steel for the slicing section and other components with mild steel and has an overall efficiency of 91.05%. The machine reduces drudgery and also enhances mass production of cassava chips, implying more profit

Investigating the effectiveness of many-core network processors for high performance cyber protection systems. Part I, FY2011.

This report documents our first year efforts to address the use of many-core processors for high performance cyber protection. As the demands grow for higher bandwidth (beyond 1 Gbits/sec) on network connections, the need to provide faster and more efficient solution to cyber security grows. Fortunately, in recent years, the development of many-core network processors have seen increased interest. Prior working experiences with many-core processors have led us to investigate its effectiveness for cyber protection tools, with particular emphasis on high performance firewalls. Although advanced algorithms for smarter cyber protection of high-speed network traffic are being developed, these advanced analysis techniques require significantly more computational capabilities than static techniques. Moreover, many locations where cyber protections are deployed have limited power, space and cooling resources. This makes the use of traditionally large computing systems impractical for the front-end systems that process large network streams; hence, the drive for this study which could potentially yield a highly reconfigurable and rapidly scalable solution

Biochar: pyrogenic carbon for agricultural use: a critical review.

O biocarvão (biomassa carbonizada para uso agrícola) tem sido usado como condicionador do solo em todo o mundo, e essa tecnologia é de especial interesse para o Brasil, uma vez que tanto a ?inspiração?, que veio das Terras Pretas de Índios da Amazônia, como o fato de o Brasil ser o maior produtor mundial de carvão vegetal, com a geração de importante quantidade de resíduos na forma de finos de carvão e diversas biomassas residuais, principalmente da agroindústria, como bagaço de cana, resíduos das indústrias de madeira, papel e celulose, biocombustíveis, lodo de esgoto etc. Na última década, diversos estudos com biocarvão têm sido realizados e atualmente uma vasta literatura e excelentes revisões estão disponíveis. Objetivou-se aqui não fazer uma revisão bibliográfica exaustiva, mas sim uma revisão crítica para apontar alguns destaques na pesquisa sobre biochar. Para isso, foram selecionados alguns temaschave considerados críticos e relevantes e fez-se um ?condensado? da literatura pertinente, mais para orientar as pesquisas e tendências do que um mero olhar para o passad

The Sublimeness of Sleaze in the NNPC in the Fourth Republic, 1999 – 2007:A Historical Conspectus

The discovery of crude oil in Nigeria in 1956 ushered in hope for economic prosperity and rapid developmental opportunities for the nation. Hence, in subsequent years, the Federal Government established the Nigerian National Oil Company (NNOC), a regulatory body to monitor and regulate oil production activities. However, the inefficiency and lapses in NNOC resulted in the emergence of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in 1977. Nonetheless, the new agency had been a subject of criticism consequent upon its inadequacy to manage, monitor and control oil production and accountability within and outside the country. The inefficiency over the years assumed an unprecedented progression which metamorphosed into sublime of sleaze in the Fourth Republic. It is in the light of this malfeasance that the discourse examines in historical perspective the decadence of decorum in NNPC in the Fourth Republic. The methodology is thematic, chronological and analytical making use of primary and secondary sources. The scholarly essay posited that NNPC under the ex-president, Olusegun Obasanjo’s eight years in office witnessed the most scandalous sleaze the oil sector had ever experienced. The paper offered some caveats for NNPC operations in subsequent years if Nigeria must reap the reward ? in all ramifications ? of the oil discovery in 1956. Keywords: Sublimeness, Sleaze, NNPC, Fourth Republi