Observations, in vitro, on N-nitrosation by intracellular extracts of some microorganisms isolated from palm wine

Soluble fractions of sonicates derived from cell suspensions of some bacteria and yeasts, which contaminate palm sap, enhanced nitrosamine formation when each fraction was incubated, under sterile conditions, at a pH of 7.0 ± 0.2, with either diphenylamine, dimethylamine or diethylamine and sodium nitrite and glucose as substrates. The intrinsic factor in the extracts, which was responsible for the N-nitrosation reactions, was heat labile and might be an enzyme; a so-called ‘N-nitrosatase’

Cyanide content of gari

500 random samples of gari (a cassava by-product) being hawked for sale in Ibadan markets, in Nigeria, were assayed for hydrocyanic acid (HCN) content. Most of the samples contained detectable amounts of HCN, ranging between 0.8 and 38 mg/kg, and only a very small proportion (0.4%) contained no cyanide. The limit of HCN detection was 0.1 ppm. There was no significant difference (P < 0.01) between the mean total cyanide (glycoside-bound plus non-glycosidic) and free cyanide (non-glycosidic) contents, 8.0 ± 6.9 mg HCN/kg and 7.2 ± 5.8 mg HCN/kg, respectively; indicating that an overwhelming proportion of the residual cyanide content of commercial gari could be present in the “free” form. The toxicity implications of free cyanide in cassava diets is briefly discussed

Patriarchal Reductionism in Ewu-Nzuzo of Ogodi Female Burial Dance of the Ogbaru-Igbo

The Ogbaru Igbo people of South-Eastern Nigeria perform a ceremonial dance drama to honour indigenously born women upon their death, during which a ritual nanny goat is slaughtered. This paper examines the purpose of the dance and the significance of the ritual animal. The study reveals a dual purpose of the ceremony; the stated and explicit on the one hand; and the implicit and unstated on the other, the latter being disguised by the patriarchal agenda of the culture. There is a dearth of information on the woman in patriarchal society and what little is available is subject to patriarchal hegemony. Oral performance remains one of the most accessible channels on gender related data and the present study aims to bridge the gap in gender documentation.Keywords: Ewu-nzuzo, Ogbaru, Igbo, Umuada, patriarcha

Nitrosation of quaternary ammonium compounds in vivo in the Wistar rat

1. Animals dosed orally with nitrite (1.5 × 10−3 mol/kg) and nonyl dimethylbenzylammonium bromide (2.9 × 10−4 mol/kg) exhibit liver damage within two hours; cetyl trimethylammonium bromide plus nitrite was not significantly hepatotoxic. 2. Both nonyl dimethylbenzyl ammonium bromide and cetyl trimethylammonium bromide were demethylated by rat-liver microsomal preparations; substrate concentrations of 1 mM or more were inhibitory. 3. Bile from rats given i.p. doses of cetyl trimethylammonium bromide, nonyl dimethylbenzylammonium bromide or dodecyl dimethylbenzylammonium bromide contains only metabolites, no unchanged compounds were detected

Umuada and the Phenomenon of Dual Identity in Ogbaruland

The Igbo is a patriarchal society but despite this, the association of indigenous women of some Igbo communities known as Umuada continues to exert influence in their patrilineal homes even after the exchange of identity through marriage; and despite their new roles as ndiomu (association of wives) in their consanguine communities. This results in a phenomenon of dual identity, significantly different from parallel Igbo sub-cultural groups. Several studies have been carried out on the contribution of the Umuada to their communities, especially in the economic and social spheres. However, there is a dearth of information on the formal structure of authority within which women carry out these activities especially in relation to their identities. This study examines the motivation for this recognition of the woman in a patriarchal culture and the patriarchal agenda is examined. Information on the role of women in indigenous and contemporary Igbo society is provided and findings reveal the dual identity of women in this region and the implications for intra-communal relation dynamics.Keywords: Igbo, Ogbaru, Umuada, Identit

Design and analytical performance of subthreshold characteristics of CSDG MOSFET.

Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.The downscaling of the Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors (MOSFET) devices have been the driving force for Nanotechnology and Very Large-Scale Integration (VLSI) systems. This is affirmed by Moore’s law which states that “The number of transistors placed in an Integrated Circuit (IC) or chip doubles approximately every two years”. The main objectives for the transistor scaling are: to increase functionality, switching speed, packing density and lower the operating power of the ICs. However, the downscaling of the MOSFET device is posed with various challenges such as the threshold roll-off, Drain Induced Barrier Lowing (DIBL), surface scattering, and velocity saturation known as Short Channel Effects (SCEs). To overcome these challenges, a cylindrically structured MOSFET is employed because it increases the switching speed, current flow, packing density, and provides better immunity to SCEs. This thesis proposes a Cylindrical Surrounding Double-Gate (CSDG) MOSFET which is an extended version of Double-Gate (DG) MOSFET and Cylindrical Surrounding-Gate (CSG) MOSFET in terms of form factor and current drive respectively. Furthermore, employing the Evanescent-Mode analysis (EMA) of a two-dimensional (2D) Poisson solution, the performance analysis of the novel CSDG MOSFET is presented. The channel length, radii Silicon film difference, and the oxide thickness are investigated for the CSDG MOSFET at the subthreshold regime. Using the minimum channel potential expression obtained by EMA, the threshold voltage and the subthreshold swing model of the proposed CSDG MOSFET are evaluated and discussed. The device performance is verified with various values of radii Silicon film difference and gate oxide thickness Finally, the low operating power and switching characteristics of the proposed CSDG MOSFET has been employed to design a simple CSDG bridge rectifier circuit for micropower electricity (energy harvester). Similar to the traditional MOSFETs, the switching process of CSDG MOSFET is in two operating modes: switch-ON (conduction of current between the drain and source) or switched-OFF (no conduction of current). However, unlike the traditional diode bridge rectifier which utilizes four diodes for its operation, the CSDG bridge rectifier circuits employs only two CSDGs (n-channel and p- channel) for its operation. This optimizes cost and improves efficiency. Finally, the results from the analyses demonstrate that the proposed CSDG MOSFET is a promising device for nanotechnology and self-micro powered device system application

Umuada and the Phenomenon of Dual Identity in Ogbaruland

The Igbo is a patriarchal society but despite this, the association of indigenous women of some Igbo communities known as Umuada continues to exert influence in their patrilineal homes even after the exchange of identity through marriage; and despite their new roles as ndiomu (association of wives) in their consanguine communities. This results in a phenomenon of dual identity, significantly different from parallel Igbo sub-cultural groups. Several studies have been carried out on the contribution of the Umuada to their communities, especially in the economic and social spheres. However, there is a dearth of information on the formal structure of authority within which women carry out these activities especially in relation to thei

PARALLELS OF DANCE AND PLOT IN OGODI FEMALE BURIAL DANCE OF THE OGBARU IGBO SUB-GROUP OF EASTERN NIGERIA

Ogodi dance is a funeral dance drama performed among the Ogbaru lgbo people of Nigeria to celebrate the lifetime of a deceased, indigenously born woman, (Maduagwu, 2012). This work analyses the inter-play of dance on the one hand. and song lyrics on the other. as p1ot projectors in the performance of this ritual drama. The work aims to establish the importanc~ uf dance dynamics in African religious theatre. It decodes the heavy symbolism which characterize& ritual forms and which poses problems of analysis for researchers in the field. With relatively little documentation on the life of the woman inA frican society. the non-,erbal information encoded in dance is an important source of data on the woman in oral societies such. Ogodi dance of Ogbaru lgbo people as a performance exclusively set aside for ·Nomen provides an ideal model and also fills the gap in this area of gender study

A comparative assessment of toxic effects of dimethylnitrosamine in six different species

The hepatotoxicity which usually accompanies the oral administration of dimethylnitrosamine (DMN) to laboratory animals was studied in male rats, guinea pigs, cats, lizards, ducks, and monkeys. A single dosage of 50 mg/kg, which is necrotizing to rat liver, in most cases produced within 30 hr more acute liver damage in cats than in guinea pigs, rats, or monkeys, in that order of susceptibility, but was not toxic to lizards or ducks. DMN (5 mg/kg), given daily, induced the same degree of liver damage in guinea pigs and rats as did a single dose of the same compound. However, in cats and monkeys the effect of a single dose of 50 mg/kg was less severe than that obtained after the administration of 5 mg/kg over a period of 5–11 days. DMN (1 mg/kg), administered daily over a period of 30 days, was particularly harmful to cats and lizards. Clinicopathologic signs of overt toxicity were also monitored. Our results would support the view that species differences and dosage rates are both critical factors determining the different susceptibilities of various animals to nitrosamine toxicity