The Informalization of Belonging: Igbo Informal Enterprise and National Cohesion from Below

The Nigerian Civil War evokes images of ethno-regional strife followed by simmering ethnic tension. However, political perspectives on the legacies of Biafra tend to gloss over the more integrative and constructive economic effects of the Civil War and its aftermath. While the Nigerian Civil War devastated Igbo business activities across Nigeria, and precipitated a mass return of Igbo migrants totheir home area, it also laid the foundation for a consolidation and rapid development of Igbo informal enterprise, which has had integrative rather than divisive social and economic consequences for Nigeria as a whole. Operating below the radar of political competition, the demands of informal enterprise development have nurtured strong inter-ethnic and inter-regional links between the Igbo, Hausa, Yoruba and other Nigerian as well as non-Nigerian groups. With a particular focus on Igbo informal manufacturing, long-distance trading networks and informal money changing, this paper will consider the role of the informaleconomy in the development of popular structures of national unity. It will also show that these processes of economic integration from below have increasingly been strained by political struggles from above, creating a tide of violence and ethnic polarization that, even more than the Civil War, threatens to unravel the underlying social fabric of Nigerian nationhood

Uncertainty in Spatial Duopoly with Possibly Asymmetric Distributions: A State Space Approach

In spatial competition firms are likely to be uncertain about consumer locations when launching products either because of shifting demographics or of asymmetric information about preferences. Realistically distributions of consumer locations should be allowed to vary over states and need not be uniform. However, the existing literature models location uncertainty as an additive shock to a uniform consumer distribution. The additive shock restricts uncertainty to the mean of the consumers locations. We generalize this approach to a state space model in which a vector of parameters gives rise to different distributions of consumer tastes in different states, allowing other moments (besides the mean) of the consumer distribution to be uncertain. We illustrate our model with an asymmetric consumer distribution and obtain a unique subgame perfect equilibrium with an explicit, closed-form solution. An equilibrium existence result is then given for the general case. For symmetric distributions, the unique subgame perfect equilibrium in the general case can be described by a simple closed-form solution

Molecular Characterization and Tissue Culture Regeneration Ability of the USA \u3ci\u3eArachis Pintoi\u3c/i\u3e (Krap. and Greg.) Germplasm Collection

Arachis pintoi Krap. and Greg. is a herbaceous, perennial legume, exclusively native to Brazil. It is considered a multiple use legume, being grown for forage; ground cover in fruits orchards, forest, and low tillage systems; erosion control; and ornamental purposes. Although several cultivars have been released in different countries, little is known about the genetic diversity of the germplasm stored in world genebanks. Our objective was to characterize and evaluate the genetic diversity of the germplasm of 35 accessions of Arachis pintoi at molecular level using RAPD markers. Concurrently, two tissue culture protocols were evaluated for their organogenesis ability. Further, variation in band profile was analyzed by comparing “Parent Plants” and tissue culture regenerated plants

Combination of Immunohistochemistry and Ploidy Analysis to Assist Histopathological Diagnosis of Molar Diseases

Background Differential diagnosis between hydropic abortion, partial mole and complete mole is still a challenge for pathologists but really important for patient management. Material and Method In this study, we have evaluated 111 products of conception from the first trimester. Histological analysis was made according to the main diagnostic histopathological features described in the literature and the cases were categorized in hydropic abortus (HA), partial mole (PM) and complete mole (CM). Immunohistochemistry was performed using monoclonal antibody against p57 kip protein a putative paternally imprinted inhibitor gene and DNA ploidy was analysed in all cases by image cytometry. Results All 23 HAs presented a diploid DNA content and were p57 kip2 positive. From the 28 CMs, 12 cases (43%) were diploid and 16 cases (57%) were tetraploid but no expression of p57 kip2 was found with positive internal controls. From the 60 PMs, 58 cases were positive for p57 kip2 expression and 53 cases (88%) were triploid, 6 cases (10%) tetraploid and 1 case (2%) diploid. Conclusion This study on 111 cases of early pregnancies confirms the usefulness of immunohistochemistry and cytometry but demonstrates the importance of the combination of both techniques to assist histology for the best reliable diagnosis

Some like it varied: individual differences in preference for feed variety in dairy heifers

Motivation to explore is believed to be widespread among animals, but exploratory behaviour varies within populations. Offering variety in feed is one simple way of allowing intensively housed dairy cattle to express exploratory foraging behaviour. Individuals’ exploration of different feed types, as with other new stimuli, likely reflects a balance between exploratory motivation and fear of novelty. We tested the degree to which Holstein heifers (n=10) preferred variety in feed vs. a constant, high quality mixed ration, by first providing varying types of forages and then varying flavours of mixed feed. We also investigated individual differences in exploratory behaviour by measuring switching between feed bins. Individual consistency in preferences was assessed between tests, and longer-term consistency was evaluated by comparing these results with behaviour in novel object and novel feed tests before weaning. On average, the heifers preferred the constant, familiar feed (spending on average just 20% of their time at varied feed bins), but this preference varied among individuals (from 0 to 46% of time eating in the forage trial, and 0 to 93% in the flavour trial). Preference for varied forages correlated positively with intake of novel feed as calves (rs=0.72, n=9). Preference for varied flavours showed a negative correlation with latency to approach a novel object (rs=-0.65). It thus appears that preference for variety and exploratory foraging behaviour reflect consistent personality traits. These results suggest that offering novel feeds on a rotating schedule as a supplement to the regular diet may be an effective form of enrichment for at least some individuals within a herd

Eosinophilic aseptic arachnoiditis: A neurological complication in HIV-negative drug-addicts

Abstract.: The finding of an eosinophilic aseptic meningitis in IV drug abuse is usually suggestive of an opportunistic infection or an allergic reaction. However, HIV-negative patients are at lower risk for developing these complications. Two young HIV-negative patients, with previous intravenous polytoxicomany, developed cystic arachnoiditis over the spinal cord associated with eosinophilic meningitis. Histology of the meningeal spinal cord lesions revealed a vasculocentric mixed inflammatory reaction. In one patient prednisone led to marked clinical improvement. Since infection, vasculitis, sarcoidosis and previous myelography were ruled out, we believe that the syndrome of eosinophilic aseptic arachnoiditis may be related to an hyperergic reaction in the meniges toward drug-adulterants inoculated through the intravenous rout

A polarizable interatomic force field for TiO2_2 parameterized using density functional theory

We report a classical interatomic force field for TiO$_2$, which has been parameterized using density functional theory forces, energies, and stresses in the rutile crystal structure. The reliability of this new classical potential is tested by evaluating the structural properties, equation of state, phonon properties, thermal expansion, and some thermodynamic quantities such as entropy, free energy, and specific heat under constant volume. The good agreement of our results with {\em ab initio} calculations and with experimental data, indicates that our force-field describes the atomic interactions of TiO$_2$ in the rutile structure very well. The force field can also describe the structures of the brookite and anatase crystals with good accuracy.Comment: Accepted for publication in Phys. Rev. B; Changes from v1 include multiple minor revisions and a re-write of the description of the force field in Section II