The Perlocutionary Effects of Cautionary Notices on Motoristusing Nigeria Highways

The dangers associated with traffic violations on the highways cannot be overemphasized. This work, therefore, examines the communicative effectiveness of cautionary notices on Nigeria highways, where these cautionary notices are mostly found, by looking at the attitude of the motorists towards the cautionary notices and the attention people generally paid to them. This study, which is descriptive, drew its data from the major highways in Nigeria where these notices were erected by notable construction companies as well as other corporate bodies. The analyses of these notices were based on the performed acts of the speech act theory, as these notices, in the view of many, are not considered as ordinary graphics, writings and symbols because of their significance on both the writers and the readers. The study carefully examines how the intention of these cautionary notices is achieved in the communication between the dispatcher and recipient in order to determine the effectiveness of these notices on the behavior of the motorists. The work thus brings out the critical discourse elements of the subject matter. Findings reveal that some of the cautionary notices are regarded as warnings while some are viewed as a combination of warning and advice. The study further shows that the use of cautionary notices has helped in the maintenance of law and order on the highway especially among vehicle owners, making them to be security conscious and thus helping to eradicate preventable deaths through over speeding and sundry vices. Finally, the study reveals that the use of cautionary notices is a new dimension in the area of linguistic landscape and if the use is further encouraged, it would help to maintain peace, orderliness, and guide against fatal accidents on the highways

The Impact of Cultural Factors on E-Learning: Practical Teaching of Sanponna Chants among Yoruba Youths in Nigeria

In this paper, sanponna, god of smallpox chants is one of the Yoruba peoples cultural properties. “E-learning approach was adopted by introducing the youths to use of electronic materials like video camera, android phones, and cassette tape recorders in collation of sanponna chants analyzed in this study. Few S̩̩ànpò̩̩nná chants were recorded, written out and stylistically analyzed with ten Yoruba secondary school students in Nigeria. The need for this research is that attention of many Yoruba and African scholars is recently concentrated on teaching foreign oral traditions without been mindful of the inherent advantages of teaching  learning and documentation of African traditional chants like Sonponna and other chants especially for the present generation of youths. Also, the positive impacts of e-learning has not been maximally utilized in the teaching and learning of Yoruba orature such as the language’s numerous traditional chants. This study further strengthened the fact that African education was in existence before the advent of Arabic and European education in Nigeria and must be preserved and saved from going to extinction. The study electronically taught the youths some poetic devices employed by S̩̩ànpò̩̩nná chanters which include: simile, hyperbole, onomatopoeia, irony, paradox, sarcasm, euphemism, and repetition

An Evaluation of The Effects of Local Mix Design on the Compressive Strength of Concrete

This is a report on an evaluation of the effect of local mix design of concrete on its compressive strength. In order to accomplish this research work, field survey was first undertaken with a well-structured questionnaire. This questionnaire was administered to the respondents who are directly involved in concrete production. Oral interview was also carried out in order to confirm the information given by the respondents concerning batching, mix ratio, etc. A study of contract document was undertaken with emphasis on specification of contract, bill of quantity and structural design in order to study how mix design is carried out in construction industry. Based on the information obtained from the respondents on how concrete is designed and specified in contract document and how such information is used in the production of concrete on construction sites, an experimental programme was set up in order to assess the extent of deviation from the normal. In the experiment, six different mixes were used. A total number of one hundred and twenty (120) cubes were cast; twenty (20) cubes were cast for each of the design mix specified. The samples were cured and crushed after 1,3,7,14,21 and 28 days of curing so as to determine the compressive strength. The test result shows that, the compressive strength for both mass and reinforced concrete produced in the construction firm are 3.13N/mm2 and 6.00N/mm2 respectively at 28 days, which are lower than that produced using the standard mixes and that produced using the target mixes. It is concluded that there is a very wider deviation from the normal in the concrete produced on site and it affects the strength of concrete and therefore, durable and qualitative concrete cannot be achieved through such means (their mix design). It is recommended that professionals should be involved in the production and supervision of concrete works so as to take care of quality control and guard against irregularities

Computational Dynamic Features Extraction from Anonymized Medical Images

Images depict clearer meaning than written words and this is reason they are used in a variety of human endeavors, including but not limited to medicine. Medical image datasets are used in medical environment to diagnose and confirm medical disorders for which physical examination may not be sufficient. However, the medical profession's ethics of patient confidentiality policy creates barrier to availability of medical datasets for research; thus, this research work was able to solve the above stated barrier through anonymization of sensitive identity information. Furthermore, the Content Based Image Retrieval (CBIR) using texture as the content was developed to overcome the challenge of information overloading associated with data retrieval systems. Images acquired from various imaging modalities and placed into Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) formats were obtained from several hospitals in Nigeria. The database of these images was created and consequently anonymized, then a new anonymized database was created. On anonymized images, feature extraction was done using textures as content and the content was considered for the implementation of retrieval system. The anonymized images were tested in DICOM view to see if all files were successfully anonymized; the result obtained was 100%. A texture retrieval test was performed, and the number of precisely returned search images using the Similarity Distance Measure formulae resulted in a significant reduction in image overload. Thus, this research work solved the problem of non-availability of datasets for researchers in medical imaging field by providing datasets that can be used without violating law of patient confidentiality by the interested parties. It also solves the problem of hackers obtaining useful information about patients’ datasets. The CBIR using texture as content also enhances and solves the problem of information overloading

Sexualisation of Women in Nigerian Advertorial English Medium Bill Board

This paper surveys sexism in English, citing selected communicative instances in English medium  billboards in Ile Ife, Osun State, Nigeria. The photographs and written inscriptions on the selected billboards depict the stereotypical representation of women as weaker species and exertion of men power over women. This was achieved through a critical discourse analysis of visual and verbal language discourses in ten randomly selected English medium billboards selected as sources of gathering data for this research. In Nigeria, billboards are meant for public announcements and advertisements. They also convey information about products and company services. Findings of this research among others reveal that there is asymmetrical power relation in terms of dominance and subordination between men and women as demonstrated by the portrayal of men in terms of physical attribute, such as strength, vigor, and a daring ability, as against the portrayal of women in terms of sex appealing, physical attractiveness as well as concerned with trivial, unserious and playful things. The study advocates for equal treatment of men and women without unnecessary sex differentiation

The Contents and Values of Parts of the Body Related Idiomatic Expressions in Yorùbá

In this paper, we examine the contents and values of Yorùbá idiomatic expressions that relate to the parts of the human body in social interactions with a view to establishing their communicative value in Yorùbá socio-cultural discourse. A few research efforts on proverbs and idiomatic expressions have studied the scope of their usage in Yorùbá music, the new mode of their usage in political arena and those that relate to Egungun among speakers of Yorùbá language. None, however, have examined the contents of the Yorùbá idiomatic expressions in relation to the parts of the human body. This, therefore, is the preoccupation of the study. Our data for this study comprised thirty purposively selected idioms in Yorùbá language which are used frequently, especially among the elders, in social interactions. The idioms were classified into three domains which captured roughly the major divisions of the human body. The three major parts altogether ensure, in scientific parlance, the homeostasis and viability of the human body. The paper adopted the Ethnography of Communication model as its theoretical framework. Results from the study showed that almost every part of the human body is capable of being used to construct profound and thought-provoking idiomatic expressions which can enhance poetic and rhetoric vigour as well as serve as cultural fillip meant to rekindle the flagging interest of the youths in Yorùbá culture so as to save the Yorùbá language from extinction

Effect of Spirulina platensis supplementation on performance, haematological and serum biochemical profiles of broiler chickens reared under tropical environment

The ban on feed grade antibiotic growth promoters and increasing demand for human protein food sources have resulted in a need for new feed materials which provide a safe source of nutrients for poultry. A study was conducted to evaluate the effect of dietary supplementation of spirulina on performance, haematological and serum profiles on broiler chickens. A total of 120 day old mixed sex broiler chicks were randomly assigned into 4 treatments with 3 replicate pens per treatment (10 birds/replicate pen) for 0-3 weeks and 4-7 weeks respectively. A reputable commercial diet was used as a basal diet (Treatment 1 without spirulina), while treatments 2, 3 and 4 had 6.00, 12.00, and 18.00 g/kg of spirulina supplemented in the commercial diet. The final weight, body weight gain, feed intake and feed conversion ratio were significantly (P < 0.05) higher in spirulina-supplemented groups compared with the control group for both the starter and finisher phases. For the starter phase it was observed that chicks fed 12.00g/kg spirulina diet performed better in terms of body weight gain while chickens fed 6.00g/kg spirulina diet had the best performance in terms of body weight gain at the finisher phase. Dietary treatment had significant (P < 0.05) effects on packed cell volume (PCV), haemoglobin count, red blood cells (RBC) and white blood cells (WBC). The values for total protein (TP), globulin, Aspartate Amino-Transferase (AST), Alanine Amino-Transferase (ALT) and Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP) were significantly (P < 0.05) higher for chickens fed diets containing spirulina compared to the chickens fed diet without spirulina. It is concluded that dietary supplementation of spirulina improves body weight gain, haematological parameters and blood serum biochemistry of broiler chickens. Keywords: poultry; algae; bloo

A Sociolinguistic Consideration of Intermediation in Greeting Discourse among the Yo?ru?ba of South West Nigeria

Existing studies on Yoru?ba? greeting forms dwell on the appropriateness of their use, with respect to time of the year, event, condition, occupation, vocation, context, politeness and content. The studies portray greetings as discourse between two people or parties who are capable of exchanging pleasantries. None of the existing works has discussed intermediation in greeting discourse among the Yoru?ba? people such that greetings that are directed to the second person(s) such as toddlers, extremely sick persons, kings and the bereaved are answered on their behalf by a third party. This paper examines intermediation and the rationale in greeting discourse among the Yoru?ba? people. The data for this study were drawn from participant observation, Yoru?ba? literature texts, and Yoru?ba? home movies. The Mutual Contextual Beliefs Theory of Pragmatics as proposed by Bach and Harnish (1979) was adopted for the data analysis. The study established, among other things, that greetings are sacrosanct in Yoru?ba? culture and the answer/reply is obligatory, irrespective of the state, status, circumstance and condition of the person(s) being greeted. It is also shown that intermediation in greeting discourse could be for politeness, incapacitation, authority and educating the young ones