How True is Nigeria’s Federalism: A Theoretical Perspective

Against the background of calls for the establishment of true federalism in Nigeria, this paper examines the literature on federalism in order to find out the true form of federalism. The aim of the paper is to identify the “federalist mean” and to locate the extent to which the Nigerian federation deviates from this “mean”. The paper argues that every federal state is unique in terms of its experience and historical antecedents, and therefore adopts institutions, structures and processes that best suits its needs. There is therefore no “true” or “false” federalism. The study adopts idealism as the theoretical framework, and undertakes data collection and interpretation using the historical method. The paper observes that no two federations are alike given that no two sates are actually the same. It was further observed that every federation is in a fluid state, swinging between unitarianism at one end and confederation at the other end. Finally the study discovers that there is no mean as long as federalism is concerned, therefore Nigerian federalism cannot be described as true or false. The study therefore recommends that Nigerians should drop calls for the enactment of true federalism. Rather a continuous political debate is needed to discuss the restructuring of federalism in Nigeria in a direction that could enable Nigerians  achieve their expectations,. Issues such as accountability and transparency, resource management, human rights and safeguarding the future of unborn generations should be on the front burner of this debate at all times

Education for Human Rights Enforcement: A Functionalist Perspective

This paper captioned “Education for Human Rights Enforcement: a Functionalist Perspective”, attempts to examine the factors responsible for the violation of fundamental human rights across the globe. It further attempts to locate the propellants of rights violation, examining the place of absence of functional education in the entire process. The paper argues that the failure of society to provide functional education to its citizens is the primary reason why people violate the rights of their fellow human beings. Using functionalism as the theoretical framework, the study observes that humanity has committed huge philosophical, institutional, financial and manpower resources to the defense of human rights. However the outcome has not justified this huge investments, as the world presently witnesses human rights violation more than ever before. The study therefore concludes that the provision of functional education is the panacea to rights abuses, as the educational system will help impart positive values for the defense of human rights

Dissecting the sharp response of a canonical developmental enhancer reveals multiple sources of cooperativity.

Developmental enhancers integrate graded concentrations of transcription factors (TFs) to create sharp gene expression boundaries. Here we examine the hunchback P2 (HbP2) enhancer which drives a sharp expression pattern in the Drosophila blastoderm embryo in response to the transcriptional activator Bicoid (Bcd). We systematically interrogate cis and trans factors that influence the shape and position of expression driven by HbP2, and find that the prevailing model, based on pairwise cooperative binding of Bcd to HbP2 is not adequate. We demonstrate that other proteins, such as pioneer factors, Mediator and histone modifiers influence the shape and position of the HbP2 expression pattern. Comparing our results to theory reveals how higher-order cooperativity and energy expenditure impact boundary location and sharpness. Our results emphasize that the bacterial view of transcription regulation, where pairwise interactions between regulatory proteins dominate, must be reexamined in animals, where multiple molecular mechanisms collaborate to shape the gene regulatory function

The early stages of heart development: insights from chicken embryos

The heart is the first functioning organ in the developing embryo and the detailed understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in its formation provides insights into congenital malformations affecting its function and therefore the survival of the organism. Because many developmental mechanisms are highly conserved, it is possible to extrapolate from observations made in invertebrate and vertebrate model organisms to human. This review will highlight the contributions made through studying heart development in avian embryos, particularly the chicken. The major advantage of chick embryos is their accessibility for surgical manipulations and functional interference approaches, both gain- and loss-of-function. In addition to experiments performed in ovo, the dissection of tissues for ex vivo culture, genomic or biochemical approaches, is straightforward. Furthermore, embryos can be cultured for time-lapse imaging, which enables tracking of fluorescently labeled cells and detailed analyses of tissue morphogenesis. Owing to these features, investigations in chick embryos have led to important discoveries, often complementing genetic studies in mouse and zebrafish. As well as including some historical aspects, we cover here some of the crucial advances made in understanding of early heart development using the chicken model

electrophysiological changes during early steps of retinitis pigmentosa

n/

The Pseudomonas syringae type III-secreted protein HopPtoD2 possesses protein tyrosine phosphatase activity and suppresses programmed cell death in plants

The bacterial plant pathogen Pseudomonas syringae possesses a type III protein secretion system that delivers many virulence proteins into plant cells. A subset of these proteins (called Avr proteins) is recognized by the plant’s innate immune system and triggers defences. One defence-associated response is the hypersensitive response (HR), a programmed cell death (PCD) of plant tissue. We have previously identified HopPtoD2 as a type III secreted protein from P. s. pv. tomato DC3000. Sequence analysis revealed that an N-terminal domain shared homology with Avr- PphD and a C-terminal domain was similar to protein tyrosine phosphatases (PTPs). We demonstrated that purified HopPtoD2 possessed PTP activity and this activity required a conserved catalytic Cys residue (Cys 378 ). Interestingly, HopPtoD2 was capable of suppressing the HR elicited by an avirulent P. syringae strain on Nicotiana benthamiana . HopPtoD2 derivatives that lacked Cys 378 no longer suppressed the HR indicating that HR suppression required PTP activity. A constitutively active MAPK kinase, called NtMEK2 DD , is capable of eliciting an HR-like cell death when transiently expressed in tobacco. When NtMEK2 DD and HopPtoD2 were co-delivered into plant cells, the HR was suppressed indicating that HopPtoD2 acts downstream of NtMEK2 DD . DC3000 hopPtoD2 mutants were slightly reduced in their ability to multiply in planta and displayed an enhanced ability to elicit an HR. The identification of HopPtoD2 as a PTP and a PCD suppressor suggests that the inactivation of MAPK pathways is a virulence strategy utilized by bacterial plant pathogens

Microstructured Fibre Taper with Constant Outer Diameter

Department of Electrical Engineerin

A Review on the Special Radiotherapy Techniques of Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer is one of the commonest cancers worldwide. Radiotherapy has been established as an indispensable component of treatment. Although conventional radiotherapy provides good local control, radiotherapy treatment side-effects, local recurrence and distant metastasis remain to be the concerns. With the recent technological advancements, various special radiotherapy treatment options have been offered. This review article discusses the recently-developed special radiotherapy treatment modalities for various conditions of colorectal cancer ranging from early stage, locally advanced stage, recurrent, and metastatic diseases. The discussion focuses on the areas of feasibility, local control, and survival benefits of the treatment modalities. This review also provides accounts of the future direction in radiotherapy of colorectal cancer with emphasis on the coming era of personalized radiotherapy