5 research outputs found
The Impact of Lifestyle and Dietary Antioxidants on Diabetes: A Comprehensive Review of Prevention and Management Strategies
No full textDiabetes mellitus is a pervasive global health crisis characterised by chronic hyperglycemia, leading to severe microvascular and macrovascular complications. Oxidative stress, an imbalance between free radicals and antioxidants, is a central pathogenic mechanism, impairing insulin production and exacerbating insulin resistance. This comprehensive review synthesises evidence on the pivotal role of lifestyle modifications and dietary antioxidants in diabetes prevention and management. Findings reveal that integrated lifestyle interventions are fundamental, encompassing balanced nutrition, regular physical activity, weight management, stress reduction, and optimised sleep. Moreover, dietary antioxidants, including Vitamins C, E, carotenoids, and polyphenols, sourced from whole foods, demonstrate protective effects against diabetes risk and improve metabolic parameters. Notably, whole food consumption is superior to isolated antioxidant supplements, which have shown inconsistent efficacy and potential prooxidant effects at high doses. The most effective strategy for mitigating diabetes and its complications involves a synergistic approach, combining comprehensive lifestyle changes with antioxidant-rich diets. Future research should focus on personalised nutrition and the intricate interplay between diet, the gut microbiome, and metabolism
Aspersions on THEM, praises on US: Evaluating some Facebook posts on the three presidential candidates in the 2023 general elections in Nigeria
No full textLanguage is a veritable tool in the conduct of societal affairs, it can be used to build or destroy a person or a group. This study analyses some Facebook posts on three Nigeria 2023 presidential candidates: Bola Ahmed Tinubu of All Progressive Congress, Peter Obi of Labour Party, and Atiku Abubakar of People’s Democratic Party. Five posts for each candidate were randomly selected making fifteen posts in all, the posts constitute the primary data, while the secondary data are drawn from library and internet sources on the subject matter. The study is anchored on van Dijk’s Theory of Ideological Square (TIS), which contextualises the posts to be of US-THEM categorisation. The specific objectives of the study are: how is hate encoded in the Facebook posts under study; and what are the inferable common ground ideas in the posts that help the projection of the ‘‘US’’, and the backgrounding of the ‘‘THEM’’ in the posts. The findings show that hate is encoded in the Facebook posts through the use of deprecating words on the ‘‘THEM’’. The authors of the posts show lack of interest and confidence in ‘‘the OTHER’’ two candidates. Each author implicitly praised the favoured candidate. This study concludes that the use of negative words in whatever form has the propensity to cause negative reactions, and cast the target(s) in a deleterious light. The study recommends that fans of politicians should avoid the use of negative, and demeaning language, but should use language in a humane manner bearing in mind that each political position is ephemeral, and humans can change, their preferred candidate can change in attitude as time changes
Demilitarisation Nigeria and South Africa compared
No full textIn sub-Saharan African countries that have made democratic transition from military
rule and military-backed authoritarian regimes, state elites have embarked upon
strategies aimed at demilitarising the new democratic political process. Demilitarisation
of the state and politics has become an imperative because it is decisive for
consolidating democratic politics and for ensuring improvements in public safety and
security. Yet the process of such demilitarisation in these countries has often generated
a paradox, whereby the reduction of the political influence of state institutions of
violence has been associatedw ith rising civil militarism and the prevalenceo f organised
violence in the wider society.
In these circumstances, taking cognisance of the dangers of civil militarism and other
forms of private violence is a priority for designing and implementing demilitarisation
strategies and other security reforms in post-authoritarian African states. Reformminded
political elites and external supporters need to be sensitive to these dangers or
risk perpetuating the shell of electoral democracy that cannot deliver the goal of human
security in the region. This dissertation explored how the current approach to
demilitarisation is related to the problem of civil militarism by examining the case
studies of Nigeria and South Africa. It explains that given the condition of the state in
Africa, demilitarisation of politics after transition from military or military-backed
authoritarianism contributes to the emergence of civil militarism. Based on this finding,
it argues for a comprehensive approach to demilitarisation as a strategy that caters to
both state and societal violence in order to mitigate the risks of civil militarism in the
process
NEW DISCOVERIES OF THE ALTARPIECE OF ST. MARTIN FROM THE PARISH CHURCH IN VARAŽDINSKE TOPLICE
No full textSlika sv. Martina datirana je u 18. stoljeće te se pretpostavlja da je izvorno
pripadala starijem drvenom i polikromiranom oltaru iz razdoblja obnove crkve i
inventara šezdesetih godina 18. stoljeća. Potkraj 19. stoljeća stari oltar zamijenjen
je oltarom sv. Katarine iz zagrebačke katedrale, autora F. Robbe, i od tada slika u
nekoliko navrata mijenja svoj položaj na oltaru. U prvo se vrijeme slika nalazila
na novom oltaru kao glavna oltarna slika, a tridesetih je godina 20. stoljeća premještena
na atiku oltara. Konačno je sedamdesetih godina 20. st. potpuno uklonjena
s oltara i pohranjena u župnom dvoru, gdje se trajno čuvala.
Na slici sv. Martina su tijekom 2012. i 2013. godine provedeni cjeloviti konzervatorsko-
restauratorski radovi. Tijekom tih radova, a nakon faze uklanjanja
potamnjelog laka, otkrivana signatura autora s godinom nastanka slike. Tim
otkrićem korigirana je datacija slike na 1852. godinu te je utvrđeno da je autor
Johann Beyer iz Austrije koji je od 1840-ih do 1860-ih godina izradio niz oltarnih
slika u Hrvatskoj pa tako i sliku za Svibovec kod Varaždinskih Toplica. Temeljem
prikupljenih podataka može se pretpostaviti da je tom prilikom nastala i nova oltarna
slika za barokni oltar iz crkve sv. Martina u Varaždinskim Toplicama. Slika
je u cijelosti restaurirana podlaganjem novom tkaninom za ojačanje platnenog
nosioca, izrađen je novi podokvir i ukrasni okvir te je nakon završenih radova
vraćena u župni dvor u Varaždinskim Toplicama. Radovi su se provodili u Restauratorskom
centru Hrvatskog restauratorskog zavoda u Ludbregu, a financirani
su sredstvima Ministarstva kulture Republike Hrvatske.The painting of St. Martin is dated to the 18th century and presumed to have
originally belonged to an earlier wooden and polychromed altar from the time
the church and its furnishing were renovated in the 1760s. In the late 19th century,
the old altar was replaced by Francesco Robba’s altar of St. Catherine from Zagreb
Cathedral, and since then the painting had on several occasions changed its
location on the altar. It was first situated on the new altar as the main altarpiece,
to be moved in the 1930s to the altar attic. Finally, in the 1970s it was completely
removed from the altar and stored in the parish rectory, where it has remained
kept to this day.
Ludbreg Conservation Centre of the Croatian Conservation Institute carried
out comprehensive conservation work on the painting of St. Martin from 2012 to
2013. In the course of these efforts, once the darkened varnish was removed, the
author’s signature was uncovered with the year the painting had originated. This
discovery corrected the painting’s dating to 1852, while the author was revealed
to be Johann Beyer from Austria, who painted a series of altarpieces in Croatia
from the 1840s to 1860s, including a painting for Svibovec near Varaždinske Toplice.
Based on the records collected, it can be assumed that it was on this occasion
that a new altarpiece was commissioned for the Baroque altar of St. Martin
in Varaždinske Toplice. The painting was fully restored by relining the canvas
with a new fabric to strengthen the support, a new stretcher and decorative frame
were made, and upon the completion of conservation, it was returned to the
parish rectory in Varaždinske Toplice. The work was financed by the Croatian
Ministry of Culture
Alowo (Political posters in Nupe Ajami)
No full textThe entire manuscript is available for download as a single PDF file. Higher-resolution images may
be available upon request. For technical assistance, please contact [email protected]. Fieldwork Team: Dr. Mustapha Hashim Kurfi (Principal Investigator), Alhaji Abubakar A’ishatu (Local Project Manager), Usman Abdullahi Nagya (General Field Facilitator) and Mohammed Yahaya Isah (Gatekeeper), Technical Team: Prof. Fallou Ngom (Director African Studies Center), and Eleni Castro (Technical Lead, BU Libraries). This collection of Nupe Ajami materials are copied as part of the African Studies Center’s African Ajami Library. Access Condition and Copyright: These materials are subject to copyright. All rights reserved to the author. For use, distribution or reproduction contact Professor Fallou Ngom ([email protected]). Citation: Materials in this web edition should be cited as: Kurfi, Mustapha Hashim, Ngom, Fallou, and Castro, Eleni (2019). African Ajami Library: Digital Preservation of Nupe Ajami Materials of Middle Belt, Nigeria. Boston: Boston University Libraries: http://hdl.handle.net/2144/38121. For Inquiries: Please contact Professor Fallou Ngom ([email protected]).Provenance and Condition: This manuscript is owned by Sheikh Alhaji Abdurrahman Aboki, the Chief Imam of Central Mosque of the Federal Polytechnic, Bida—Niger state (from Middle Belt, Nigeria). This is one of the manuscripts he shared with us during our video interview with him in 2019.These materials are collectively called "Political posters in Nupe Ajami." The four (4) posters were unlike most Ajami manuscripts in sub-Saharan Africa, since the scribe -- Alhaji Abubakar used the Mashriqi style rather than the Maghribi. These posters speak to the importance of Nupe Ajami in the people’s day-to-day activities. They also point to the fact that Ajami script has been used for both sacred and secular purposes. Included below is a summary of the contents of each poster:
1. A poster published during the recently conducted 2019 general elections. It depicts the image of the then Presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari under the banner of the All Progressive Congress (APC), who eventually emerged the winner for the second term. The translation of the Nupe Ajami inscription at the top reads "Vote President 2019" and the second line says "Let's vote credible president for positive change." To the left is the political party's logo. The last Nupe Ajami inscription, beneath the candidate's image (in red) also says "For president." Lastly, the candidate’s name is written in Latin script.
1. A poster published during the recently conducted 2019 general elections. It depicts the image of the then Presidential candidate, Muhammadu Buhari under the banner of the All Progressive Congress (APC), who eventually emerged the winner for the second term. The translation of the Nupe Ajami inscription at the top reads "Vote President 2019" and the second line says "Let's vote credible president for positive change." To the left is the political party's logo. The last Nupe Ajami inscription, beneath the candidate's image (in red) also says "For president." Lastly, the candidate’s name is written in Latin script.
2. A poster published during the recently conducted 2019 general elections, depicting the picture of the Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, under the platform of the opposition party -- the People's Democratic Party (PDP), who lost to Muhammadu Buhari. The translation of the Nupe Ajami inscription at the top reads "Vote President 2019." The second line from the top reads "Let's vote credible president for positive change." To the left is the party's logo. The last inscription (in red) says "For president" then followed by the candidate's name written in Latin script.
3. A poster published during the recently conducted 2019 general elections, depicting the picture of a gubernatorial candidate in Niger State, Alhaji Abu Sani (Lolo) of the ruling party -- the All Progressive Congress (APC), who was bidding for a second tern and won. The translation of the Nupe Ajami inscription at the top reads "Vote Governor 2019." The longer second line from the top says, "Vote Governor for the Progress of the state." The logo at the center is that of the candidate's political party. To the left (in yellow) reads "Vote Governor" followed by Alhaji Abu Sani Bello (Lolo) boldly written in capital letters using the Latin script.
4. A poster published during the recently conducted 2019 general elections, depicting the picture of a gubernatorial aspirant in Niger State, Alhaji Umar Nasko of the ruling party -- the opposition party, the People's Democratic Party (PDP). The translation of the Nupe Ajami inscription at the top reads "Vote Governor 2019." The logo to the left is that of the political party. The longer second line from the top says, "Vote Governor for the Progress of the state." The Nupe Ajami inscription to the left, a little below the center (in red) reads "Vote Governor." Then the name of the aspirant Alhaji Umar Nasko is written in Latin script.The contents of this collection were developed with support of the Title VI National Resource Center grant # P015A180164 from the U.S. Department of Education. However, those contents do not necessarily represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government
