Towards a compliance requirement management for SMSEs: a model and architecture

Information Systems and e-Business Management - Today’s business entities face an ever-growing number of laws and regulations due to recent high profile business scandals and failures. Small...     

Effect of cationic flaxseed protein hydrolysate fractions on the in vitro structure and activity of calmodulin-dependent endothelial nitric oxide synthase

The objective of this study was to determine the in vitro effects of cationic flaxseed protein hydrolysate fractions on calmodulin (CaM) structure as well as the activity of CaM-dependent endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS). Flaxseed protein isolate was hydrolyzed with alcalase, and two peptide fractions were isolated by cation-exchange chromatography. Fraction I, eluted first from the column, and fraction II contained 42% and 51% contents of basic amino acids, respectively. Fractions I and II reduced the activity of CaM-dependent eNOS through a mostly mixed-type inhibition mode. Fraction II was at least ten times more effective as an eNOS inhibitor when compared to fraction I, as evident from the IC(50) (concentration of protein hydrolysate that reduced eNOS activity by 50%) values. Fluorescence spectroscopy showed that the tyrosine residues in CaM were increasingly exposed upon addition of fraction I, while the opposite was the case when fraction II was added. Circular dichroism studies showed that fractions I and II reduced the alpha-helix content but increased the rigidity of the active calcium/CaM complex. We concluded that ability of the protein hydrolysate fractions to change the secondary and tertiary structures of CaM may explain their ability to reduce activity of CaM-dependent eNOS.     

Microbiological and physico‐chemical characteristics of fufu analogue from breadfruit (Altocarpus altilis F)

Breadfruit was processed into a novel form analogous to retted cassava or fufu. The fruits and cassava tubers were each peeled, comminuted and fermented for 5 days. The slurries obtained were dewatered, oven‐dried at 50?C and then milled to flour. Microbial and physico‐chemical analyses of the flour samples were evaluated. During fermentation, total viable count, lactic acid bacteria count and yeast/mould count of breadfruit increased from 2.9 × 10⁴ to 64 × 10⁵, 24.8 × 10⁵ to 11.9 and 6.7 × 10⁵ to 2.6 × 10⁶, respectively. Corresponding increases were recorded for cassava. The ?Brix of the steep waters increased steadily while the pH decreased over the fermentation period. Pasting characteristics of breadfruit recorded for unfermented breadfruit starch were higher than those of fermented starch (P < 0.05). Processing of breadfruit into a culturally familiar form analogous to fufu will increase the utilisation of breadfruit, especially in several food deficit countries where fermented cassava products are already accepted as staple foods.     

Production of Fungal β-amylase and Amyloglucosidase on Some Nigerian Agricultural Residues

Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus niger, Helminthosporium oxysporium, and Penicillium frequestans isolated from common Nigerian agricultural residues like cassava, yam, banana, and plantain peels and brewery spent grains (BSG) were screened for their ability to produce β-amylase and amyloglucosidase using submerged and solid-state cultivation regimens. Enzyme activity (EU) was determined by estimating the amount of reducing sugars produced as a result of the action of crude enzyme solutions on buffered starch solution. Results showed that A. niger liberated the highest level of β-amylase (33.2 EU) on plantain peels medium using the static cultivation method, while it produced the highest amount of amyloglucosidase (29.8 EU) on yam peels substrate with solid-state cultivation regimen. Plantain peels favored β-amylase production more than the other tested wastes supporting production of 33.2 and 9.8 EU of the enzyme in A. niger under solid-state and static cultivation methods, respectively. Yam peels favored liberation of 15.3 EU amyloglucosidase in each of the solid-state and the static cultivation regimens. Production of β-amylase on BSG, yam, banana, and plantain peels was not significantly facilitated by static cultivation method (p > 0.05), while solid-state cultivation regimen favored amyloglucosidase production on cassava peels and BSG (p < 0.05). Optimal production yield of β-amylase and amyloglucosidase were 16.6 and 14.9 EU g⁻¹ on plantain and yam waste media by the mold.     

A glutamic acid-based polymer keeping intact the integrity of all the three original functionalities of the amino acid

Dimethyl glutamate, on treatment with allyl bromide, afforded dimethyl N,N-diallylglutamate which upon alkaline ester hydrolysis followed by acidification with aqueous HCl gave N,N-diallylglutamic acid hydrochloride [(CH₂=CH–CH₂)₂NH⁺CH(CO₂H)(CH₂)₂CO₂H Cl^?] I. Using Butler’s cyclopolymerization protocol, new monomer I underwent ammonium persulfate-initiated polymerization to give pyrrolidine ring-embedded linear cyclopolymer II i.e. ?[?CH₂(C₄H₆)NH⁺{CH(CO₂H)(CH₂)₂CO₂H Cl^?}CH₂?]?_n retaining the integrity of all the three functionalities of glutamic acid. Under the influence of pH, the repeating units of triprotic acid (+) in II were equilibrated to those of water-insoluble diprotic polyzwitterionic acid (±) III, water-soluble monoprotic poly(zwitterion-anion) (±?) IV, and its conjugate base polydianion (=) V. The critical salt concentration required to promote water solubility of (±) III has been determined to be 0.548 M NaCl, 0.271 M NaBr, 0.133 M NaI. The basicity constants of the carboxyl groups and trivalent nitrogen in (=) V have been determined. A 5 ppm and 20 ppm concentrations of III are effective in inhibiting the precipitation of CaSO₄ from its supersaturated solution with a ≈100% scale inhibition efficiency at 40 °C for a duration of over 3 and 16 h, respectively.     

Urbanisation forces on the landscapes and the changing value-systems of Osun Sacred Grove UNESCO Site,Osogbo, Nigeria

The metamorphic process of rapidly changing value-systems and landscapes of the traditional Yoruba city of Osogbo, Nigeria is mainly due to the trio of urbanisation, modernisation and globalisation forces. Through a qualitative analysis of the monarchical periods, the study documents the transformations that have occurred to the value-systems and respective urban landscapes of the city from its grove origin c.1800 to 2015. The aim is to examine the process of urban landscape development with a view to generating a landscape model. Through a monarchical chronology, it accounts for the roles of politics, sociocultural orders, architecture, land use, urban governance, housing and religion in shaping the present urban form. The periods were discovered to have emerged along with four semi-concentric landscape categories including the natural, traditional, modern and post-modern. The study asserts the roles of the monarchical system in landscape heritage conservation and concludes with a landscape prognosis model for the archetypal city, a hub for the Yoruba nation.     

Total Sulfur Levels in Refined Petroleum Products of Southwestern Nigeria Using UV/VIS Spectrophotometer

This study employed turbidimetric method using a UV/VIS spectrophotometer to determine the total sulfur levels of refined petroleum products in Southwestern Nigeria. The sulfur concentrations in the analyzed fuel samples were 0.0019–0.0178 wt% and 0.027–0.169 wt% for gasoline and diesel, respectively. Sulfur levels in the selected samples were below the Nigerian standard for gasoline and diesel while 89.9% of the samples exceeded the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency standard. The turbidimetric method showed better performance than the gravimetric method. The results gave insight into the adverse environmental impact the nonuniform quality of fuels imported could pose to the country.     

Air Emissions of Sulphur Dioxide From Gasoline and Diesel Consumption in the Southwestern States of Nigeria

The contribution of SO₂ emissions from the consumption of petroleum products to Nigerian airshed has been of great concern over the years because of the resulting adverse environmental and health effects. It is in the light of this that air emissions of SO₂ from gasoline and diesel consumed in the Southwestern States of Nigeria were estimated in this study. Lagos state being the highest consumer of gasoline and diesel in Southwestern Nigeria emitted the highest quantity.