Academic literature on the topic 'English Ivories'

In the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, artists in West Africa made sophisticated ivory carvings specifically for the early Portuguese navigators and their patrons. In researching the history of the ivories, the records of eighteenth-century English antiquarians are a neglected yet important source of information. Such sources help to bridge the gap between the earliest references to Afro-Portuguese ivories in Portuguese customs records (as well as the inventories of royal and princely treasuries of the late Renaissance) and their re-appearance in nineteenth-century museum registers and the collections of private individuals.Especially valuable in this regard are the eighteenth-century minutes of the Society of Antiquaries of London, which enable us to trace the history of several African ivories associated with Fellows of the Society – in particular, Richard Rawlinson, Martin Folkes, Sir Hans Sloane, George Vertue and George Allan. In this article, the author reassesses two African ivories, an oliphant and a saltcellar, with specific reference to the Minutes of the Society of Antiquaries of London, shedding new light on the history of these beautiful objects.

Fifty years ago, a group of 100 ivory carvings from West Africa was first identified by the English scholar William Fagg as constituting a coherent body of work. In making this important identification, Fagg proposed the descriptive label “Afro-Portuguese ivories.” Then, as now, the provenance and dating of these carved spoons, chalices (now recognized as salt cellars), horns, and small boxes posed a challenge to art historians. Fagg proposed three possible geographical origins: Sierra Leone, the Congo coast (Angola, ex-Zaïre), and the Yoruba-inhabited area of the old Slave Coast. Although Fagg was initially inclined on stylistic grounds to accept the Yoruba hypothesis, historical documents soon made it clear that the ivories—or at least many of them—were associated with Portuguese commerce in Sierra Leone. This trade developed in the final decades of the fifteenth century.Today approximately 150 works have been identified by scholars as belonging to the “corpus” of carved ivories from West Africa. Although the sobriquet “Afro-Portuguese” remains the most common appellation, these pieces should more appropriately be referred to as Luso-African ivories. The latter term more accurately reflects the objects' creation by West African sculptors who were working within Africa. The works, although hybrid in inspiration, are far more African than they are Portuguese. In addition, no documentary evidence exists to indicate that any of the ivories were carved by African artists living in Portugal. West African artists created the sculptures within the context of their own cultures.

In Côte-d’Ivoire French is used as the language of instruction at all levels of education except the foreign language departments in our universities. Today, the idea is to use EMI[1] in higher education. This requires full year training in intensive English. As the current conditions are not appropriate, the situation calls for reflection on an alternative solution: Training our students without necessarily resorting to a full academic year of intensive English. Considering the difficulties relating to the mobilization of human and material resources indispensable for a successful implementation of intensive English learning and taking account of the current teaching practices in our different departments, what didactic choices can allow the much needed training in our context? In order to answer this question I investigated the situation at the UFR-SEG[2]using a questionnaire and an interview guide. The conclusions of this study carried out in a constructivist and socio-constructivist perspective indicate that the majority of our trained students are unable to use English for instruction. My suggestions are threefold: Triangulation of didactic situations (didactic, a-didactic and non didactic situations), use of a multi-dimensional differentiated approach to instruction, and instruction based on learning strategies.

L’analyse spatio-temporelle des paramètres physico-chimiques des eaux du lac Labion dans le système lagunaire ivoirien, a été abordé dans un contexte de variabilité climatique. L’objectif est de caractériser la physico-chimie des eaux au cours des saisons climatiques. Pour y parvenir, une analyse hydrologique a été réalisé à partir de mesure in situ des paramètres pH, Température, Conductivité électrique, Oxygène dissous, Matières en suspension, Transparence et Turbidité. Ces paramètres ont été mesurés à l’aide d’un multi-paramètre. Celui-ci est mis à l’eau et les résultats s’affichent à l’écran. Seule la transparence a été mesuré à l’aide du disque de Secchi. La température (31 °C) indique des eaux relativement chaudes. Quant au pH, il varie du neutre (6,79) à alcalin (8,99). La conductivité moyenne sur le lac est de 40 μS/cm. Les eaux sont bien oxygénées (7 à 8 mg/L) et présente peu de matières en suspension. L’analyse en composante principale montre une forte corrélation (r > 0,7) entre les variables température, oxygène, pH et conductivité. Ces résultats mettent en évidence deux (02) mécanismes qui sont à l’origine des forçages naturel et artificiel. Il s’agit du mécanisme de la photosynthèse occasionnant une bonne oxygénation des eaux et du mécanisme de pollution traduisant une forte turbidité.Mots clés : Lac, saison climatique, paramètre, mécanisme, évolution.
 
 English Title: Physico-chemical characterization of the waters of a lake system of the ivorian coastal cordon: case of Lake LabionThe spatio-temporal analysis of the physicochemical parameters of the waters of Lake Labion in the Ivorian lagoon system was tackled in the context of climate variability. The objective is to characterize the physico-chemistry of the waters during the climatic seasons. To achieve this, a hydrological analysis was carried out using in situ measurement of the parameters pH, Temperature, Electrical conductivity, Dissolved oxygen, Suspended matter, Transparency and Turbidity. These parameters were measured using a multi-parameter. It is launched and the results are displayed on the screen. Only transparency was measured using the Secchi disk. The temperature (31 °C) indicates relatively warm waters. As for the pH, it varies from neutral (6.79) to alkaline (8.99). The average conductivity on the lake is 40 μS / cm. The waters are well oxygenated (7 to 8 mg / L) and have little suspended matter. The principal component analysis shows a strong correlation (r> 0.7) between the variables temperature, oxygen, pH and conductivity. These results highlight two (02) mechanisms which are at the origin of natural and artificial forcings. This is the mechanism of photosynthesis causing good oxygenation of water and the pollution mechanism reflecting high turbidity.Keywords: Lake, climatic season, parameter, mechanism, evolution.

In the face of the fast depletion of natural resources worldwide resulting from industrial and economic cannibalism, selfishness and marginalization are becoming more and more pronounced in a globalizing world. The phenomena of selfishness and marginalization are manifest in the introduction of stringent immigration laws by most industrialized countries in the North to ward off migrants from the less developed economies in the South; and also the reinforcement of existing laws by the latter to protect their citizens and natural resources in recent years. Issues of national identity, territorial integrity as against the centrality of humanity remain an Achilles heel toward the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As far as 1968, Ahmadou Kourouma, an Ivorian novelist, in his very first narrative text, “Les Soleils des Indépendances” later translated into English as The Suns of Independence, raised the tragic dilemma of national identity at the expense of ‘human identity’. In the absence of concrete steps to address the issues over the years, Liberia, Sierra Leone and La Côte d’Ivoire were engulfed in intestine civil strife over two decades later. The main causes of this strife are found in the irrational quest for self-identity in the name of nationality and ethnic superiority for greater access and control of “national” resources. This paper examines the upsurge of socioeconomic and political exclusion, and the potential threats they pose to the realization of the recently launched Sustainable Development Goals. It is done through a critical reading of Kourouma’s The Suns of Independence, Allah is not obliged and ‘Quand on refuse, on dit non’. The study is posited within the analytical framework of literary studies and sociocriticism

De toenemende dominantie van het Engels als mondiale wetenschapstaal – in combinatie met de voortschrijdende digitalisering – wordt te snel als vanzelfsprekend beschouwd. Ook de historiografie in de Lage Landen heeft hieronder te lijden. Het dwingt historici in het keurslijf van internationale rankingsystemen, die te weinig oog hebben voor de eigenheid van het Nederlandse taalgebied. Het is de verdienste van Wetenschappelijke tijdingen om naar aanleiding van het 75-jarig bestaan van het tijdschrift een breed debat te hebben georganiseerd, waaraan verschillende toonaangevende publicaties deelnamen. Daarbij lag een belangrijke klemtoon op de maatschappelijke verantwoordelijkheid van de historicus. Het gevaar is ver van denkbeeldig dat geschiedkundig onderzoek in een ivoren toren dreigt te belanden, en niet meer zal worden gepopulariseerd. Historici en historiografen moeten tegen die trend durven ingaan, en naar creatieve uitwegen zoeken om aan de druk van de globalisering te weerstaan. Allianties of het samengaan van tijdschriften zijn daarbij niet uitgesloten, maar een eigen Vlaams rankingsysteem kan eveneens van nut zijn, en respect voor lokale geschiedschrijving kan niet voldoende worden beklemtoond.________Between ‘geschiedenis’ (in Dutch) and ‘history’(in English). Concluding remarks by the moderator.People are too quick in taking the increasing dominance of the English language as the universal academic language for granted – together with the advance of digitisation. Historiography in the Low Countries suffers from this phenomenon as well. It shackles historians to the international ranking systems, which take too little account of the idiosyncrasy of the Dutch language area. The journal Wetenschappelijke tijdingen can take credit for having organised a broad discussion on the subject, in which several leading publications participated at the occasion of its 75th anniversary. A major focus of the discussion was the social responsibility of the historian. There is a real risk that historical research will end up in an ivory tower, and that it will no longer be popularised. Historians and historiographers should dare go against that trend, and search for creative solutions to resist the pressure of globalisation. One solution might be the constitution of alliances between journals, but our own Flemish ranking system might also prove useful. Moreover, respect for local historiography cannot be emphasized enough.

Anogeissus leiocarpus (DC.) Guill. & Perr. (Combretaceae) et Combretum collinum Fresen. (Combretaceae) sont deux plantes de la flore ivoirienne couramment utilisées pour traiter plusieurs pathologies telles que les affections cutanées, le paludisme et la fatigue générale. Ce travail s’inscrit dans le cadre de la valorisation de cette flore. Il vise donc à évaluer l’activité antibactérienne des extraits méthanoliques bruts des feuilles de Combretum collinum et des écorces de racines de Anogeissus leiocarpus sur la croissance "in vitro" des souches de Staphylococcus aureus résistantes à la méticilline. La méthode de diffusion en milieu gélosé (solide) a été utilisée pour évaluer la sensibilité des souches bactériennes aux extraits et à déterminer les concentrations minimales inhibitrices (CMI), Quant au screening phytochimique, il a été réalisé par une chromatographie sur couche mince (CCM). La concentration minimale inhibitrice est comprise entre 0,62 mg/ml et 1,25 mg/ml pour Anogeissus leiocarpus et est de 0,325 mg/ml pour Combretum collinum. Le screening phytochimique a révélé la présence de flavonoïdes et de tanins dans l’extrait méthanolique de Anogeissus leiocarpus alors que dans l’extrait méthanolique de Combretum collinum, ce sont des acides phénoliques qui ont été mis en évidence. Il ressort donc que ces deux plantes sont dotées d’un important pouvoir antibactérien et contiennent plusieurs composés chimiques. Elles pourraient donc constituer des voies de prospection pour la recherche de nouvelles molécules antibactériennes en réalisant une étude bio-guidée des extraits bruts et en évaluant leur cytotoxicité sur des cellules hépatiques saines.Mots clés: Antibactérienne, plantes médicinales, flore ivoirienne, extraits methanoliques
 English Title: Phytochemical screening of methanolic extracts from leaves of Combretum collinum and roots of Anogeisus leiocarpus and in vitro antibacterial effect on multiresistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus
 Both Anogeissus leiocarpus (DC.) Guill. & Perr. (Combretaceae) and Combretum collinum Fresen. (Combretaceae) are Ivorian national flora plants commonly used in treating skin disorders, malaria, and general fatigue. The current study consists of the valorization of this flora, and aims therefore at revealing antibacterial activity of the methanol crude extracts obtained from stem bark and leaves of the respective plants, against Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus strains. Agar gel diffusion method was used to assess bacteria susceptibility, and broth dilution method allowed determination of minimum inhibition concentrations (MICs). These parameters varied from 0.62 mg/ml to 1.25 mg/ml for Anogeissus leiocarpus, while they reached 0.325 mg/ml for Combretum collinum. In addition, phytochemical screening brought about flavonoids and tanins for the plant, and phenolic acids for the other one. In conclusion, these named plants contain several chemical compounds with antibacterial properties, and could be of great interest in the search of new molecular compounds provided with antibacterial activity through bio-guided experiments. Furthermore, they could best hold value by testing those methanol extracts over hepatic sane cells for cytotoxicity assessment.
 Keywords: antibacterial, medicinal plants, Ivorian national flora, methanolic extracts.
 

Boxwoods (Buxus spp.) are common woody ornamental hedging plants in Europe and North America, typically propagated by cuttings. In October 2011, shoot dieback and defoliation was observed on Buxus sempervirens ‘Suffruticosa’ (dwarf English boxwood) and ‘Green Balloon’ in outdoor, 10-cm pots at a wholesale nursery in Chilliwack, British Columbia. Circular leaf spots with black rings occurred on leaves and black, water-soaked, cankers girdled the stems and petioles. Leaf and stem samples were collected on November 21, 2011, and incubated for 48 h in a moist chamber at room temperature. In addition to Volutella buxi, a Cylindrocladium species producing conidia on white sporodochia was observed on host tissue under the microscope. Leaves with lesions were surface-sterilized in 10% bleach for 30 to 60 s, rinsed in sterile water, and lesions were cut out and plated on PDA and carnation leaf media. The species was identified as Cylindrocladium pseudonaviculatum Crous, J.Z. Groenew. & C.F. Hill 2002 by comparison of conidia and phialide morphology to published descriptions. Conidia were hyaline, one-septate, cylindrical with rounded ends and 38 to 76 μm (mean 51 μm) × 4 to 6 μm on carnation leaf media and 41 to 66 μm (mean 52 μm) × 4 to 6 μm on B. sempervirens ‘Suffruticosa’ leaves, comparable to the reported range of 40 to 75 × 4 to 6 μm (1,2,3,4). Conidia were produced in clusters on terminal, ellipsoid vesicles at the tips of penicillate conidiophores. Vesicles were 10.2 (7.6 to 12.8 μm) at the widest point, consistent with the 6 to 11 μm reported in (2,3) and tapered to a rounded point; stipe extensions were septate and measured an average of 130 μm (107 to 163 μm) in length to the tip of the vesicle, consistent with the 95 to 155 μm reported in (1), 89 to 170 μm reported in (2), and 95 to 165 μm in (3). Chlamydospores were not observed on host tissue but appeared in older PDA cultures as dark brown microsclerotia. DNA was extracted from single-spore colonies on PDA and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of rDNA was amplified with primers ITS1 and ITS4. The ITS sequence (GenBank Accession No. KC291613) was 100% identical to C. buxicola strain CB-KR001 (HM749646.1) and Calonectria pseudonaviculata strain ATCC MYA-4891 (JX174050.1). In early December 2011, box blight was identified on container-grown B. sinica var. insularis × B. sempervirens ‘Green Velvet,’ ‘Green Gem’, and ‘Green Mountain’ and B. sempervirens L. (common or American boxwood). The pathogen was identified by microscopic examination at three wholesale nurseries in the eastern Fraser Valley and one landscape planting. The isolate has been deposited in the Canadian Collection of Fungal Cultures in Ottawa, Canada (DAOM 242242). References: (1) B. Henricot and A. Culham. Mycologia 94:980, 2002. (2) K. L. Ivors, et al. Plant Dis. 96:1070, 2012. (3) C. Pintos Varela, et al. Plant Dis. 93:670, 2009. (4) M. Saracchi, et al. J. Plant Pathol. 90:581, 2008.