Kuntanshi yamikalile (The Future): speculative nonconformity in the works of Zambian visual artists

In recent years, select African visual artists practising on the continent as well as in its diaspora have increasingly been attracted to themes that explore, portray or grapple with Africa’s future. Along with this increasing popularity of the ‘future’ or indeed ‘African futuristic’ themes by visual artists, such themes have also attracted academic consideration among various scholars, resulting primarily in topics described as ‘African Futurism’ or Afrofuturism. These are topics that may be used to disrupt what some scholars – across disciplines and in various contexts – have highlighted as the persistent presumptive notions that portray Africa as a hinterland (Hassan 1999; Sefa Dei, Hall and Goldin Rosenberg 2000; Simbao 2007; Soyinka-Airewele and Edozie 2010; Moyo 2013; Keita, L. 2014; Green 2014; Serpell 2016). This study makes an effort to critique certain aspects of ‘African Art History’ with regard to the representation of Africa, and raises the following question: How can an analysis of artistic portrayals of ‘the future’ portrayed in the works of select contemporary Zambian artists be used to critique the positioning of Africa as ‘backward’, an occurrence at the intersection of a dualistic framing of tradition versus modern. Furthermore, how can this be used to break down this dichotomy in order to challenge lingering perceptions of African belatedness? The study analyses ways in which this belatedness is challenged by the juxtaposition of traditional, contemporary and futuristic elements by discussing a series of topics and debates associated to African cultures and technology that may be deemed disconnected from the contemporary lived experiences of Africans based on the continent. The study acknowledges that there is no singular ‘African Art History’ that one can talk of and there have been various shifts in how it has been perceived. I argue that while currently the African art history that is written in the West does not simplistically position Africa as backward as it may have done in the past, there appear to be moments of a hangover of this perception (Lamp 1999:4). What started out as a largely Western scholarly discourse of African art history occurred in about the 1950s and the journal African Arts started in the 1960s. Even before contemporary African art became a big thing in the 1990s for the largely US- and Europe-based discourses there were many discussions in the US about how the ‘old’ art history tended to freeze time and that this was not appropriate (Drewal 1991 et al). In order to advance the discourse on contemporary African visual arts I present critical analyses of the select works of Zambian artists to develop interpretations of the broader uses of the aforementioned themes. The evidence that supports the core argument of this research is embedded in the images discussed throughout this dissertation. The artists featured in the study span several decades including artists who were active from the 1960s to the 1980s, such as Henry Tayali and Akwila Simpasa, as well as artists who have been practising since the 1980s, such as Chishimba Chansa and William Miko and those that are more current and have been producing work from the early 1990s and 2000s, such as Zenzele Chulu, Milumbe Haimbe, Stary Mwaba, Isaac Kalambata and Roy Jethro Phiri.

Evaluation of a Novel Cystoscopic Compatible Cryocatheter for the Treatment of Bladder Cancer

BACKGROUND: As the acceptance of cryoablative therapies for the treatment of non-metastatic cancers continues to grow, avenues for novel cryosurgical technologies and approaches have opened. Within the field of genitourinary tumors, cryosurgical treatments of bladder cancers remain largely investigational. Current modalities employ percutaneous needles or transurethral cryoballoons or sprays, and while results have been promising, each technology is limited to specific types and stages of cancers. OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated a new, self-contained transurethral cryocatheter, FrostBite-BC, for its potential to treat bladder cancer. METHODS: Thermal characteristics and ablative capacity were assessed using calorimetry, isothermal analyses, in vitro 3-dimensional tissue engineered models (TEMs), and a pilot in vivo porcine study. RESULTS: Isotherm assessment revealed surface temperatures below – 20°C within 9 sec. In vitro TEMs studies demonstrated attainment of ≤– 20°C at 6.1 mm and 8.2 mm in diameter following single and double 2 min freezes, respectively. Fluorescent imaging 24 hr post-thaw revealed uniform, ablative volumes of 326.2 mm3 and 397.9 mm3 following a single or double 2 min freeze. In vivo results demonstrated the consistent generation of ablative areas. Lesion depth was found to correlate with freeze time wherein 15 sec freezes resulted in ablation confined to the sub-mucosa and ≥30 sec full thickness ablation of the bladder wall. CONCLUSIONS: These studies demonstrate the potential of the FrostBite-BC cryocatheter as a treatment option for bladder cancer. Although preliminary, the outcomes of these studies were encouraging, and support the continued investigation into the potential of the FrostBite-BC cryocatheter as a next generation, minimally invasive cryoablative technology.

Freezing time, preparing for the future: The stockpile as a temporal matter of security

This article analyses stockpiling as a security device that hoards time, stores power and buffers disruptions. The stockpile is a temporal matter of security by virtue of its ability to freeze time and to prepare for future emergencies. Stockpiling is informed by anticipations of threats but also materially underpins expectations. After unpacking the temporal ontology of stockpiling, the article traces its history as a security device and technology of power. Stockpiling enabled the emergence of the earliest states by establishing the means to store surpluses and centralize power. In modernity, stores became more dispersed as money, commodity exchange and new infrastructures made it possible to procure resources through circulation. In the 20th century, stockpiling became a reflexive security device reactive to risks associated with the disruption of these circulations. Finally, the article illuminates the role of reserves in contemporary German catastrophe preparedness to show that stockpiling remains an important security technique. Yet fiscal austerity and budgetary constraints limit security stockpiling. To compensate for the absence of public security stores, the government is prompting citizens to establish emergency stockpiles. The article offers a theoretical, historical and empirical engagement with stockpiling and thereby further elucidates the material politics of anticipation.

PENGARUH CAMPURAN ASAM SEMUT DENGAN ASAP CAIR CANGKANG KELAPA SAWIT TERHADAP BAU DAN WAKTU KECEPATAN BEKU LATEKS KARET (Hevea brasiliensis Muell.Arg)

This research aims to find out the effect of formic acid mixture with palm oil shell smoke to rubber agglomeration in terms of odor and latex freezing rate, to know the optimum concentration of formic acid mixing with palm oil shell liquid, to optimize the use of liquid smoke of palm shell in order to minimize the use of formic acid and to compare the quick-frozen time of mixed coagulant ingredients using coconut shell liquid cocoa coagulant in latex clotting process. The research procedure is that the latex is inserted into some baking sheet and each of the pans is mixed with coagulant formic acid and palm oil shell liquid with the concentration of ants acid 2.5%, 5%, 7,5%, 10%, 12,5% 15%, 100% and liquid smoke concentration 70%, 755, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%, 100% 10 ml. The research parameters are the odor and level of latex freezing in rubber clotting process. The results show that mixing of formic acid coagulant material with liquid smoke of palm shell can accelerate the process of clotting latex (equivalent to acid ant), deodorizer that disturbs the society and time; and cost makes efficient and minimizes the use of formic acid. The optimum concentration of mixed coagulant material is 15% formic acid concentration + 70% palm oil shell liquid with average fast freeze time 5-6 minutes latex perliter or equivalent with coagulant material from formic acid.Keywords: formic acid; liquid smoke; palm shell; latexTujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui pengaruh campuran asam semut dengan asap cair cangkang kelapa sawit terhadap penggumpalan karet dari segi bau dan kecepatan beku lateks, mengetahui konsentrasi optimum pencampuran asam semut dengan asap cair cangkang kelapa sawit, mengoptimalkan penggunaan asap cair cangkang kelapa sawit sehingga meminimalkan penggunaan asam semut dan membandingkan waktu cepat beku penggunaan bahan koagulan campuran dengan bahan koagulan asap cair tempurung kelapa dalam proses penggumpalan lateks. Prosedur penelitian yaitu lateks dimasukkan kedalam beberapa loyang kemudian masing-masing loyang dibubuhi bahan koagulan campuran asam semut dan asap cair cangkang sawit dengan tingkat konsentrasi asam semut 2,5%, 5%, 7,5%, 10%, 12,5%, 15%, 100% dan konsentrasi asap cair 70%, 755, 80%, 85%, 90%, 95%,100% sebanyak 10 ml. Parameter penelitian yaitu bau dan kecepatan beku lateks dalam proses penggumpalan karet. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan bahwa pencampuran bahan koagulan asam semut dengan asap cair cangkang kelapa sawit mempunyai kelebihan dapat mempercepat proses penggumpalan lateks (setara asam semut), penghilang bau busuk yang selama ini mengganggu masyarakat dan mengefisienkan waktu dan biaya serta meminimalkan penggunaan asam semut. Konsentrasi optimum bahan koagulan campuran yaitu konsentrasi asam semut 15% + asap cair cangkang kelapa sawit 70% dengan rata-rata waktu cepat beku 5-6 menit perliter lateks atau setara dengan penggunaan bahan koagulan dari asam semut.Kata kunci: Asam semut; asap cair; cangkang kelapa sawit; lateks

The Research on Freeze-Thaw De-Emulsification Technology in Enzyme-Assisted Aqueous Extraction Processing

Experiments were carried out to analysis optimization of freeze-thaw regression model with Response Surface Analysis Method. The optimal response result is: freeze temperature: -18°C, freeze time: 12.5h, thaw temperature: 57°C, released oil yield: 93.16%, total free oil yield rate: 89.28%. The mechanism of demulsification was studied using Micro-imaging, SEM cooling stage, DSC, FTIR spectrometer. DSSP was changed and part of hydrogen bond was broken and α－helix structure conversed to random coil during the freeze process were found the effective freeze-thaw method to destabilize the emulsion.