bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
4 - Repenser le concept de développement : des impasses d’un processus de standardisation des sociétés à l’émergence d’un sens historique et culturel
Authors: Bend Pauline
Published: November 2011

Tel qu’il s’impose à l’Afrique, le développement traduit une dynamique fort ancienne d’intégration du continent dans la communauté-monde, avec pour objectif d’introduire dans les sociétés de cet espace les valeurs du progrès caractéristiques de la philosophie occidentale. Cet article propose une critique de ce qui est en fin de compte une tentative de standardisation des sociétés sur la base d’un modèle géographiquement et historiquement situé. Aussi procéde- rons-nous à un examen des principaux courants de pensée qui agitent le champ du développement. Avec les difficultés rencontrées par les sociétés d’expéri- mentation du développement, c’est ce concept même qui est interrogé. La stan- dardisation qu’il exprime est-elle possible ? N’est-il pas alors nécessaire de re- définir le développement en lui redonnant son sens par rapport au contexte dans lequel les communautés humaines sont amenées à l’expérimenter ? Et formuler une alternative, qui s’appuierait sur le préalable d’un projet de société fédéra- teur ? Il s’agirait en définitive d’une reconquête de l’universalité, qui n’est pas application des mêmes outils de développement à l’ensemble des sociétés, mais expression du sens qui anime toutes les sociétés humaines quelles qu’elles soient, celui de penser leur devenir, de proposer des solutions aux problèmes qui se posent à elles, en donnant vie à un projet de société, par la mise en oeuvre de politiques publiques pertinentes.
6 - Scolarisation – Travail et Genre en Algérie
Authors: Houria Sadou
Published: November 2011

Les trois volets retenus dans cette communication, scolarisation, travail, et genre en Algérie, tente à répondre à quelques réflexions sur les données statistiques, et le vécu des femmes en Algérie. Généralement les données statistiques con- stituent des indicateurs d’évolution, se rapportant à la scolarisation des enfants en Algérie on remarque que la démocratisation de l’éducation a abouti à une participation progressive de plus en plus importante dans l’enseignement moyen, secondaire et enfin à l’université. Aussi de très nombreuses études révèlent que les filles ont en moyenne, des performances scolaires supérieures à celles des garçons, du fait que la scolarité représente pour elles la seule possibilité d’ouverture sur le monde extérieur surtout pour le travail. Cette perspective se représenterait comme une opportunité d’échapper à l’enfermement familial et au-delà à la condition féminine. On outre le travail des femmes en Algérie reste très marginal. Moins d’un million de femmes exerce une activité salariée sur une population estimée à 14,5 million. Aussi l’emploi féminin reste lié à leur situation matrimoniale. Il est surtout encouragé dans les secteurs de l’éducation, la santé et dans les services publics, profilant ainsi les bases de la division par sexe du travail. On a conclu par cette communication que même si les données statistiques constituent des indicateurs d’évolution, elles ne sauraient mettre en évidence des processus de différenciation sexe significatifs de discrimination. D’où l’intérêt qu’il ya à saisir comment filles et garçons occupent l’espace scolaire et l’espace du travail. Comment dans cette espace se structurent les rapports de pouvoir entre filles et garçons. Comment la position qu’occupent ces deux groupes influe sur les identités sexuées.
7 - Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights – Blessing or Curse? A Perspective from Mauritius
Authors: Goburdhun Kaushik
Published: November 2011

The Mauritian economy is facing serious economic difficulties, and the govern- ment is being pressurised to maintain the competitive edge of various industries by giving a panoply of incentives, including laws and institutions that can effectively protect intellectual property rights, to the business community, both local and foreign. This paper examines the issues of intellectual property rights in Mauritius by first surveying the main economic challenges of Mauritius, particularly the need for increased foreign investment to maintain growth, and then by discussing the various intellectual property laws enacted since the adhesion of Mauritius to the World Trade Organisation (WTO). It examines the harsh response of the law enforcement institutions and the heavy price that weaker and more vulnerable people have had to pay and queries whether Mau- ritius implemented the Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights agreement mainly in order to benefit from the African Growth and Opportunity Act. The paper argues that, while the enforcement of intellectual property rights may send a positive signal to potential investors, it may also make it harder for weaker segments of the population to sustain a decent livelihood. It is proposed that the law may have to be changed to allow courts to take into account the social circumstances of a person breaching the provisions of intellectual prop- erty legislation. The role of the courts should not simply be one of inflicting punishment; they should also be capable of fostering a sense of responsibility and accountability on the part of offenders.
5 - An Alternative Theoretical Model for Economic Reforms in Africa
Authors: Obiora Kingsley I.
Published: November 2011

This paper offers an alternative model for economic reforms in Africa. It proposes that Africa can still get on the pathway of sustained economic growth if economic reforms can focus on a key variable, namely, the price of non-tradables. Prices of non-tradables are generally less in Africa than in advanced economies, and the typical basket of goods for many Africans will contain more non-tradables, while the reverse is the case in advanced economies. Working through its effect on the real exchange rate and given some plausible assumptions, this paper demonstrates that economic reforms which reduce the price of non-tradables in Africa vis-à-vis the price of non-tradables in advanced economies can lead to real exchange rate depreciation, a rise in net exports, an avoidance of the “Dutch Disease” syndrome and a rise in per capita income. The paper concludes that any economic reforms that either skew consumption in Africa in favour of non- tradables vis-à-vis tradables or that reduce the price of non-tradables in Africa vis-à-vis non-tradables in advanced economies is likely to be welfare-improving.
1 - Introduction
Authors: Murunga Godwin R. , Diagne Souleymane Bachir
Published: November 2011

This introductory article explains the origins of this special issue initiative in the work of a select number of African graduate students in the US. It locates the different articles included in the volume in the general framework of debates about the imbalances in knowledge production on Africa between the global North and South. It highlights the issue of the role which the fourth generation of African scholars is to play in these politics. It concludes by summarising the contributions to this topic of the various articles included in this special issue.
3 - Identity and Knowledge Production in the Fourth Generation
Authors: Anyidoho Nana Akua
Published: November 2011

This paper examines the linked themes of identity and knowledge production embedded within the concept of insider scholarship. Insider scholarship may be described as the production of knowledge by a scholar about a group with which s/he identifies as a member. We are immediately compelled to complicate this definition by asking how any such group is delineated and how member- ship therein shapes knowledge production. The idea of insider scholarship thus evokes a series of queries about who produces what knowledge, about whom and for whom. The paper makes the argument that the discussion on insider scholarship has gained renewed relevance. In an effort to reclaim representa- tions of Africa and Africans, earlier generations of African scholars might some- times have based scholarly legitimacy on idealisations of race, culture and terri- tory. From that historical point, we appear to be in a moment when notions of ‘cosmopolitanism’ and ‘universalism’ make nonsense of any attempt to ground scholarship in complex and shifting identities. As the fourth generation of scholars comes into its own, one of its defining tasks will be to negotiate this contested terrain. This paper represents such an attempt. It argues that the concept of insider scholarship cannot simply be discarded as irrelevant. To do so would constitute an ill-advised neglect or woeful ignorance of the politics of represen- tation about Africa, and of the power differentials in different spaces within the field of African Studies. However, there are multiple grounds for claiming ‘insiderness’, and defining it by narrow parameters is unhelpful, if not damaging to any sense of common purpose. In light of this, I present ‘shared struggle’ as a strategic basis for reconstituting the theoretical value and the viable practice of insider scholarship. I conclude the paper by examining the implication of this conceptual shift.
4 - Traditional Authority at the Crossroads of Governance in Republican Cameroon
Authors: Cheka Cosmas
Published: November 2011

The study shows that traditional authority is indeed at the crossroads of governance in republican Cameroon. The citizen is bound by both modern law and traditional values; even if political theorists and leaders of republican institutions take objection to certain traditional values and seem to find difficulty over whether/how to formally integrate traditional authorities into the realm of the republic. Traditional authority incarnates a reassuring institutional stability and certainty to the masses, which elected officers (who come and go) do not provide in republican institutions. The vast majority of the population feels distant from the concept of ‘republic’ at grassroots level, where traditional authority remains the de facto institution of local governance. Based on empirical findings that highlight the important role that traditional authorities play in local development, the paper submits that traditional authorities should be formally integrated into the republican institutional setting by effectively constituting the first level of decentralized institutions of governance.
5 - Moderating Poverty: The Role of Remittances from Migration in Botswana
Authors: Campbell Eugene K.
Published: November 2011

This study examines internal labour migration of Botswana citizens and their remittance behaviour. Though international remittance is among topical global issues, it does not appear to contribute much currently towards national development in Botswana. About twenty-five years ago remittances from internal migration had no impact on poverty. This study indicates that the situation has not changed. The new economic theory of labour migration is addressed within a theoretical framework. From primary data, the level of poverty is measured and factors influencing remittances are examined. Following this is an examination of the impact of remittances on poverty. The results indicate that migrants maintain links with their home-based households through remittances in cash and goods. This is generally done in order to reduce poverty, especially in rural areas. There is considerable variation in the extent to which remittances are appreciated as a reliable means of subsistence in the household. Regression results reveal that economic and social factors are related with remittances from migrants. However, the remittances do not have a significant moderating effect on poverty in Botswana. While female-headed households dominated among those that were transitorily poor, there is no evidence that this is the case among those that lived in extreme poverty. Policy implications are addressed.
5 - Pitfalls of Decentralization Reforms in Transitional Societies: The Case of Uganda
Authors: Muhumuza William
Published: November 2011

Decentralization reforms are in essence necessary if they have genuine demo- cratic objectives of empowering the people to make local-level governance effi- cient and effective. As the experience of Uganda reveals, donor-driven decen- tralization reforms have not performed according to expectations because of the converging external and domestic interests. This paper argues that for these reforms to succeed, the specific conditions pertaining to each country must be considered hand in hand with the honesty and political will of national leaders to genuinely transform power relations.
8 - Privatization of Water and Sanitation Services in Kenya: Challenges and Prospects
Authors: Nyangena Kenneth O.
Published: November 2011

Public sector utilities in developing countries have often not been efficient in providing access to reliable water and sanitation services. Worldwide, over 1 billion people lack access to improved water sources and 2.6 billion lack access to appropriate sanitation.1 Countries across the world are increasingly looking to the private sector for help in providing needed water services. Towards this end, privatization of water and sanitation services is viewed to be a cost effective method of service delivery that also enhances quality and performance. This paper seeks to highlight general knowledge, attitudes and practices of privatiza- tion of the service providers in the water and sanitation sector. It also underlines current challenges in the management of privatization of water and sanitation services in Kenya on the part of service providers, but also consumers. The most common challenges include inequity in the quality of service based on the ability to pay, service cut-offs, weak regulatory oversight and lack of accountability to local consumer needs. This paper shows that there is, however, consensus among water and sanitation service providers that privatization is likely to improve effi- ciency in water and sanitation services only if a collaborative effort is embraced in tackling public sector reform in Kenya. The paper also provides recommendations towards achieving privatization of water and sanitation services.
7 - Des lançados aux expatriés : « l’Ethnie Blanche » entre les fleuves Sénégal et Casamance
Authors: Crosas Armonia Pérez
Published: November 2011

La région comprise entre les fleuves Sénégal et Casamance a un long parcours historique de contact et de présence de l’homme Blanc occidental. Même si les personnages et les situations qu’ont conformé
« l’Ethnie Blanche » pendant le temps ont été très variés, il existe des caractéristiques qui se répètent, des continuités associées avec l’ambiguïté du statut social, des relations entre les sexes ou les spécialisations économiques, à la frontière entre le local et le global. L’article explore cette durabilité d’une frontière culturelle, en proposant des pistes de recherche à partir de la figure des lançados. L’analyse montre des indices, des parallélismes réitérés entre les effets des varia- tions dans les conditions frontalières sur le collectif « Blanc », en oscillant entre le maintien de son identité et l’intégration dans les communautés autochtones. L’auteur estime qu’une perspective de longue durée aiderait à comprendre l’articulation actuelle des contingents de coopérants et d’agents économiques qui arrivent à la région, compréhension qui pourrait être extrapolée à d’autres zones du continent.
9 - La guerre dans les médias, les médias dans la guerre en Côte d’Ivoire
Authors: Blé Raoul Germain
Published: November 2011

Cet article propose une réflexion sur un genre particulier de discours médiatique d’information : le journalisme d’opinion très en vue en Côte d’Ivoire depuis la guerre de septembre 2002 qui a coupé le pays en deux parties. Il s’inscrit donc dans une approche constructiviste car il est évident que l’information journalistique procède d’une entité fabriquée. La question des « médias dans la guerre, la guerre dans les médias » constitue un enjeu majeur pour le débat public en le consacrant comme un espace public nouveau dans la formation et l’expression des opinions. Dans le contexte ivoirien, l’information est le paradigme dominant et l’informateur est le journaliste-militant dont la relation à son public se construit sur un mode essentiellement d’appartenance, au sens idéologique du terme. Le discours journalistique ajoute à sa fonction traditionnelle d’informer de nouvelles fonctions de conditionnement et de mobilisa- tion qui en font pleinement un espace idéologique d’adhésion totale
1 - Wasted Citizenship? Reclaimers and the Privatised Expansion of the Public Sphere
Authors: Samson Melanie
Published: November 2011

A large body of literature explores changes in the public sphere relatedto the transfer of services and activities performed by the public intothe private sector. Less attention has been paid, however, to theprivatised expansion of the public sphere. This article explores such aprocess in Metsimaholo, South Africa, where the municipality soughtto bring landfill recycling into the realm of public policy through apublic-private partnership. As informal reclaimers had salvagedrecyclables at the dump for several decades, this contract amounted toan enclosure of the waste commons which dispossessed them of controlover their livelihood and confined them to the informal economy.Countering structuralist accounts of accumulation by dispossessionand top-down approaches to governmentality, the article focuses onhow reclaimers contested these processes. It argues that before thereclaimers could negotiate with the state, they needed to mount an‘ontological insurrection’ to counter their dismissal as mere ‘detritus’and demand that the conception of the public sphere be expanded toinclude them as legitimate actors in the realm of public policy. Whilethis may result in a reconfiguration of the public sphere, it is unclearwhether it would challenge the current privatised nature of itsexpansion.
5 - Religious Factors in the Nigerian Public Sphere: Burdens and Prospects
Authors: Ayantayo Jacob Kehinde
Published: November 2011

The main thrust of this paper is that religious factors in the Nigerian public sphere have not received much scholarly attention. This is the gap the paper fills as it highlights religious factors in the Nigerian public sphere, which are exemplified in the spiritualisation of politics and election, the interpretation of political manifestoes, voting patterns, the choice of candidates and party leadership, oath swearing into office; the design and execution of political policy, to mention but a few. Attention is also paid to the implications of the above variables for the promotion of political ethics and ideologies. Data obtained from interviews with randomly selected political functionaries along with political historical documents were analysed and discussed within the ambit of functional theory of religion. Having examined the burdens and prospects inherent in the discourse, the paper recommends ways of making religion a continuous veritable tool for promoting good governance in Nigeria.
7 - Mozambique: The Rise of a Micro Dual State
Authors: Meneses Maria Paula , Santos Boaventura de Sousa
Published: November 2011

The decade from 1990 to 2000 was a period of sustained political activity in Africa, leading towards democratisation. Under this scope, Mozambique is widely seen as one paradigmatic success story. Yet, the country’s multiparty democratic system remains challenged by a strong authoritarianism that hampers open deliberation in political public discourse.This paper discusses some reasons for this democratic hold-up in Mozambique’s political and social transition within the broad and ongoing democratisation process in Sub-Saharan Africa. With an emphasis on the analysis of the political situation in the northern town of Angoche, this article argues that the persistence of central government authoritarianism is a reminder of a political liberalisation without democratising the political systems. Indeed, local municipal officials are now elected and receive revenue transfers, but remain limited by other measures.2 The central state successfully resists attempts to devolve broader decision-making authority to municipalities.
Far from the ideal Weberian type of state bureaucracy, public administration is highly politicised in the sense that the building up of the administrative capacities of the state are seen as a way of consolidating the political leverage of the ruling party – Frelimo. The paper defends, however, that indeed, a detailed analysis of the public political actions at local level, between distinct political structures, shows that successive authoritarian regimes have not totally erased the freedom of speech and thought, even if they have relegated opposition to ever more marginal spaces.
9 - Parlementaires debout : l’interface de l’opposition politique pendant la transition en République démocratique du Congo
Authors: Ngoy-Kango Hubert Kabungulu
Published: November 2011

Le processus de transition engagé en République démocratique du Congo en avril 1990, s’est accompagné d’une émergence et d’un foisonnement de journaux. Cette réalité a transformé les principaux coins de vente des journaux, en instance privilégiée du débat congolais, pris en otage à longueur de journée par des lecteurs infatigables communément appelés Parlementaires debout.
Cette étude essaie d’analyser le fondement théorique de ce phénomène de société où une sorte d’alliance des pauvres est très convaincue de changer le cours de l’histoire par l’appropriation de l’espace médiatique dans la lutte qui opposa singulièrement le pouvoir (Mobutu) et l’opposition (Tshisekedi) entre 1990 et 1997.
L’expérience congolaise de Parlement debout ne pourrait servir de modèle à la gestion de l’espace public africain qu’à la condition d’une « récupération intellectuelle » du phénomène susceptible de le tirer de la rue vers une réflexion plus élevée et innovante au service d’une démocratie populaire réellement participative, conclut l’étude.
1 - Public Sphere, Linguistic Sphericules and Discourse Communities in Africa
Authors: Ambadiang Théophile
Published: November 2011

Discourse, as seen in Habermas’s definition of the public sphere, is an essential aspect of the participation of the citizenry in the public debate which, crucially, is supposed to take place in a linguistically homogeneous society. The aim of this paper is to discuss the centrality of discourse in Habermas’s theory in a genuinely multilingual context as is sub-Saharan Africa. We intend to show that the discursive practices and, more generally, the complex dynamics that characterize public debate in this context are determined by sociolinguistic factors such as ‘elite closure’, linguistic repertoire, as well as by social exclusion (Scotton 1993). Elite closure, considered as social exclusion based on linguistic competence, has had the effect of constructing a public sphere around a specific version of the European (official) language, as it excludes the majority of the citizenry who makes use of the popular versions of these languages. The correlation that exists between visibility (in the public sphere) and register repertoire accounts for the uniformity or homogeneity in the register that tends to characterize public debates, as even individuals who typically use the popular versions of the European languages adopt the register of the elite (often with undesired effects). Language, thus, divides the public sphere in smaller groups along the lines of register competence as well as of linguistic competence which excludes those who have no knowledge of the European official language. This study further suggests that those groups or sphericules (Gitlin 1998) constitute discourse communities in the sense of Watts (1999), that is, sets of individuals whose discourse practices reveal common interests, goals and beliefs. Lastly, we argue that the visibility of all such groups requires the openness of the public sphere to diverse discourses (Fairclough 1999, 2006), independently of the way they materialize. In this sense, the contribution of the individuals whose linguistic repertoires do no include European languages will not necessarily nor exclusively be framed in linguistic terms. One interesting consequence of the discussion is the disempowering/disempowerment of the (European) languages in the African public sphere.
3 - Trans-nationalizing the African Public Sphere: What Role for Trans-border Languages?
Authors: Barro Maimouna
Published: November 2011

At a time when the notion of ‘trans-national public spheres’ is gaining more and more currency in academic circles, the role played by languages, and trans-border languages in particular, cannot be ignored in our attempts to rethink the African public sphere. In the African context, language has been a major factor in determining cultural and ethnic identity among various groups, whether they live within the same nation-state or are territorially dispersed. This situation problematizes the idea of a Westphalian citizenry resident in a national territory, and challenges the assumption that lan- guages map onto states. This paper focuses on the Fulfulde language – a trans-border language spoken across several national boundaries in West Africa – and assesses ways in which trans-border languages contribute to the emergence of a transnational public sphere in Africa.
4 - Negotiating Nation-building and Citizenship through the Truth and Reconciliation Committee’s ‘Dramatic’ Spheres: A Reading of Two Post-apartheid Plays
Authors: Mekusi Busuyi
Published: November 2011

Having a voice, either at the level of the individual or the community, has been one of the atavistic ways of defining or asserting humanity. This allows for the inscription of the twin-capped hegemony of successes or victories and frustrations at both the private locus and the public sphere. The disruptions of this possibility by rifts between natives in pre-colonial South Africa were aggravated in the heat of the colonial suppression it suffered, and was compounded by the operation of apartheid rule. By reason of this misrule, voices were suppressed, with a few cacophonies of dissention breaking forth. The culmination of these disenchantments into the demise of apartheid significantly presaged the need for reconstruction and redefinition of citizenship and cohabitation, and hence the necessity for establishing a public sphere, or put alternatively, a public domain in the form of the Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission. This paper, therefore, seeks to interrogate the dramatic world(s) created using the material properties of the TRC in John Kani’s Nothing but the Truth and Zakes Mda’s The Bells of Amersfoort. The paper argues that the domination and manipulation of this public realm by the state at the expense of the individual is not only counterproductive, but constitutes a denial of the relevance of such spheres. The paper, going by indices in the plays, therefore, concludes that every individual should not only be: given a voice, and be heard, but be allowed equal unbiased participation. Otherwise, the public sphere would not just be impotent, but the idea of nation-building and desirable citizenship would be a mere ruse.
7 - Towards a New Map of Africa through Rastafari ‘Works’
Authors: Niaah Jahlani A. H.
Published: November 2011

This paper seeks to broaden the notion of the African Public sphere to include the historical Diaspora by highlighting the works of Mortimo Planno, cultural historian – Rastafari luminary and plenipotentiary – in closing the void between Africa and its Diaspora, through examining Planno’s definition of the African public sphere, as articulated in his general writings and main text: ‘The Earth Most Strangest Man’, as well as travelogues articulating his discourse on Back-to-Africa. Mortimo Planno is credited as having tutored reggae icon Bob Marley and many others in the faith of Rastafari which was to emerge as a new world religion and way of life out of Jamaica. Planno, an outstanding pan- African scholar and activist, travelled to the United States of America, Canada, the United Kingdom and some fifteen African states, lecturing on the Movement developed in Jamaica, celebrating the Emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie I as God incarnate. For more than fifty years, this elder was seen as the de facto leader of the Rastafari movement of Kingston. The study applies Paulo Freire’s theory of a ‘pedagogy of liberation’ to assess whether Rastafari thinkers such as Planno can be seen as facilitating a trans-Atlantic conscientisation towards remedial African national development and liberation from what Garvey (1927) described as ‘mental slavery’.
1 - Theorising the Intersection of Public Policy and Personal Lives through the Lens of ‘Participation’
Authors: Anyidoho Nana Akua
Published: November 2011

The continued interest in political economy-inspired perspectives on economic and social policies is an attempt to understand policymakers as human beings who are influenced by values, votes and other factors that were once thought to be exogenous to policy choices. However, there is still little theorising about those on the other side of the policy equation. This article seeks a better understanding of how ordinary people engage in a very personal way with policy.
I present a model of participation grounded in empirical research with members of a poverty-reduction project in Ghana, and a conceptual framework informed by an interpretive or sense-making approach to policy analysis. The model is based on the three principles of ‘subjectivity’, ‘temporality’ and ‘situatedness’: First, human beings make subjective interpretations of policy grounded in their life histories; secondly, temporality is an inherent aspect of how individuals cognitively organise their lives; and thirdly, people experience policy as one of many overlapping contexts in which they are situated.
2 - La politique publique de la gestion des espaces verts par l’hôtel de ville de Kinshasa
Authors: Ngur-Ikone Jules Kassay
Published: November 2011

Sur le plan urbanistique de la ville de Kinshasa (capitale de la RDC), les colons, avaient prévu les espaces verts pour un cadre de vie urbain, verdoyant et permettant de se détendre et embellir la ville. De 1960 à 1980, la même politique publique urbanistique a été respectée. Mais actuellement, avec l’explosion démographique, les espaces verts qui, jadis, faisaient la fierté de la capitale de la RDC dans chaque commune, ont été les uns effacés de la carte géographique et les autres spoliés par les habitats précaires sous prétexte qu’il faut diminuer l’insalubrité et l’insécurité. Il y a également la présence petits métiers et des marchés spontanés qui favorisent l’insalubrité. Et tout ce théâtre se produit sous l’œil impuissant du gouverneur de la ville.
Notre préoccupation est de démontrer l’importance des espaces verts dans le paysage d’une ville, faire le bilan de la gestion de ces espaces par la population bénéficiaire de cette œuvre et par l’autorité urbaine et enfin proposer des perspectives.
5 - (Re)produire, marquer et (s’)approprier des « lieux (publics) de ville » par les mots ou comment les murs (dé)font les langues à Dschang
Authors: Tsofack Jean-Benoît
Published: November 2011

Dans cette contribution, nous voulons interroger ce « désordre » linguistique dans une ville camerounaise marquée comme on le sait du sceau du plurilinguisme. Autrement dit, il est question de voir comment les murs (enseignes murales ou publiciaires) y font les langues, c’est- à-dire, construisent des pratiques linguistiques hétérogènes, mais aussi comment ces mêmes murs défont les langues, les modifient de manière
« inconsciente et permanente », ou, à contrario, comment les langues font ou défont les murs. On est donc ainsi amené à constater que l’espace public est aussi un « espace discursif » et le lieu même du
« désordre » linguistique où ce qui est important, ce n’est pas ce que les gens parlent ou écrivent, mais comment ils parlent et écrivent, communiquent « dans ce désordre, ou malgré ce désordre, voire même grâce à ce désordre », comment les langues ont « mise en scène » et s’affichent publiquement.
Nous partons de l’observation indirecte des pratiques linguistiques faite sur un corpus non sollicité d’énoncés publicitaires (toponymes, enseignes diverses) recueillis lors d’une enquête de terrain menée en 2007 dans la ville de Dschang. Cette méthodologie relève dans l’ensemble, de l’Analyse du Discours telle que l’ont pensée Bulot et Veschambre  (2006b),  c’est-à-dire,  une  analyse  du  «  rocès d’appropriation de l’espace », de son « marquage » langagier.
8 - Recent Trends and Patterns of Gasoline Consumption in Nigeria
Authors: Yingigba Jaja Chioma
Published: November 2011

This article analyses recent trends and spatial patterns of gasoline consumption in Nigeria. In particular, it shows that the volume of gasoline consumption in the country fluctuates with changes in economic growth. The pattern of distribution of gasoline consumption indicates that the largest consumption centres are in the South-West and South-South geopolitical zones of the country, specifically Lagos, Oyo, Ogun, Edo, Rivers and Delta States. Other locations of high gasoline consumption are Kaduna, Kano, Imo states and Abuja (Federal Capital Territory). Compared with a previous study, the four additional centres identified are Ogun, Delta, Imo States and Abuja (FCT). Results of the multiple regression analysis show that the spatial variation in gasoline consumption is related to the number of gasoline-using vehicles newly registered and per capita income in the states. The study provides a framework for the development of meaningful policies for the reduction of transportation-related energy consumption.
1 - Women Engagement with Power and Authority in Re-writing East Africa
Authors: Odiemo-Munara Lennox
Published: November 2011

From the relative absence of serious women writing in the early mainstream East African literature in English, starting the last quarter of the twentieth century, women writing has flourished to gain deserved space in the East African literary canon. In the writing of Kenya’s Marjorie Oludhe Macgoye, Uganda’s Mary Karooro Okurut, and Tanzania’s Elieshi Lema, literature in English by women has exponentially broadened, thematically and aesthetically, to adequately carry and represent the East African woman person’s so cio- historical and economic experiences as well as her private/public narratives. This literature perceives the woman in both the specific and broader historical and cultural realms of the East African society. It shows how she, with intellectual and emotional maturity, interrogates practices and institutions that are, in most cases, patriarchally constructed, in order to evolve a gender inclusivist and all-encompassing human space. Three works by these authors – Macgoye’s The Present Moment (1987), Okurut’s The Invisible Weevil (1998), and Lema’s Parched Earth: A Love Story (2001) – clearly stand out in their contribution to the mapping of unique paradigms in (re)defining the East African woman’s experience in her relation and engagement with the public sphere. This article demonstrates how these writers, through the women figures in the texts, subvert, actively resist, and engage with power/authority and, in the process, manage to re-evaluate the dominant zeitgeist, oppositionally establishing the East African woman as an active and speaking subject in the ongoing re-imagining and re-writing of the East African post-colonies.
8 - Governing ‘Ethnicised’ Public Sphere: Insights from Nigeria
Authors: Orji Nkwachukwu
Published: November 2011

This article explores the way in which ethnically diverse societies govern their public sphere. It shows that the public sphere in multiethnic societies is an arena of conflict where cultural and ideological contest or negotiation among a variety of groups takes place. Drawing from Nigeria’s experience, the article examines the conflict management arrangement devised to regulate hostile inter-group relations in the public sphere. It identifies power-sharing as the most fundamental conflict management strategy adopted to govern Nigeria’s public sphere. The article argues that although power-sharing features as the most acceptable modality for moderating inter-group conflicts in Nigeria, its usefulness is limited by the fact that it widens the asymmetrical and oligarchic power of the dominant groups and hampers the growth of democracy.
Transoral Laser Microsurgery for Early Glottic Cancer
Authors: McClelland Lisha , Carr Esmond , Kamani Tawakir , Cade Jennifer , Young Kate , Mortimore Sean
Published: November 2011

Objectives.To assess the outcome of transoral laser-assisted microsurgery (TLM) with regards to local and distant tumour control, quality of voice and swallowing.Design.Retrospective review of patients with five-year follow-up period.Setting.Royal Derby Hospital Head and Neck Department.Participants.All patients undergoing TLM with a diagnosis of Tis, T1, or T2 glottic tumour following endoscopic biopsy.Main Outcome Measures.Speech, swallowing, cancer-free survival, laryngectomy-free survival, and mortality rate.Results.22 patients were treated for early glottic carcinoma with TLM. The 5-year local control rate for T1 tumours is 89% and 56% for T2 tumours. The laryngectomy rate was 4.5%. The mortality rate from local and distant disease was 4.5% with an overall mortality rate of 22% from all causes. 40% of patients had normal voices and a further 45% had only mild or moderate voice change. At their last followup, no patients assessed had any difficulty swallowing relating to their treatment for glottic cancer.Conclusion.Transoral Endoscopic CO2 laser microsurgery is a valid technique for treating early glottic tumours.
SPATIAL DEPENDENCE OF RANDOM SETS AND ITS APPLICATION TO DISPERSION OF BARK BEETLE INFESTATION IN A NATURAL FOREST
Authors: Kautz Markus , Düll Jochen , Ohser Joachim
Published: November 2011

A large spatio-temporal data set monitoring the annual progress of bark beetle infestation in the Bavarian Forest National Park (Germany) is statistically analysed by means of complex image analysis algorithms. The infestation data were obtained by color-infrared (CIR) aerial image interpretation and cover 10 subsequent years (2001–2010). Newly emerged infestation patches are hypothesized as spatially correlated to locations of previous year’s infestation. Both areas, source patches and subsequently emerged patches, are considered as two disjoint random sets. Their spatio-temporal dependence is analysed by two methods: the classical approach based on the measurement of cross-covariance functions, and a second one based on nearest neighbor distances. The resulting characteristics can be interpreted as pre-disposition probabilities of bark beetle infestation depending on distance to sources. Both methods show a strong short-range preference, which decreases with increasing distances.
TRANSFORMATION KINETICS FOR NUCLEATION ON RANDOM PLANES AND LINES
Authors: Villa Elena , Rios Paulo R
Published: November 2011

Birth and growth processes are known in materials science as nucleation and growth processes. In crystalline materials nucleation almost always takes place in an internal crystalline defect. These defects are classified according to their dimensionality: point, line or planar defects. Therefore, investigating nucleation on sets of dimensionality lower than the set in which the transformation takes place is of paramount importance. Cahn (1956) in a classical work derived expressions for transformation kinetics when nucleation took place on random planes and on random straight lines. He used these expressions to describe nucleation in polycrystalline materials. He considered that nucleation on grain faces could be treated as nucleation on random planes and, likewise, nucleation on grain edges could be treated as nucleation on random lines. The present work revisits and generalizes Cahn’s treatment of nucleation on planes and lines. First a general expression for the case of nucleation on lower dimensional sets is obtained. After that general expressions for nucleation on random planes and random lines are given. This paper provides the mathematical basis for the development of more specific expressions to be used in practical applications. Although this work has been done bearing applications to materials science in mind the results obtained here may be applied to birth and growth processes in any field of science.
A High Efficiency Electrodeposited Cu2ZnSnS4 Solar Cell
Authors: Ahmed Shafaat , Reuter Kathleen B. , Gunawan Oki , Guo Lian , Romankiw Lubomyr T. , Deligianni Hariklia
Published: November 2011

High‐performance Cu2ZnSnS4 photovoltaic devices are demonstrated using electrodeposition of metal stacks and annealing of a CuZnSn precursor in a sulfur atmosphere. A champion electroplated Cu2ZnSnS4 solar cell achieves a power conversion efficiency of 7.3%, which is a record efficiency for electrodeposited Cu2ZnSnS4 solar devices. The device performance points to electrodeposition and annealing as a low‐cost and viable approach to earth‐abundant solar cell fabrication.
Tunnel excavation triggering pulmonary sarcoidosis
Authors: Kawano‐Dourado L.B. , Carvalho C.R.R. , Santos U.P. , Canzian M. , Coletta E.N.A. , Pereira C.A.C. , Kairalla R.A.
Published: November 2011

Context

A definite cause of sarcoidosis has not been identified, however past research suggests that environmental factors may be triggers of the granulomatous response in genetically susceptible individuals.

Case Presentation

A 22‐year‐old male non‐smoker, presented with progressive exertional dyspnea and cough of 3 months duration. One year before, when he started working in tunnel excavation, he had a normal chest radiograph. Chest imaging revealed bilateral nodules and masses of peribronchovascular distribution plus mediastinal lymphadenomegaly. Histologic lymph node analysis revealed non‐caseating confluent granulomas. Sarcoidosis was diagnosed. The patient was treated with corticosteroids and advised to change jobs. Complete remission of the disease was achieved and persisted for at least one year without steroid treatment.

Discussion

Sarcoidosis is believed to have environmental triggers. The timing of the onset of sarcoidosis in this patient following intensive exposure to tunnel dust suggests an environmental contribution. The recognition that sarcoidosis may have occupational triggers have medical, employment, and legal implications. Am. J. Ind. Med. 55:390–394, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Optochemical Genetics
Authors: Fehrentz Timm , Schönberger Matthias , Trauner Dirk
Published: November 2011

Transmembrane receptors allow a cell to communicate with its environment in response to a variety of input signals. These can be changes in the concentration of ligands (e.g. hormones or neurotransmitters), temperature, pressure (e.g. acoustic waves or touch), transmembrane potential, or light intensity. Many important receptors have now been characterized in atomic detail and our understanding of their functional properties has markedly increased in recent years. As a consequence, these sophisticated molecular machines can be reprogrammed to respond to unnatural input signals. In this Review, we show how voltage‐gated and ligand‐gated ion channels can be endowed with synthetic photoswitches, and how the resulting artificial photoreceptors can be used to optically control neurons with exceptional temporal and spatial precision. They work well in animals and might find applications in the restoration of vision and the optical control of other sensations. The combination of synthetic photoswitches and receptor proteins contributes to the field of optogenetics and adds a new functional dimension to chemical genetics. As such, we propose to call it “optochemical genetics”.
Optimization on the performance of crude distillation unit (CDU)
Authors: Handogo Renanto
Published: November 2011

The aim of this research is to get the optimum operating condition of crude distillation unit in order to get the highest profit for the crude oil refinery industry. Feed's specification data are taken from an Indonesian crude oil refinery. Simulation was done by using Aspen Plus (Aspen Technology, Inc, Burlington, MA, USA). The design variable for this research is the temperature of preflash column furnace. Optimization was done by considering the maximum profit. Based on the result in part one, where intermediate and light cold test molar flowrates and the quality of heavy naphtha in the 95% liquid volume ASTM D86 at 415 K and light kerosene distillate in the 95% liquid volume ASTM D86 at 469 K are held constant, the optimum condition is found at the furnace preflash temperature of 572 K with a profit of US$ 9.62 per m3 crude oil. While in part two, where heavy naphtha and light kerosene distillate molar flowrates and the quality of intermediate in the 95% liquid volume ASTM D86 at 443 K and light cold test in the 95% liquid volume ASTM D86 at 605 K are held constant, the optimum condition is found at the furnace preflash temperature of 533 K with a profit of US$ 7.74 per m3 crude oil. © 2011 Curtin University of Technology and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Comparative synthesis and physicochemical characterization of CeO2 nanopowder via redox reaction, precipitation and sol–gel methods used for total oxidation of toluene
Authors: Abbasi Zahra , Haghighi Mohammad , Fatehifar Esmaeil , Rahemi Nader
Published: November 2011

Nanostructured CeO2 was successfully prepared using three different methods of redox reaction, precipitation and sol–gel methods. Their catalytic activities were studied toward total catalytic oxidation of toluene. The nanostructured CeO2 physicochemical properties were assessed by XRD, FESEM, BET, TPR‐H2, TPD‐CO2 and FTIR analyses. The XRD patterns showed that the synthesized catalysts had small crystalite size between 8.7 and 15.8 nm. The FESEM images reflected that the synthesized samples had nanoparticles less than 100 nm. BET analysis revealed that the synthesized CeO2 had large surface area in the order of redox reaction > precipitation > sol–gel. TPR patterns indicated that nano CeO2 had high reducibility. TPD‐CO2 showed the presence of weak and medium basic sites. Among synthesized samples, cerium oxide prepared from redox reaction was the most active in total oxidation of toluene. This feature was due to the smallest particle size, largest BET surface area and high reducibility of the nanocatalyst.The synthesized nano CeO2 had high activity and stability, which presents it as a suitable catalyst in catalytic applications. © 2011 Curtin University of Technology and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Synthesis, Evaluation, and Gelation Mechanism of Organic Chromium
Authors: Liu Jinxiang , Lu Xingguo , Sui Shilei
Published: November 2011

Since the launching of tertiary oil recovery, the performance requirements of polymer solution increasing, the polymer solution is more difficult to meet the needs of the scene. It could solve poor profile control, salt‐tolerant, and poor performance that crosslinking agent was added to polymer solution. Therefore, chromium acetate crosslinker was synthesized, and the synthesis conditions were optimized, and the performance of crosslinking agent was evaluated. Through optimization, the optimum conditions of chromium acetate synthesis was: reaction time 10 h, reaction temperature 80°C, the molar ratio of acetic acid and potassium dichromate than or equal to 24 : 1. Performance evaluation showed that adding crosslinking agent could significantly increase the viscosity of the polymer solution, could significantly improve the resistance coefficient and residual resistance of the polymer solution, and could play a good role profile flooding. Studies showed that when salinity and ion content changed, the crosslinking mechanism of changed. Through the study of molecule coil size at room temperature, the molecule coil size would slightly decline after 1 h, suggesting that crosslinking mechanism was intramolecular crosslinking reaction occurs at first, and then intermolecular crosslinking reaction. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2012