bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Theory-inspired machine learning—towards a synergy between knowledge and data
Authors: Hoffer Johannes G. , Ofner Andreas B. , Rohrhofer Franz M. , Lovrić Mario , Kern Roman , Lindstaedt Stefanie , Geiger Bernhard C.
Published: April 2022

Most engineering domains abound with models derived from first principles that have beenproven to be effective for decades. These models are not only a valuable source of knowledge, but they also form the basis of simulations. The recent trend of digitization has complemented these models with data in all forms and variants, such as process monitoring time series, measured material characteristics, and stored production parameters. Theory-inspired machine learning combines the available models and data, reaping the benefits of established knowledge and the capabilities of modern, data-driven approaches. Compared to purely physics- or purely data-driven models, the models resulting from theory-inspired machine learning are often more accurate and less complex, extrapolate better, or allow faster model training or inference. In this short survey, we introduce and discuss several prominent approaches to theory-inspired machine learning and show how they were applied in the fields of welding, joining, additive manufacturing, and metal forming.
A qualitative exploration of the facilitators and barriers to self-management in kidney transplant recipients
Authors: Memory Katherine E. , Wilkinson Thomas J. , Smith Alice C. , Lightfoot Courtney J.
Published: April 2022

Background

Understanding the behaviours that facilitate or impede one’s ability to self-manage is important to improve health-related outcomes in kidney transplant recipients (KTRs). Previous studies exploring the self-management experiences of KTRs have focused on specific tasks (e.g., medication adherence), age groups (e.g., adolescent or older recipients), or have been conducted outside of the UK where transferability of findings is unknown. Our study aimed to explore the perceptions and experiences of self-management in UK KTRs to identify facilitators and barriers associated with self-management tasks.

Methods

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eleven KTRs. Topics explored included experiences of self-management tasks (diet, exercise, medications, stress management), perceived healthcare role, and future interventional approaches. Thematic analysis was used to identify and report themes.

Results

Eight themes were identified which were mapped onto the three self-management tasks described by Corbin and Strauss: medical, role and emotional management. Perceived facilitators to self-management were: gathering health-related knowledge, building relationships with healthcare professionals, creating routines within daily life, setting goals and identifying motivators, establishing support networks, and support from family and friends. Complexity of required treatment and adjusting to a new health status were perceived barriers to self-management.

Conclusions

Participants described the importance of collaborative consultations and continuity of care. Tailored interventions should identify individualised goals and motivators for participating in self-management. Education on effective strategies to manage symptoms and comorbidities could help alleviate KTRs’ perceived treatment burden. Family and peer support could emotionally support KTRs; however, managing the emotional burden of transplantation warrants more attention.

Graphic abstract
Durchführung von digitalen Arbeitssituationsanalysen für die mobil-flexible Arbeit zur Erhebung von psychischen Belastungsfolgen
Authors: Bölsch-Peterka Ronja , Krowicki Martin , Schmidtke Aliena , Böckelmann Irina
Published: April 2022

Hintergrund

Im Zuge der SARS-CoV-2-Pandemie wurde die Arbeit in vielen Betrieben nach Hause verlagert und innerhalb kurzer Zeit hat sich die Arbeitssituation der Beschäftigten schnell verändert. Um mögliche Belastungen zu identifizieren und gesundheitliche Ressourcen auszubauen, sind fundierte Analysen der Arbeitssituation notwendig.

Ziel der Arbeit

Ziel dieser Arbeit war es, auch in Zeiten mit Kontaktbeschränkungen, fundierte Analysen im Bereich des Betrieblichen Gesundheitsmanagements anzubieten. Mithilfe von digitalen Arbeitssituationsanalysen (ASITA) sollte die Homeoffice-Tätigkeit in einer öffentlichen Verwaltung erfasst und Handlungsempfehlungen abgeleitet werden.

Material und Methoden

Mittels digitaler ASITAs wurden 3 Gruppen (16 Beschäftigte) zu ihrer Arbeitssituation im Homeoffice befragt. Eingeschlossen wurden Beschäftigte, die innerhalb der letzten 12 Wochen vor der Befragung an mindestens 2 Tagen pro Woche im Homeoffice gearbeitet haben.

Ergebnisse

Das Arbeiten im Homeoffice stellt Anforderungen an die Beschäftigten, die wiederum positive als auch negative Beanspruchungsfolgen mit sich bringen. Aufseiten der Arbeitsorganisation ergaben sich individuelle Vorteile, wie der Wegfall von Arbeitswegen oder eine bessere Zeiteinteilung. Hinsichtlich der Kommunikation im Unternehmen fehlten klare Strukturen zur Arbeit im Homeoffice.

Diskussion

Digitale ASITAs können ein aussagekräftiges Instrument sein, um gesundheitliche Belastungen und Ressourcen auch in Unternehmen mit mobil-flexiblen Arbeitsmodellen zu untersuchen. Wie am Beispiel der Pandemie gezeigt, bedingt ein Wandel der Arbeitssituation einen kontinuierlichen Reflexionsprozess, bei dem die Gesundheit der Beschäftigten eine wesentliche Säule sein muss.
Retraction Note: Property evaluations of coir fibres for use as reinforcement in composites
Authors: Madueke Chioma Ifeyinwa , Kolawole Funsho , Tile Joseph
Published: April 2022

The authors have retracted this article. After publication, the authors found that they did not have permission to publish the data used in the article.
Characterization of the Myometrial Transcriptome of Long Non-coding RNA Genes in Human Labor by High-Throughput RNA-seq
Authors: Luo Yihong , Cui Long , Chen Lina , Wang Lele , Ji Kaiyuan , Liu Huishu
Published: April 2022

The contraction of myometrium is pivotal in expelling the fetus and placenta during labor, but the specific mechanism of myometrium changing from quiescent to a contractile state is still unclear. Previous studies have shown that changes in certain genes or proteins are related to the regulation of myometrial contraction, which are considered to be contraction-associated genes. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) are increasingly recognized as important molecular players in regulating gene expression and many biological processes, but their roles in the rhythmic contraction of myometrial cells during labor remain to be explored. This study aimed to reveal the differentially expressed lncRNAs in the human myometrium of non-labor (NL, n = 9) and in-labor (IL, n = 9). Furthermore, bioinformatic analysis of lncRNA targeted mRNAs was performed to explore the biological processes and pathway alterations during labor. The results showed a total of 112 significantly differentially expressed lncRNAs between two groups were identified, of which 69 were upregulated and 43 were downregulated in IL group, compared with NL group. In addition, the enrichment analysis of Gene Ontology (GO) and pathways showed that the lncRNAs corresponding targeted mRNAs were associated with mRNA splicing, splicesome, ferroptosis, FGFR and NOTCH signaling pathways. Our study constitutes the first report on investigating the gene expression landscape and regulatory mechanism of lncRNAs within laboring and non-laboring myometrium using RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) and bioinformatic analysis. This study provided high-throughput information on the lncRNA in the myometrium of women in labor and those not in labor, to discover novel lncRNA candidates and potential biological pathways involved in human parturition.
Folliculogenesis in random start protocols for oocytes cryopreservation: quantitative and qualitative aspects
Authors: Galati Giulia , Serra Nicole , Ciaffaglione Marta , Pinna Monica , Reschini Marco , Pisaturo Valerio , Somigliana Edgardo , Muzii Ludovico , Filippi Francesca
Published: April 2022

Random start protocols are commonly used for oocytes cryopreservation in women with cancer. However, evidence to support their effectiveness is yet modest. This study aims to compare the quality of ovarian response between the ovary carrying the dominant follicle or the corpus luteum (active ovary) and the contralateral ovary (resting ovary). Women with a diagnosis of malignancy who underwent oocytes cryopreservation were reviewed. The main inclusion criterion was the presence of a unilateral dominant follicle or a unilateral corpus luteum on the first day of ovarian hyperstimulation. The primary outcome was the number of mature oocytes retrieved. Intra-patient comparisons between the two ovaries were made using the nonparametric Wilcoxon test for paired data. Forty-three women were included. The number of mature oocytes retrieved from the active and the resting ovaries did not differ, the median [interquartile range—IQR] being 4 [2–7] and 5 [2–8], respectively (p = 0.09). The rate [IQR] of mature oocytes per developed follicle was 58% [40–80%] and 65% [33–87%], respectively (p = 0.42). In addition, no significant difference emerged when repeating the analyses separately for women carrying dominant follicles and for those carrying corpora lutea. This study failed to detect any detrimental effect of the presence of a dominant follicle or a corpus luteus on the ovarian response to hyperstimulation, thus supporting the validity of random start protocols.
Evolution, Morality and the Fabric of Society
Authors: Thompson R. Paul
Published: April 2022

Recent interest in the evolution of the social contract is extended by providing a throughly naturalistic, evolutionary account of the biological underpinnings of a social contract theory of morality. This social contract theory of morality (contractevolism) provides an evolutionary justification of the primacy of a moral principle of maximisation of the opportunities for evolutionary reproductive success (ERS), where maximising opportunities does not entail an obligation on individuals to choose to maximise their ERS. From that primary principle, the moral principles of inclusion, individual sovereignty (liberty) and equality can be derived. The implications of these principles, within contractevolism, are explored through an examination of patriarchy, individual sovereignty and copulatory choices, and overpopulation and extinction. Contractevolism is grounded in evolutionary dynamics that resulted in humans and human societies. The most important behavioural consequences of evolution to contractevolism are reciprocity, cooperation, empathy, and the most important cognitive consequences are reason and behavioural modification.
International Economic Law and Racialized “Others”
Authors: Thomas Chantal
Published: April 2022

This essay seeks to show how racialized histories of global political economy have shaped core issues in international economic law. The essay begins by noting challenges to framing the topic of racialized “others,” and then turns to the case study of cotton, showing how U.S. domestic production subsidies—long a focal point of international trade law in both formal dispute settlement and agreement negotiations—have affected persons of African heritage in the United States and internationally. The essay concludes by considering the U.S. and international contexts more generally, both to demonstrate where integral structural biases are at play, and to locate areas of contingency and change.
Navigating the 2021 update to the IDSA/SHEA Clostridioides difficile guidelines: An ethical approach to equitable patient care
Authors: Shoff Christopher J. , Spires S. Shaefer , Yen Christina , Advani Sonali D.
Published: April 2022

The 2021 focused update to the Infections Diseases Society of America/Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America (IDSA/SHEA) guidelines for management of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI) prioritizes the use of fidaxomicin over vancomycin for the treatment of initial and recurrent CDI. These recommendations have significant clinical and financial ramifications for hospitals and patients with CDI. Antimicrobial stewardship programs must balance the needs, goals, and barriers faced by patients and health systems when determining the best treatment strategy for CDI. In this commentary, we provide antimicrobial stewardship programs with a decision-making framework that acknowledges the fundamental principles of ethics to provide equitable patient care.
OnabotulinumtoxinA Reduces Health Resource Utilization in Chronic Migraine: PREDICT Study
Authors: Becker Werner J. , Boudreau Guy , Finkelstein Ian , Graboski Corrie , Ong May , Christie Suzanne , Sommer Katherine , Bhogal Meetu , Davidovic Goran
Published: April 2022

Background:

PREDICT was a Canadian, multicenter, prospective, observational study in adults naïve to onabotulinumtoxinA treatment for chronic migraine (CM). We descriptively assess health resource utilization, work productivity, and acute medication use.

Methods:

OnabotulinumtoxinA (155–195 U) was administered every 12 weeks over 2 years (≤7 treatment cycles). Participants completed a 4-item health resource utilization questionnaire and 6-item Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Questionnaire: Specific Health Problem V2.0. Acute medication use was recorded in daily headache diaries. Treatment-emergent adverse events were recorded throughout the study.

Results:

A total of 197 participants were enrolled, and 184 received ≥1 treatment with onabotulinumtoxinA and were included in the analysis. Between baseline and the final visit, there were decreases in the percentage of participants who reported headache-related healthcare professional visit(s) (96.2% to 76.8%) and those who received headache-related diagnostic testing (37.5% to 9.9%). Reductions from baseline were also observed in the mean number of headache-related visits to an emergency room/urgent care clinic (2.5 to 1.4) and median headache-related hospital admissions (4.0 to 1.0). OnabotulinumtoxinA improved work productivity and reduced the mean (standard deviation) number of hours missed from work over a 7-day period (6.1 [9.7] to 3.0 [6.8]). Mean (standard deviation) acute medication use decreased from baseline (15.2 [7.6] to 9.1 [6.5] days). No new safety signals were identified.

Conclusions:

Real-world evidence from PREDICT demonstrates that onabotulinumtoxinA treatment for CM in the Canadian population reduces health resource utilization and acute medication use and improves workplace productivity, supporting the long-term benefits of using onabotulinumtoxinA for CM.
Modeling clinical trajectory status of critically ill COVID-19 patients over time: A method for analyzing discrete longitudinal and ordinal outcomes
Authors: Ward Michael J. , Douin David J. , Gong Wu , Ginde Adit A. , Hough Catherine L. , Exline Matthew C. , Tenforde Mark W. , Stubblefield William B. , Steingrub Jay S. , Prekker Matthew E. , Khan Akram , Files D. Clark , Gibbs Kevin W. , Rice Todd W. , Casey Jonathan D. , Henning Daniel J. , Wilson Jennifer G. , Brown Samuel M. , Patel Manish M. , Self Wesley H. , Lindsell Christopher J. ,   for the Influenza and Other Viruses in the Acutely Ill (IVY) Network
Published: April 2022

Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization stressed the importance of daily clinical assessments of infected patients, yet current approaches frequently consider cross-sectional timepoints, cumulative summary measures, or time-to-event analyses. Statistical methods are available that make use of the rich information content of longitudinal assessments. We demonstrate the use of a multistate transition model to assess the dynamic nature of COVID-19-associated critical illness using daily evaluations of COVID-19 patients from 9 academic hospitals. We describe the accessibility and utility of methods that consider the clinical trajectory of critically ill COVID-19 patients.
First trigonotarbid arachnids from the Pennsylvanian of Indiana and Oklahoma
Authors: Shanks Ryan E. , Selden Paul A.
Published: April 2022

A new specimen of the arachnid order Trigonotarbida is described from the Middle Pennsylvanian (lower Desmoinesian) Shelburn Formation of Indiana, which has previously yielded the remains of a phalangiotarbid. Two new trigonotarbid arachnid specimens are also described from the Middle Pennsylvanian (Desmoinesian) Senora Formation of Oklahoma. These are the first trigonotarbid specimens reported from Indiana and Oklahoma. The Indiana trigonotarbid belongs to the Eophrynidae, as indicated by distinct features such as the large tubercles on the dorsal surface of the opisthosoma and two pairs of terminal opisthosomal spines. This specimen is the first arachnid fossil to be imaged using a Multistripe Laser Triangulation scanner. The heavy dorsal tuberculation, lobed and subtriangular carapace, rounded clypeus, lack of terminal opisthosomal spines, and rounded opisthosoma on Oklahoma specimen FMNH PE 56932 indicate it belongs to the genusAphantomartus, in Aphantomartidae. The other Oklahoma specimen, FMNH PE 56955, possesses opisthosomal tergites that are divided into five plates longitudinally as well as a subquadrate carapace, which identify it as a member of Anthracomartidae; its rounded opisthosomal margin shows it to belong to the genusAnthracomartus.
Dilemmas of Co-production: How Street Waste Pickers Became Excluded from Inclusive Recycling in São Paulo
Authors: Rosaldo Manuel
Published: April 2022

Under what conditions do collaborations between informal workers and the state in public service provision lead to socially beneficial synergies, and when might they intensify inequalities? This article, based on 14 months of ethnographic research, addresses this question through a comparative case study of two attempts to co-produce recycling services in São Paulo. The first, a grassroots organizing effort in the 1980s and 1990s, improved the incomes and conditions of hundreds of waste pickers and inspired a national upsurge of waste picker organizing. The second, an ambitious overhaul of waste management in the early 2000s, generated about 1,500 jobs but functionally excluded the very population of street waste pickers it was designed to benefit. The findings suggest that co-production is most likely to lead to pro-poor outcomes if concerted efforts are made to level inequalities between poor constituents and more powerful stakeholders during processes of policy design and implementation.
Psychometric properties of the ASEBA Child Behaviour Checklist and Youth Self-Report in sub-Saharan Africa - A systematic review
Authors: Zieff Michal R. , Fourie Claire , Hoogenhout Michelle , Donald Kirsten A.
Published: April 2022

Objective:

Behavioural screening tools may be used to identify at-risk children in resource-limited settings in sub-Saharan Africa. The ASEBA forms (Child Behaviour Checklist and Youth Self-Report) are frequently translated and adapted for use in sub-Saharan African populations, but little is known about their measurement properties in these contexts.

Methods:

We conducted a systematic review of all published journal articles that used the ASEBA forms with sub-Saharan African samples. We evaluated the reported psychometric properties, as well as the methodological quality of the psychometric evaluations, using COSMIN (COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments) guidelines.

Results:

Fifty-eight studies reported measurement properties of the ASEBA forms. Most studies came from Southern (n= 29, 50%) or East African (n= 25, 43%) countries. Forty-nine studies (84%) used translated versions of the tool, but details regarding the translation process, if available, were often sparse. Most studies (n= 47, 81%) only reported internal consistency (using coefficient alpha) for one or more subscale. The methodological quality of the psychometric evaluations ranged from ‘very good’ to ‘inadequate’ across all measurement properties, except for internal consistency.

Conclusions:

There is limited good quality psychometric evidence available for the ASEBA forms in sub-Saharan Africa. We recommend (i) implementing a standardised procedure for conducting and reporting translation processes and (ii) conducting more comprehensive psychometric evaluations of the translated versions of the tools.
A Hindu Champion of Pan-Islamism: Lajpat Rai and the Khilafat Movement
Authors: Bhargav Vanya Vaidehi
Published: April 2022

Lala Lajpat Rai is increasingly viewed in historiography as a “Hindu nationalist” with a strong affinity with Savarkarite Hindutva. This article demonstrates that during the Khilafat movement, Lajpat Rai articulated a secular Indian nationalism that was sensitive to Muslim religiosity and Indian Muslims’ extraterritorial sympathies toward the caliphate and the Muslim world. Pigeonholing the entire thought of Lajpat Rai as “Hindu nationalism” obscures a historical-intellectual juncture when a Hindu political figure like him enthusiastically supported pan-Islamism as necessary for Indian nationalism. This article complicates scholarship that portrays Hindu responses to the Khilafat movement as consisting solely of fear and counter-consolidation. More importantly, by unveiling Rai's Khilafat-era nationalism, it uncovers the intellectual and political possibility of firmly holding a Hindu identity and articulating conceptions of Indian nationhood that are at ease with Islam and the wider Muslim world.
A review of factors influencing the quality and sensory evaluation techniques applied to Greek yogurt
Authors: Gyawali Rabin , Feng Xi , Chen Yan Ping , Lorenzo Jose M. , Ibrahim Salam A.
Published: April 2022

Greek yogurt is one of the fastest growing products in the dairy industry. It is also known as strained yogurt, which is obtained after draining the whey. As a result of the draining process, Greek yogurt has higher total solids and lower lactose than regular yogurt. Since it is a concentrated yogurt, its sensory characteristics are different from regular yogurt. However, there is little information about factors influencing the quality of Greek yogurt and sensory evaluation techniques applied to Greek yogurt. This review aims to describe the effects of ingredients, starter cultures, processing techniques and other parameters on quality characteristics and sensory properties of Greek yogurt. In addition, advantages and limitations of novel sensory evaluation techniques applied to Greek yogurt products are discussed. In particular, we take a look at advanced techniques such as the electronic nose and electronic tongue and the benefits of these techniques with regard to Greek yogurt. This review should help the Greek yogurt industry to improve its current products and develop innovative products based on appropriate food evaluation techniques.
Modelling non-specific linguistic variation in cognitive disorders
Authors: HINZEN WOLFRAM , WILTSCHKO MARTINA
Published: April 2022

Clinical linguistic diversity extends far beyond ‘specific language’ disorders, such as acquired aphasia or specific language impairment (SLI), to a large range of mental disorders that are not language-specific. As cognitive impairments are involved in the latter, models with an integrated approach to language and cognition can be useful for understanding and classifying the variation in question. The aim of this paper is to specify such a model, called the Bridge model, which views linguistic cognition as resting on two partially pre-linguistic pillars: (i) perceptual categorisation and (ii) social-communicative interaction. Grammar acting as a bridge crossing between them mediates the lexicalisation of perceptual categories and, based on these, new forms of social interaction and communication conveying thought structured by grammar. This model allows to conceptualise mental disorders as different ways in which this integrated linguistic-cognitive phenotype can deviate from its normal course. We illustrate our general model for the specific instance of language variation within autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
SECOND-ORDER BIAS REDUCTION FOR NONLINEAR PANEL DATA MODELS WITH FIXED EFFECTS BASED ON EXPECTED QUANTITIES
Authors: Schumann Martin
Published: April 2022

In many nonlinear panel data models with fixed effects maximum likelihood estimators suffer from the incidental parameters problem, which often entails that point estimates are markedly biased. While the recent literature has mostly generated methods that yield a first-order bias reduction relative to maximum likelihood, we derive a first- and second-order bias correction of the profile likelihood based on “expected quantities” which differs from the corresponding correction based on “sample averages” derived in Dhaene and Sun (2021,Journal of Econometrics220, 227–252). While consistency and asymptotic normality of our estimator are derived in a setting where both the number of individuals and the number of time periods grow to infinity, we illustrate in a simulation study that our second-order bias reduction indeed yields an estimator with substantially improved small sample properties relative to its first-order unbiased counterpart, especially when less than 10 time periods are available.
Counting H-free orientations of graphs
Authors: BUCIĆ MATIJA , JANZER OLIVER , SUDAKOV BENNY
Published: April 2022

In 1974, Erdős posed the following problem. Given an oriented graph H, determine or estimate the maximum possible number of H-free orientations of an n-vertex graph. When H is a tournament, the answer was determined precisely for sufficiently large n by Alon and Yuster. In general, when the underlying undirected graph of H contains a cycle, one can obtain accurate bounds by combining an observation of Kozma and Moran with celebrated results on the number of F-free graphs. As the main contribution of the paper, we resolve all remaining cases in an asymptotic sense, thereby giving a rather complete answer to Erdős’s question. Moreover, we determine the answer exactly when H is an odd cycle and n is sufficiently large, answering a question of Araújo, Botler and Mota.
African History in South Africa
Authors: Marks Shula
Published: April 2022

The recent conference on the History of the Transkei and Ciskei held at the University of Rhodes, Grahamstown, in the Eastern Cape, in many ways marked a new step in the development in South Africa of African studies in general and African history in particular. Out of a total of some seventy-five participants, more than half were historians, ten were anthropologists or enthnologists, and the remainder were drawn from a variety of academic disciplines including archaeology, economics, politics and medicine, and from the non-academic world, including representatives of some of the major museums and libraries. Sponsored by the Transkei and Ciskei Research Society, and organised by Robin Derricourt, a Cambridge-trained archaeologist at present working at the University of Fort Hare, the conference discussed a wide range of problems in the history of the area in the precolonial and colonial periods.
The scientific information and library service, and publications of the Centre for Overseas Pest Research
Authors: Lumley Ann
Published: April 2022

The Centre for Overseas Pest Research (COPR) exists to help overseas territories, particularly the developing countries, solve pest problems in the field of agriculture and public health. It concentrates on pest species which are of international or regional significance either because they migrate between countries, for example, locusts and weaver birds (Quelea), or because they are widespread and endemic, for example, termites and mosquitoes. COPR undertake laboratory research and overseas field investigations into the biology, ecology and pest status of pre-harvest pests of agriculture and certain public health pests. It is also concerned with the development and application of modern pest control techniques, as well as the long-term environmental effects of the use of pesticides in the tropics. It is a new organization in name only, since it has the experience and knowledge gained from over 30 years of pest research and control in overseas territories, as it was formed in June 1971 from already existing scientific units of the British Government's Overseas Development Administration.
African Trade Union Material in the Library of the Trades Union Congress
Authors: Coates C.
Published: April 2022

The nucleus of the TUC Library was formed in 1915 with the establishment of the Labour Party Information Bureau. In 1922, a number of Joint Departments were set up by the Labour Party and the TUC, and Sidney Webb became the main advisor on the stock and organisation of the new library. In 1956, the TUC moved in Congress House in Bloomsbury, bringing the greater part of the stock with them.

The formation of the ILO in 1919 and contacts, particularly with the South African and Indian delegates, intensified the TUC's interest in labour conditions in British Protectorates. The new library began to gather material to service the Joint International Committee and the Joint Advisory Committee on Imperial Affairs. The formation in 1937 of a Colonial Advisory Committee led to a further organised attempt to collect African trade union literature.
The Institute of Commonwealth Studies Library, Oxford
Authors: Townsend R. J.
Published: April 2022

The Library collection was formed on the establishment of the Institute of Colonial Studies by University Statute in 1945. The moving spirit behind the formation was the doyenne of British Africanists, Margery Perham (later Dame Margery), who became the first Director and a prinicpal benefactor. The Library's first home was at 10 Keble Road.

In 1956 the Institute was renamed Commonwealth Studies basically because the word “Colonial” was no longer in vogue, and because it did not adequately describe the work done in the Institute which was naturally reflected in the material held by the Library. Then in 1960 the Institute, while retaining its identity and University responsbilities, moved with its Library, Office, and academic personnel into its present home, Queen Elizabeth House at 21 St. Giles.
The Development of Africana Collections in British Learned Libraries
Authors: Wynter J. H.
Published: April 2022

Africana, according to a recent American definition, consists of “trade publications, scholarly books, government publications all of which are designed to facilitate the working of governments both directly and indirectly”. Here, Africana is given a more specific meaning and refers to collections of material concerned with African studies designed to be consulted mainly for educational purposes. British universities and institutes with such collections tend to place emphasis on the behavioural sciences: politics, economics and sociology. Options in African history in single-subject undergraduate history courses are widely offered in this country, although only the School of Oriental and African Studies, London University, and the University of Birmingham offer African studies as a specialist undergraduate subject. Recent years have seen some imaginative developments: Sussex University students can study a subject against a background of African society, culture and history, whilst Kent offers a course in English with African and Caribbean studies.
African Philately and its Research Sources
Authors: Schoolley-West R.F.
Published: April 2022

Philately is a subject which, generally, is little appreciated outside its devotees, and tends to be equated to the more general hobby of stamp collecting. However, the study of the production and use of stamps and postal history is very actively pursued and has a not insignificant place in the recording of the economic, social and, in some instances, the political history of virtually every country of the world.

As a result of the lack of appreciation of the subject, the researcher sometimes finds difficulty in obtaining the necessary assistance and access to official and other records to enable him to find the information he requires. It is the intention of this paper to give some insight into the types of research work being undertaken and the various sources from which the required information can be obtained.
National Museum of African Art Branch Library, Smithsonian Institution Libraries, Washington, DC, U.S.A.
Authors: Stanley Janet L.
Published: April 2022

The National Museum of African Art Library, a Branch of the Smithsonian Institution Libraries (SIL), is a special research collection of materials concerning the arts of Africa which not only serves the curatorial and education staff of the Museum, but also reaches out to the larger community of African art scholars, curators and students. Founded in 1971, the Library grew modestly in its first decade without benefit of a regular budget. Shortly after the Museum became part of the Smithsonian Institution in 1979, the Library became officially linked with the Smithsonian Institution Libraries. From that time its mandate and audience widened, its acquisitions budget increased, and it embarked on a collection development program to enrich its holdings in keeping with the “national” library it had become. Being part of a public and a national institution, it seemed appropriate to develop the collection to match its enhanced stature.
The Papers of A.T. Matson
Authors: Thurston Anne
Published: April 2022

The deposit, on a joint basis, of the papers of A.T. Matson at the Rhodes House. library Oxford and the Kenya National Archives provides an unusual new source for East African history and sets an important precedent for co-operative efforts between the Colonial Archives Project, now being re-established within Rhodes House, and Commonwealth governments seeking papers about the colonial period. Mr. Matson, like many others with such papers, wanted them to remain in England where he could have access to them, but was at the same time he was concerned that they should be of maximum benefit to Kenya. Under the agreement reached, all material in the collection which was available elsewhere in England was transferred to Kenya, and the remaining material was arranged and microfilmed by the Kenya Archives before being sent to Rhodes House.
The Lesotho Agricultural Sector Analysis Project
Authors: Mahoney Maureen
Published: April 2022

The Lesotho Agricultural Sector Analysis (LASA) Project was undertaken by the Department of Economics of the University of Colorado for the Lesotho government, with the intention of developing ”… the capacity of the Government of Lesotho to design, implement and utilize sector analysis in their development planning efforts”. The project was to consist of three phases: One, a “start up” period of approximately ten months; Two, six months for the establishment of a team of economists and related personnel in Maseru, Lesotho; and Phase Three, the agricultural sector analysis, estimated to take twenty months. Phase One will be the one of direct concern to this article.

The object of Phase One was to set up a plan of work for the following two phases, and to develop a “knowledge base” with the primary purpose of serving the team, firstly in Colorado and later in Lesotho.
Towards Liberation: Black Women Writing
Authors: Edmands Ursula
Published: April 2022

A number of recent developments in South Africa both on the political front and on the literary scene, could be termed ‘radical’, depending on one's own political and literary perspectives. I myself, for example, am not enthusiastic about the so-called radical reform of South Africa's parliamentary system, which has been much in the news lately. Although this move will give a tiny minority of black South Africans a limited form of representation in parliament, it seems to me to leave the essential power structures untouched. To members of the ultra-right wing political parties, on the other hand, this move appears to threaten the very foundations of white civilisation, and should be resisted at all costs.
Literature of Francophone Africa and its Diaspora in Bibliographic Indexes: An Evaluation
Authors: Guyonneau Christine H.
Published: April 2022

In the era of information explosion, published material is no longer the apanage of specialized journals. Researchers in all fields — and African literature is no exception — must gather data that are scattered in eclectic publications. For instance, three journals that do not specialize in literature recently published the following articles: Teisseyre, Ch. ‘Interrogation sur la littérature africaine d'expression francaise'. Revue Francaise d'Histoire du Livre 48 (1979): 805-811; Yaek'Olingo, Wufele. ‘Brefs regards sur l'image de l'autorité post-coloniale dans le roman africain de langue francaise’. Genève-Afrique 19 (1) (1981): 103-122; Menga, Guy. ‘Expérience d'un dramaturge: l'essor du théâtre moderne au Congo’. Ethnopsychologie 35 (2-3) (April-Sept. 1980): 81-86. In this study, several interdisciplinary indexes which cover journals pertaining to francophone African literature (including but not limited to, monographs, collective works, dissertations, and proceedings of conferences) are analyzed and compared in terms of their coverage, relevancy and currency.
African Studies in British Universities: Human Geography
Authors: O'Connor Anthony
Published: April 2022

Geography is well established as an academic discipline in Britain, and geographers make a substantial contribution to African studies here. About 30 British university teachers are concerned primarily with the human geography of Africa, and for about 30 others it is a subsidiary interest. These individuals are widely scattered around the country (Appendix 1), and their particular concerns are very diverse, so many are not closely in touch with one another. No organization binds them together or reviews their work, and therefore this is a purely personal assessment - though it has benefitted from the comments of several colleagues.

A review such as this is inevitably somewhat arbitrary in its limits, for the studies in question take place within a complex system of interrelationships with a wider range of studies.
Towards a History of Colonial Administrators in Africa: Sources and Problems
Authors: Kirk-Greene A H M
Published: April 2022

Mr Kirk-Greene, who five years ago started work on the history of the modern British Colonial Service in Africa with the help of pilot research grants from the British Academy, the Rhodes Trust and the Hoover Institution, prefaced his talk by drawing attention to the vigorous current revival of interest in the colonial period. He cited the recent phenomenon of the “mini-industry” on the Raj - instancing the time given by television, radio, SOAS and the Imperial War Museum to Charles Allen's oral history project Plain Tales from the Raj and Raj: A Scrapbook; the success of Paul Scott's novels in the Ran Quartet, now being filmed; the India Office Library Hunt and Harrison project, The District Officer in India;
Les expériences de la bibliothèque nationale de Paris
Authors: Lethève Jacques
Published: April 2022

Destinée à la réunion des experts dans le domaine des échanges qui doit se tenir à Vienne en 1972, cette étude est un document de travail dont je tiens à préciser la nature et les limites.

L'expérience que possède le Service français des Echanges, rattaché à la Bibliothéque nationale de Paris, en matière d'échanges avec les pays africains, a paru susceptible d'intéresser tous ceux qui cherchent à établir, non sans difficulté parfois, des contacts avec ces pays. Certes les échanges entretenus avec 96 pays et plus de 1 100 partenaires différents donnent au Service des Echanges Internationaux une expérience étendue et des éléments de comparaison. D'autre part, l'utilisation de la langue française dans une partie importante des pays africains entraifie, entre ces derniers et la France, des relations privilégiées dans le domaine culturel. Enfin, parce que ces territoires ont été longtemps soumis au régime des colonies ou des protectorats, des liens existent depuis de longues années et subsistent dans différents domaines, en particulier ceux de l'édition, de l'enseignement ou des bibliothèques.
Standing Conference Of Eastern, Central And Southern African Libraries (Scecsal) VII
Authors: Giggey Shirley H.
Published: April 2022

The successful Seventh Standing Conference of Eastern, Central and Southern African Librarians was attended by approximately 200 librarians from the region and from the U.K. The Botswana Library Association must be congratulated on hosting and facilitating this conference; a task that included a great deal of fundraising, facilitating accommodation, travel and entertainment. Everyone was very kind, the accommodation good and the food and drink both generous and tasty.

I would like to thank British Council for providing my travel and the Botswana Library Association for my meals and accommodation. I was able to attend all three ‘conferences', visit a village and talk with several government and nongovernment officers while there and it was all a very enjoyable experience.
African Source Materials from the Oxford Development Records Project
Authors: Kirk-Greene A.H.M.
Published: April 2022

The Oxford Development Records Project (1977-) is the lineal descendant of the Oxford Colonial Records Project (1963-1972), whose work on collections of private papers acquired from those who had worked in the Colonial Service has been well described by Patricia M. Pugh in Journal of the Society of Archivists, 6, 1978, 76-86 and by J.J. Tawney (‘Personal thoughts on a rescue operation’) in African Affairs, 67, 1968, 345-50.

Neither of these accounts, in the event, paid adequate attention to the Oral History dimensions of the OCRP whereby, with the help of an honorary Research Officer, tape-recorded interviews were concluded between 1967 and 1972 with nearly eighty members of the Colonial Service or Colonial Office (along with a few from the private sector), ranging from the Governor-General with thirty years’ service to his credit to the unconfirmed Cadet who resigned after three.
Ecological Constraints on Agricultural Development in Africa
Authors: Moss Rowland
Published: April 2022

It has been commonly supposed that there are major factors inherent in tropical environments which make them uniquely problematic, and essentially inhospitable-to agricultural development. They, and especially their soils, are seen as intractable and fragile, and liable to break down irreversibly if man dares to meddle with the delicate, but vaguely conceived and tenuously defined, “ecological balance” (see Gourou, 1953; Stamp, 1953 a,b; Richards, 1952; 1970; Janzen, 1975; inter alia). The unarticulated corollory is that more temperate environments are,to a great extent robust and unproblematic. Both premises may be seriously questioned, and their conjunction is dubious in the extreme. In the first place, though it may be demonstrated with some plausibility that tropical environments have presented obstacles to productive agricultural development, it remains to be shown that these problems are solely the consequence of environmental characteristics, or whether perhaps the major factor is the lack of appropriate ingenuity, with technological inventiveness inhibited by the temperate blinkers of those responsible for technological research.
The Development of African Studies in Canada
Authors: Taylor D.R. Fraser
Published: April 2022

Canada has a long standing interest in Africa. As Paul Lumsden points out (Lumsden 1983) an African slave from Madagascar was baptised in Quebec in 1628 and from that time on contact has been continuous although not widely recognized by most Canadians. Lumsden draws attention to the fact that Sir Garnet Wolseley, who helped defeat Louis Riel in Manitoba in 1870 also captured Asante capital of Kumasi for the British in 1874. At least two well known British governors in Africa, Sir Percy Girouard of Northern Nigeria (1907-09) and Sir Gordon Guggisberg of the Gold Coast (1919-27) were Canadian born and Canadians have played a larger part than is generally recognized in British colonial history. Canadian missionaries, especially those from Quebec, have played a very large role in Africa although this has as yet been very poorly documented (Lumsden 1983).
No Carpet on the Floor: Extracts from the Memoirs of Charles Granston Richards, Founding Director, East African Literature Bureau
Authors: Richards C.G. , Olden Anthony , Hockey Sidney , Wilson David McD.
Published: April 2022

Most of the issues that relate to information, publishing and libraries in contemporary Africa go back further than is generally realised. Summing up the proceedings of a conference on textbook provision and library development that took place in Manchester in 1991, an Overseas Development Administration spokesman said that ‘the obvious and immediate needs are to develop the skills of indigenous writers, build vibrant local publishing industries, and allocate more funds overall to providing textbooks and library books.’ Yet this is what one organisation - the East African Literature Bureau - had been attempting to do from its inception in 1948. Speaking at a Unesco seminar at Ibadan in 1953 the Bureau's director said its fields of activity included: ‘(a) textbooks for schools; (b) general literature and the tutoring of African authors; (c) the publication of a magazine; (d) the development of libraries; (e) the establishment of a business section with a publishing fund to develop the sale of the Bureau's publications and assist in the general development of bookselling.’
The subject organization of materials on Africa: an overview of recent work
Authors: McIlwaine I.C.
Published: April 2022

In 1972 Amankwe published a survey of ‘Africa in the standard classification schemes’. In this he concentrated principally on the Decimal Classification, The Library of Congress Classification and The Bibliographic Classification. He paid particular attention to the problems of area designation, language, literature and anthropology and to such related matters as historical and racial subdivisions. Since that date much has been published on specific topics but no attempt has been made to survey the field in its entirety and it is the intention of the present article to collect together the strands, draw attention to important publications and look towards the future, particularly with reference to the need for standardization with the increasing use of automated systems throughout the World. The author or the editor of this journal would welcome any additional information and in particular any ‘in-house’ versions of parts of classification schemes, subject headings lists and authority files for names of persons, corporate bodies, etc., with a view to promoting greater interchange and participation in the development of standards for bibliographic work.
From Paper to PDF? The Publications of Africa-Related International Organisations, Past, Present and Future
Authors: Blake David
Published: April 2022

This paper looks briefly at the pattern of hard copy publication of a number of ! international organisations and considers the extent of library holdings of items from these bodies, both in this country and, to a much more limited extent, in the United States. It then lookstat their websites and considers the extent to which the same information is available in both formats. Finally, questions are asked about the value of these websites both for users in Africa and elsewhere and there is also some discussion about the problems which they raise for librarians.

Any mention of the term ‘international organisation’ leads most people to think immediately of the United Nations. But this paper is not about the output of the central bodies of the UN, although there is plenty of material of interest to Africanists coming out of bodies such as the General Assembly, the Security Council and UNESCO, based as they are in New York, Geneva or Paris.
Private Enterprise and Nigerian University Libraries: The Ahmadu Bello University Example
Authors: Zaki M.M.
Published: April 2022

This article explains what has led to privatisation of some library services in Nigerian university libraries, with emphasis on the Ahmadu Bello University Library experience. It also discusses the prospects and problems of already privatised services such as photocopying and word processing. Other viable services for privatisation are enumerated.