bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Realization of a self‐testing bus arbiter
Authors: Tokito Kazuo , Kurokawa Takakazu , Koga Yoshiaki
Published: July 2007

This paper discusses a realization of a self‐testing distributed arbiter for bus‐connected systems. One of the traditional schemes for arbitration is that each of the connected modules acknowledges when the arbitration is completed. However, there is a problem in that a dedicated software as well as a complex hardware are required, which increases the cost and affects the through‐put of the system.

The method proposed in this paper assigns a certain code as the module number for verification of arbitration, and detects failure by a retrial using its complement. In other words, the method aims at secure arbitration using time‐space redundancy, i.e., redundancy in time and redundancy in code space, and at realization by as simple a circuit as possible, with the self‐testing function.

It is verified from the results of simulation that all single stuck‐at faults can be detected for the case of 3 bits, under the assumption that all possible inputs are given before the next failure is produced. Even if not all of the inputs are given, there was no observed extraordinary operation where an incorrect module is selected. Thus, the self‐testing arbiter with a high speed and a simple hardware configuration can be realized.
A segmentation method based on region information and edge information
Authors: Jiang Hao , Suzuki Hidetomo , Toriwaki Jun‐Ichiro
Published: July 2007

This paper proposes a segmentation method based on region information and edge information. The method consists of three steps: (1) a connected component which is a part of an object is extracted as a seed by using a simple process such as a histogram analysis; (2) this seed is expanded repeatedly; and (3) to evaluate the possibility of the expansion, the uniformity of gray levels (region information) and checking the presence of border pixels (edge information) are used.

Although the method can be considered as a kind of region expansion, the significant features are that it contains the growth of a seed and the edge information (a part of control information) to expand the region repeatedly. The former gives preliminary information on approximate gray levels of an object and extracts the object as a connected component, and the latter makes the edge information more useful. Although the usefulness of the edge information in a conventional region‐and‐edge integrated method such as the superslice algorithm depends greatly on its region segmentation, the use of such methods can be avoided in the proposed method, since both the region and edge information are used simultaneously for the control conditions of the region expansion. The method is justified experimentally by using synthetic images and actual images in two and three dimensions.
Automatic extraction of the representative 2‐D projected shape for polyhedral object from viewing vector map
Authors: Fujimoto Kozo , Kimoto Masato , Nakata Shuji
Published: July 2007

Two‐dimensional (2‐D) projected image (object appearance) pictured by a TV camera is changed by the construction of the visible surfaces or the surface occlusion according to the view direction. This paper proposes a new algorithm for extracting the representative 2‐D projected shape. In this method, a viewing area showing the same appearance is drawn and expressed on a viewing vector map that is the orthogonal coordinate graph expressed by the deflection angle (α, β) of a viewing vector in a polar coordinate system. A viewing vector map is divided into the viewing regions showing the same appearance by drawing the visible region of each surface and the boundary line showing the occlusion between surfaces.

The representative 2‐D projected shapes for the 3‐D object are obtained by extracting the representative points in each divided region on a viewing vector map. The representative projected shape for a stable postrue of the 3‐D object is extracted easily by drawing the trace of the viewing point based on a stable posture of the object and the position of the TV camera on a viewing vector map. Furthermore, the approximate ratio of each viewing region showing the same appearance to the 3‐D view space can be calculated easily. This ratio shows the appearance probability.
Generation of Gn multisided patch surfaces
Authors: Kuriyama Shigeru
Published: July 2007

This paper proposes a method of generating multisided patches from a curve network that has arbitrary topology. The method generates N sweep surfaces from the curves surrounding ans N‐sided domain. A sweep surface is defined for each boundary of the domain by using a local parameter space that is composed of variables defined on generalized barycentric coordinates; N‐sided patches are generated by blending the sweep surfaces with interpolants that preserve geometric continuity on each boundary. The geometric continuity of the curves crossing the boundaries. Moreover, curves can be represented by arbitrary degrees and nodes.
Ray tracing using dynamic subtree—algorithm and speed evaluation
Authors: Naruse Tadashi , Shinya Mikio , Saito Takafumi
Published: July 2007

For fast ray tracing computation, it is essential to determine efficiently which object is projected on each pixel of the image plane. The data structure plays a major role in this process, and a hierarchical tree data structure of the objects often is used. This paper proposes a very fast algorithm based on use of a subtree of given hierarchical tree.

Experimental results show that the number of intersection computations can be reduced greatly by the use of subtrees and that the computation cost for dynamic construction of a subtree is low. Analysis of the algorithm supports the experimental results. Experimental comparison with Arvo's algorithm [6], one of the fastest existing algorithms, shows that our algorithm is faster for primary rays.
An associate memory model based on hopfield neural network with redundant neurons
Authors: Nishiyama Kiyoshi , Goto Haruhide
Published: July 2007

In the associate memory model based on the Hopfield neural network, the memorized pattern must satisfy a certain kind of orthogonal condition. However, in general, it is very difficult to satisfy this condition, which has been a great drawback in the application of the associative memory model based on the Hopfield neural network.

This paper aims at the remedy of the foregoing point in the associative memory model based on the Hopfield neural networks. Also, a new associative system is proposed based on the new memorized pattern which is generated by redundant neurons to satisfy the orthogonal condition. The proposed method is similar to the traditional method in that the Hopfield neural network is employed. However, it has the following differences: (i) new memorized patterns satisfying the orthogonal condition are generated using redundant neurons; and (ii) the initial state and the timeevolution rule for the redundant neuron are introduced based on the a priori information.

Using computer simulation, the case of 3, 4 and 5 memorized patterns are examined and compared, and it is shown that the recall ability is improved greatly in the proposed system, compared to the traditional systems.
A model of selective attention to disambiguate ambiguous figures
Authors: Kawabata Nobuo
Published: July 2007

Ambiguous figures are visual stimuli which are interpreted multiply by the human visual system.

This paper proposes a model which disambiguates ambiguous figures. The model that was formulated was based on the characteristics of visual information processing, accompanied by selective attention.

In the ambiguous figure “my husband and my father‐in‐law,” it was necessary to simulate visual information processing so that attention was directed to the multiple features in the figure to disambiguate the ambiguous figure.

Pictures obtained from the model were examined as to whether or not they were interpreted unambiguously. Results show that the model simulating selective attention can disambiguate the ambiguous figures. This suggests that the image per se, viewed through selective attention, becomes unambiguous before the figure is interpreted at the higher level. The results show also that the computer simulation of selective attention would make it possible to examine factors affecting the initial interpretation of the figure.
Rs‐vector algorithms for combinational problems
Authors: Iwamoto Chuzo , Iwama Kazuo
Published: July 2007

The RS‐vector machine (RS‐VM) is based on the vector operations called repeat and stretch. It is known that generally they speed up according to a single parameter called the expansion factor, several sequential complexity classes over polynomial space to polynomial time.

This paper investigates the computational power of the model for more concrete problems. The RS‐vector algorithms are given which can solve typical NP‐complete problems, i.e., satisfiability, knapsack, partition, vertex cover, clique and exact cover problems in O(n) time, k‐colorable problem in O(n log k) time, and Hamilton circuit and traveling salesperson problems in O(n log2 n) time.

It should be emphasized that, compared with other models such as PRAMs, vector machines are completely of SIMD‐type and their communication facilities are nothing less than those represented by repeat and stretch. The results show that such a restricted model can solve a wide range of NP‐problems in almost linear time.
A context‐free grammar‐driven, one‐pass HMM‐based continuous speech recognition method
Authors: Nakagawa Seiichi , Kai Atsuhiko
Published: July 2007

This paper describes a frame synchronous continuous speech recognition algorithm using a context‐free grammar and its evaluation. A frame‐synchronous parsing algorithm for context‐free grammar based on the top‐down strategy is used for the prediction of successive words. The parsing process is incorporated into the one‐pass search algorithm with the dynamical expansion of a finite‐state automaton. Of course, since the number of the states becomes large, the beam search method should be used in the prediction and in pruning unreliable candidate branches from the search space. By using the proposed algorithm, a sentence recognition rate of 90 percent in a speaker adaptation mode is obtained while the conventional system based on word spotting and lattice parsing algorithm obtained 80.7 percent for the task of perplexity 10.
Fast morphology hardware using large‐sized structuring element
Authors: Kojima Shoji , Ebisawa Yoshinobu , Miyakawa Tatsuo
Published: July 2007

Mathematical morphology is one of the data processing methods that is extremely useful for image processing and has many applications, such as, noise elimination, shape description, texture analysis, and so on. The mathematical base of morphological processing is dilation and erosion which are described by set analysis and can be expressed in logical AND, OR notation.

Localized parallel processing including morphological processing is not suitable to Neumann architecture because of the memory access bottleneck which makes it hard to achieve the high throughout data processing required in applications such as video image processing. Also the cytocomputer aimed at fast image processing has a drawback in that it can handle only very small structuring elements.

In this paper, first, an algorithm is presented which accelerates morphological image processing. Next, the algorithm to design a specialized hardware which processes the real‐time video image is implemented and finally, an application of this specialized hardware for medical use is described.
Handprinted numerals recognition by learning distance function
Authors: Kawatani Takahiko
Published: July 2007

In designing more accurate character recognition, revealing the differences with other categories in distance function is important. In this paper, I propose Learning by Discriminant Analysis (LDA) as a method to learn distance functions. With a weighted Euclidean distance and a quadratic discriminant function as the original distance functions, LDA learns parameters by superposing the decision function for searching on the pattern set of the noticed category. The results for handwritten numeral recognition rate improved dramatically and its effectiveness was verified. In addition, when the values of the parameters after learning are changed and applied in a weighted Euclidean distance so that the misread patterns before learning are efficiently segmented and strong correlations exist between features, appropriate category boundaries are obtained. When applied to the quadratic discriminant function, the effect of the offset from the normal distribution of features is reduced.
Automated extraction of lung cancer lesions from multislice chest CT images by using three‐dimensional image processing
Authors: Hasegawa Jun‐Ichi , Mori Kensaku , Toriwaki Jun‐Ichiro , Anno Hirofumi , Katada Kazuhiro
Published: July 2007

This paper discusses the test for the automatic extraction of lung cancer candidate areas from the high‐resolution continuous chest CT image taken with the slice interval of 1 mm, by a three‐dimensional image processing technique. The detection of local suspicious regions (SR) is considered. A procedure is developed which discriminates the lung area from other images (mostly vessels) based on the differences of three‐dimensional shapes. The actual procedure in the processing is composed largely of two steps: (1) segmentation of lung area; and (2) SR extraction.

In this study, the processing is realized by a relatively simple procedure, combining such basic processes as thresholding, fusion of three‐dimensional figures (or three‐dimensional distance transformation) and the three‐dimensional skeletonization. The usefulness of the method is demonstrated using an actual case of lung cancer. The study is significant as the first test that demonstrated the usefulness of the three‐dimensional image processing, using the three‐dimensional CT image of a practically sufficient accuracy.
A dictionary retrieval algorithm using two trie structures
Authors: Morimoto Katsushi , Iriguchi Hirokazu , Aoe Jun‐Ichi
Published: July 2007

The trie has the feature that the retrieval can be executed with the character symbols composing the key as the unit, and a high‐speed retrieval is realized independently of the total number of keys. Consequently, it used frequently in the search of the natural language dictionary and in other problems. A problem, however, is that the number of trie states increases with the enlargement of the key set, which necessitates a larger memory capacity. To remedy this point, DAWG (Directed Acyclic Word‐Graph) is proposed, where the common suffix of the tries is compressed.

Then, a new problem arises in that the record information cannot be determined uniquely for the key. For this problem, this paper introduces a new structure, where the number of states is reduced by merging the common suffixes of the tries, while determining uniquely the record information for the key. The algorithm for retrieval, insertion and deletion of the key is proposed for the structure. In the proposed method, the set of keys is represented using two tries. One of the tries memorizes the prefix of the minimum length that can discriminate uniquely between the key from other keys. The other trie stores the suffixes of the remaining keys in order to merge the common suffix. A simulation is executed for various sets of keys such as Chinese character called Kanji, alphabets and Japanese Katakana characters, and it is seen that the number of states is reduced by approximately 30 to 65 percent for the key set of 50,000 words, compared to the ordinary trie.
A speculative execution scheme of macrotasks for parallel processing systems
Authors: Yamana Hayato , Yasue Toshiaki , Ishii Yoshihiko , Muraoka Yoichi
Published: July 2007

This paper considers the high‐speed execution of FORTRAN programs on parallel processing systems and proposes the parallelizing scheme of the program and execution based on the speculative execution over multiple conditional branches. Several techniques have been proposed that parallelize the program including conditional branches.

A method which does not use the speculative execution is: (1) the method called earliest execution condition determination. As the methods which use the speculative execution are: (2) speculative evaluation scheme for a single conditional branch for the superscalar processor or VLIW computer; and (3) multiple speculative execution scheme assuming particular loops.

There are the following problems: (1) sufficient parallelism is not extracted only by determining the earliest execution condition; (2) the speed improvement that can be realized by the speculative execution of a single conditional branch is at most twofold; and (3) the scheme can be applied only to particular loops.

This paper divides the program into macrotasks, and defines the multiple stage speculative execution scheme between macrotasks on the general parallel processing system. Then, the macrotask execution control for the individual macrotask is proposed, using the execution start condition, the control establishment condition and the execution stop condition.
Initial value search method for multiple viewpoint stereo measurement using genetic algorithms
Authors: Nobiki Atsushi , Naruse Hiroshi , Yabuta Tetsuro , Tateda Mitsuhiro
Published: July 2007

There has already been a report on the method to improve stereo measurement accuracy by integrating stereo data from multiple viewpoints, which employs a local optimization technique, the nonlinear optimization method using iterative calculation. The problem is that estimated results depend on the initial values of the iterative calculation. If the calculation begins with unsuitable values, a correct estimation cannot be made. This paper presents a new method utilizing a genetic algorithm to search for initial values for the nonlinear optimization process in multiple viewpoint stereo measurement. In this method, a one‐dimensional matrix is created. Called an “individual,” it consists of parameters to be determined. Next, a population is formed which consists of several individuals. Then three kinds of genetic operations are performed on this population, crossover, mutation and selection, which evolve the population to fit the environment. This evolution process is repeated and the evolved result is used as the initial values for the iteration calculation. The efficiency of this method is confirmed by simulation and an outdoor experiment.
A method for modeling freehand curves—The fuzzy spline interpolation
Authors: Saga Sato , Makino Hiromi , Sasaki Juni‐Ichi
Published: July 2007

In this paper, a fuzzy spline interpolation technique is proposed to give a fuzzy model of sampled freehand curves that involve vagueness (associated with roughness is drawing) in their positional information. The fuzzy model is an extension of ordinary spline curves. Because the model inherits geometric characteristics from spline curves and can be handled as a fuzzy set, it provides a fuzzy inference approach to the geometric meaning of the drawer's original intention, allowing for the vagueness of the drawn freehand curves. An application of the model to freehand curve segmentation demonstrates the necessity of the method.
A similarity retrieval method of drawings based on graph representation
Authors: Wakimoto Koji , Tanaka Satoshi , Maeda Akira , Shima Mitsuhide
Published: July 2007

An efficient method to retrieve necessary information from drawings for plant diagrams, logic circuit diagrams, etc. stored in a database is presented. In the image information retrieval systems currently in use, a keyword is assigned to each diagram and information is retrieved by the user by giving the keyword. When the features of the desired image are not registered as a keyword, however, its retrieval becomes difficult. In this paper a method is proposed in which the user shows features of the desired diagram using a sample diagram and a section similar to the sample diagram is retrieved. In this research, diagrams consisting mainly of symbols and connecting lines are considered. This kind of diagram is represented by a graph and similarities in topological features between the sample graph and graph representations of the diagrams in the database are evaluated. The retrieval is then performed based on the value obtained. The results of an experiment conducted using plant diagrams show that similar diagrams can be retrieved using this method.
Labeling board based on boundary tracking
Authors: Ishiyama Yutaka , Kubo Fumio , Takahashi Hironobu , Tomita Fumiaki
Published: July 2007

This paper reports on hardware implementation of a labeling algorithm using a combination of raster scanning and boundary tracking. For the prototype board, a new method is employed for generating addresses of image memory so that boundary tracking is efficient. Since boundary tracking is used, there is no need for working memory for storage of initial labels. Hence the circuit becomes compact, and the labeling can be performed without restricting the number of labels. Furthermore, it can also count the number of holes when labeling and it can set the minimum or maximum boundary length of the region to be labeled. This board is constructed using only general purpose ICs; for a 512 × 512 image, the processing time is approximately 50 ms.
Spontaneous speech dialogue system TOSBURG II—the user‐centered multimodal interface
Authors: Takebayashi Yoichi
Published: July 2007

This paper considers the user‐centered spontaneous speech dialogue system TOSBURG‐II (Taskoriented dialogue system based on speech understanding and response generation), and discusses the design from the viewpoint of media technology and a multimodal interface. The authors have developed element techniques, including spontaneous speech understanding, user‐center dialogue control, multimodal response generation and speech response cancelling, all based on the noise‐immune word‐spotting and key‐words. The concept is that “no constraint is imposed on the user.” By integrating these techniques, the realtime speech dialogue system for an unspecified user is developed. The speech dialogue data acquisition/ evaluation system is constructed on the real system. The system can record real speech data as well as the intermediate result of processing in the dialogue system, such as keyword spotting, speech understanding and dialogue processing. The system can also be utilized in the construction of the speech dialogue corpus and the evaluation/improvement of the human factor aspect, in addition to the evaluation of the system performance. As a result of trial use and evaluation experiment for the real system for unspecified users, it is verified that spontaneous speech understanding based on the interruption function by the user and the multimodal response and keywords, is useful in improving the naturalness of the dialogue and robustness.
Signal source localization from spatio‐temporal biomagnetic data by signal subspace method
Authors: Kudo Hiroyuki , Saito Tsuneo , Maemura Takashi
Published: July 2007

New methods are proposed to localize multiple current dipoles from spatio‐temporal biomagnetic data obtained with SQUID magnetometers. The proposed methods are based on subspace fitting (SF) and weighted subspace fitting (WSF) frameworks that have been developed originally in the field of array signal processing. When time series from multiple dipoles are strongly correlated or multiple dipoles are closely spaced, these methods outperform the multiple signal classification (MUSIC) proposed by Mosher et al. [1]. Results are presented using these methods for simulated data and experimental magnetocardiogram data. The WSF criterion produced significantly better results compared with the MUSIC and the SF criteria.
A parallel correlation learning by threshold fluctuation for multilayered perceptrons
Authors: Watanabe Kazuhisa , Mitani Mitsuaki , Nishida Keizo , Oohori Takahumi
Published: July 2007

This paper proposes the parallel correlation learning, which is a method different from the conventional back‐propagation method. The proposed learning method is applicable to the feedforward‐type network in which the output of each unit is differentiable in regard to the internal activation and the output error function is partially differentiable in regard to the set of outputs from the visible units. For the purpose of learning, the time‐fluctuation nk(t) (where k is the unit number), which is of small amplitude, unbiased, independent and of uniform distribution, is introduced into the threshold of each unit. The error function value also contains the time‐fluctuation due to nk(t), and is represented as e(p, t) (where p is the learning sample number).

The correction for the connection coefficient Wk is represented as Δp Wk = −εe(p, t)nk(tqk(p, t), based only on the correlation e(p, t)nk(t) between e(p, t) and nk(t), as well as the average output qk(p, t) of the set of units connected directly to the unit k. It is shown theoretically that the steepest descent of the error is achieved for the state where all fluctuation components are suppressed. In the proposed learning method, all connection coefficients are trained in parallel independently of the shapes of the error function or the nonlinear function of the unit without considering the layer structure. Through the simulation for XOR problem, the learning performance is verified.
Performance enhancement of two‐phase quasi‐delay‐insensitive circuits
Authors: Kagotani Kiroto , Nanya Takashi
Published: July 2007

Two‐phase quasi‐delay‐insensitive circuits control the data‐paths by alternating the working‐phase and idle‐phase. Although the use of Martin's Q‐element simplifies the design of such circuits, sequential execution of idle‐phases, which consume as much time as working‐phases, prevents high‐speed circuit operation. The auto‐sweeping module (ASM) proposed here allows parallel execution of an idle‐phase with the working‐phase of the next stage. A few extra circuits are inserted in order to use ASM for every micro‐operation. A simulation study shows that ASM accelerates the average speed of a multiplier by 58 percent without any increase in the total number of gates.
Halftoning technique using genetic algorithms
Authors: Kobayashi Naoki , Saito Hideo
Published: July 2007

A new halftoning technique using genetic algorithm (GA) has been proposed. GA is the optimal search algorithm based on natural selection. An original gray‐tone image is divided into some equally sized blocks. A binary block of the halftone image is coded as the string in GA. The fitness value for the string is defined according to the visual quality of the halftone image. By using GA, the binary block having the highest fitness value is searched for among every block. The efficacy of the proposed halftoning technique is demonstrated by the results obtained by computer simulation.
An open information networking architecture for distributed multimedia systems
Authors: Hong Choong Seon , Matsushita Yutaka
Published: July 2007

This paper proposes a novel networking architecture on a distributed processing environment (DPE) for various multimedia services suitable to high‐speed networks and for the flexible and rapid introduction services in an open networking environment. Furthermore, the proposed architecture is realized as a testbed. This architecture has the following features: (1) the use of DPE for the rapid introduction of service to users and for the flexible management of multimedia network resources; (2) the definition of the service session and connection management for efficient managing functions of the session and connection; and (3) the introduction of any special service with the use of an Ad Hoc service manager. The interfaces scheme between a service session manager that is implemented on a DPE platform and an Ad Hoc service manager is an important aspect in an open networking environment. A CSCW application is given as an example of an Ad Hoc service manager.
Cesarean section and maternal education; secular trends in Norway, 1967–2004
Authors: TOLLÅNES METTE C. , THOMPSON JOHN M.D. , DALTVEIT ANNE K. , IRGENS LORENTZ M.
Published: July 2007

Background. Worldwide rising cesarean section rates over the past decades have caused much concern. Studies on the association between cesarean section and maternal social background have reported conflicting results. Methods. A cohort study, comprising 837,312 birth order one deliveries notified to the population‐based Medical Birth Registry of Norway during 1967–2004. The relative risk of cesarean section (from 1988 onwards planned and emergency cesarean section) according to maternal educational level was assessed in all deliveries, in an obstetric low‐risk group and within groups of medical/obstetric high‐risk conditions. Results. Throughout the study period, the lowest educated had the highest risk of cesarean section, followed by the medium educational group. In all deliveries, the adjusted relative risk of cesarean section for the lowest versus the highest educated increased from 1.16 (95% CI 1.09–1.23) in the 1967–76 period to 1.34 (95% CI 1.27–1.42) in the 1996–2004 period, and in the obstetric low risk group from 1.19 (95% CI 1.10–1.30) to 1.50 (95% CI 1.38–1.63). From 1988 onwards, the lowest educated had the highest risk of both planned and emergency cesarean section, followed by the medium educational group. Conclusion. The lowest educated had the highest risk of cesarean section, followed by the medium educational group, and the differences gradually increased during 1967–2004. This trend could be accounted for by increasing vulnerability of the lowest educational group due to a strong social migration, and by increased occurrence of cesarean section on maternal request among the lowest educated in recent years.
Book Notes
Authors: Love Roy , Bush Ray , Szeftel Morris
Published: July 2007

Martin, W G & Michael O West(eds.) (1999), Out of One, Many Africas: Reconstructing the Study and Meaning of Africa,University of Illinois Press.

Chazan, Naomi, Peter Lewis, Robert A Mortimer, Donald Rothchild, Stephen John Stedman(1999), Politics and Society in Contemporary Africa,3rdedition, Lynne Reinner, Macmillan.

Schraeder, Peter J(2000), African Politics and Society: A Mosaic in Transition,Boston/New York Bedford/St Martins.

Mbaku, John Mukum(2000), Bureaucratic and Political Corruption in Africa: The Public Choice Perspective,Florida: Krieger Publishing.

Doig, Alan, Robin Theobald(eds.) (2000), Corruption and Democratisation,London: Frank Cass.

Musah, Abdel‐Fatau, J Kayode Fayemi(eds.) (2000), Mercenaries: An African Security Dilemma,London: Pluto Press.

Clayton, Anthony(1999), Frontiersmen: Warfare in Africa Since 1950,Warfare and History Series, UCL Press.

Tanzi, V, K Chu, S Gupta(eds.) (1999), Economic Policy & Equity,Washington: International Monetary Fund.
Taking stock of pastoralist NGOs in Tanzania
Authors: Cameron Greg
Published: July 2007

The article begins with a brief history of the land pressures on pastoralism that gave rise to the emergence of pastoralist NGOs in Tanzania and the formation of an umbrella body — the Pastoralist Indigenous Non‐Governmental Organization (PINGOs) Forum — intended to serve their collective interests. Through focusing on some of the affiliates of the PINGOs Forum, the article outlines the leadership and organisational problems that beset its members and which set the conditions for its domination by one of its founder NGOs. Investigation of the influence of Western donors suggests that there has been a shift in PINGOs’ efforts both into activities best done by its affiliates or upwards and outwards to the transnational level. While acknowledging the difficulty of engaging in politics as usual, the failure of PINGOs’ to situate itself within wider processes of political debate in Tanzania has further isolated pastoralist issues from policy makers and citizenry alike. In conclusion the article points to alternative approaches that activists could pursue in the future.
Book notes
Authors: Love Roy
Published: July 2007

Anderson, David M & Vigdis Broch‐Due, The Poor are Not Us: Poverty and Pastoralism in Eastern Africa,Eastern African Studies, James Currey 1999.

Negashe, Tekeste & Kjetil Tronvoll, Brothers at War: Making Sense of the Eritrean‐Ethiopian War, Eastern African Studies, James Currey 2000.

Henze, Paul B, Layers of Time: A History of Ethiopia,Hurst 2000.

Toulmin, Camila and Julian Quan, Evolving Land Rights, Policy and Tenure in Africa,IIED and DfID, London 2000.

Woodhouse, Philip, Henry Bernstein & David Hulme, African Enclosures? The Social Dynamics of Wetlands in Drylands, James Currey; David Philip; Africa World Press; EAEP, 2000.

Dashwood, Hevina S, Zimbabwe: The Political Economy of Transformation,University of Toronto Press, 2000.
The Western Sahara under polisario control
Authors: Bhatia Michael
Published: July 2007

From 17–27 April 2001, the author visited the Sahrawi refugee camps and the northern sector of the Western Sahara territory under Polisario control (the region surrounding the town of Bir Lahlou and Tifariti near Tindouf, Algeria). The author previously visited the Sahrawi refugee camps in 1997, and is planning a visit to the area under Moroccan control in the autumn of 2001.
Zimbabwe: labour's options within the movement for democratic change
Authors: Dansereau Suzanne
Published: July 2007

The article sets out to understand the option for labour represented by the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC), a movement made up of a wide cross section of groups opposing ZANU‐PFs twenty‐one year hold on power, with key leadership coming from the labour movement. The article seeks to understand the nature and potential for change embodied in the MDC given its alliance with groups from below, often labelled civil society or new social movement.

It documents labour's radicalisation, moving from the shop floor into broader political action and alliance‐building and eventually into a direct partisan challenge for political power in the 2000 parliamentary elections. It analyses MDC policies, finding a seemingly contradictory emphasis on participation and social democracy, alongside the proposals for a mixed economy involving international donors and investors, with a moderate state role whose objective is to create employment and alleviate poverty. These policies reflect the loose alliance making up the MDC, ranging from citizen, labour and human rights groups, with some commercial farmers and industrialists. The challenge is to maintain support from the various interests within this common front as it consolidates itself into a party, capable of putting forward a national project. This requires a struggle between competing interests, and it is labour's actions within this struggle and its outcome that will ultimately define labour's options within this new grouping.
Making war & lots of money: the political economy of protracted conflict in Angola
Authors: Malaquias Assis
Published: July 2007

The civil war in Angola has mutated into a major criminal enterprise. Once regarded as a conflict caused primarily by ethnic and class divisions exacerbated by Cold War ideological rivalries, Angola's protracted conflict is now a convenient cover used by the elites commanding the principal antagonists ‐ the governing Movimento Popular de Libertacao de Angola (MPLA) and the rebel Uniao Nacional para Independencia Total de Angola (UNITA) movement ‐ to enrich themselves. The consequences for the country and its people have been devastating. Angola is being reduced to ashes: destruction, death and incessant suffering consume the daily lives of all but a few of its citizens. This article examines the internal and external dimensions of this war for Angola's oil and diamond wealth.
La société civile et la lutte pour la paix en Angola
Authors: Beaudet Pierre
Published: July 2007

La société civile angolaise a pris du temps à prendre sa place après l'avènement de l'indépendance. Encore aujourd'hui, elle reste faible et vulnérable. Mais, en même temps, elle constitue une des clés pour permettre de réelles transformations en Angola. C'est la mobilisation et l'organisation de la société civile qui seront les facteurs déterminants pour la démocratisation, l'établissement de la paix et l'amorce d'un développement durable dans ce pays.
Whither Zimbabwe? crisis & democratisation
Authors: Sachikonye Lloyd M.
Published: July 2007

When it attained its independence in 1980, there were high hopes expressed for Zimbabwe's political and economic future. It was amongst the top four more industrialized countries in Sub‐Saharan Africa; it possessed a more diversified economy than most countries; and it had a better human resource base than most; and it had a middle‐income status. Comparatively speaking, therefore, Zimbabwe had better prospects of making a head start in economic and political development than most countries on the continent. For some years, especially in its first decade of independence, it appeared to live up to some of these expectations. There were considerable investments in social development (characterised by a massive expansion in the education and social sectors); the economy itself grew; and it quickly became the regional breadbasket. Furthermore, the country was an oasis of stability in a region then mired in turmoil from Angola to Mozambique, and in liberation struggles from Namibia to South Africa.
The socio‐economic basis of a diaspora community: Igbo bu ike
Authors: Uduku Ola
Published: July 2007

In this article the author discusses the history and actions of the Igbo community, primarily via their ‘home town unions or associations’ and more recently through the activities in the diaspora of the World Igbo Congress (WIC), both to establish their presence in their adopted countries throughout the world but also, and more importantly, to maintain links with ‘home town’ communities. This takes place especially via large and small‐scale economic ventures, including capital construction projects, local investments, and occasionally local recruitment for the international market, from ‘home towns’ (often small villages) in Eastern Nigeria. The first part of the paper discusses the socio‐economic activities that Igbo ‘home town unions’ are involved in, the second discusses the historical background to these unions, the third analyses their success and what future contributions such groups might have in a rapidly ‘globalising’ world economy.
European union commission policy in the DRC
Authors: Kobia Roland
Published: July 2007

On 5 February 2002 the Commission of the European Union formally resumed its direct co‐operation with the DRC after a ten year suspension ‐a consequence of the economic and political progress made in Congo over the past year. The co‐operation envisaged is also meant to encourage democratisation, good governance and respect for the rule of law. Indeed, the Congolese state has been an ‘absentee landlord’ for many years: anarchy and the lost expertise that have stemmed from it are both cause and consequence. Therefore, if there is to be a prospect of greater efficiency and long‐term sustainability of all efforts, the conditions enabling the state to take on its traditional role again need to be recreated. The EC hopes to use the current window of opportunity employing an incremental approach in combination with other donors. It has already committed approximately 250 million euros for the next 2–3 years. For external aid to maximise its impact, preliminary conditions are needed. The EC seeks to encourage long‐term development through peace‐building and political stabilisation. Concomitantly, the EC supports targeted poverty alleviation strategies to help the DRC re‐establish a minimal critical mass of internal development conditions, notably through institutional and administrative support. In the medium‐term, the Cotonou Agreement should bring additional funds and will promote a new and stronger relationship between the EU and the DRC combining political dialogue, trade and regional integration.
Remembrance of sins past: unraveling the murder of Patrice Lumumba
Authors: Bustin Edouard
Published: July 2007

The assassination of L.D. Kabila, forty years to the day after the1961 murder of Patrice Lumumba, revived memories of the fate of the Congo's first (and only) democratically elected leader, but in Belgium, the case of Lumumba's assassination had already been re‐opened by a solidly documented exposé challenging what had for some time been the ‘official version’ of the murder. Written by Ludo DeWitte, this account identified those members of the Belgian establishment whom it saw as having deliberately engineered Lumumba's overthrow and ‘final elimination’. Its publication directly led to the creation of a parliamentary commission of enquiry whose final report was released in November 2001. Much of the investigation took the form of an examination of archival and testimonial evidence. Most witnesses were not seriously challenged, and cross‐examination was usually gentle and ineffective. Yet, considering the perceived need to achieve some form of national consensus, the enquiry cannot be dismissed as a whitewash. The report concludes that ‘certain members of the Belgian government and other Belgian participants were morally responsible for the circumstances leading to the death of Lumumba.’ The commission also identifies what it correctly views as dysfunctions in the decision‐making process that prevailed in 1960–1961. Reactions to the report suggest that, for many of those involved in those violent events, stereotypes and cold war clichés die a reluctant death.
The labour aristocracy? Ghana case study
Authors: Jeffries Richard
Published: July 2007

Does the African working class constitute a labour aristocracy, absorbing a significant proportion of the surplus, and identifying with the elites and sub‐elites in the civil service and expatriate concerns? This thesis is tested against Ghanaian material, in particular the 1961 strike of railway and harbour workers in Sekondi‐Takoradi.
Industrial relations legislation: one of capital's defences
Authors: Davies Robert , Lewis David
Published: July 2007

This paper focuses on the struggles of wage earners — both black and white — in various epochs of South Africa's history. More specifically, it concentrates on the legal framework governing industrial conflict. It attempts to pinpoint the double‐edged nature of the concessions offered by the state to the working class, and to illustrate how these concessions inevitably contain within them safeguards designed to maintain the exploitative relations which characterize a capitalist‐dominated social formation.
Domestic and foreign policies of a new South Africa
Authors: Mbeki Thabo
Published: July 2007

Modern political science recognises that social systems are founded on definite historical origins. If the saying ‘out of nothing, nothing comes’ is true, then it must follow that the future is formed and derives its first impulse in the womb of the present. All societies therefore necessarily bear the imprint, the birthmarks of their own past. Whether to a greater or lesser extent must depend on a whole concentration of factors, both internal and external to each particular society.
Labour in Kano since the petroleum boom
Authors: Lubeck Paul M.
Published: July 2007

Since 1973, Nigeria has undergone a petroleum‐induced economic expansion that has generated economic and social changes in urban Kano and the region as a whole. This paper comments on the major changes experienced by Kano from 1972 to 1978. They concern the economy, state structure, rural‐urban relations, and most importantly, changes in the organization of the urban working class. Because the onset of the petroleum boom follows the author's research on the Adebo strikes of 1971–72, his article on worker consciousness in Kano (see Note at end) is used as a reference point from which economic and social change will be evaluated.
US policy towards Southern Africa in the framework of Global Empire
Authors: Biermann Werner
Published: July 2007

US interest in southern Africa was marginal until the 1970s. Its interest in the area must be understood both in terms of its global empire and in relation to the US attempts to stabilise the world system by integrating the Soviet Union. Given the general movement in the international economic order, can liberation movements in southern Africa move beyond national struggles towards a socialist transformation? The author is pessimistic about such a possibility, because of the market control the capitalist system still enjoys both regionally and internationally.
Agricultural projects and land in Northern Nigeria
Authors: Wallace Tina
Published: July 2007

A great proportion of government budgets and foreign exchange is going into two kinds of projects supposed to benefit ordinary peasant farmers. In practice they do anything but. Many are resettled and in the process lose some of their acreage, or the use of it for a couple of seasons, or the most fertile portions, or their trees, their houses, or access to water or firewood. Others downstream of the schemes have lost the annual flooding that made their land fertile. Even those on the irrigated plots often cannot afford the extra costs of this new commercial farming and rent out their land or sell it. In these ways, secondary changes, in land tenure, entrench capitalist farming, which in fact benefits only those with the cash, the larger holdings or the preferential loans to make it profitable.
The prospects for socialist transition in Zimbabwe
Authors: Yates Peter
Published: July 2007

This article argues there is no alternative in the short run to the compromise tactics that ZANU(PF) has had to adopt in the few months that it has been in power; but it also seeks to discover whether they will, in the future, become its long run strategy. The movement's guiding principles at this stage of Zimbabwe's struggle have been summed up by Prime Minister Robert Mugabe as ‘Reconciliation, Reconstruction and Resettlement’. At the same time, in its election manifesto, ZANU(PF) set its goals for Zimbabwe's future as ‘to reconstruct Zimbabwe's economy and evolve a socialist pattern in which the country's resources are fully tapped for the common benefit of all the people of Zimbabwe’(emphasis added).
Labour power and legal transformation in Senegal
Authors: Snyder Francis G.
Published: July 2007

Historical materialist studies of law, especially in Africa, are relatively recent. One question they raise concerns the ways in which the subsumption of African peasants within capitalist relations of production has affected legal ideas in formerly precapitalist social formations. Using an example from Senegal, this article examines recent changes in the meaning and significance of a particular legal concept. It shows how the change in the social form of labour power during the colonial period resulted in the transformation of a precapitalist conception of ‘childwealth’ into a material and symbolic equivalent of urban labour power as a commodity. In conclusion, the article outlines four general theses about the transformation of legal forms in rural Africa during the 20th Century.
Regional co‐operation in Southern Africa: the Southern African development co‐ordination conference
Authors: Leys Roger , Tostensen Arne
Published: July 2007

This article deals with attempts during the last three years to build up regional co‐operation between nine independent states in southern Africa. It details the ambitious plans, especially in the field of transport, that have been put forward by this Southern African Development Co‐ordination Conference (SADCC), and explores the problems involved in bringing them to fruition. These issues are examined against a background of the extreme dependence of the SADCC countries on South Africa. Finally, the political problems of SADCC — the differing ideological and policy stances of the nine states, especially vis‐à‐vis South Africa, and the role of imperialist interests — are raised, together with the need for more adequate theoretical understanding of regionalism and ‘sub‐imperialism’.