scholarly journals A Review on Bamboo Resource in the African Region: A Call for Special Focus and Action

2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-23
Author(s):  
Tinsae Bahru ◽  
Yulong Ding
Keyword(s):  
Review Process ◽  
Area Coverage ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Indigenous Species ◽  
Bamboo Species ◽  
Research Experience ◽  
African Region ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Resource Base ◽  
History Of

The African region has untapped bamboo resource potential with immense socioeconomic, cultural, and ecological significances. Despite the long history of bamboo in the region, its contribution is at the infant stage. Therefore, the present study aimed at reviewing the existing literature supported by research experience on bamboo resource in the region. The review process mainly focused on four main specific objectives. These include (1) review extensively African countries that owned the resource and identify the species in each country, (2) identify and document species, generic, and taxonomic tribes of each bamboo species, (3) assess and report bamboo area coverage from available nations, and (4) highlight the existing experiences of special opportunities, challenges, and successful achievements on bamboo resource in representative African countries. The review process found out that a total of 4.56 million ha total bamboo area and 115 bamboo species are reported from 48 African countries. Hence, the African region shares 12.3% of the global bamboo resource and contributed 7.3% of the total bamboo species. Of this, 89.6% of the region is endowed with indigenous bamboo species. Among indigenous species, O. abyssinica is the most widely distributed in 38 African countries. Madagascar ranked first with 37 indigenous species, while Ethiopia led by 25 introduced bamboo species. Nowadays, Ethiopia has 1.44 million ha total indigenous bamboo area coverage, which accounted for 31.6% of the African region and 3.89% of the world total. Therefore, more detail and comprehensive research on species taxonomy, resource base inventory, silvicultural applications, and socioeconomic study is recommended.

scholarly journals History of ‘swine fever’ in Southern Africa

2013 ◽  
Vol 84 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary-Louise Penrith
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
African Swine Fever ◽  
Classical Swine Fever ◽  
Western Cape ◽  
Eastern Cape ◽  
African Region ◽  
African Countries ◽  
The North ◽  
History Of

The histories of the two swine fevers in southern Africa differ widely. Classical swine fever (hog cholera) has been known in the northern hemisphere since 1830 and it is probable that early cases of ‘swine fever’ in European settlers’ pigs in southern Africa were accepted to be that disease. It was only in 1921 that the first description of African swine fever as an entity different from classical swine fever was published after the disease had been studied in settlers’ pigs in Kenya. Shortly after that, reports of African swine fever in settlers’ pigs emerged from South Africa and Angola. In South Africa, the report related to pigs in the north-eastern part of the country. Previously (in 1905 or earlier) a disease assumed to be classical swine fever caused high mortality among pigs in the Western Cape and was only eradicated in 1918. African swine fever was found over the following years to be endemic in most southern African countries. Classical swine fever, however, apart from an introduction with subsequent endemic establishment in Madagascar and a number of introductions into Mauritius, the last one in 2000, had apparently remained absent from the region until it was diagnosed in the Western and subsequently the Eastern Cape of South Africa in 2005. It was eradicated by 2007. The history of these diseases in the southern African region demonstrates their importance and their potential for spread over long distances, emphasising the need for improved management of both diseases wherever they occur.

scholarly journals African horizons of Russian science and education

2020 ◽  
pp. 5-10
Author(s):  
V. A. Kosyanov
Keyword(s):  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
High Tech ◽  
Infrastructure Development ◽  
East African ◽  
African Region ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Russian Science ◽  
Resource Base ◽  
Science And Education ◽  
Russian Universities

Based on the results of the first Russia—Africa Summit and Economic Forum, priority areas of economic cooperation, according to which concrete results can be achieved in the coming years, were identified. These are modern and high-tech mining and processing of minerals, geological exploration, energy (including renewable energy sources), infrastructure development (specifically the construction of railways and housing), agriculture, digital technology, medicine, science and education. Cooperation between Russian universities and African countries occupies a special place. Currently implemented by the Sergo Ordzhonikidze Russian State University for Geological Prospecting (MGRI), the scientific and educational initiative for the development of the mineral resource base of Uganda, presented in June 2019 to the country’s President Yoweri Museveni, is the basis for International cooperation between Russian universities in the East African region.

scholarly journals AFL-CIO Against the AUCCTU: Struggle for Influence in Tradeunion Movement of Africa (the Late 1950th - 1960th)

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Trade Union ◽  
African Region ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Trade Union Movement ◽  
The North ◽  
Union Movement ◽  
The Us ◽  
History Of ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
The Given

One of important episodes of cold war is considered in the article, when two leading trade-union centers of opposing parties (AFL-CIO and AUCCTU) developed a fight for influence and attraction on their side of trade union movement of the African countries. In this context the aim not to admit strengthening of the rival in the given region and to use the influence for advancement of foreign policy of their states was pursued. The expansion of the US trade union center in Africa began in the North African region, where the AFL-CIO supported national liberation movements in these countries, helped establish national trade union centers in Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco; the reasons for the deterioration of their relationship with the AFL-CIO in the future are considered. There are analyzed the methods used by AFL-CIO and the AUCCTU to attract African unions to their side, and the policy of balancing African labor leaders in these conditions. The changes in the policies of the Soviet and American trade union centers after 1960 (“Year of Africa”), when immediately 17 African states became independent, are analyzed. After that, the AFL-CIO and the AUCCTU identified for themselves priority countries in Africa, which are becoming a kind of «bridgeheads», «strongholds» for the development of their activities on the continent. For the AUCCTU this is Guinea; for the AFL-CIO – Kenya. It was found out how it happened that the AUCCTU actually lost its «bridgehead». The history of the confrontation between the trade union centers of the two superpowers for the influence in the trade union movement of Kenya, which became the stronghold of the AFL-CIO in Africa, is examined. The author concludes that the balance of power following the results of the struggle between the AFL-CIO and the AUCCTU for influence in Africa by the end of the 1960s evolved not in favor of the latter.

scholarly journals Behind the Curtain of the Border Spectacle: Introducing ‘Illegal’ Movement and Racialized Profiling in the West African Region

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 139
Author(s):  
Sebastian Carlotti
Keyword(s):  
West African ◽  
Undocumented Migrants ◽  
Ethnic Conflicts ◽  
Illegal Migration ◽  
African Region ◽  
African Countries ◽  
The West ◽  
West African Region ◽  
History Of ◽  
Policy Shift

The introduction of ‘illegal’ migration in West African countries represented a major conceptual policy shift for societies that were historically characterized by intra-regional free movement. However, this transformation went along with severe allegations of racialized profiling of undocumented migrants in many West African societies. De Genova’s concept of the ‘border spectacle’ describes how the presumed ‘illegality’ of migrants is made spectacularly visible in Europe, thus producing a criminalized and racialized portrayal of migrants. Nonetheless, this work argues that today’s illegalization through a racialized representation of migrants has been extended beyond Europe’s boundaries and behind the spectacle’s curtain towards countries of migration origin. Drawing on the cases of Mauritania and Mali, this paper considers their fundamentally opposite reaction to the introduction of ‘irregular’ movement and illustrates the inherent problematics of transferring the figure of a racialized migrant into the West African region. Particularly successful in countries with a history of ethnic conflicts, this process essentially externalized European border practices of racialized profiling. On the contrary, this analysis concludes that the presence of established patterns of regional movement and cross-border habits made it undesirable to either introduce the policy concept of ‘illegal’ migration or to adopt its potentially racialized portrayal.

Tanaka Kinuyo

2018 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Industrial Development ◽  
Japanese Woman ◽  
Cultural Construction ◽  
Public Image ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Japanese History ◽  
Female Subjectivity ◽  
Japanese Cinema ◽  
Close Analysis ◽  
History Of

This is the first book in English dedicated to the actress and director Tanaka Kinuyo. Praised as amongst the greatest actors in the history of Japanese cinema, Tanaka’s career spanned the industrial development of cinema - from silent to sound, monochrome to colour. Alongside featuring in films by Ozu, Mizoguchi, Naruse and Kurosawa, Tanaka was also the only Japanese woman filmmaker between 1953 and 1962, and her films tackled distinctly feminine topics such as prostitution and breast cancer. Because her career overlaps with a transformative period in Japan, especially for women, this close analysis of her fascinating life and work offers new perspectives into the Japanese history of women and classical era of national cinema. The first half of the book focuses on Tanaka as actress and analyses the elements and meanings associated with her star image, and her powerful embodiment of diverse, at times contradictory, ideological discourses. The second half is dedicated to Tanaka as director and explores her public image as filmmaker and her depiction of gender and sexuality against the national history in order to reflect on her role and style as author. With a special focus on the melodrama genre and on the sociopolitical and economic contexts of film production, the book offers a revision of theories of stardom, authorship, and women’s cinema. In examining Tanaka’s iconic reification of femininities in relation to politics, national identity, and memory, the chapters shed light on the cultural construction of female subjectivity and sexuality in Japanese popular culture.

Improving the Efficacy of Anticancer Drugs via Encapsulation and Acoustic Release

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (10) ◽  
pp. 857-880 ◽  
Author(s):  
Salma E. Ahmed ◽  
Nahid Awad ◽  
Vinod Paul ◽  
Hesham G. Moussa ◽  
Ghaleb A. Husseini
Keyword(s):  
Drug Delivery ◽  
Drug Release ◽  
Drug Delivery Systems ◽  
Delivery Systems ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Nano Drug Delivery ◽  
Medical Researchers ◽  
History Of ◽  
Overall Performance ◽  
Enhanced Stability

Conventional chemotherapeutics lack the specificity and controllability, thus may poison healthy cells while attempting to kill cancerous ones. Newly developed nano-drug delivery systems have shown promise in delivering anti-tumor agents with enhanced stability, durability and overall performance; especially when used along with targeting and triggering techniques. This work traces back the history of chemotherapy, addressing the main challenges that have encouraged the medical researchers to seek a sanctuary in nanotechnological-based drug delivery systems that are grafted with appropriate targeting techniques and drug release mechanisms. A special focus will be directed to acoustically triggered liposomes encapsulating doxorubicin.

Studying National Commemoration and Political Celebrations in Africa: The Online Archive African Independence Days

2020 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. vii-xxviii
Author(s):  
Marie-Christin Gabriel ◽  
Carola Lentz
Keyword(s):  
Burkina Faso ◽  
Comparative Research ◽  
Democratic Republic ◽  
Nation Building ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Research Project ◽  
Online Archive ◽  
Republic Of The Congo ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Many

AbstractThe Department of Anthropology and African Studies (ifeas) at Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz hosts a comprehensive archive on African Independence Day celebrations. Created in 2010, the archive is one of the outcomes of a large comparative research project on African national days directed by Carola Lentz. It offers unique insights into practices of as well as debates on national commemoration and political celebrations in Africa. The archive holds more than 28,000 images, including photographs, newspaper articles, documents, and objects from twelve African countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Madagascar, Mali, Namibia, Nigeria, and Tanzania. It primarily consists of an online photo and newspaper archive (https://bildarchiv.uni-mainz.de/AUJ/; https://www.blogs.uni-mainz.de/fb07-ifeas-eng/departmental-archives/online-archive-african-independence-days/); some of the material is also stored in the physical archive on African Independence Days at ifeas as well as in the department's ethnographic collection (https://www.blogs.uni-mainz.de/fb07-ifeas-eng/ethnographic-collection/). Most of the material concerns recent celebrations, but the collection has been complemented by some documentation of earlier festivities. Archives hold many stories while they also have a story to tell in their own right. This article discusses both aspects. It first traces the history of the Online Archive African Independence Days at ifeas. It then provides an overview of the different categories of material stored in the archive and tells a few of the many stories that the photos, texts and objects contain. We hope to demonstrate that the archive holds a wealth of sources that can be mined for studies on national commemoration and political celebrations in Africa, and, more generally, on practices and processes of nation-building and state-making.

Data science skills: Building partnership for efficient school curriculum delivery in Africa

2020 ◽  
Vol 36 ◽  
pp. 49-62
Author(s):  
Nureni Olawale Adeboye ◽  
Peter Osuolale Popoola ◽  
Oluwatobi Nurudeen Ogunnusi
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Data Science ◽  
Open Data ◽  
School Curriculum ◽  
Global Perspective ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
African Countries ◽  
Tertiary Institutions ◽  
Data Description ◽  
Curriculum Delivery

Data science is a concept to unify statistics, data analysis, machine learning and their related methods in order to analyze actual phenomena with data to provide better understanding. This article focused its investigation on acquisition of data science skills in building partnership for efficient school curriculum delivery in Africa, especially in the area of teaching statistics courses at the beginners’ level in tertiary institutions. Illustrations were made using Big data of selected 18 African countries sourced from United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) with special focus on some macro-economic variables that drives economic policy. Data description techniques were adopted in the analysis of the sourced open data with the aid of R analytics software for data science, as improvement on the traditional methods of data description for learning and thus open a new charter of education curriculum delivery in African schools. Though, the collaboration is not without its own challenges, its prospects in creating self-driven learning culture among students of tertiary institutions has greatly enhanced the quality of teaching, advancing students skills in machine learning, improved understanding of the role of data in global perspective and being able to critique claims based on data.

scholarly journals Different Within-Host Viral Evolution Dynamics in Severely Immunosuppressed Cases with Persistent SARS-CoV-2

Biomedicines ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 808
Author(s):  
Laura Pérez-Lago ◽  
Teresa Aldámiz-Echevarría ◽  
Rita García-Martínez ◽  
Leire Pérez-Latorre ◽  
Marta Herranz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽  
Evolutionary Dynamics ◽  
Viral Evolution ◽  
Special Focus ◽  
Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽  
Single Nucleotide ◽  
New Variant ◽  
History Of ◽  
Evolution Dynamics ◽  
The Uk

A successful Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variant, B.1.1.7, has recently been reported in the UK, causing global alarm. Most likely, the new variant emerged in a persistently infected patient, justifying a special focus on these cases. Our aim in this study was to explore certain clinical profiles involving severe immunosuppression that may help explain the prolonged persistence of viable viruses. We present three severely immunosuppressed cases (A, B, and C) with a history of lymphoma and prolonged SARS-CoV-2 shedding (2, 4, and 6 months), two of whom finally died. Whole-genome sequencing of 9 and 10 specimens from Cases A and B revealed extensive within-patient acquisition of diversity, 12 and 28 new single nucleotide polymorphisms, respectively, which suggests ongoing SARS-CoV-2 replication. This diversity was not observed for Case C after analysing 5 sequential nasopharyngeal specimens and one plasma specimen, and was only observed in one bronchoaspirate specimen, although viral viability was still considered based on constant low Ct values throughout the disease and recovery of the virus in cell cultures. The acquired viral diversity in Cases A and B followed different dynamics. For Case A, new single nucleotide polymorphisms were quickly fixed (13–15 days) after emerging as minority variants, while for Case B, higher diversity was observed at a slower emergence: fixation pace (1–2 months). Slower SARS-CoV-2 evolutionary pace was observed for Case A following the administration of hyperimmune plasma. This work adds knowledge on SARS-CoV-2 prolonged shedding in severely immunocompromised patients and demonstrates viral viability, noteworthy acquired intra-patient diversity, and different SARS-CoV-2 evolutionary dynamics in persistent cases.

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