Twenty years later: migration, inter-ethnic relations and land rights in new settlements in Burkina Faso and Nigeria

The paper presents two case studies from Nigeria and Burkina Faso, that differ in many respects, but show also some significant similarities. In both cases, previously existing claims on land were not recognised by the national authorities who implemented development projects. But as a contrast, in the Nigerian case people had to move out of the territories that were now claimed by the state, whereas in the Burkina case people were brought into an area that was declared state property. As a result in both cases, this had specific implications for the inter-ethnic relations in the respective regions. In Nigeria, Kanuri farmers moved to new fertile areas that incidentally emerged parallel to the development efforts of the state

Systems of Land Use in the Firgi Plains of the Chad Basin

Studies on land use in Africa have usually been carried out by ethnologists or human geographers and were rarely concerned with data on the physical conditions of soil. There is hardly any issue, however, where interdependencies between natural and cultural factors are as evident as in the topic of land use. For this project the approach of three ethnologists, Braukämper, Kirscht and Platte, was therefore combined with the analysis of Thiemeyer as physical geographer. The area of research is the Local Government Area of Marte in the Nigerian State of Borno. As part of the Chad Basin this region is mainly characterised by clay sediments which are commonly labelled firgi by its inhabitants. Beside this general term, however, the local peasants clearly distinguish five types of soil (Kanuri: katti), to which different physical conditions and qualities with respect to their cultivation are attributed. The question arose how far can this popular knowledge, accumulated by agricultural experiences over generations, be correlated with scientific data. That is why samples of the mentioned types of soil were collected by the members of our team and analysed in the laboratory of the Frankfurt Institute of Physical Geography. The detailed presentation of this analysis has to be preceded by the classification of the respective soil types in the terminology of the indigenous farmers

Masakwa dry season cropping in the Chad Basin

In the inundation area - the basin of the former larger Lake Chad - a special type of sorghum is grown on the clay soils (firgi). This dry-season guinea corn is also called dwarf sorghum or masakwa. In Kanuri, the dominant language in the region, sorghum is called ngawuli. The dry-season types are called ngawuli firgibe (lit. translated: sorghum of the firgi). During the dry season when the natural vegetation becomes dry and yellow, masakwa fields appear in prominent green covering large areas of the clay plains. The most important natural factor for this specialized dry season cropping is the presence of soils with a high clay content. For a better understanding of masakwa and its related issues, a multidisciplinary sub-project (G1) has been established within the SFB 268 (Joint Research Project: History of Culture and Language in the Natural Environment of the West-African Savannah). This project in which all disciplines participate is entitled: "Natural basis for masakwa cultivation and its meaning for the settlement history of the clay plains (firgi) in the Chad basin"

Natural environment and land use in the Chad Basin, NE-Nigeria : preliminary results of an interdisciplinary research

The objective of this paper is to combine the environmental conception of the Kanuri with detailed findings of pedological and botanical field investigations. Interpretation of multitemporal satellite data and aerial photographs should provide land cover and land use information for an extended area. The area of investigation was outlined within the transitional zone from the clay plains to the sandy areas by interpretation of satellite images. The presented subset of a SPOT-XS-satellite image shows part of the Marte Local Government Area with its capital Old Marte in the north-eastern part of the image. The darker colours represent the clay plains while the lighter parts are related to the sandy areas. Almost half of the research area is covered by clay but all settlements are located on the slightly elevated sandy areas. Within these sandy areas different gray shades demonstrate the pattern of the rainy season farming area. Differences in colour within the clay plains are mainly due to variances in soil, water content and vegetation cover. In the north-eastern part of the image irrigation channels of the South Chad Irrigation Project are visible. The main attention, especially of the pedological and botanical research, was directed towards the south-western part of the subset in the vicinity of the villages of Wulwa, Dura, Kajere and Ngubdori

Corrigendum: Increased Permeability of the Aquaporin SoPIP2;1 by Mercury and Mutations in Loop A

The publication of Andreas Cellarius\u27s Harmonia Macrocosmica in 1660 represented the completion of an ambitious cartographic project begun over twenty years earlier by the family of Johannes Jansonnius. Jansonnius had proposed to include in his multi-volume Novus Atlas a description of the whole world, that is \u27the Heavens and the Earth\u27. The series incorporated the famous Blaeu Atlas. Cellarius used elaborate illustrations to depict not only the Copernican \u27world system\u27 (model of the universe), but also the classical inheritance, Ptolemy\u27s geocentric model. The work became extremely popular and was frequently reprinted

Longitudinal Study of Relapse From AIDS-Preventive Behavior Among Homosexual Men

There is no viable alternative to the control of AIDS besides prevention; factors contributing to relapse from behaviors presumed to reduce risk of that disease were investigated. The authors studied 524 homosexual men who had refrained from or used condoms during receptive or insertive anal sex (RAS and IAS, respectively) for at least 12 months, contacting them at 6-month intervals thereafter to ascertain current practices. They determined, via interviews, personal traits, appraised stress of maintaining safer sex, mental health, life events, and efforts to cope with potential infection. Negative life events, personal control beliefs, problem-solving abilities, and coping via problem-focused (e.g., seeking a monogamous union) rather than emotion-focused (e.g., "when I need a cure, they will have one") behaviors were associated with RAS, but less so with LAS safer sex behaviors. These findings provide a basis for individual and community-level interventions to change behavior and reduce AIDS risk.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/66577/2/10.1177_109019819802500509.pd

Consumption trends of white cassava and consumer perceptions of yellow cassava in Ghana

Open Access JournalVitamin A deficiency has been one of the major nutritional problems for many countries where cassava is eaten as a major source of energy. In an attempt to help reduce the incidence of vitamin A deficiency, bio-fortified cassava which contains more pro-vitamin A carotenoids than the white cassava, has been introduced to such areas. This study therefore endeavored to find out how often Ghanaians ate cassava and its products, as well as what Ghanaian consumers knew about bio-fortified cassava and their willingness to consume it. A survey was done between the month of January and March using 287 participants in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana which gathered information on their demographics, and their frequencies of the consumption of cassava and its products. Data on the knowledge of the participants on yellow flesh cassava, and their willingness to accept it were also gathered. Logistic regression was used to determine the relationship between some demographic characteristics and knowledge and ‘willingness-to-accept’ biofortified cassava. The cassava product which was mostly consumed by the participants was gari. Sixty-three percent of the participants had no knowledge of bio-fortified cassava. About half of them were willing to accept the biofortified cassava, and more than half of the participants perceived that yellow cassava could be used for some white cassava products. Providing nutritional information and sensitizing consumers on the benefits of biofortified cassava can enhance its consumption in Ghana

A Test of Interventions to Increase Adherence to Hypertensive Medical Regimens

Low rates of adherence to hypertensive therapy limit patients' securing the full benefits of treatment. While some factors related to adherence have been identified, research on the effectiveness of interventions to increase adherence levels is sparse. The present study was designed to assess the impact of a series of different interventions on a group of some 400 patients, all under the care of private physicians in a small community. A factorial design was employed to deliver four, sequential educational interventions, about four months apart, to randomly selected sub-groups. Interviews before and after each intervention provided information concerning self-reported adherence, health status, health beliefs, and personal characteristics. Pertinent medical records and pharmacy data were also obtained. The first intervention—printed material—did not significantly affect adherence. The second and fourth interventions—nurse telephone calls and social support—each increased medication taking and the third intervention—self-monitoring—led to better weight control. There was no cumulative impact of the interventions and different aspects of regimens were not signiticantly related to one another.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/67164/2/10.1177_109019818100800303.pd

Effects of deceptive self-reports of quitting on the results of treatment trials for smoking: A quantitative assessment

Problems with self-report measures for smoking motivate the use of biochemical tests in treatment trials for smoking. These biochemical tests, unfortunately, are not perfect. In this paper, we present an algebraic model of bias in treatment trials for smoking. Bias is expressed in terms of the deception rate among continued smokers in a control group, the relative deception rate among continued smokers in an experimental group, and the sensitivity and specificity of a biochemical test which may be used either to confirm self-reports of,quitting or to replace self-report entirely. For given test specificity and sensitivity, the mode) defines deception rates for which different biochemical testing strategies are preferred. The model is presented in the context of current knowledge on the phenomenon of deception among adult smokers. The paper concludes that better judgements regarding the role of biochemical tests in treatment trials for smoking require more precise information regarding the magnitude and determinants of deception.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/28158/1/0000610.pd