Originality of thought and method in West African Islamic teaching: a Fulfulde example

African Studies Center Working Paper No. 3

A Gaussian Wavefunction for the Isoelectronic Sequence of Two-Electron Homonuclear Diatomic Molecules

The Gaussian wavefunctions recently reported by Kim an d Hirschfelder were found to be in error due t o incorrect formulas for two integrals . The interaction potentials calculated in terms of t he corrected wave-f unctions are found to be in reasonable accord with the exact results of Kolos and Wolniewicz. near the equilibrium separation but in relatively poor accord at moderately large internuclear separations . A scaling of the energy and length to fit the exact curve at its minimum did not ameliorate the situation . For the H2 isoelectronic sequence it was found that scaling the H2 optimized orbital exponent by z and the internuclear distance by Z allowed the prediction of the fully optimized energy of other members of the sequence to within ( at worst ) 1%

Rural madrasas of the Southern Kenya Coast, 1971-92

Book Chapter in the book title " Muslim identity and social change in Sub-Sahara Africa"The past two decades in Kenya have witnessed the opening of a large number of new Muslim educational institutions (madrasas), in rural as well as urban areas, in places where Muslim communities predominate and in places where they are a minority. In spite of sectarian differences, the madrasas display marked similarities of style and structure. Nevertheless, they address a wide range of particular problems and goals. Nowhere are specific needs and objectives more apparent than in rural village madrasas. Though village madrasas possess many of the characteristics of their urban counterparts, they have distinct features that set them apart. This essay examines some aspects of madrasa education among rural Muslim communities of the southern coast of KenyaThe past two decades in Kenya have witnessed the opening of a large number of new Muslim educational institutions (madrasas), in rural as well as urban areas, in places where Muslim communities predominate and in places where they are a minority. In spite of sectarian differences, the madrasas display marked similarities of style and structure. Nevertheless, they address a wide range of particular problems and goals. Nowhere are specific needs and objectives more apparent than in rural village madrasas. Though village madrasas possess many of the characteristics of their urban counterparts, they have distinct features that set them apart. This essay examines some aspects of madrasa education among rural Muslim communities of the southern coast of Keny

Transnational Networking and Business Success: Ethnic entrepreneurs in Canada

It is agreed that transnational networking plays an important role in the effectiveness of ethnic entrepreneurial firms. Yet, distinctions between the different types of transnational networking and their effects on business effectiveness have received scant attention in the literature, probably because ethnicity has been considered the main actor in the networkingeffectiveness relationship. This paper argues that one of the reasons business effectiveness differs across ethnic entrepreneurial firms is that ethnic entrepreneurs engage in dissimilar types of transnational networking. Analyses of the data generated by 720 ethnic entrepreneurs in Canada, revealed that ethnicity, human capital and push-pull factors play a central role in the engagement of different types of transitional networking; and the different types of transnational networking affect the business turnover (sales) and the business survival (age). Push-pull factors were found to play a marginal role in the business effectiveness. These results highlight the competitive market immigrants and members of ethnic minority groups encounter in the hosting economy and stress the value of transnational networking.Transnational Entrepreneurship, Networks, Immigrant Entrepreneurs, Ethnic Entrepreneur, Push and Pull Factors, Business Success, Business Outcomes

Problems Encountered by Ethnic Entrepreneurs: A Comparative Analysis Across Five Ethnic Groups

Despite growing interest in the difficulties encountered by ethnic entrepreneurs, very little research has yet been done on the subject. This article attempts to fill the gap. A total of 715 Chinese, Italian, Indian/Sikh, Jewish, and Vietnamese entrepreneurs from Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver were surveyed for the research. The results show that ethnic businesses tend to face the same problems as other businesses, which consequently does not appear to justify the development of support programs specifically for ethnic entrepreneurs. However, this study of established businesses does not consider failed or nascent businesses, which may have experienced additional problems. Further research is required to examine these issues. Also, given the unique social and business dynamics that exist within the ethnic communities studied, support programs should be directed through the networks of these communities

Patterns of healthcare seeking among people reporting chronic conditions in rural sub-Saharan Africa: findings from a population-based study in Burkina Faso.

OBJECTIVE: Non-communicable diseases are rapidly becoming one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in sub-Saharan Africa. Yet, little is known about patterns of healthcare seeking among people with chronic conditions in these settings. We aimed to explore determinants of healthcare seeking among people who reported at least one chronic condition in rural Burkina Faso. METHODS: Data were drawn from a cross-sectional population-based survey conducted across 24 districts on 52 562 individuals from March to June 2017. We used multinomial logistic regression to assess factors associated with seeking care at a formal provider (facility-based care) or at an informal provider (home and traditional treatment) compared to no care. RESULTS: 1124 individuals (2% of all respondents) reported at least one chronic condition. Among those, 22.8% reported formal care use, 10.6% informal care use, and 66.6% no care. The presence of other household members reporting a chronic condition (RRR = 0.57, 95%-CI [0.39, 0.82]) was negatively associated with seeking formal care. Wealthier households (RRR = 2.14, 95%-CI [1.26, 3.64]), perceived illness severity (RRR = 3.23, 95%-CI [2.22, 4.70]) and suffering from major chronic conditions (RRR = 1.54, 95%-CI [1.13, 2.11]) were positively associated with seeking formal care. CONCLUSION: Only a minority of individuals with chronic conditions sought formal care, with important differences due to socio-economic status. Policies and interventions aimed at increasing the availability and affordability of services for early detection and management in peripheral settings should be prioritised

No impact of performance-based financing on the availability of essential medicines in Burkina Faso: A mixed-methods study

Access to safe, effective, and affordable essential medicines (EM) is critical to quality health services and as such has played a key role in innovative health system strengthening approaches such as Performance-based Financing (PBF). Available literature indicates that PBF can improve EM availability, but has not done so consistently in the past. Qualitative explorations of the reasons are yet scarce. We contribute to expanding the literature by estimating the impact of PBF on EM availability and stockout in Burkina Faso and investigating mechanisms of and barriers to change. The study used an explanatory mixed methods design. The quantitative study component followed a quasi-experimental design (difference-in-differences), comparing how EM availability and stockout had changed three years after implementation in 12 PBF and in 12 control districts. Qualitative data was collected from purposely selected policy and implementation stakeholders at all levels of the health system and community, using in-depth interviews and focus group discussions, and explored using deductive coding and thematic analysis. We found no impact of PBF on EM availability and stockouts in the quantitative data. Qualitative narratives converge in that EM supply had increased as a result of PBF, albeit not fully satisfactorily and sustainably so. Reasons include persisting contextual challenges, most importantly a public medicine procurement monopoly; design challenges, specifically a disconnect and disbalance in incentive levels between service provision and service quality indicators; implementation challenges including payment delays, issues around performance verification, and insufficient implementation of activities to strengthen stock management skills; and concurrently implemented policies, most importantly a national user fee exemption for children and pregnant women half way through the impact evaluation period. The case of PBF and EM availability in Burkina Faso illustrates the difficulty of incentivizing and effecting holistic change in EM availability in the presence of strong contextual constraints and powerful concurrent policies.</jats:p

Astrocyte inactivation of the pRb pathway predisposes mice to malignant astrocytoma development that is accelerated by PTEN mutation

We have inactivated pRb, p107, and p130 in astrocytes by transgenic expression of T (a truncated SV40 T antigen) under the GFAP promoter. Founder mice died perinatally with extensive expansion of neural precursor and anaplastic astrocyte populations. In astrocytes, aberrant proliferation and extensive apoptosis were induced. Using a conditional allele of T, early lethality was circumvented, and adult mice developed high-grade astrocytoma, in which regions of decreased apoptosis expressed activated Akt. Indeed, astrocytoma development was accelerated in a , but not , background. These studies establish a highly penetrant preclinical model for astrocytoma based on events observed in the human disease and further provide insight into the role of PTEN mutation in astrocytoma progression