The Anglophone crisis in Cameroon

The historiography of the “Anglophone Problem” has drawn a lot of ink from Cameroonian historians, lawyers, politicians, and scholars. This is because an Anglophone in the Cameroonian context is not necessarily a Cameroonian who speaks or writes English, or who is imbibed with the Anglo-Saxon culture. Cameroonians are confronted with who an Anglophone is, what is the Anglophone problem, the origin of the Anglophone problem, and why the Anglophone Crisis. An understanding of the Anglophone Problem has been complicated and compounded by the differences in political philosophy and culture between the Anglo-Saxon philosophy and the Gallic philosophy of governing the polity. The discourse on the Anglophone problem has been animated intellectually and politically by two schools of thought: one school of thought animated principally by the French-speaking (Francophones) and another school of thought animated by the English-speaking (Anglophones). It is important to note that, understanding the Anglophone Problem lies in the fact that it had a deep impact on the life of the Republic of Cameroon. However, the first school of thought argued that there is no Anglophone Problem per se, while the second school of thought argued that there is an Anglophone Problem. In order to better understand the Anglophone Problem, the researcher looked at some historical events that has or may have had an influence on the current situation. Important events in this context are for example the German rule in Cameroon 1884 -1916, the Anglo-French Condominium in Cameroon 1914 - 1916, the partition of Cameroon by Britain and France in 1916, the Foumban Constitutional conference in 1961, the 1961 plebiscites, 2016 demonstrations (Lawyers and Teachers) and The Grand National Dialogue in 2019. These historical and contemporary events gave the researcher a deeper understanding of the Anglophone Problem, reasons for the current situation, and the government efforts in resolving this Anglophone Problem in Cameroon

Model building and imaging with reflection data

The purpose of the first part of this dissertation was to develop a migration algorithm for converted waves, and a tomographic method for estimating an interval shear wave velocity model. The developed algorithm is based on the Kirchhoff formalism. The elastic Kirchhoff integral and its implementation were discussed and summarised in Chapter 2. The derived migration integral was generalised for all types of multicomponent data. For practical reasons, multicomponent data are decomposed into their corresponding components (z,x, and y components), and the migration is performed separately for each component. Normally it is assumed that the decomposed wave components are free from other wave types. The migration result of each component shows particular characteristics of the subsurface. For example, PS data give the shear wave characteristics of the subsurface...thesi

Pilot Scale Production, Characterization, and Optimization of Epoxidized Vegetable Oil-Based Resin

Novel epoxidized sucrose soyate (ESS) resins perform much better than other vegetable oil-based resins; thus, they are of current interest for commercial scale production and for a wide range of applications in coatings and polymeric materials. However, no work has been published that successfully scaled-up the reaction above a 1 kg batch size. To achieve this goal, canola oil was first epoxidized at a 300 g scale to study the epoxidation rate and thermal profile at different hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) addition rates, bath temperatures, and reaction times. At least 83% conversion of double bonds to oxirane was achieved by 2.5 h, and the reaction temperature was 8-15 oC higher than the water bath temperature within the first 30-40 min of epoxidation. A 38 L stainless steel kettle was modified as a reactor to produce 10 kg of ESS. Twenty 7-10 kg batches of ESS were produced with an overall 87.5% resin yield and > 98% conversion after batch three. The conversion and resin quality were consistent across the batches due to the modifications on the reaction that improved mixing and reaction temperature control within 55-65 oC. The total production time was reduced from 8 to 4 days due to the fabrication of a 40 L separatory funnel for both washing and filtration. A math model was developed to optimize the epoxidation process. This was done by using the Box-Behnken design to model the conversion at various acetic acid, H2O2, and Amberlite ratios and at various reaction temperatures and times. The model had an adjusted R2 of 97.6% and predicted R2 of 96.8%. The model showed that reagent amounts and time can be reduced by 18% without compromising the desired conversion value and quality.North Dakota Industrial CommissionNorth Dakota Soybean CouncilNorth Dakota Canola Grower

Evaluating Standard Wet Chemistry Techniques and NIR Spectroscopic Models for Determining Composition and Potential Ethanol Yields of Multi-Species Herbaceous Bioenergy Crops

Herbaceous perennials represent a considerable portion of potential biomass feedstocks available for the growing bioenergy industry. Their chemical composition and biomass yields, which are important in determining ethanol potential on an area and mass basis, vary with plant variety and type, environment, and management practices. Therefore, a study was conducted to assess the variability of lignin and carbohydrate content, biomass yields, and theoretical ethanol yields on an area basis among different herbaceous perennial species combinations grown in Minot (2008) and Williston (2008, 2009, and 2010), North Dakota (ND). After wet chemistry compositional analysis was done, the carbohydrate contents were used to determine theoretical ethanol potential on a mass basis. Using the dry-matter yield, the theoretical ethanol yield on an area basis was also calculated for these biomass species. Total carbohydrate content for the biomass samples in Williston and Minot varied from 45 to 61% dry basis. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) at a= 0.05 showed that carbohydrate content varied between years and environments. Also an interaction plot shows that no biomass species had consistently higher or lower carbohydrate content in the different environments. Switchgrass (Panicum vigatum L.) grown as single species or together with other perennial grasses had higher dry-matter yield and theoretical ethanol yield potential in Williston irrigated plots while mixtures containing intermediate or tall wheatgrass species (Thinopyrum spp.) produced better yields in Minot non-irrigated plots. Variability in theoretical ethanol yield on a mass basis (3.7% coefficient of variation (CV) in Williston and 9.7% CV in Minot) was much less than the variability in dry-matter yields (27.5% CV in Williston and 14.8% CV Minot). Therefore, biomass production is much more important than composition in choosing species to grow for ethanol production. Recently, many studies have focused on developing faster methods to determine biomass composition using near infrared (NIR) spectroscopy. Other NIR models have been developed on single biomass feedstocks but a broad-based model for mixed herbaceous perennials is yet to be developed. Therefore, NIR calibration models for lignin, glucan, and xylan were developed with 65 mixed herbaceous perennial species using a DA 7200 NIR spectrometer (950 - 1,650 nm) and GRAMS statistical software. The models for lignin and xylan had R(2) values of 0.844 and 0.872, respectively, upon validation and are classified as good for quality assurance purposes while glucan model had an R(2) of 0.81 which is considered sufficient for screening. The R(2) and the root mean square error of prediction (RMSEP) results showed that it is possible to develop calibration models to predict chemical composition for mixed perennial biomass when compared with results for models developed for single feedstock by Wolfrum and Sluiter (2009) and Liu et al. (2010). Studying the variability in predicting constituents using NIR spectroscopy over time (hours and days), it was observed that the average CV was between 1.4 to 1.6%. The average CV due to repacking (presentation) alone was 1.3%. The CVs for NIR predictions ranged between 1.4 to 5.7% while for wet chemistry ranged between 3.8 to 13.5%; hence, NIR predictions were more precise than wet chemistry analysis

Implementation of the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries; an institutional solution in fisheries management. The case of the ground-fisheries IFMP, Canada.

Fisheries management institutions, call the shots in fisheries management. Coming at a time when, global fish stocks are experiencing decline at an ever increasing rate, sectorial single species approaches cannot be looked upon solely to provide sustainable fisheries. This is foremost because studies have revealed that, the problems associated with the management of stocks are manmade and have a sporadic effect on the entire aquatic ecosystem, thus management must be holistic, and comprehensive enough in light of those challenges. Global entities such as, the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) and Multi-lateral Agreements have adopted an Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries (EAF) to sustainably manage fisheries. The FAO, charged with the development of guidelines and frameworks for fisheries management worldwide, has developed an EAF implementation roadmap to facilitate its implementation by States and Regional Organizations. The Convention of Biodiversity and the Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries represents a move towards the EAF. That move, is within the framework of the Law of the Sea Convention. The duty, to implement an EAF is facultative and depends largely on States sovereign will. Be that as it may, member States of UNCLOS and other global policies such as Canada are committed and have successfully adopt an EAF in their national policies and management plans. The Integrated Fisheries Management Plan (IFMP), was developed to manage the ground-fisheries in the Pacific region of Canada due to decline of stocks and habitat degradation witnessed in the fishery. The IFMP, is consistent with the FAO implementation roadmap, global policy recommendation and has successfully achieved its objectives. Its worthy of note that, the success of the IFMP goes beyond Canada’s political will to adhere to global policies and guidelines. This study, explores the institutional and policy framework which underpin an EAF from a global perspective and how the EAF is implemented in the IFMP. This study focuses solely, on the implementation of the EAF from a human dimension. Keywords: Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries; Integrated Fisheries Management Plan; United Nations Law of the Sea Convention; Fisheries management institutions

The Ecosystem Approach in the Conservation and Management of Fisheries in International Environmental Law

My thesis brings out the legal aspects of the Ecosystem Approach(EA) to fisheries Conservation and management in International Environmental Law. It examines the relevant Agreements governing the conservation and management of fisheries in International Environmental Law such as the LOSC, the CBD, the FSA, and COP decisions. It examines to what extent these Agreements adopt the EA to fisheries, and also the duty for states to implement provisions of these Agreements which adopts and reflects the EA to fisheries

Crustal-scale pop-up structure in cratonic lithosphere: DOBREdeep seismic reflection study of the Donbas fold belt, Ukraine.

The DOBRE project investigated the interplay of geologic and geodynamic processes that controlled the evolution of the Donbas fold belt, Ukraine, as an example of an inverted intracratonic rift basin. A deep seismic reflection profile provides an excellent image of the structure of the Donbas fold belt, which is the uplifted and compressionally deformed part of the late Paleozoic Pripyat-Dniepr-Donets basin. Both the effects of rifting and those of later structural inversion are recognized in the seismic and geologic data. The interpretation of the reflection data shows that the inversion of the Donbas fold belt occurred at the crustal scale as a mega-pop-up, which involved a major detachment fault through the entire crust and an associated back thrust. The DOBREflection image provides a simple concept of intracratonic basin inversion, the crustal pop-up being uplifted and internally deformed. The association of such a structure with inverted intracratonic basins such as the Donbas fold belt implies brittle deformation of relatively cold crust