Ethnicity: A Cause of Political Instability in Africa?

Document collected by the University of Texas Libraries from the web-site of the Reseau Documentaire International Sur La Region Des Grands Lacs Africains (International Documentation Network on the Great African Lakes Region). The Reseau distributes "gray literature", non-published or limited distribution government or NGO documents regarding the Great Lakes area of central Africa including Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.UT Librarie

Meditações sobre The Sacrificial Egg

This text-mediated meditation on colonialism, ethnological reason, and the dynamics of encounter and recognition proceeds through a reading of Chinua Achebe’s short story The Sacrificial Egg alongside a series of philosophical, fictional, and ethnological texts. Heeding how Achebe treats questions of conversion, immunity/community ,the passage of beliefs , curses, and knowledge from one generation to another (or even to a strangers), I also offer some reflections on the politics of knowledge, genre, citation/attribution, and ethics of co-habitation.Esta meditación mediada por texto sobre el colonialismo, la razón etnológica y la dinámica del encuentro y el reconocimiento continúa a través de la lectura del cuento El huevo de sacrificio de Chinua Acheb, junto con una serie de textos filosóficos, ficticios y etnológicos. Prestando atención a cómo Achebe trata los temas de conversión, inmunidad / comunidad, el paso de creencias, maldiciones y conocimientos de una generación a otra (o incluso a extraños), también ofrezco algunas reflexiones sobre la política del conocimiento, género, citación / atribución y ética de la convivencia.Esta meditação mediada por texto sobre o colonialismo, a razão etnológica e a dinâmica do encontro e reconhecimento prossegue através da leitura do conto The Sacrificial Egg, de Chinua Acheb, juntamente com uma série de textos filosóficos, ficcionais e etnológicos. Atentando a como Achebe trata as questões de conversão, imunidade/comunidade, a passagem de crenças, maldições e conhecimento de uma geração para outra (ou mesmo para estranhos), também ofereço algumas reflexões sobre a política do conhecimento, gênero, citação/atribuição, e a ética da coabitação

Isolated teres major rupture in an amaturer volleyball player

Isolated lesions to the teres major muscle are extremely rare. These injuries have been report in cases reports only due to the rarity of these injuries. I report the case of an amateur volleyball player who suffered an isolated injury to the teres major while volleyball for recreational purposes. The clinical presentation was confirmed by clinical examination and MRI scanning. Conservative treatment was chosen and consisted of brief immobilization and analgesics, followed by rehabilitative treatment. The patient recovered quickly from a conservative regime of physiotherapy and analgesics. The results and the data from the literature suggest that non-operative rather than surgical treatment is preferable in isolated lesions to the teres major muscle.

Closed medial subtalar dislocation: case report and review of the literature

A rare case of medial subtalar dislocation is presented and the literature concerning this injury is reviewed. Subtalar joint dislocations are rare and often the result of a high-energy trauma. These talar dislocations represent 1%-2% of all dislocations. A case of uncomplicated medial subtalar joint dislocation managed by closed reduction under anaesthesia with excellent functional outcome is presented. In cases of open subtalar joint dislocation immediate reduction, wound debridement and if necessary (external) stabilization is critical. Up to fifty percent of patients suffering complicated injury are at risk of developing complications such as avascular necrosis of the talus. Other long-term sequelae include osteochondral fracture and subtalar joint instability

Delayed surgical reconstruction of adult ankle malunion by supramalleolar osteotomy

Background: Malunion of the ankle fractures is a frequent cause of morbidity. The normal ankle is essential for normal mobility. Ankle malunion is a common cause of chronic pain, posttraumatic arthritis and work related disability. The importance of proper treatment of these injuries cannot be over emphasised. Lateral talar shift of only 1 mm decreases the tibio-talar contact area by 42%. This increases contact pressure stress by 36%. Together with instability this results in chronic pain and arthrosis.Methods: A retrospective study was designed to review 21 cases reconstructed after several months to many years of neglect prior to this review. The case reports, operative records, X-rays and CT scans of the patients in addition to physical examination findings were analysed. Results: Good to excellent results were achieved using basic orthopaedic instrument and implants. This technique is an important armamentarium to orthopaedic surgeons in the third world where late presentation of ankle fractures is common and ideal implants are scanty.Conclusions: Good to excellent radiological and functional outcomes are achievable with proper preoperative planning and corrective supramalleolar osteotomies

Laparoscopic Conservative Management Of A Spontaneously Ruptured Spleen: Case Report

A case of an acute abdomen secondary to a ruptured spleen managed laparoscopically is presented. Laparoscopy is currently widely used for the initial diagnosis and management of such cases as an alternative to laparotomy due to the numerous advantages of the minimal access techniques. With widespread availability and adequate training in laparoscopy, minimal access surgery is likely to play a bigger role in the initial management of patients with an acute abdomen in Kenya. It is with this realisation that we present the case of a 25 year old male who presented with an acute abdomen and thrombocytopaenia due to a ruptured spleen following severe malaria that was managed laparoscopically. The aim is to highlight and encourage conservative management of acute abdomen due to splenic rupture in a patient with malaria

Kenyatta and Odinga: The Harbingers of Ethnic Nationalism in Kenya

The paper traces the political problems that Kenya currently faces particularly the country s inability to construct a united national consciousness historical relationships that unfolded between the country s foremost founders Jomo Kenyatta and Oginga Odinga and the consequences of their political differences and subsequent-fallout in the 1960s The fall-out saw Kenyatta increasingly consolidating power around himself and a group of loyalists from the Kikuyu community while Odinga who was conceptualized as the symbolic representative of the Luo community was confined to the wilderness of politics This paper while applying the primordial and essentialist conceptual framework recognizes the determinant role that the two leaders played in establishing the foundations for post-independent Kenya This is especially true with respect to the negative consequences that their differing perspectives on Kenyan politics bequeathed the country especially where the evolution of negative ethnicity is concerned As a result of their discordant political voices in the political arena there were cases of corruption the killing of innocent Kenyans in Kisumu in 1969 political assassinations of T J Mboya Pio Gama Pinto and J M Kariuki among others as this paper argue

FABRICATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF ACTIVE NANOSTRUCTURES

Three different nanostructure active devices have been designed, fabricated and characterized. Junctionless transistors based on highly-doped silicon nanowires fabricated using a bottom-up fabrication approach are first discussed. The fabrication avoids the ion implantation step since silicon nanowires are doped in-situ during growth. Germanium junctionless transistors fabricated with a top down approach starting from a germanium on insulator substrate and using a gate stack of high-k dielectrics and GeO2 are also presented. The levels and origin of low-frequency noise in junctionless transistor devices fabricated from silicon nanowires and also from GeOI devices are reported. Low-frequency noise is an indicator of the quality of the material, hence its characterization can reveal the quality and perhaps reliability of fabricated transistors. A novel method based on low-frequency noise measurement to envisage trap density in the semiconductor bandgap near the semiconductor/oxide interface of nanoscale silicon junctionless transistors (JLTs) is presented. Low-frequency noise characterization of JLTs biased in saturation is conducted at different gate biases. The noise spectrum indicates either a Lorentzian or 1/f. A simple analysis of the low-frequency noise data leads to the density of traps and their energy within the semiconductor bandgap. The level of noise in silicon JLT devices is lower than reported values on transistors fabricated using a top-down approach. This noise level can be significantly improved by improving the quality of dielectric and the channel interface

Outcome of severe traumatic brain injury at a critical care unit: a review of 87 patients

OBJECTIVE: To determine the outcome of severe traumatic brain injury and to document the factors influencing mortality. DESIGN: A six months prospective study. SETTINGS: The intensive care unit (ICU) of Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), a tertiary referral centre in Kenya. SUBJECTS: Eighty Seven adult patients with severe traumatic brain injury admitted between April and September 2005. METHODS: Basic demographic, clinical, radiological and mechanism of injury data were recorded at admission and during ICU stay. The main outcome measure was survival or death. The outcome groups were compared for the injury severity, mean arterial pressure, serum glucose level, grade of diffuse axonal injury and the presence of mydriasis and anisocoria using the X2 test and the Fischers Exact test as appropriate. RESULTS: Severe traumatic brain injury accounted for 14.3% of all ICU admissions. This study included 73 men (83.9%) and 14 women (16.1%) with a mean patient age of 34 ± 17 years. Motor vehicle accidents were the main cause (58.6%). Forty six patients (54.0%) died. Twenty nine percent of patients had persistent vegetative state or severe disability. Factors that were associated with poor outcome on univariate analysis were Glasgow coma scale of less than 5, diffuse axonal injury and intracerebral mass lesions and blood sugar greater than 10mmol / L. CONCLUSION: Severe TBI is a frequent cause of hospital admission to critical care units among young men with a high mortality (54%) rate