The literature and documentation relating to the study of colonial Malawi (formerly Nyasaland) is quite considerable, and is increasingly being augmented by the annual output of monographs and articles, by the continuous unearthing of private collections and papers, and by governmental archival records gradually becoming available for public inspection. The purpose of this essay is to provide a guide to some of the more important works and material concerning selected aspects of Malawi's political history during the colonial period, presenting the literature in terms of the comparative analysis of political change in colonial Africa. Research work in progress is also cited, and some of the various gaps that require to be filled are mentioned.

The study of political and social change in colonial Malawi must take into account both the indigenous society and the external forces that have stimulated change, as well as the actual process of development. It is therefore necessary to have, first, some understanding of those features of the traditional environment and historical setting of precolonial Malawi which have a bearing on subsequent developments. Two useful discussions of the patterns of intertribal relations before colonization are offered by M. G. MARWICK (1963) and J. G. PIKE (1965). CLYDE MITCHELL (1960) provides a good general sketch of the African peoples and cultures, while another brief account of the tribal background appears in MARY TEW (1950). More detailed ethnographical studies relating to specific tribal groups are contained in the writings of J. CLYDE MITCHELL (1956), MARGARET READ (1956), J. M. SCHOFFELEERS (1966), J. VAN VELSEN (1964), and GODFREY WILSON (1939). These last five works also provide brief discussions of intertribal relations, the slave trade, and the early contacts of European explorers and missionaries with the African peoples. Two further important treatments of early race relations in Central Africa are the industrious volumes of A. J. HANNA (1956) and H. ALAN C. CAIRNS (1965), which are based on a vast variety of well known and obscure published sources. But, in the absence of African-derived records the story remains European centered, although the collection and assessment of African oral tradition should do much to redress the balance. For a critical analysis of Dr. Hanna's approach and interpretations, including a wealth of further material and insight, see the fine long essay by GEORGE SHEPPERSON (1958).

The results on Γ-limits of sequences of free-discontinuity functionals with bounded cohesive surface terms are extended to the case of vector-valued functions. In this framework, we prove an integral representation result for the Γ-limit, which is then used to study deterministic and stochastic homogenization problems for this type of functional.

All of my work in the last fifteen years has been influenced by my association with Bill Brown. But it is perhaps especially appropriate that this piece be included in this tribute to him, for it is the first paper which I wrote after joining him, and it focused on what was always of prime concern to him: the clarification of concepts. I still recall some of our discussion when I showed him the first draft: he was with it, at least insofar as the limits of space permitted development of the topic. Perhaps I remember this because this paper was in a way an earnest of what my stewardship in his institution should be.

The paper was read at the American Anthropological Association annual meetings in Detroit, December 1954, in the Symposium on Economic Factors in Stability and Change. I made no effort then to submit it for publication in any of the appropriate journals because I had taken time out from writing my dissertation to do the paper and returned my attention to that urgent task (it was also my first year of teaching a survey course on African ethnography), and the paper was soon out of mind. Now, after a lapse of time, the question arises, should it be brought up to date? Two quite different things can be implied by this question. First, should more recent data be adduced? To do so would be to write a new paper which would have none of this one's association with W. O. Brown. Furthermore, this paper now has a certain historical value as a contemporary description of some aspects of late colonial conditions. Second, should the interpretation and conclusion be modified in the light of more recent writings? I feel that both can stand. Therefore, no change has been made in the text.

For each $n\geq 1$, let $FT_n$ be the free tree monoid of rank n and $E_n$ the full extensive transformation monoid over the finite chain $\{1, 2, \ldots , n\}$. It is shown that the monoids $FT_n$ and $E_{n+1}$ satisfy the same identities. Therefore, $FT_n$ is finitely based if and only if $n\leq 3$.

Let $\ell $ be an odd prime. We investigate the enumeration of cyclic extensions of degree $\ell $ over $\mathbb {Q}$ subject to specified local conditions. By ordering these extensions according to their conductors, we derive an asymptotic count with a power-saving error term. As a consequence of our results, we analyze the distribution of values of L-functions associated with these extensions in the critical strip.

The historical study of nationalist movements in Africa is obviously of critical importance for the future history of mankind, but the relevance of such an undertaking is not quite so self-evident from the point of view of the social sciences more generally. Yet political scientists concerned primarily with the comparative analysis of contemporary political systems have come to recognize that the formative period of an organization is as important as its equivalent in the life of individuals; anthropologists and sociologists have found it useful to examine the emergence of new organizational life in Africa in order to intercept crucial aspects of the process of cultural and structural change. Scholars interested in individual behavior often discover new men in the making when they appear as actors in new organizations. If this were not enough to justify a cooperative effort on the part of researchers from a variety of academic tribes, it might be added that by reconstructing the history of nationalism social scientists can perform a significant service for their African hosts in search of a contemporary identity.

Although the origins of “nationalism” in Africa can and must be traced to at least the middle of the nineteenth century in some cases, it is evident that the period between the two world wars was one of direct preparation for the emergence of large-scale movements immediately afterwards. More is known about this period in some countries than in others, partly as a function of the more or less liberal nature of the colonial regime.

In heavy oil fields hosted in sandstone, steam flooding is a crucial technique for enhancing oil recovery. The swelling of clay minerals in these reservoirs, particularly those with high clay content, presents a significant challenge by causing permeability damage and hindering oil production. The objective of the present study was to investigate clay swelling phenomena in a sandstone oil reservoir where smectite-illite clays make up 40% of the reservoir rock. Through comprehensive static and dynamic tests, clay swelling behavior and its impact on permeability degradation were examined under varying temperature and salinity conditions typical of thermally enhanced oil recovery (EOR) processes. Results indicated that clay swelling is exacerbated under low salinity and high temperature, leading to severe permeability impairment. At high salinities (2000–4920 mg L–1), the swellability was relatively low, but it increased significantly as salinity decreased to a range of 0–2000 mg L–1. Static swelling tests revealed that the maximum clay expansion, with a 2.25-fold increase in volume, occurred in distilled water at 200°C. Additionally, the critical salt concentration (CSC) was found to increase with temperature, causing a more pronounced and earlier swelling effect. This increase in temperature coupled with a decrease in salinity impaired permeability significantly, with the most severe reduction, of 73.3%, observed at 150°C during distilled water flooding. Comparisons between static and dynamic tests showed consistent degrees of clay swelling across both methods. The findings of this study advance the understanding of clay swelling under thermal EOR conditions, particularly regarding the effects of salinity and temperature on permeability impairment in sandstone formations.

Visceral larva migrans syndrome (VLM) is caused by L2 Toxocara canis. This parasitic disease is difficult to diagnose in humans, but specific antigen identification could allow for parasite detection. The aim of this study was to analyse antigens of different parasite developmental stages and observe their cross-reactions with antigens from other parasites to determine their importance in the diagnosis of VLM caused by T. canis. Sera from 14 children with cryptogenic epilepsy previously positive for T. canis were analysed via Western blot (WB) using T. canis excretion-secretion antigens (TESs) from distinct morphological parasite stages; cross-reactivity of these antigens with antigens from other parasites were evaluated. Children sera recognized antigens from L2 T. canis TES, mainly a protein of 24 kDa. Proteins in the medium- and high-molecular-weight ranges were also detected in the egg phase. In the adult phase, only 42.9% of analysed sera recognized a protein of high-molecular weight. Cross-reaction tests identified medium and high-molecular weight proteins, mainly from L2 of Ascaris lumbricoides and Gnathostoma binucleatum and adults of Ancylostoma caninum, but none of the proteins found had crossover with low-molecular weight proteins from Toxocara canis. Antigens in the larval morphological stage of T. canis TES were recognized in the highest percentage of the analysed sera; these antigens could be used to diagnose VLM.