Learning to Live with Doubt: Kierkegaard, Freire, and Critical Pedagogy

Science.gov (United States)

Roberts, Peter

2017-01-01

What role does doubt play in education? This article addresses this question, initially via an examination of Søren Kierkegaard's "Philosophical Fragments". Kierkegaard, through his pseudonym Johannes Climacus, draws attention to the potentially debilitating and destructive effects of doubt on both teachers and learners. The work of…

Subjective overachievement: individual differences in self-doubt and concern with performance.

Science.gov (United States)

Oleson, K C; Poehlmann, K M; Yost, J H; Lynch, M E; Arkin, R M

2000-06-01

We discuss the construct of doubt about one's competence and suggest that doubt can have myriad consequences (e.g., self-handicapping, defensive pessimism). We focus on the effect of self-doubt when it is combined with a concern with performance and assert that this combination leads to the phenomenon of subjective overachievement. In two studies, we present a new 17-item Subjective Overachievement Scale (SOS), which includes two independent subscales measuring individual differences in self-doubt and concern with performance. The first study, consisting of two large samples (Ns = 2,311 and 1,703), provides evidence that the scale has high internal consistency and a clear two-factor structure. Additionally, the subscales have adequate test-retest reliability (Ns = 67 and 115). A second study reveals that the SOS has good convergent and discriminant validity. Both subscales are unrelated to social desirability but exhibit the predicted patterns of associations with other related constructs. The Concern with Performance Subscale is correlated with achievement motivation, whereas the Self-Doubt Subscale is correlated with scales assessing negative affectivity (e.g., self-esteem, social anxiety) and other self-related strategies associated with concerns about one's competence (e.g., self-handicapping, defensive pessimism, impostor phenomenon). The SOS, which combines the two subscales, appears to tap a unique strategy that individuals may use to deal with doubts about their own competence.

49 CFR 225.17 - Doubtful cases; alcohol or drug involvement.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Doubtful cases; alcohol or drug involvement. 225..., AND INVESTIGATIONS § 225.17 Doubtful cases; alcohol or drug involvement. (a) The reporting officer of... the possible involvement of alcohol or drug use or impairment in such accident or incident. If the...

Doubt, Despair and Hope in Western Thought: Unamuno and the Promise of Education

Science.gov (United States)

Roberts, Peter

2015-01-01

This article examines the importance of doubt in Western philosophy, with particular attention to the work of Søren Kierkegaard and Miguel de Unamuno. Kierkegaard's pseudonymous author Johannes Climacus ventures down the pathway of doubt, finds it perplexing and difficult and discovers that he is unable to return to his pre-doubting self. In…

There is no doubt. Muslim scholarship and society in 17th-century Central Sudanic Africa

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Dalen, Dorrit van

2015-01-01

In central sudanic Africa, the seventeenth century was a period of upheaval and major social change. Relations of power shifted, as did trade-routes and the meaning of Islam for ruling elites. Islam spread from royal courts to rural communities, leading to new identities, new boundaries and new

A fast, noniterative approach for accelerated high-temporal resolution cine-CMR using dynamically interleaved streak removal in the power-spectral encoded domain with low-pass filtering (DISPEL) and modulo-prime spokes (MoPS).

Science.gov (United States)

Kawaji, Keigo; Patel, Mita B; Cantrell, Charles G; Tanaka, Akiko; Marino, Marco; Tamura, Satoshi; Wang, Hui; Wang, Yi; Carroll, Timothy J; Ota, Takeyoshi; Patel, Amit R

2017-07-01

To introduce a pair of accelerated non-Cartesian acquisition principles that when combined, exploit the periodicity of k-space acquisition, and thereby enable acquisition of high-temporal cine Cardiac Magnetic Resonance (CMR). The mathematical formulation of a noniterative, undersampled non-Cartesian cine acquisition and reconstruction is presented. First, a low-pass filtering step that exploits streaking artifact redundancy is provided (i.e., Dynamically Interleaved Streak removal in the Power-spectrum Encoded domain with Low-pass filtering [DISPEL]). Next, an effective radial acquisition for the DISPEL approach that exploits the property of prime numbers is described (i.e., Modulo-Prime Spoke [MoPS]). Both DISPEL and MoPS are examined using numerical simulation of a digital heart phantom to show that high-temporal cine-CMR is feasible without removing physiologic motion vs aperiodic interleaving using Golden Angles. The combined high-temporal cine approach is next examined in 11 healthy subjects for a time-volume curve assessment of left ventricular systolic and diastolic performance vs conventional Cartesian cine-CMR reference. The DISPEL method was first shown using simulation under different streak cycles to allow separation of undersampled radial streaking artifacts from physiologic motion with a sufficiently frequent streak-cycle interval. Radial interleaving with MoPS is next shown to allow interleaves with pseudo-Golden-Angle variants, and be more compatible with DISPEL against irrational and nonperiodic rotation angles, including the Golden-Angle-derived rotations. In the in vivo data, the proposed method showed no statistical difference in the systolic performance, while diastolic parameters sensitive to the cine's temporal resolution were statistically significant (P cine). We demonstrate a high-temporal resolution cine-CMR using DISPEL and MoPS, whose streaking artifact was separated from physiologic motion. © 2017 American Association of Physicists

Darwin as a geologist in Africa – dispelling the myths and unravelling a confused knot

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Sharad Master

2012-09-01

Full Text Available Two myths persist concerning the role played by Charles Darwin as a geologist in Africa during his epic voyage around the world (1831–1836. The first myth is that Darwin was a completely self-taught geologist, with no formal training. The second myth is that it was Darwin who finally solved the problem of the granite–schist contact at the famous Sea Point coastal exposures in Cape Town, after deliberately setting out to prove his predecessors wrong. These myths are challenged by the now ample evidence that Darwin had excellent help in his geological education from the likes of Robert Jameson, John Henslow and Adam Sedgwick. The story of Darwin and his predecessors at the Sea Point granite contact has become confused, and even conflated, with previous descriptions by Basil Hall (1813 and Clark Abel (1818. Here, the historical record is unravelled and set straight, and it is shown from the evidence of his notebooks that Darwin was quite unaware of the outcrops in Cape Town. His erudite account of the contact was a result of the 8 years spent in writing and correspondence after his return to England and not because of his brilliant insights on the outcrop, as the myth would have it. While there has been little to indicate Darwin’s landfalls in Africa, a new plaque now explains the geology of the Sea Point Contact, and includes a drawing of Darwin’s ship, the Beagle, and quotes from his work.

Benefit of Doubt Approach to Case Weighting

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wittrup, Jesper; Bogetoft, Peter

The implementation of an efficient and reliable case weighting system (CWS) is currently considered essential for running an efficient judiciary. However, traditional models for establishing case weights are time-consuming and expensive. Furthermore, since such case weights are often viewed...... as indications of the relative " importance " of different types of court cases, they are bound to raise controversy. The most elaborate weighting system is likely to have its critics who question whether the established weights are fair. To address these issues, we suggest a new " benefit of the doubt...... between 150 and 250 minutes, or as simple ordinal rankings, e.g., case type B requires more time than case type A. The use of partial weight information and a benefit of the doubt approach reduces the need for detailed time-studies and prolonged " negotiations " among stakeholders. Moreover, most...

Humility, lifetime trauma, and change in religious doubt among older adults.

Science.gov (United States)

Krause, Neal; Hayward, R David

2012-12-01

Compared to research on the positive or beneficial effects of religion on health, far fewer studies have been designed to examine the potentially negative aspects of religion. The purpose of this study is to examine a potentially negative part of leading a religious life--religious doubt. More specifically, the current study was designed to assess the relationships among humility, exposure to lifetime trauma, and change in religious doubt over time. Two hypotheses were developed to explore the relationships among these constructs. The first hypothesis predicts that greater exposure to traumatic events at any point in the life course will be associated with greater doubts about religion over time. The second hypothesis proposes that the potentially deleterious effects of exposure to lifetime trauma will be buffered or offset for individuals who are more humble. Findings from a nationwide, longitudinal survey of older adults provide support for both hypotheses. This appears to be the first time that the relationship among humility, lifetime trauma, and change in religious doubt has been evaluated empirically.

Auditors' Professional Skepticism: Neutrality versus Presumptive Doubt

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Groot, T.L.C.M.; Quadackers, L.M.; Wright, A.

2014-01-01

Although skepticism is widely viewed as essential to audit quality, there is a debate about what form is optimal. The two prevailing perspectives that have surfaced are "neutrality" and "presumptive doubt." With neutrality, auditors neither believe nor disbelieve client management. With presumptive

The doubt-certainty continuum in psychopathology, lay thinking, and science.

Science.gov (United States)

Ron, Omri; Oren, Ela; Dar, Reuven

2016-12-01

This paper presents a theoretical model suggesting that doubt and certainty are two extremes of a continuum. Different people can be located in different locations on this continuum, according to how much they tend to seek refutation vs. confirmation. In both ends of the continuum lay mental disorders, which can be seen as extreme deviations from the usual relatively stable equilibrium between the two thinking processes. One end is defined by excessive skepticism and manifested as obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), a disorder characterized by incessant doubt. The other end is defined by excessive certainty and lack of doubt, manifested as delusional disorders. Throughout this article, we demonstrate that the differences between normative thoughts and delusional thoughts are relatively vague, and that in general, the human default tendency is to prefer certainty over doubt. This preference is reflected in the confirmation bias as well as in other cognitive constructs such as overconfidence and stereotypes. Recent perspectives on these biases suggest that the human preference for confirmation can be explained in evolutionary terms as adaptive and rational. A parallel view of the scientific enterprise suggests that it also requires a certain equilibrium between skepticism and confirmation. We conclude by discussing the importance of the dialectic relationship between confirmation and refutation in both lay thinking and scientific thought. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Imagery interchange in John Patrick Shanley’s Doubt, a parable

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Sandra Sirangelo Maggio

2013-06-01

Full Text Available John Patrick Shanley’s play Doubt - a Parable (2004 revisits the world he knew as a child, which is the Bronx of the 1960’s. The story centers upon a Catholic Irish-Italian school community, and the plot relates to a doubt - that grows into belief, and ends up as certainty - on the part of Sister Aloysius, the principal of the school, who is persuaded that Father Flynn, the vicar, has been harassing the only Black student in the school. The play is an open-ended construct, allowing each reader/spectator to build their own interpretation of the facts implied. Shanley is more than the author of the play. He has also worked as the producer of the play on the stage and he turned the story into a movie screenplay, Doubt, and has worked as a director to the movie. In this paper we examine the strategies used by Shanley to keep the possibility of interpretation open as he translates his own work into different media, on the page and on the screen.

Financing low carbon energy access in Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gujba, Haruna; Thorne, Steve; Mulugetta, Yacob; Rai, Kavita; Sokona, Youba

2012-01-01

Modern energy access in Africa is critical to meeting a wide range of developmental challenges including poverty reduction and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Despite having a huge amount and variety of energy resources, modern energy access in the continent is abysmal, especially Sub-Saharan Africa. Only about 31% of the Sub-Saharan African population have access to electricity while traditional biomass energy accounts for over 80% of energy consumption in many Sub-Saharan African countries. With energy use per capita among the lowest in the world, there is no doubt that Africa will need to increase its energy consumption to drive economic growth and human development. Africa also faces a severe threat from global climate change with vulnerabilities in several key areas or sectors in the continent including agriculture, water supply, energy, etc. Low carbon development provides opportunities for African countries to improve and expand access to modern energy services while also building low-emission and climate-resilient economies. However, access to finance from different sources will be critical in achieving these objectives. This paper sets out to explore the financial instruments available for low carbon energy access in Africa including the opportunities, markets and risks in low carbon energy investments in the continent. - Highlights: ► Access to finance will be critical to achieving low carbon energy access in Africa. ► Domestic finance will be important in leveraging private finance. ► Private sector participation in modern and clean energy in Africa is still low. ► Many financing mechanisms exist for low carbon energy access in Africa. ► The right institutional frameworks are critical to achieving low carbon energy access in Africa.

Motivated Doubts: A Comment on Walton’S Theory of Criticism

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Laar Jan Albert van

2014-03-01

Full Text Available In his theory of criticism, D. N. Walton presupposes that an opponent either critically questions an argument, without supplementing this questioning with any reasoning of her own, or that she puts forward a critical question and supplements it with a counterargument, that is, with reasoning in defense of an opposite position of her own. In this paper, I show that there is a kind of in-between critical option for the opponent that needs to be taken into account in any classification of types of criticism, and that should not be overlooked in a system of dialogue norms, nor in a procedure for developing a strategically expedient critique. In this third option, an opponent questions and overtly doubts a statement of the proponent and supplements her doubts with a counterconsideration that explains and motivates her position of critical doubt, yet without supporting any opposite thesis, thereby assisting, as it were, the proponent in his attempt to develop a responsive argumentation, tailor-made to convince this particular opponent. First, I elaborate on the notion of an explanatory counterconsideration. Second, I discuss Walton’s distinction between premises that can be challenged by mere questioning (“ordinary premises” and “assumptions” and premises that must be challenged by incurring the obligation to offer counter-argumentation (somewhat confusingly labeled “exceptions”. I contend that the latter type of premises, that I would label “normality premises,” can be attacked without incurring a genuine burden of proof. Instead, it can be attacked by means of incurring a burden of criticism (Van Laar and Krabbe, 2013 that amounts to the obligation to offer an explanatory counterconsideration, rather than a convincing ex concessis argument. Of course, providing the opponent with the right to discharge her burden of criticism with explanatory counterconsiderations brings a clear strategic ad- vantage to her. It is much less

Are Brain Dead Individuals Dead? Grounds for Reasonable Doubt.

Science.gov (United States)

Brugger, E Christian

2016-06-01

According to the biological definition of death, a human body that has not lost the capacity to holistically organize itself is the body of a living human individual. Reasonable doubt against the conclusion that it has lost the capacity exists when the body appears to express it and no evidence to the contrary is sufficient to rule out reasonable doubt against the conclusion that the apparent expression is a true expression (i.e., when the conclusion that what appears to be holistic organization is in fact holistic organization remains a reasonable explanatory hypothesis in light of the best evidence to the contrary). This essay argues that the evidence and arguments against the conclusion that the signs of complex bodily integration exhibited in ventilated brain dead bodies are true expressions of somatic integration are unpersuasive; that is, they are not adequate to exclude reasonable doubt against the conclusion that BD bodies are dead. Since we should not treat as corpses what for all we know might be living human beings, it follows that we have an obligation to treat BD individuals as if they were living human beings. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press, on behalf of the Journal of Medicine and Philosophy Inc. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Delay, doubt, and decision: how delaying a choice reduces the appeal of (descriptively) normative options.

Science.gov (United States)

van de Ven, Niels; Gilovich, Thomas; Zeelenberg, Marcel

2010-04-01

To help explain a regularity in democratic elections, we examined whether choosing to delay making a choice between a focal option and an alternative tends to make people subsequently less likely to choose what they would otherwise have chosen. The results of two experiments demonstrated that participants who were induced to delay making a decision were indeed less likely to choose the descriptively normative option. An additional experiment that primed a sense of doubt in participants provided support for a self-perception account of this result. Electing to delay making a choice is interpreted as an indication of doubt--doubt that tends to be attributed to the most prominent option. Delay-induced doubt about the normative option makes it less likely to be selected.

[Vaccines: building on scientific excellence and dispelling false myths].

Science.gov (United States)

Signorelli, Carlo

2015-01-01

The EU and Italian institutions have recently reiterated their commitment to harmonize and implement vaccination policies as a fundamental strategy for public health. Nonetheless, vaccines are losing public confidence. False myths related to vaccine adverse reactions and commercial interests, combined with the recent judgements of the Court and the "Fluad® episode", are fuelling vaccine hesitancy. In such a context, a lively debate is ongoing in Italian scientific community. Aim of this contribution is to recall the available solid scientific evidence demonstrating that vaccines are among the most effective prevention tools ever invented and recall the economic data that support the cost-effectiveness of the immunisation. As every other medicine, vaccines are registered after large and solid clinical trials have been conducted. Immunization schedules are proposed by experts in the field of clinical medicine, epidemiology and public health on the basis of the available scientific evidence, and then implemented by policy makers also taking into consideration resources allocation and financial sustainability. The false myth that vaccines are offered because of economic interests is to be dispelled;moreover, researchers, policy makers, scientific societies and the healthcare community at large should renew commitment to invest in health education and communication on vaccines, always disclosing potential conflicts of interests.

Cognitive Development, Epistemic Doubt, and Identity Formation in Adolescence.

Science.gov (United States)

Boyes, Michael C.; Chandler, Michael

1992-01-01

To evaluate the part that nascent skeptical doubt plays in shaping adolescent social-cognitive development, 61 high school students clearly classified as in concrete or formal operational stages of cognitive development completed a measure of epistemic stances. A relationship was found between cognitive and epistemic development. (SLD)

Psychoemotional features of a doubtful disorder: functional dyspepsia.

Science.gov (United States)

Dragoş, D; Ionescu, O; Micuţ, R; Ojog, D G; Tănăsescu, M D

2012-09-15

To delineate the psychological profile of individuals prone to FD-like symptoms (FDLS). A triple questionnaire of 614 items (including psychological and medical ones) was given to 10192 respondents, the results were analyzed by means of Cronbach alpha, and Chi square test, together with an ad-hoc designed method that implied ranking and outliers detecting. FDLS appears to be an accompanying feature of many (if not most) human emotions and are more frequent in anxious, timid, pessimistic, discontent, irascible, tense, success-doubting, unexpected-dreading individuals, bothered by persistent thoughts and tormented by the professional requirements and the lack of time. A higher degree of specificity might have: chiefly fear of failure, susceptibility, and tension, secondarily emotivity, fear of unpredictable events, sense of insufficient time, preoccupation with authority factors, and tendency to endure unacceptable situations, and also faulty patience and lack of punctuality. Rumination appears to be the psychological tendency most strongly associated with FD. Nocturnal epigastric pain seems to indicate a submissive nature but a rather responsibilities-free childhood, while early satiety is associated with inclination to work and responsibility and preoccupation with self-image. The superposition of FD symptoms with biliary and esophageal symptoms cast a doubt over the distinctness and even the materiality of the various functional digestive disorders.

Explaining adherence success in sub-Saharan Africa: an ethnographic study.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Norma C Ware

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Individuals living with HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa generally take more than 90% of prescribed doses of antiretroviral therapy (ART. This number exceeds the levels of adherence observed in North America and dispels early scale-up concerns that adherence would be inadequate in settings of extreme poverty. This paper offers an explanation and theoretical model of ART adherence success based on the results of an ethnographic study in three sub-Saharan African countries.Determinants of ART adherence for HIV-infected persons in sub-Saharan Africa were examined with ethnographic research methods. 414 in-person interviews were carried out with 252 persons taking ART, their treatment partners, and health care professionals at HIV treatment sites in Jos, Nigeria; Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; and Mbarara, Uganda. 136 field observations of clinic activities were also conducted. Data were examined using category construction and interpretive approaches to analysis. Findings indicate that individuals taking ART routinely overcome economic obstacles to ART adherence through a number of deliberate strategies aimed at prioritizing adherence: borrowing and "begging" transport funds, making "impossible choices" to allocate resources in favor of treatment, and "doing without." Prioritization of adherence is accomplished through resources and help made available by treatment partners, other family members and friends, and health care providers. Helpers expect adherence and make their expectations known, creating a responsibility on the part of patients to adhere. Patients adhere to promote good will on the part of helpers, thereby ensuring help will be available when future needs arise.Adherence success in sub-Saharan Africa can be explained as a means of fulfilling social responsibilities and thus preserving social capital in essential relationships.

Legalization of abortion doubtful in Italy.

Science.gov (United States)

1973-09-03

A proposal to legalize abortion has been presented to the Italian parliament by Representative Loris Fortuna. Thus far, the bill has the whole-hearted support of only the Radical Party. The Vatican has already voiced its strong opposition to this legislation. "The proposal to legalize abortion, even in certain circumstances, must inevitably be met with resistance and refusal," said Father Concetti, the Vatican representative. Professor Emanuele Lauricella, secretary of the Italian Obstetrics and Gynecology Society, on the other hand, claimed that abortion should be permitted, not only when an immediate danger to the mother's life exists, but also when there are other, simpler health risks. The passage of the bill in the near future, however, is very doubtful.

Globalisation and local power: influences on health matters in South Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Gilbert, Tal; Gilbert, Leah

2004-03-01

This paper reviews some of the multiple influences on health issues in South Africa, placing them in the context of globalisation. By examining the complexity of factors, both domestic and global, which impact on these issues, it questions the extent to which global patterns in areas such as health policy, HIV/AIDS, health care pluralism, and neo-liberal macroeconomic policy have played out in South Africa. The identification of some of the multiple and complex forces in each case reveals a relatively consistent story of global pressures interacting with domestic realities, with some recognizably local results. There is no doubt that a full and nuanced understanding of health in South Africa requires an appreciation of developments in the global political economy, international organizations such as the WHO and World Bank, and forces which operate outside of institutions. In each case, however, the specific opportunities available to actors within the country, as well as the relative power of those actors, should be given their due consideration in analysing their potential impact on health matters.

Effects of genetically modified T2A-1 rice on the GI health of rats after 90-day supplement

OpenAIRE

Yuan, Yanfang; Xu, Wentao; He, Xiaoyun; Liu, Haiyan; Cao, Sishuo; Qi, Xiaozhe; Huang, Kunlun; Luo, Yunbo

2013-01-01

Bacillus thuringiensis insecticidal toxin (Bt) rice will be commercialized as a main food source. Traditional safety assessments on genetically modified products pay little attention on gastrointestinal (GI) health. More data about GI health of Bt rice must be provided to dispel public' doubts about the potential effects on human health. We constructed an improved safety assessment animal model using a basic subchronic toxicity experiment, measuring a range of parameters including microflora ...

Nuclear axis. Secret collaboration between West Germany and South Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cervenka, Z.; Rogers, B.

1978-01-01

Today there is virtually no doubt that the white racist minority government in Pretoria has-or shortly will have-its finger on the nuclear button, introducing a new and extremely volatile element into African politics and threatening the peace of the whole world. This book is the sinister story of how they are getting the bomb and who has helped them. Relying on hitherto top-secret government documents, informants, and the public record, Zdenek Cervenka of the Scandinavian Institute of Africa Affairs, and Barbara Rogers, formerly of the British Foreign Office and a consultant to the United Nations and the Congressional Subcommittee on Southern Africa, have pieced together the story of the clandestine collaboration between West Germany, and South Africa to develop operational nuclear weapons. The authors trace Germany's rise as a military nuclear power (only thirty years after unconditional surrender); the growth of its atomic cooperation with South Africa; the transfer of secret technological data; the way in which other countries-including the United States, Britain, France, Israel-have been involved. The authors show that the Germans, pledged never to develop nuclear weapons, have become a major nuclear power, and, together with the South African military-industrial complex, now have the power to alter the course of modern history in Europe, Africa, and the rest of the world. The authors conclude with a discussion of how the international system of nuclear safeguards failed and how the Western allies acquiesced in that failure

A climate of doubts. The weight of uncertainty about climate change

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Alex, Bastien

2014-05-01

The author proposes a review of four publications about climate change published in 2012 and 2013. He more particularly focuses on how these publications express how climate change is perceived by the different components of our modern societies, how these perceptions have an influence on the answer to challenges related to this phenomenon, what global warming tells us about mankind ability to (re)act to this major challenge. He notices that any doubt about the reality of climate change is exploited and maintains some confusion, favours the propagation and persistence of popular misbelief such as: population of developing countries will be more impacted by effects of climate change, only rich people can afford interest in environment protection and climate preservation. He outlines that a doubting community will not act, and notices that technological advances, for example geo-engineering or climate engineering, tend to deliberately manipulate the environment to counteract the climate change due to human activity

Fighting the Whole System: Dissociative Identity Disorder, Labeling Theory, and Iatrogenic Doubting.

Science.gov (United States)

Floris, Jessica; McPherson, Susan

2015-01-01

This research examines how individuals diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder construe their experiences of being labeled with a contested diagnosis. Semistructured interviews were conducted in the United Kingdom with 5 women and 2 men diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder. A framework analysis was conducted. The analysis identified 2 overarching themes: diagnosis cross-examined and navigating care systems. The diagnosis appeared to be continually assessed by participants for its fit with symptoms, and the doubt among professionals seemed to be unhelpfully reflected in participants' attempts to understand and come to terms with their experiences. The findings are considered in light of labeling theory, the iatrogenic effects of professional doubt, and current debates concerning the reliability and validity of psychiatric diagnostic systems that have been reinvigorated by the publication of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition.

Green Pedagogy--Guidance and Doubt in Teaching Outdoor and Environmental Education

Science.gov (United States)

Preston, Lou

2011-01-01

This article grapples with my endeavour to guide teacher education students to think critically about environmental issues and action. While students repeatedly claim my efforts helped them to think critically, my interviews with them about environmental issues and practices cause me to doubt their claims of burgeoning critical engagement. This…

Building effective partnerships: the role of trust in the Virus Resistant Cassava for Africa project

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ezezika Obidimma C

2012-11-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Virus Resistant Cassava for Africa (VIRCA is an agricultural biotechnology public-private partnership (PPP comprising the Donald Danforth Plant Sciences Center (DDPSC, National Agricultural Research Organization (NARO of Uganda and Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI. The project seeks to develop virus-resistant cassava for farmers in Kenya and Uganda. Yet, there is much public skepticism about the use of genetically modified (GM crops and private sector involvement in Africa. This case study sought to understand the role of trust in the VIRCA partnership. Methods We conducted semi-structured, face-to-face interviews to obtain stakeholders’ views on the challenges to, and practices for, building trust in the VIRCA partnership. Interviewee responses, together with relevant documents and articles, were analyzed to generate descriptions of how trust is operationalized in this evolving agbiotech PPP. Data were analyzed based on recurring and emergent themes from the interviewee responses. Results Various factors undermine and build trust in agbiotech PPPs. Individual and institutional enthusiasm and detailed collaborative agreements stipulating partner roles and responsibilities are likely to enhance trust among partners. On the other hand, negative perceptions propagated by international partners about the capacities of African institutions and scientists, coupled with slow regulatory processes in Africa, are likely to be impediments to trust building. Conclusions Based on the findings of this study, we have derived four key lessons. First, differences in the capacity of the partner institutions and individuals should be respected. Second, technical and infrastructural capacity support for regulatory processes in Africa must be built. Third, detailed agreements and open and transparent partner practices during project implementation are necessary to dispel perceptions of inequality among partners. Fourth, institutional

A Cultural Safari: Dispelling Myths and Creating Connections.

Science.gov (United States)

Davis, Bonnie M.

1994-01-01

Discusses the ways that one teacher undertook a "cultural safari" in an attempt to learn extensively about African culture and society. Narrates this teacher's experiences in Senegal, her research about Africa, and its impact on her teaching. Argues that such activities "connect" students and teachers to the world community.…

DISPELLING MYTHS AND MISCONCEPTIONS TO IMPLEMENT A SAFETY CULTURE

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Potts, T. Todd; Smith, Ken; Hylko, James M.

2003-02-27

Industrial accidents are typically reported in terms of technological malfunctions, ignoring the human element in accident causation. However, over two-thirds of all accidents are attributable to human and organizational factors (e.g., planning, written procedures, job factors, training, communication, and teamwork), thereby affecting risk perception, behavior and attitudes. This paper reviews the development of WESKEM, LLC's Environmental, Safety, and Health (ES&H) Program that addresses human and organizational factors from a top-down, bottom-up approach. This approach is derived from the Department of Energy's Integrated Safety Management System. As a result, dispelling common myths and misconceptions about safety, while empowering employees to ''STOP work'' if necessary, have contributed to reducing an unusually high number of vehicle, ergonomic and slip/trip/fall incidents successfully. Furthermore, the safety culture that has developed within WESKEM, LLC's workforce consists of three common characteristics: (1) all employees hold safety as a value; (2) each individual feels responsible for the safety of their co-workers as well as themselves; and (3) each individual is willing and able to ''go beyond the call of duty'' on behalf of the safety of others. WESKEM, LLC as a company, upholds the safety culture and continues to enhance its existing ES&H program by incorporating employee feedback and lessons learned collected from other high-stress industries, thereby protecting its most vital resource - the employees. The success of this program is evident by reduced accident and injury rates, as well as the number of safe work hours accrued while performing hands-on field activities. WESKEM, LLC (Paducah + Oak Ridge) achieved over 800,000 safe work hours through August 2002. WESKEM-Paducah has achieved over 665,000 safe work hours without a recordable injury or lost workday case since it started operations on

Greenhouse effect: doubts and unknowns

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tabarelli, D.

1992-01-01

There are few doubts today in the scientific world that atmospheric carbon dioxide traps in heat and therefore contributes to global warming; however, it is yet uncertain as to whether the presence of this gas in the upper atmosphere is the only cause of the greenhouse effect, and the scientific theories defining the effect and its causes present a few obvious and significant gaps. This paper cites the fact that most greenhouse effect models only marginally, if at all, consider the mechanisms governing the formation and absorption of carbon dioxide by the earth's oceans; yet oceanic CO 2 concentration levels are about 60 times greater than those found in the atmosphere, and they depend on complex interactions, in seawater, among such factors as currents, carbon oxygenation, and vegetative activity. Another area of weakness in greenhouse effect modelling stems from the complexity and uncertainty introduced by the fact that, in addition to trapping heat, clouds reflect it, thus giving rise to an opposite cooling effect. In addition, it is pointed out that the current models are limited to predicting global and not regional or local effects

A neuropsychological test of belief and doubt: Damage to ventromedial prefrontal cortex increases credulity for misleading advertising

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Erik eAsp

2012-07-01

Full Text Available We have proposed the False Tagging Theory as a neurobiological model of belief and doubt processes. The theory posits that the prefrontal cortex is critical for normative doubt toward properly comprehended ideas or cognitions. Such doubt is important for advantageous decisions, for example in the financial and consumer purchasing realms. Here, using a neuropsychological approach, we put the False Tagging Theory to an empirical test, hypothesizing that focal damage to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex would cause a doubt deficit that would result in higher credulity and purchase intention for consumer products featured in misleading advertisements. We presented 8 consumer ads to 18 patients with focal brain damage to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, 21 patients with focal brain damage outside the prefrontal cortex, and 10 demographically similar healthy comparison participants. Patients with ventromedial prefrontal cortex damage were (1 more credulous to misleading ads; and (2 showed the highest intention to purchase the products in the misleading advertisements, relative to patients with brain damage outside the prefrontal cortex and healthy comparison participants. The pattern of findings was obtained even for ads in which the misleading bent was corrected by a disclaimer. The evidence is consistent with our proposal that damage to the ventromedial prefrontal cortex disrupts a false tagging mechanism which normally produces doubt and skepticism for cognitive representations. We suggest that the disruption increases credulity for misleading information, even when the misleading information is corrected for by a disclaimer. This mechanism could help explain poor financial decision-making when persons with ventromedial prefrontal dysfunction (e.g., caused by neurological injury or aging are exposed to persuasive information.

HIV/AIDS, conflict and security in Africa: rethinking relationships.

Science.gov (United States)

Becker, Joseph U; Theodosis, Christian; Kulkarni, Rick

2008-09-22

The effect of conflict on HIV transmission and regional and global security has been the subject of much recent discussion and debate. Many long held assumptions regarding these relationships are being reconsidered. Conflict has long been assumed to contribute significantly to the spread of HIV infection. However, new research is casting doubt on this assumption. Studies from Africa suggest that conflict does not necessarily predispose to HIV transmission and indeed, there is evidence to suggest that recovery in the "post-conflict" state is potentially dangerous from the standpoint of HIV transmission. As well, refugee populations have been previously considered as highly infected vectors of HIV transmission. But in light of new investigation this belief is also being reconsidered. There has additionally been concern that high rates of HIV infection among many of the militaries of sub-Saharan Africa poses a threat to regional security. However, data is lacking on both dramatically elevated prevalence amongst soldiers and a possible negative effect on regional security. Nevertheless, HIV/AIDS remain a serious threat to population health and economic well being in this region. These issues are of vital importance for HIV programming and health sector development in conflict and "post-conflict" societies and will constitute formidable challenges to the international community. Further research is required to better inform the discussion of HIV, conflict, and security in sub-Saharan Africa.

When in doubt follow your nose – a wayfinding strategy

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Tobias eMeilinger

2014-11-01

Full Text Available Route selection is governed by various strategies which often allow minimizing the required memory capacity. Previous research showed that navigators primarily remember information at route decision points and at route turns, rather than at intersections which required straight walking. However, when actually navigating the route or indicating directional decisions, navigators make fewer errors when they are required to walk straight. This tradeoff between location memory and route decisions accuracy was interpreted as a when in doubt follow your nose strategy which allows navigators to only memorize turns and walk straight by default, thus considerably reducing the number of intersections to memorize. These findings were based on newly learned routes. In the present study we show that such an asymmetry in route memory also prevails for planning routes within highly familiar environments. Participants planned route sequences between locations in their city of residency by pressing arrow keys on a keyboard. They tended to ignore straight walking intersections, but they ignored turns much less so. However, for reported intersections participants were quicker at indicating straight walking than turning. Together with results described in the literature, these findings suggest that a when in doubt follow your nose strategy is applied also within highly familiar spaces and might originate from limited working memory capacity during planning a route.

Wrestling with 'doubt-sayers': a first step in leading community-wide climate change action for better health.

Science.gov (United States)

Ritchie, Jan

2011-12-01

Although the evidence base for climate change is indisputable and the potential human health impact is extremely concerning, to date public health professionals are playing little part in influencing community change to accept and act on the science. In reviewing the techniques used to obstruct action on tobacco control by vested interests through constantly raising doubt about the science in this arena, a similar pattern is seen in obstructing action on climate change. It is clear that the raising of unverified doubt is the primary tool employed by profit-driven corporations to prevent constructive action in both these arenas, with the very high potential for the health of the whole population to suffer as a result. Those promoting the health of Australians have a responsibility to optimise health in this regard and need to think differently through embracing complexity science and then take action, with the first step being to provide constant counter-arguments to the unsubstantiated statements of the 'doubt-sayers'.

Trusted and doubted: Discourses of parenting training in two Swedish official inquiries, 1947 and 2008.

Science.gov (United States)

Rooth, Hetty; Forinder, Ulla; Söderbäck, Maja; Viitasara, Eija; Piuva, Katarina

2018-02-01

The aim of this study was to analyse discourses of parenting training in official inquires in Sweden that explicitly deal with the bringing up of children and parental education and how the representations of the problems and their solutions affect parental subject positions in the early welfare state and at the onset of the 21st century. We carried out a discourse analysis of two public inquiries of 1947 and 2008, drawing on theories about governmentality and power regimes. Tools from political discourse analysis were used to investigate the objectives of political discourse practices. Both inquiries referred to a context of change and new life demands as a problem. Concerning suggestions for solutions, there were discrepancies in parents' estimated need of expert knowledge and in descriptions of parental capacity. In a discourse of trust and doubt, the parents in 1947 were positioned as trusted welfare partners and secure raisers of future generations, and in 2008, as doubted adults, feared to be faltering in their child-rearing tasks. The analysis revealed how governmental problem descriptions, reasoning about causes and suggestions of solutions influenced parents' subject positions in a discourse of trust and doubt, and made way for governmental interventions with universal parenting training in the 21st century.

South Africa offers exploratory potential in variety of basins

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Broad, D.S.; Mills, S.R. (Soekor Ltd., Cape Town (South Africa))

1993-12-06

While the future suspension of the oil embargo against South Africa will no doubt help revitalize the region's most powerful economy, a move away from dependence on coal as the major local energy source is also likely. This could be accomplished through regional cooperation and development were it not for the ongoing conflict in Angola, the only producer of oil and gas in the Southern African Development Community. Even with world oil prices in the doldrums, massive foreign exchange savings would result from a domestic source, and in line with world trends the possibility of harnessing the gas resources of the region is increasingly seen as a possibility. For the present, those resources remain to be defined. But ENH of Mozambique is pursuing an appraisal program for Pande field with World Bank funding, while Shell and its partners are considering possibilities of Kudu field in Namiba. And while South Africa's own national oil company, Soekor, has had limited success with its search for oil during the apartheid years, offshore F-A gas field is in production, and the potential for hydrocarbons-gas in particular--requires a great deal more investigation. The colleagues have prepared a series of articles on basins off South Africa. These articles were prepared in anticipation of the completion of political reform and of the start of a licensing round, possibly during 1994. This article draws together summaries of aspects thought to be most pertinent to petroleum exploration.

Construction in space - Toward a fresh definition of the man/machine relation

Science.gov (United States)

Watters, H. H.; Stokes, J. W.

1979-01-01

The EVA (extravehicular activity) project forming part of the space construction process is reviewed. The manual EVA constuction, demonstrated by the crew of Skylab 3 by assembling a modest space structure in the form of the twin-pole sunshade, is considered, indicating that the experiment dispelled many doubts about man's ability to execute routine and contingency EVA operations. Tests demonstrating the feasibility of remote teleoperator rendezvous, station keeping, and docking operations, using hand controllers for direct input and television for feedback, are noted. Future plans for designing space construction machines are mentioned.

Procurement Under The UNCITRAL Model Law: A Southern Africa Perspective

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Stephen De La Harpe

2015-12-01

Full Text Available In Africa, economic integration, realised through regional integration, is seen as one of the driving factors that will improve the lives of its people. To enable regionalisation, economic growth and to unlock the potential of Africa its infrastructure will have to be improved. Infrastructure will on the whole be realised through public procurement. The stages for opening up procurement markets, referred to by Yukins and Schooner, is discussed and it is concluded that the states in SADC is still in the initial stages of opening its public procurement markets for regional competition. Although COMESA is not yet in full compliance with all four the stages great strides have been made and have elements of all stages been addressed. Because of the influence the Model Law has already played in COMESA, and the rest of Africa, it would be contra productive should SADC not take the same route as COMESA. If regard is had to the four categories of procurement rules that serves as barriers to national procurement markets, as set out by Arrowsmith it is clear that all of these are present in most SADC member states. Also in the case of COMESA these barriers still exist albeit to a lesser extent. What is necessary is a phased approach to address all of these barriers. This will be possible under the UNCITRAL Model Law as the 2011 Model Law does provide for the possibility of complying with international obligations and for states to allow for socio economic objectives in their procurement regimes. There can be little doubt that the 1994 Model Law has already had a marked influence on public procurement regulation in Africa and that the 2011 Model Law will in future continue to do so. Public procurement is essential for economic development and is the integration and harmonisation thereof on a regional basis the first step In this regard SADC, and especially South Africa, has an important role to play.

Negotiating contingent knowledges in a time of epistemic doubt

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Phillips, Louise Jane

How can/should we produce and communicate social scientific knowledge with authority under conditions of epistemic doubt? If all knowledge is contingent and if truth is a discursive effect rather than the final claim about reality - as post-foundationalism suggests - how can we formulate...... and provide support for contingent knowledge-claims? And how can the communication of social scientificknowlege be theorised and practised as the negotiation between social scientific knowledge and other forms of contingent knowledge rather than the one-way transmission of universal, value-free truth......-claims? In the paper, I outline an approach to addressing the final question. The approach is based on a combination of approaches to the production of knowledge developed in post-foundationalist sociology and philosophy of science, approaches to the communication of knowlege developed within communication studies...

The certainty that engendered doubt: paternity and DNA

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Claudia Fonseca

Full Text Available There has been a surge in the use of DNA paternity tests in Brazil in both private and government laboratories. This raises interesting questions about the influence of the medical and legal spheres on gender and kinship relations in contemporary society. To analyze this phenomenon, we conducted research and observations in various government agencies in Porto Alegre (the Public Defender's office, Mediation Hearings, Family Court and the Court's Medical Service of people involved in legal disputes over paternal identification. We also studied how recent changes in the laws concerning paternal recognition are applied by the different personalities on the scene. Based on this data, we present the hypothesis that far from inspiring greater tranquility, the simple existence of the test instigates doubt. This has profound repercussions on our form of "knowing" who is the father. The situation described in this paper raises new challenges for an anthropology of knowledge, which focuses on an analysis of Western beliefs - including scientific ones.

Unforgiving Confucian Culture: A Breeding Ground for High Academic Achievement, Test Anxiety and Self-Doubt?

Science.gov (United States)

Stankov, Lazar

2010-01-01

This paper reviews findings from several studies that contribute to our understanding of cross-cultural differences in academic achievement, anxiety and self-doubt. The focus is on comparisons between Confucian Asian and European regions. Recent studies indicate that high academic achievement of students from Confucian Asian countries is…

Renewable sources of energy in Africa: status of development and future contribution to the energy mix

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mwanza, P.N.; Pashkov, Y.V.

1995-01-01

Renewable sources of energy in Africa are widely regarded as alternatives to fossil fuels. Being an abundant indigenous reserve, they offer considerable savings of foreign exchange. Also, they are usually regarded as environmentally friendly and thus do not contribute significantly to the greenhouse effect. However, present contributions of renewable energy to the African energy supply remain negligible despite substantial claims often made about the potential scope for renewable energy forms. This paper is based on a comprehensive study undertaken by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa in 1993-94. The assessment of renewable energy contributions to the energy mix has been made based on data obtained from African countries. A formula reflecting new and renewable sources of energy (NRSE) utilisation was developed and an attempt was made to delineate some zones with identical patterns of utilisation. Some of the difficulties encountered in the dissemination of NRSE and incentives introduced by African countries are also discussed. The conclusion is that African countries acknowledge the role of NRSE technologies in the development of future world energy systems. Yet the probability of NRSE assuming a greater share in energy supplies within the next two decades in Africa is doubtful. (author) 3 tabs., 1 fig., 7 refs

On the contemporary African experience: Towards a humanistic mode of philosophy for Africa

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Ukpokolo Isaac E.

2011-01-01

Full Text Available There is no doubt that Africa today is confronted with many economic, political, social, and developmental problems. The big question and the basic challenge is therefore how best we can tackle these problems especially as we begin and forge ahead in the third millennium. This paper attempts to elucidate a fundamental role that philosophy can play in this regard. It holds that philosophy, as a discipline in the humanities, can help shape fresh ideas that are humanistic in nature in the sense that they encourage free enquiry and social agreement which are vital pillars for a fair and prosperous society; for a society without such genuine humanistic values will show many of the symptoms which are present in contemporary African societies.

Do Parents Blame or Doubt Their Child More when Sexually Abused by Adolescents versus Adults?

Science.gov (United States)

Walsh, Wendy A.; Cross, Theodore P.; Jones, Lisa M.

2012-01-01

Although the importance of parental support for child sexual abuse victims is well documented, the nature of parental support for victims sexually abused by adolescents is less understood. In this exploratory study, we examine whether parents differ in their levels of blame or doubt for their child when sexually abused by adolescents versus…

Essays on the Economics of Education in Sub-Saharan Africa

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Buhl-Wiggers, Julie

Increasing levels of education has been especially important in the quest for reducing poverty and have accordingly been a high priority for both international organizations and local governments. However, some doubt have been cast on extent to which these increases in the level of education...... will lead to economic growth. One of the most concerning factors is that academic skills remain low despite increases in the access to education. In Africa, 15-20% do not have full competencies in reading or basic math when they leave primary school. Shedding light on how to improve learning is a central......-constrained context as northern Uganda variations in teacher quality do explain a significant part of the variation in learning. This suggests that shifting the worst performing teachers to the level of the best performing could have a large impact on learning. The last Chapter points to the complexity of public...

Features of the Genesis of the Concept of Doubtful and Bad Debts, Organization of their Accounting and Assessment, Creation of a Reserve

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Hevchuk Anna V.

2018-03-01

Full Text Available The problem of defining the concept and content of doubtful and bad debts as well as the possibility of improving their accounting and creating a reserve is considered. Further steps to disclose the essence of the concept, qualitative characteristics of doubtful and bad debts under modern economic conditions, to ensure identification and cognition of accounting processes are taken; the debt in value terms is considered; reasons for its depreciation over time are identified, providing for the recording of transactions in accordance with their essence and not only on the basis of legal form. Methods of calculating, accumulating funds to create a reserve for the repayment of doubtful and bad debts and organization of their accounting are scientifically studied; recommendations on improving the accounting of the debt reserve when using various ways of its reflection in the balance sheet, accrual by journal entries and writing off by means of the documents “Debt adjustment” are given. Characteristics of methods for calculating doubtful debts are presented, examples of the mechanism for calculating the amount of the reserve are considered. The conclusions drawn are that the choice of the method strongly influences the final indicators, because using any method of calculating the reserve we receive different amounts of it, which changes the situation for the worse. In the course of the study, differences in approaches to the valuation, writing off and formation of a debt reserve are revealed as well.

Manufactured Doubt: The Campaign Against Nuclear Energy

Science.gov (United States)

Rogers, N. L.

2012-12-01

Nuclear electricity is a CO2 free technology with a proven track record of large scale commercial deployment. For example, France generates 78% of its electrical power with nuclear plants. France has the lowest pre-tax cost of electricity in Europe at 4.75 eurocents per KWH and France is the world's largest exporter of electricity. There are large world reserves of uranium sufficient for hundreds of years, even without breeder technology. Additionally, thorium, another radioactive mineral is in even more plentiful supply. Although present-day nuclear technology has proven to be safe and reliable, waiting in the wings is new generation technology that promises great improvements in both safety and cost. Yet, there has been a calculated and sophisticated campaign in the later part of the 20th century to create doubt and fear concerning nuclear power. In the United States this campaign has essentially destroyed the nuclear industry. No new plants have been commissioned for decades. Leadership in the nuclear power field has been ceded to other countries. The great paradox is that the very organizations that express great alarm concerning CO2 emissions are the same organizations that led the campaign against nuclear power decades ago. Representatives of these organizations will say privately that they are taking a new look at nuclear power, but no major organization has reversed course and become a supporter of nuclear power. To do so would involve a loss of face and create doubts concerning the credibility of the organization. As recently as 2001 environmentalist lobbyists made great efforts to ensure that no credit could be given for nuclear power under the Kyoto accords and the associated clean development mechanism. They succeeded and nuclear power receives unfavorable treatment under the Kyoto accords even though it is a proven solution for reducing CO2 emissions. The technique used to destroy nuclear energy as a viable alternative in the United States had two

Corporate municipal governance for effective and efficient public service delivery in South Africa.

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Paulin Mbecke

2014-10-01

Full Text Available This research acknowledges the current service delivery chaos manifested through numerous protests justifying the weakness of the “Batho Pele” good governance principles to facilitate, improve and sustain service delivery by local governments. The success of corporate governance in corporate companies and state owned enterprises is recognised prompting suggestions that local governments should too adopt corporate governance principles or King III to be effective. The research reviews the King III and literature to ascertain the lack of research on corporate governance in local governments in South Africa. Considering the particular set-up of local governments, the research doubts the successful application of King III in local governments. Through critical research theory, the current service delivery crisis in local governments in South Africa is described. The success of corporate governance systems in the United Kingdom and Australian local governments justify the need for a separate corporate municipal governance system as a solution to the crisis. A specific change of legislation and corporate governance guidelines is necessary to address the uniqueness of local governments. Hence, corporate municipal governance should be compulsory and based on ten standardised good governance principles via a code of corporate governance and a corporate governance framework responding to specific prerequisites for success

Continental fossil vertebrates from the mid-Cretaceous (Albian-Cenomanian) Alcântara Formation, Brazil, and their relationship with contemporaneous faunas from North Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Candeiro, Carlos Roberto A.; Fanti, Federico; Therrien, François; Lamanna, Matthew C.

2011-05-01

The Albian-Cenomanian Alcântara Formation of northeastern Brazil preserves the most diverse continental vertebrate fauna of this age yet known from northern South America. The Alcântara vertebrate assemblage, consisting of elasmobranchs, actinopterygians, sarcopterygians, turtles, crocodyliforms, pterosaurs, and non-avian dinosaurs, displays close similarities to contemporaneous faunas from North Africa. The co-occurrence of as many as eight freshwater or estuarine fish taxa ( Onchopristis, Bartschichthys, Lepidotes, Stephanodus, Mawsonia, Arganodus, Ceratodus africanus, and possibly Ceratodus humei) and up to seven terrestrial archosaur taxa ( Sigilmassasaurus, Rebbachisauridae, Baryonychinae, Spinosaurinae, Carcharodontosauridae, possibly Pholidosauridae, and doubtfully Bahariasaurus) suggests that a land route connecting northeastern Brazil and North Africa existed at least until the Albian. Interestingly, most components of this mid-Cretaceous northern South American/North African assemblage are not shared with coeval southern South American faunas, which are themselves characterized by a number of distinct freshwater and terrestrial vertebrate taxa (e.g., chelid turtles, megaraptoran and unenlagiine theropods). These results suggest that, although mid-Cretaceous faunal interchange was probably possible between northern South America and North Africa, paleogeographic, paleoclimatic, and/or paleoenvironmental barriers may have hindered continental vertebrate dispersal between northern and southern South America during this time.

Gluten-related disorders: certainties, questions and doubts.

Science.gov (United States)

Valenti, Simona; Corica, Domenico; Ricciardi, Luisa; Romano, Claudio

2017-11-01

In the last decade, the ingestion of gluten, a heterogeneous complex of proteins present in wheat, rice, barley and probably in oats, has been associated with clinical disorders, such as celiac disease, wheat allergy and recently to non-celiac gluten sensitivity or wheat intolerance syndrome. Gluten-related disorders, which are becoming epidemiologically relevant with an estimated global prevalence of about 5%, require the exclusion of gluten from the diet. For the past 5 years, an important shift in the availability of gluten-free products, together with increased consumption in the general population, has been recorded and is estimated to be about 12-25%. Many people follow a self-prescribed gluten-free diet, despite the fact that the majority have not first been previously excluded, or confirmed, as having gluten disorders. They rely on claims that a gluten-free diet improves general health. In this review, we provide an overview of the clinical disorders related to gluten or wheat ingestion, pointing out the current certainties, open questions, possible answers and several doubts in the management of these conditions. KEY MESSAGE Incidence of gluten-related disorders is increased in the last decade and self-diagnosis is frequent with inappropriate starting of a gluten-free diet. Gluten and wheat are considered as the most important triggers to coeliac disease, wheat allergy and non-celiac gluten sensitivity. Pediatricians, allergologist and gastroenterologist are involved in the management of these conditions and appropriate diagnostic protocols are required.

Comments on: The moisture from the air as water resource in arid region: hopes, doubt and facts

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Beysens, D.; Milimouk, I.; Nikolayev, V.; Berkowicz, S.M.; Muselli, M.; Heusinkveld, B.G.; Jacobs, A.F.G.

2006-01-01

Kogan and Trahtman [2003. The moisture from the air as water resource in arid region: hopes, doubts and facts. Journal of Arid Environments 53, 231¿240] analysed the functioning of a passive dew condenser built by F.I. Zibold in 1912 in Feodosia, and proposed a model to explain how thousands of

Benefit of the doubt: a new view of the role of the prefrontal cortex in executive functioning and decision making

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Erik William Asp

2013-05-01

Full Text Available The False Tagging Theory (FTT is a neuroanatomical model of belief and doubt processes that proposes a single, unique function for the prefrontal cortex. Here, we review evidence pertaining to the FTT, the implications of the FTT regarding fractionation of the prefrontal cortex, and the potential benefits of the FTT for new neuroanatomical conceptualizations of executive functions. The FTT provides a parsimonious account that may help overcome theoretical problems with prefrontal cortex mediated executive control such as the homunculus critique. Control in the FTT is examined via the heuristics and biases psychological framework for human judgment. The evidence indicates that prefrontal cortex mediated doubting is at the core of executive functioning and may explain some biases of intuitive judgments

Research integrity: the experience of a doubting Thomas.

Science.gov (United States)

Hettinger, Thomas P

2014-04-01

The sensational "reactome array" paper published in Science in 2009 was investigated in Spain by the Ethics Committee of Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas (CSIC) after Science issued an editorial expression of concern. The paper was retracted in 2010 because of "skepticism" due to "errors" in chemistry. The "errors" were so profound that many readers expressed doubt that they were really errors, but part of an elaborate hoax. I conducted a forensic analysis of mass spectrometry data in the paper's Supporting Online Material (SOM) and was able to prove that thousands of data values were in fact fabricated. The SOM contains signatures of improper extensive spreadsheet manipulations of incorrect atomic and molecular mass values as well as impossibly repetitive deviations of found molecular mass values from their expected values. No evidence of real mass spectrometry data was detected. Both CSIC and Science have been content to retract the paper without acknowledging the fabrications or assigning responsibility for them. Neither CSIC nor Science has expressed interest in having an independent investigation determining how the paper came to be written, reviewed and published. Their weak response to this episode is a daunting signal that there is an impending crisis in research integrity and science journalism.

Managing change in Higher Educational Institutions in South Africa: Some challenges

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L. Froneman

2003-12-01

Full Text Available Higher Education has a vital role in developing an internationally competitive economy, a more affluent society and a sturdy democracy. The newly released National Plan for Higher Education in South Africa should recognise the current social and economic status in the country to realign its mission, and to reconsider the location and target audience of the various institutions in the country, to optimally serve the educational needs of the communities. The proposals in the National Plan, however, attempts to attain in a few years what other stabilised countries took years. That poses major challenges to education management. The aim of this paper is to evaluate some aspects of the managerial skills in the national education authorities. By analysing the National Plan, and testing the views of a number of teaching staff, the conclusion is that there are serious doubts regarding the management acumen in the educational leadership and that various important aspects are left out in the Plan.

The Doubting System 1: Evidence for automatic substitution sensitivity.

Science.gov (United States)

Johnson, Eric D; Tubau, Elisabet; De Neys, Wim

2016-02-01

A long prevailing view of human reasoning suggests severe limits on our ability to adhere to simple logical or mathematical prescriptions. A key position assumes these failures arise from insufficient monitoring of rapidly produced intuitions. These faulty intuitions are thought to arise from a proposed substitution process, by which reasoners unknowingly interpret more difficult questions as easier ones. Recent work, however, suggests that reasoners are not blind to this substitution process, but in fact detect that their erroneous responses are not warranted. Using the popular bat-and-ball problem, we investigated whether this substitution sensitivity arises out of an automatic System 1 process or whether it depends on the operation of an executive resource demanding System 2 process. Results showed that accuracy on the bat-and-ball problem clearly declined under cognitive load. However, both reduced response confidence and increased response latencies indicated that biased reasoners remained sensitive to their faulty responses under load. Results suggest that a crucial substitution monitoring process is not only successfully engaged, but that it automatically operates as an autonomous System 1 process. By signaling its doubt along with a biased intuition, it appears System 1 is "smarter" than traditionally assumed.

How Doubt Built the Foundation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

OpenAIRE

Hortin, Joshua

2013-01-01

Dr. Gregory A. Prince at this year’s annual Arrington Lecture gave an intriguing biography of Leonard J. Arrington, focusing particularly on Arrington’s own interplay between faith and doubt. Arrington’s intellectual journey was sparked as he entered the world of academia and had his beliefs on evolution directly challenged. Having been raised as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-­‐ day Saints (LDS or Mormon), he struggled with reconciling a Creationist viewpoint to that taught...

Brand Africa

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Richey, Lisa Ann; Ponte, Stefano

2012-01-01

a. Lisa Ann Richey, Roskilde University and Stefano Ponte, Danish Institute for International Studies - Brand Aid and Africa b. Fantu Cheru, Nordic Africa Institute - The Right to Consume: Compassion and the Intricate New Phase of Capitalism and Africa c. Rita Abrahamsen, University of Ottawa...... - Africa in a Global Political Economy of Symbolic Goods d. Graham Harrison, University of Sheffield - Images and Representations of Africa: Old, New and Beyond e. Claire Mercer, London School of Economics and Political Science - The Privatisation of Aid? f. Dan Brockington, University of Manchester...

The congressional impact on reactor regulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Price, H.S.

1978-01-01

Congress can stimulate the nuclear option in two ways. First, the chairmen of parliamentary committees and subcommittees whose role is determining and in general the elected bodies who support the nuclear development program as an integral part of the national energy policy. They can dispel doubts and the ambiguous climate in which decision makers in the Executive Branch, the Judiciary of the State and Local Governments now operate, by affirming that the Atomic Energy Act is an expression of the national will. Secondly, Congress can create an effective vehicle for accelerating the licensing procedure for nuclear installations. The Administration's recently proposed Bill on the subject will enable Congress to set up a simplified and hence speedier system. (NEA) [fr

Dispelling myths about a new healthful food can be more motivating than promoting nutritional benefits: the case of Tofu.

Science.gov (United States)

Wansink, Brian; Shimizu, Mitsuru; Brumberg, Adam

2014-04-01

This study examines what factors impact the adoption of certain types of healthy foods, such as Tofu, by future nutritional gatekeepers. Information on perceived facilitators and barriers to the utilization of barriers would be obtained via interviews and surveys. In-depth laddering interviews and an online survey during 2012 were utilized. The in-depth laddering interviews were conducted with 83 young women and new mothers (non-vegetarians and non-Asians) who were enthusiastic lovers of Tofu. 502 women from the target demographic (between 20 and 35, non-Asian) were recruited from a national panel and surveyed online in 2012. Based on the interviews, 21 primary reasons for trying Tofu (facilitators) and 10 reasons that might be preventative (barriers) were identified. A key finding was that facilitators were not motivating factors for why women adopted Tofu into their diets. Instead, barriers explained more than 44% of the variance for not adopting tofu. When encouraging nutritional gatekeepers to add Tofu to their household diets, it may be more effective to focus on changing the barriers. This study suggests that nutritionists and health practitioners may be more successful in encouraging the adoption of healthy new foods by dispelling their misconceptions rather than focusing on their nutritional benefits. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Reinventing the doubt of the icon: A virtual case study in a post-Soviet country’s capital

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Lazaros Elias Mavromatidis

2012-01-01

Full Text Available The main objective of this paper is to define, negotiate and debate radical socio-cultural approaches of landscape creation in today’s megacities, within a strict capitalist context. For this reason, it investigates both the theoretical and concrete manner of the spatial expression within an imposed contemporary Foucauldian state of disciplines. Therefore, the research methodology simultaneously develops two different hypotheses in order to bridge the gap between the theoretical explorations and concrete dimension of architectural creation. The primary hypothesis is based on the Lacanian dimension of doubt that is considered in this work as the Chomskyan primitive power that gives birth to every idea or concept, having the potential to exasperate the radical imaginary of each society such as it is defined in Castoriadis’ writings. The second main hypothesis is based on an analytical exploration of space creation within strict political and economical contexts. For this purpose, a post-Soviet country served as a case study in order to investigate the cultural landscape values in both communist and capitalist regimes. Hence, focusing on Armenia and especially on Yerevan’s landscape transformations during the transition from communism to capitalism, this article first departs from the need to employ a deep theoretical analysis of non-economic factors in order to guide capitalist societies through cooperation with the disadvantaged social structure that has no space in today’s megacities and, second, details an original landscape creation sketched by a real recent architectural competition that is seen here as a contemporary Foucauldian state of disciplines. The main object of the architectural composition presented in this contribution is to fulfil the competitions’ guidelines – having in mind, however, consolidation of the imposed image of global capitalism with local elements in order to form a Foucauldian heterotopia by allowing

[Efficiency of benazepril combined with wind dispelling and dampness removing chinese herbs on stage 3 chronic kidney disease with wind-dampness syndrome: a prospective study].

Science.gov (United States)

Fang, Yi-Qing; Lu, Ying; Wang, Yong-Jun

2012-03-01

To observe the clinical efficiency and safety of Benazepril and wind dispelling and dampness removing Chinese herbs were singly or combined used in patients with stage 3 chronic kidney disease (CKD 3), and to provide effective integrative medicine methods for treatment of CKD 3. The CKD 3 was allocated to qi and yin deficiency syndrome, inner disturbance of wind and damp syndrome, stasis in Shen meridian syndrome, and inner accumulation of damp and heat syndrome. Recruited were patients of inner disturbance of wind and damp syndrome accompanied or unaccompanied with the other 3 syndrome types. In the prospective, randomized, double blind controlled study, 60 patients confirmed as primary chronic glomerulonephritis (CGN) were randomly assigned to 3 groups with a total course of treatment for 24 weeks. Patients in the Western medicine group (WM, 23 cases) took Benazepril (10 mg/d). Those in the Chinese medicine group (CM, 20 cases) received treatment by syndrome typing. Those in the combination group (17 cases) used the two methods. The therapeutic efficacy and the occurrence of adverse reactions were observed in the 3 groups. The inner disturbance of wind and damp syndrome accompanied qi and yin deficiency syndrome and stasis in Shen meridian syndrome was most often seen in these patients. It accounted for 75.0% in the CM group, 60.9% in the WM group, and 82.4% in the combination group. Totally 54 patients completed this trial. Of them, there were 19 in the CM group, 19 in the WM group, and 16 in the combination group. There was no significant difference in the total effective rate of Chinese medicine syndrome among the 3 groups (84.2%, 78.9%, and 87.5%, respectively) (P>0.05). As for the total effective rate of WM, it was obviously higher in the combination group than in the WM group and the CM group (100.0%, 94.7%, and 94.7%, respectively) (PBenazepril combined with wind dispelling and dampness removing Chinese herbs showed favorable renal protective effects. It

Publishing and Alternative Licensing Model of Africa (PALM Africa ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Africa depends on learning materials published elsewhere, and has serious difficulty acquiring, producing and distributing them. In order to facilitate citizen access to these materials, the publishing sector in Africa needs to explore new business models and technologies. Publishing and Alternative Licensing Model of Africa ...

Prophecy and Doubt in Just Above My Head

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christopher Z. Hobson

2015-09-01

Full Text Available Written in the aftermath of the civil rights era’s expansive hopes, James Baldwin’s last novel, Just Above My Head (1979, examines a fundamental issue, the choice between hope and skepticism, or prophecy and doubt. Baldwin approaches this issue by questioning two cornerstone ideas of his fiction, the need for prophetic art and this art’s focus on anticipating a renovated society, often pictured in terms adapted from apocalyptic biblical texts and Gospel music lyrics. Just Above My Head is Baldwin’s fullest presentation of this kind of art and its linkage to apocalyptic hopes. He dramatizes these ideas in the art of his Gospel singer protagonist, particularly in a climactic scene of artistic dedication whose Gospel lyric envisions “tearing down the kingdom of this world.” Yet Baldwin also unsparingly questions these same ideas through plot and the blues-inflected skeptical-tragic consciousness of his narrator. Responding to a 1970s moment when hopes for transcendent justice seemed passé, Just Above My Head’s unique contribution is not to try to resolve the ideas it counterposes, but to face both the possible falseness of prophetic hope and our continuing need for it, and to present the necessity for choice in a final dream that holds the key to the novel’s meaning. In presenting this issue through a sustained double-voiced narrative that reexamines its author’s artistic practice and raises fundamental choices in outlook and conduct, Just Above My Head evidences the continuing artistic vitality of Baldwin’s late fiction.

Africa Insight

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Africa Insight is a quarterly, peer-reviewed journal of the Africa Institute of South Africa. It is accredited by the South African National Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) and is indexed in the International Bibliography of Social Science (IBSS). It is a multi-disciplinary journal primarily focusing on African ...

English in Africa

African Journals Online (AJOL)

English in Africa was founded in 1974 to provide a forum for the study of African literature and English as a language of Africa. The Editor invites contributions, including unsolicited reviews, on all aspects of English writing and the English language in Africa, including oral traditions. English in Africa is listed in the Journal of ...

China and Africa: human rights perspective | Osondu-Oti | Africa ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

At the turn of the twenty-first century, China emerged as a major player in Africa's international relations. This emergence has attracted a lot of attention in literature on what it portends for Africa. Studies have pointed that China's involvement in Africa undermines human rights. Of important note was China's support for the ...

Una visión ponderada de la legislación laboral: comentarios al régimen MYPE y a la propuesta de «Ley de la Nueva Empresa»

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christian Sánchez

2012-12-01

Full Text Available A weighted view of labor law: commentaries on the MSE regime and the proposal «Law of New Enterprise»The present article evaluates constitutional character of the regime of Micro and Small Enterprises (MSE and the legislative proposal of «Law of New Enterprise» from the jurisprudence of the Constitutional Court. With this purpose it starts with analyzing own characters of the right to equality as a classical liberal right that is based on social rights as the right to work. Finally, the article seeks to dispel doubt of whether those regimes, MSE and the Law of New Enterprise, they obey to a policy of promotion of employment or rather they introduce a differentiated treatment without objective basis and therefore unconstitutional.

Governance of Oil in Africa: Unfinished Business

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lesourne, J.; Ramsay, W.C.; Guichaoua, Y.; Shaxson, N.; Magrin, G.; Geert van, Vliet; Auge, B.

2009-01-01

A closer inspection of the world's oil and gas resources, tempered by a critical assessment of their accessibility, would lead many investors now focused on Russia and the Middle East to turn their attention to the Caspian Basin. But many of these oil and gas provinces are largely off limits for international investors, or the investment conditions have become so unpredictable that investors are forced to look elsewhere for the oil and gas to meet the world's increasing demand. Even if today's economic crisis has taken the urgency out of today's supply and demand balances, economic recovery will soon reveal the need for ever-increasing investment upstream. Other parts of the world may not hold the huge hydrocarbon resources of the Middle East, but there is considerable opportunity elsewhere. This study is dedicated to sub-Saharan Africa where considerable resources have been found and more is no doubt yet to be discovered. Specifically, the countries of the Gulf of Guinea have long been in the oil business and some are now in the gas business. What have the experiences in the oil and gas sectors of these countries been? How has governance evolved over the years and why have some of these countries been unable to realize the full benefits of their resource endowments? The Gulf of Guinea holds considerable promise for more oil and gas for world markets, but the experiences of the past decades suggest a need for substantial reform. Income distribution,welfare, development are not generally the business of energy companies, but if governments do not see to these basic requirements of their populations, energy companies will not be able to bring those energy commodities to the market. This book includes four chapters that examine how energy, governance, corruption, income distribution, and corporate issues are linked. The IFRI program on European Governance and Geopolitics of Energy hopes this publication will shed light on the role of hydrocarbon production in Africa

Governance of Oil in Africa: Unfinished Business

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lesourne, J.; Ramsay, W.C. [Institut Francais des Relations Internationales (Ifri), 75 - Paris (France); Guichaoua, Y. [Oxford Univ., Department of International Development (United Kingdom); Shaxson, N. [Associate Fellow with the Africa programme at Chatham House (United Kingdom); Magrin, G.; Geert van, Vliet [CIRAD, 75 - Paris (France); Auge, B. [Paris-8 Univ., Institut Francais de Geopolitique, 75 (France)

2009-07-01

A closer inspection of the world's oil and gas resources, tempered by a critical assessment of their accessibility, would lead many investors now focused on Russia and the Middle East to turn their attention to the Caspian Basin. But many of these oil and gas provinces are largely off limits for international investors, or the investment conditions have become so unpredictable that investors are forced to look elsewhere for the oil and gas to meet the world's increasing demand. Even if today's economic crisis has taken the urgency out of today's supply and demand balances, economic recovery will soon reveal the need for ever-increasing investment upstream. Other parts of the world may not hold the huge hydrocarbon resources of the Middle East, but there is considerable opportunity elsewhere. This study is dedicated to sub-Saharan Africa where considerable resources have been found and more is no doubt yet to be discovered. Specifically, the countries of the Gulf of Guinea have long been in the oil business and some are now in the gas business. What have the experiences in the oil and gas sectors of these countries been? How has governance evolved over the years and why have some of these countries been unable to realize the full benefits of their resource endowments? The Gulf of Guinea holds considerable promise for more oil and gas for world markets, but the experiences of the past decades suggest a need for substantial reform. Income distribution,welfare, development are not generally the business of energy companies, but if governments do not see to these basic requirements of their populations, energy companies will not be able to bring those energy commodities to the market. This book includes four chapters that examine how energy, governance, corruption, income distribution, and corporate issues are linked. The IFRI program on European Governance and Geopolitics of Energy hopes this publication will shed light on the role of hydrocarbon

Ocean climate data for user community in West and Central Africa: Needs, opportunities, and challenges

Science.gov (United States)

Ojo, S. O.

1992-01-01

The urgent need to improve data delivery systems needed by scientists studying ocean role in climate and climate characteristics has been manifested in recent years because of the unprecedented climatic events experienced in many parts of the world. Indeed, there has been a striking and growing realization by governments and the general public indicating that national economies and human welfare depend on climate and its variability. In West and Central Africa, for instance climatic events, which have resulted in floods and droughts, have caused a lot of concern to both governments and people of the region. In particular, the droughts have been so widespread that greater awareness and concern have become generated for the need to find solutions to the problems created by the consequences of the climatic events. Particularly in the southern border regions of the Sahara Desert as well as in the Sahel region, the drought episodes considerably reduced food production and led to series of socioeconomic problems, not only in the areas affected by the droughts, but also in the other parts of West Africa. The various climatic variabilities which have caused the climatic events are no doubt related to the ocean-atmosphere interactions. Unfortunately, not much has been done on the understanding of these interactions, particularly as they affect developing countries. Indeed, not much has been done to develop programs which will reflect the general concerns and needs for researching into the ocean-atmosphere systems and their implications on man-environmental systems in many developing countries. This is for example, true of West and Central Africa, where compared with the middle latitude countries, much less is known about the characteristics of the ocean-atmosphere systems and their significance on man-environmental systems of the area.

Five reasons to doubt the existence of a geometric module.

Science.gov (United States)

Twyman, Alexandra D; Newcombe, Nora S

2010-09-01

It is frequently claimed that the human mind is organized in a modular fashion, a hypothesis linked historically, though not inevitably, to the claim that many aspects of the human mind are innately specified. A specific instance of this line of thought is the proposal of an innately specified geometric module for human reorientation. From a massive modularity position, the reorientation module would be one of a large number that organized the mind. From the core knowledge position, the reorientation module is one of five innate and encapsulated modules that can later be supplemented by use of human language. In this paper, we marshall five lines of evidence that cast doubt on the geometric module hypothesis, unfolded in a series of reasons: (1) Language does not play a necessary role in the integration of feature and geometric cues, although it can be helpful. (2) A model of reorientation requires flexibility to explain variable phenomena. (3) Experience matters over short and long periods. (4) Features are used for true reorientation. (5) The nature of geometric information is not as yet clearly specified. In the final section, we review recent theoretical approaches to the known reorientation phenomena. Copyright © 2009 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

Regional responses: Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wereko-Brobby, C.Y.

1992-01-01

In this paper, the author presents the theory that for Africa to work towards reduction of global warming, it must first address its environmental problems; i.e. land use, deforestation, desertification, poverty and hunger. He argues that Africa should aim for growth in the productivity and quantity of energy use. The following suggestions were made: Africa must shift from low-quantity biomass to secondary sources in the short term; developed countries must avoid pushing experimental and frontier technologies on Africa; with financial and technical help, Africa could develop its largely untapped reserves of hydropower. Nuclear power should not be an option because reliable production is not possible at present

Regional Dimensions of South Africa's CAADP Process: Lessons from West Africa

OpenAIRE

Haggblade, Steven; Staaz, John; Boughton, Duncan; Diallo, Boubacar; Meyer, Ferdinand; Minde, Issac Joseph; Traub, Lulama Ndibongo; Tschirley, David

2015-01-01

Regional spillovers offer prospects for accelerating Africa’s agricultural productivity growth, market development and food security. West Africa has recognised and embraced the importance of regional technology transfers, agricultural commodity trade, food security monitoring and agricultural planning. In order for the Southern African region to follow suit, South Africa’s country Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) plan will need to recognise the country’s c...

Africa Insight: Submissions

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Author Guidelines. Africa Insight is a quarterly, peer-reviewed journal of the Africa Institute of South Africa (AISA). It is accredited by the Department of Higher ... Abstract: All articles should be accompanied by an abstract of between 100 and 125 words stating the main research problem, major findings and conclusion(s).

U.S. Africa Command: Shaping Africa for the Future

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Sholley, Hans

2006-01-01

.... It is argued the current Unified Command Plan is ill designed to address the complexities of the continent of Africa and that a proposed United States Africa Command would be better positioned...

Massive Open Online Courses for Africa by Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Benedict Oyo

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Africa is known for inadequate access to all sorts of human needs including health, education, food, shelter, transport, security, and energy. Before the emergence of massive open online courses (MOOCs, open access to higher education (HE was exclusive of Africa. However, as a generally affordable method of post-secondary education delivery, MOOCs place the developing countries at the centre of universal access to HE. This paper provides the strategy for MOOC implementation in the context of limited resources in Africa. The strategy is clustered under five baseline requirements: national accredited MOOC curriculum, electronic content development, development of an online and offline eLearning platform, establishment and funding of MOOC coordination units at public HEIs, and establishment of MOOC access hubs at strategic locations. Emerging from this paper is the insight that a new era of universal access to HE in Africa is achievable through MOOCs only if initial requirements are met by the respective governments.

South Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fischer, D.

1990-01-01

This paper reports that South Africa's main reason for entering the international nuclear market is, and always has been, to sell its uranium abroad. From 1939-45 South Africa took part in the war against Nazi Germany, and the South African government of the time sought to help the Allied war effort in all ways that were practical. Later, during the Cold War, it tried to help build up the West's nuclear arsenal. In 1944, the British government secretly asked General Smuts---prime minister of South Africa since 1939 and a member of Churchill's War Cabinet---to survey South Africa's deposits of uranium. The survey, carried out with U.S. and British help, showed that the deposits were large, generally low-grade, but, in most cases, associated with gold and therefore could be profitably mined. In 1951, South Africa became a significant producer, with lucrative contracts for the sale of all its output to the U.S.-U.K.-Canada Joint Development Agency and one of the three main suppliers to the U.S. nuclear weapons program. In time, government controls eased and uranium production and marketing became a purely commercial operation

Developing energy in Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Favennec, J.P.

2004-01-01

Energy and economic growth are connected and the wealth of Western countries is based on a high availability of energy. Africa is a continent vast by its size, well populated and well supplied with fossil energy (oil, gas, coal) and renewable energy (hydroelectric, biomass, solar). But consumption is limited, without distribution infrastructures and initially, without capitals for necessary investments. The situation is particularly critical in Sub-Sahara Africa since the African energy consumption is mainly concentrated in South Africa and North Africa. An annual conference, the Energy Summit in Africa, brings together all players in the sector, from all the continent's countries, from Europe and America, in an attempt to establish recommendations for more availability and a better use of energy in Africa. The next summit is scheduled for November 23 to 25, 2004 in Dakar. The program relies on the Association for the Development of Energy in Africa, which will be created shortly. (author)

South Africa

Science.gov (United States)

2002-01-01

This true-color image of South Africa was acquired on May 14, 2000, by NASA's Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer, or MODIS. The image was produced using a combination of the sensor's 250-m and 500-m resolution visible wavelength bands. As part of the opening ceremony to begin the joint U.S.-South Africa SAFARI Field Experiment, NASA presented print copies of this image as GIFts to Dr. Ben Ngubane, Minister of Arts, Science and Technology, and Honorable Advocate Ngoaka Ramathlodi, Premier of the Northern Province, South Africa. The area shown in this image encompasses seven capital cities and a number of the region's distinctive geological features can be seen clearly. Toward the northern (top) central part of the image, the browns and tans comprise the Kalahari Desert of southern Botswana. The Tropic of Capricorn runs right through the heart of the Kalahari and the Botswanan capital city of Gaborone sits on the Limpopo River, southeast of the Kalahari. Along the western coastline of the continent is the country of Namibia, where the Namib Desert is framed against the sea by the Kaokoveld Mountains. The Namibian capital of Windhoek is obscured by clouds. Looking closely in the center of the image, the Orange River can be seen running from east to west, demarcating the boundary between Namibia and South Africa. On the southwestern corner of the continent is the hook-like Cape of Good Hope peninsula and Cape Town, the parliamentary capital of South Africa. Running west to east away from Cape Town are the Great Karroo Mountains. The shadow in this image conveys a sense of the very steep grade of the cliffs along the southern coast of South Africa. Port Elizabeth sits on the southeasternmost point of South Africa, and a large phytoplankton bloom can be seen in the water about 100 miles east of there. Moving northward along the east coast, the Drakensberg Mountains are visible. The two small nations of Lesotho and Swaziland are in this region, completely

Men's Perceptions of Treatment as Prevention in South Africa: Implications for Engagement in HIV Care and Treatment.

Science.gov (United States)

Mooney, Alyssa C; Gottert, Ann; Khoza, Nomhle; Rebombo, Dumisani; Hove, Jennifer; Suárez, Aimée Julien; Twine, Rhian; MacPhail, Catherine; Treves-Kagan, Sarah; Kahn, Kathleen; Pettifor, Audrey; Lippman, Sheri A

2017-06-01

While South Africa provides universal access to treatment, HIV testing and antiretroviral therapy (ART) uptake remains low, particularly among men. Little is known about community awareness of the effects of treatment on preventing transmission, and how this information might impact HIV service utilization. This qualitative study explored understandings of treatment as prevention (TasP) among rural South African men. Narratives emphasized the know value of ART for individual health, but none were aware of its preventive effects. Many expressed that preventing transmission to partners would incentivize testing, earlier treatment, and adherence in the absence of symptoms, and could reduce the weight of a diagnosis. Doubts about TasP impacts on testing and care included enduring risks of stigma and transmission. TasP information should be integrated into clinic-based counseling for those utilizing services, and community-based education for broader reach. Pairing TasP information with alternative testing options may increase engagement among men reluctant to be seen at clinics.

Private Higher Education in Africa: The Case of Monash South Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Setswe, G.

2013-01-01

The aim of this paper was to review the contribution of private institutions to higher education in Africa and use Monash South Africa as a case study. A literature search was conducted to gain perspective on the current situation with respect to private higher education institutions in Africa and how they are perceived in relation to public…

Massive Open Online Courses for Africa by Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Oyo, Benedict; Kalema, Billy Mathias

2014-01-01

Africa is known for inadequate access to all sorts of human needs including health, education, food, shelter, transport, security, and energy. Before the emergence of massive open online courses (MOOCs), open access to higher education (HE) was exclusive of Africa. However, as a generally affordable method of post-secondary education delivery,…

Trying Hissene Habre On Behalf of Africa

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Carlson, Kerstin

2018-01-01

International criminal law is experiencing a time of uncertainty and flux. There is increasing doubt surrounding where the international criminal justice project is heading. The contributions in this multi-disciplinary volume take stock of the situation and explore ways in which the validity of i...... law; improving certain processes and procedures of international criminal tribunals; improving relationships between international criminal tribunals and other organisations; and building trust between international criminal tribunals and African states.......International criminal law is experiencing a time of uncertainty and flux. There is increasing doubt surrounding where the international criminal justice project is heading. The contributions in this multi-disciplinary volume take stock of the situation and explore ways in which the validity...

[Deep brain stimulation - expectations and doubts. A nationwide questionnaire study of patients with Parkinson's disease and their family members].

Science.gov (United States)

Südmeyer, M; Volkmann, J; Wojtecki, L; Deuschl, G; Schnitzler, A; Möller, B

2012-04-01

The aim of this questionnaire-based study was to determine the decision-making motives from Parkinson's patients and their family members for deep brain stimulation (DBS), which are crucial for the attitude towards this therapy and which should be considered during the clinical interview. The questionnaire was sent out nationwide to members of the German Parkinson Association. Patient and family specific data as well as information sources, doubts and expectations with respect to DBS were assessed. A total of 582 patients and 476 family members answered the questionnaire, revealing that 96% of the patients and 91% of the family members already possessed information regarding DBS. While a large proportion of interviewees had specific expectations concerning DBS, more than two thirds expressed concerns regarding DBS; the most frequent with respect to intraoperative complications and stimulation-induced worsening of symptoms. The quantity of realistic patients and family expectations significantly correlated with a positive evaluation of DBS and doubts as well as unrealistic expectations of family members correlated with a negative attitude towards the operation. The findings suggest that patients and their relatives organized in support groups indeed possess detailed information regarding DBS. However, for the acceptance of the treatment a timely elucidation about DBS as well as responding to the individual concerns by the consulting physician is essential.

Africa (south of the Sahara)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hoorweg, J.C.; Sexton, V.S.; Msiak, H.

1976-01-01

This review of the development and current status of psychology in Africa focuses on Africa south of the Sahara, excluding South Africa. The author discusses the research topics which have attracted the attention of psychologists in Africa, including perception (illusions, pictorial representation

Outbreak of Rickettsia africae infections in participants of an adventure race in South Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Fournier, P E; Roux, V; Caumes, E; Donzel, M; Raoult, D

1998-08-01

African tick-bite fever, caused by Rickettsia africae and transmitted by Amblyomma ticks, is an emerging rickettsiosis in southern Africa. Because of increased tourism to this area, several cases in tourists have been reported recently. We report 13 cases of R. africae infection diagnosed in France that occurred in competitors returning from an adventure race in South Africa and compare our data with previously reported findings. Most of our patients presented with fever, headache, multiple inoculation eschars, and regional lymphadenopathies, but only 15.4% had a cutaneous rash. Diagnosis was confirmed either by isolation of R. africae from an eschar biopsy specimen or by serological methods, including cross-adsorption between R. africae and Rickettsia conorii. The purpose of this study was to raise physicians' awareness of R. africae infections in an attempt to facilitate the rapid diagnosis and treatment of imported African tick-bite fever in developed countries.

Wind engineering in Africa

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wisse, J.A.; Stigter, C.J.

2007-01-01

The International Association for Wind Engineering (IAWE) has very few contacts in Africa, the second-largest continent. This paper reviews important wind-related African issues. They all require data on wind climate, which are very sparse in Africa. Wind engineering in Africa can assist in

Sub-Saharan Africa at the global education market: role of South Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ramil Ravilevich Asmyatullin

2016-12-01

Full Text Available This article is dedicated to the development of the higher education in Sub-Saharan countries, particularly to the topic of internationalization of education. Most African countries have underdeveloped education systems. The quality and availability of higher education is a formidable obstacle for economic and social development. There is a growing demand for higher education in the SSA, but national education systems can’t cope fully with it. Hence many students go abroad, mostly in other African countries. The article focuses on the position of South Africa in the global and regional education market. As it’s a regional leader in this field South Africa attracts more than a half of international students within the Sub-Saharan Africa. The main reasons why African students choose South Africa are geographic proximity, familiar culture, lack of wanted higher education programs in their countries. However, there are as well disadvantages like xenophobia and race discrimination. South Africa has become a leader in Africa in the field of higher education, but it plays still small part at a global scale.

Four concepts of Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Willem Fourie

2015-05-01

Full Text Available What makes the words ‘Africa’ and ‘African’ possible and useful? In this article it is argued that at least four internally coherent concepts of Africa exist, and that none of these concepts are ethically neutral. The article is presented as a contribution to attempts at using the term ‘Africa’ in self-critical, reflexive and constructive ways. It could therefore be of interest to all researchers, particularly those in the humanities and theology, who locate their research within the context of ‘Africa’. It is argued that Africa can be conceived of as a place, a commodity, a condition and an ideal. By drawing on mostly primary sources it is shown that the term ‘Africa’ only relatively recently came to refer to a continent, that Africa as a place and Africa as a condition in need of betterment formed the foundation for its commodification, and that Africa only very recently became a self-description of the people who live on the continent of Africa. Each of these concepts of Africa is shown to be based on a particular logic with both strengths and weaknesses.

Timely relations in rural Africa

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Bidwell, NJ

2013-07-01

Full Text Available Nicola J Bidwell University of Pretoria and CSIR-Meraka Institute, South Africa Email: nic.bidwell@gmail.com Thomas Reitmaier University of Cape Town, , South Africa. Email: treitmaier@gmail.com Carlos Rey-Moreno and Zukile Roro University... of the Western Cape, South Africa Email: carlos.reymoreno@gmail.com, zukileroro@gmail.com Masbulele Jay Siya Mankosi, 5140, South Africa Email: jaysiya26@gmail.com Bongiwe Dlutu Rhodes University, South Africa Email:bongiwe.dlutu@gmail.com Abstract...

Sustaining Industrial Growth and Trade in Africa | Kaggwa | Africa ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The use of selective industrial policy to reintegrate South Africa's previously protected automotive industry into the global business is one of the few successful cases on the African continent in recent times. South Africa's success provides a useful reference point for other African countries in which selective industrial policy ...

Italian Studies in Southern Africa/Studi d'Italianistica nell'Africa ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Italian Studies in Southern Africa/Studi d'Italianistica nell'Africa Australe - Vol 9, No 1 (1996) ... Politics and power in Giovanni Comisso's Giorni Di Guerra and Pier Vittorio Tondelli's Pao Pao ... Anna Meda, Gerhard van der Linde, 80-81 ...

Application of GM crops in Sub-Saharan Africa: lessons learned from Green Revolution.

Science.gov (United States)

Bazuin, Sjoerd; Azadi, Hossein; Witlox, Frank

2011-01-01

While the Green Revolution has been successful in some regions like South and East Asia, it could hardly address any achievement in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). This paper tries to draw a picture on lessons learned from the failures of this revolution that should be taken into account before implementing the so-called Gene Revolution in the SSA region. After scrutinizing the failures and the pros and cons of GM crops in the region, the paper introduces some potentials for improving the malnutrition situation in SSA through launching a successful GM technology. However, it remains doubtful whether this technology can improve the situation of small-scale farmers as long as they receive no financial support from their national governments. Therefore, before any intervention, the socio-economic and environmental impacts of GM technology need to be carefully addressed in the framework of a series of risk assessment studies. Besides, some sort of multi-stakeholder dialog (from small-scale farmers to consumers) involving public-private sector and non-governmental organizations should be heated up at both national and regional levels with regard to the myths and truths of this technology. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

World review: Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

2000-01-01

The article gives information on contracts announced (and to whom) in some parts of Africa in the petroleum, natural gas and petrochemicals industries. Countries specifically mentioned are Algeria, Angola, Nigeria, South Africa and Tunisia

Understanding of the risk of HIV infection among the elderly in Ga-Rankuwa, South Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Lekalakala-Mokgele, Eucebious

2014-01-01

The literature pertaining to the elderly shows that HIV infection among this population is on the increase, suggesting that the elderly population engages in activities risky for HIV infection. Reports on such behaviour include frequent sexual relations with much younger people and having multiple partners. A study was carried out in Ga-Rankuwa, a black township in Gauteng Province, South Africa to explore and describe the understanding of these elderly people regarding their risks of HIV infection and AIDS. Using a qualitative, exploratory design, three focus-group interviews were conducted with 32 women aged over 50 years. Findings revealed that older persons have knowledge about transmission of HIV infection and AIDS. However, a few had misconceptions as to how HIV infection is transmitted, as they believed that poor nutrition and sharing facilities play a role. Knowledge of mechanisms of protecting themselves against infection, such as use of a condom during coitus and wearing gloves when caring for infected family members, was also evident. The elderly indicated that they would prefer an older person, who they could identify with, to educate them more about HIV infection and AIDS. Although majority of participants had knowledge of how HIV is transmitted, and issues that put them at risk of transmission, a few the older persons had misconceptions about how HIV is transmitted due to lack of knowledge, as they believed that poor nutrition and sharing facilities can transmit infection. The lack of knowledge underscores the importance of addressing sexual risk with older people. It was very clear that more needs to be done in terms of education campaigns to dispel the myths of HIV infection and to empower the elderly.

Establishing the Ohio Petroleum Underground Storage Tank Release Compensation Board: Dispelling the notion of a open-quotes Pot of Goldclose quotes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Murray, R.C.; Miller, J.J.

1993-01-01

The authors are the Executive Director and the Chief Financial Officer of the Ohio Petroleum Underground Storage Tank Release Compensation Board. Under the guidance of a public-sector governing board, they are responsible for implementing Ohio's UST Financial Assurance Fund program and for managing the resources and priorities necessary to maintain a solvent, practical approach to legislatively-mandated UST corrective action costs in Ohio. The paper will discuss: (1) the challenges of legislating and implementing a state assurance fund; (2) the task of defining the program's mission and coming to terms with open-quotes great expectationsclose quotes of tank owners and clean-up contractors; (3) implementing true cost-controls; how the regulatory back-drop contributes to costs and success; (4) managing the financial assets of an assurance fund and estimating future clean-up needs; (5) the search for the proper mix of financing alternatives, including reinsurance; (6) defining long-term success. The paper will develop the evolution of the essential elements of the Ohio Financial Assurance Fund and focus on the financial management of necessary resources to fulfill the public-sector mission. Managing claim costs and meeting the grassroots expectation of claimants underscore critical development issues: (1) establishing and communicating the Fund's purpose and management philosophy; (2) forging a companion relationship between industry and regulator; (3) how do such funds maintain solvency and dispel the notion that they constitute a open-quotes pot of goldclose quotes for environmental liability?

Why Africa matters: evolution of Old World Salvia (Lamiaceae) in Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Will, Maria; Claßen-Bockhoff, Regine

2014-07-01

Salvia is the largest genus in Lamiaceae and it has recently been found to be non-monophyletic. Molecular data on Old World Salvia are largely lacking. In this study, we present data concerning Salvia in Africa. The focus is on the colonization of the continent, character evolution and the switch of pollination systems in the genus. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference were used for phylogenetic reconstruction. Analyses were based on two nuclear markers [internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and external transcribed spacer (ETS)] and one plastid marker (rpl32-trnL). Sequence data were generated for 41 of the 62 African taxa (66 %). Mesquite was used to reconstruct ancestral character states for distribution, life form, calyx shape, stamen type and pollination syndrome. Salvia in Africa is non-monophyletic. Each of the five major regions in Africa, except Madagascar, was colonized at least twice, and floristic links between North African, south-west Asian and European species are strongly supported. The large radiation in Sub-Saharan Africa (23 species) can be traced back to dispersal from North Africa via East Africa to the Cape Region. Adaptation to bird pollination in southern Africa and Madagascar reflects parallel evolution. The phenotypic diversity in African Salvia is associated with repeated introductions to the continent. Many important evolutionary processes, such as colonization, adaptation, parallelism and character transformation, are reflected in this comparatively small group. The data presented in this study can help to understand the evolution of Salvia sensu lato and other large genera. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Annals of Botany Company. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Doubtful association of antipsychotic polypharmacy and high dosage with cognition in chronic schizophrenia.

Science.gov (United States)

Kontis, Dimitrios; Theochari, Eirini; Kleisas, Spyridon; Kalogerakou, Stamatina; Andreopoulou, Angeliki; Psaras, Rafael; Makris, Yannis; Karouzos, Charalambos; Tsaltas, Eleftheria

2010-10-01

Despite consistent recommendations for antipsychotic monotherapy, antipsychotic polypharmacy (the use of two or more antipsychotic agents) and the administration of excessive doses (higher than 1000 mgr/day of chloropromazine equivalents) is a common practice in schizophrenia. The therapeutic and adverse effects of this practice are poorly studied, in particular with regards to the cognitive symptoms of the disease. In this cross-sectional study we investigated the cognitive effects of antipsychotic polypharmacy and excessive doses in 53 patients with chronic schizophrenia using non-verbal cognitive tasks involving speed of movement, memory and executive functions. No significant difference in performance scores was found between the groups under polypharmacy and monotherapy, or the groups receiving either excessive or normal doses of antipsychotics. Since these groups did not also differ in demographic, clinical, other pharmacologic parameters, in the relative anticholinergic potency of antipsychotics, or in intelligence scores, we raise doubts about the association of polypharmacy and excessive doses with non-verbal cognitive performance in chronic schizophrenia. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Taxonomic revision of doubtful Brazilian freshwater shrimp species of genus Macrobrachium (Decapoda, Palaemonidae

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Leonardo G. Pileggi

Full Text Available The freshwater prawns of the genus Macrobrachium Spence Bate, 1868 are widely distributed in rivers of tropical and subtropical regions and represent an interesting group with controversial taxonomy. The morphological characters traditionally used to separate species have shown a high intraspecific variation. Doubts about the status of M. birai Lobão, Melo & Fernandes, 1986, M. holthuisi Genofre & Lobão, 1978 and M. petronioi Melo, Lobão & Fernandes, 1986 have been arisen due to the high resemblance of the former two species with M. olfersi (Wiegmann, 1836, and the latter one with M. potiuna (Müller, 1880. Therefore, we performed a detailed morphological analysis of these species, including new characters not usually used in the species recognition. The present results here with molecular data lead us to conclude that M. birai and M. holthuisi are junior synonyms of M. olfersi, and M. petronioi is a junior synonym of M. potiuna. Considering these synonymies, 17 valid species are now reported for the Brazilian territory.

Africa's Petroleum Industry

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Goldwyn, David L

2005-01-01

.... Africa's importance to U.S. energy security is rising due to Africa's expanding role as an incremental supplier of oil in a tight global oil market, its relative openness to foreign investment, increasing levels of U.S...

US-Africa Security Policy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Møller, Nicolai Stahlfest

This paper will discuss the United States security policy towards Africa based on the National Security Strategy from 2006 and the founding of US Africa Command, the new military combatant command that is supposed to unify US military efforts on the African continent. The paper will discuss whether...... AFRICOM and US actions in Africa could be seen as a true (newfound) American interest in Africa or whether actions that are considered low-key and low-budget in Washington are to be regarded as a true asymmetry because African states regard US action as important and significant. The paper will explain...

Decolonizing Bioethics in Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Fayemi, Ademola Kazeem; Macaulay-Adeyelure, O C

2016-01-01

The global spread of bioethics from its North-American and European provenance to non-Western societies is currently raising some concerns. Part of the concern has to do with whether or not the exportation of bioethics in its full Western sense to developing non-Western states is an instance of ethical imperialism or bioethical neocolonialism. This paper attempts an exploration of this debate in the context of bioethics in sub-Saharan Africa. Rather than conceding that bioethics has a colonial agenda in Africa, this paper defends the position that the current bioethics trend in sub-Saharan Africa is an unintended imperialistic project. It argues that its colonizing character is not entirely a product of the Western programmed goals of training and institution building; rather, it is a structural consequence of many receptive African minds and institutions. Though bioethics in Africa is turning out as a colonizing project, one serious implication of such trend, if unchecked urgently, is that bioethics' invaluable relevance to Africa is being incapacitated. This paper, therefore, attempts a decolonizing trajectory of bioethics in Africa. Contrary to the pretense of 'African bioethics,' which some African scholars are now defending, this paper through the logic of decolonization makes case for 'bioethics in Africa'. In such logic, the principle of existential needs is prioritized over the principle of identity and authenticity that define African voice in bioethics.

Astronomy Landscape in Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Nemaungani, Takalani

2015-01-01

The vision for astronomy in Africa is embedded in the African Space Policy of the African Union in early 2014. The vision is about positioning Africa as an emerging hub for astronomy sciences and facilities. Africa recognized the need to take advantage of its natural resource, the geographical advantage of the clear southern skies and pristine sites for astronomy. The Pan African University (PAU) initiative also presents an opportunity as a post-graduate training and research network of university nodes in five regions of Africa and supported by the African Union. The Southern African node based in South Africa concentrates on space sciences which also includes astronomy. The PAU aims to provide the opportunity for advanced graduate training and postgraduate research to high-performing African students. Objectives also include promoting mobility of students and teachers and harmonizing programs and degrees.A number of astronomy initiatives have burgeoned in the Southern African region and these include the Southern Africa Largest Optical Telescope (SALT), HESS (High Energy Stereoscopic System), the SKA (Square Kilometre Array) and the AVN (African Very Long Baseline Interferometer Network). There is a growing appetite for astronomy sciences in Africa. In East Africa, the astronomy community is well organized and is growing - the East African Astronomical society (EAAS) held its successful fourth annual conference since 2010 on 30 June to 04 July 2014 at the University of Rwanda. Centred around the 'Role of Astronomy in Socio-Economic Transformation,' this conference aimed at strengthening capacity building in Astronomy, Astrophysics and Space Science in general, while providing a forum for astronomers from the region to train young and upcoming scientists.

Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (BRICS) and Africa ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This article reflects on the dynamics of the Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) states' political economy and its implications for Africa's continuous effort to search for new developmental paradigms. The core questions addressed in the article are: What are the BRICS states specifically proposing to the ...

BRICS Regional Policy in Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Tatiana Deych

2015-05-01

Full Text Available This article provides an analysis of the BRICS as a whole and an analysis of each member’s policies in Africa. It exploresthe countries’ political and economic interests in Africa, the various patterns and strategies of each country’s cooperationwith Africa, and estimates the impact of BRICS aid and investment on the African economy and Africa’s development. TheBRICS countries have emerged as the new effective actors in the world arena. Their global economic weight and politicalinfluence continue to grow. Not only is the group focusing its attention on strengthening the internal ties of its members, but itis also focusing on assistance to Africa, as a way to implement the emerging powers efforts to change the existing world order.The BRICS is deepening its engagement with African countries, which gained great success in their development in recentyears. Its focus on Africa is determined by the important role of African resources and by the continent’s growing influencein the world economy and contemporary international relations. BRICS countries are major trade partners of Africa, andAfrica’s trade with BRICS members is growing faster than its trade with the traditional partners. Africa has become themain destination for BRICS development aid and investment. The BRICS is also focusing on African infrastructure. BRICScountries use soft power widely, through developing humanitarian ties with Africa, particularly in health care and education.The BRICS is also an active participant in peacekeeping and conflict resolution in Africa. Members currently tend tocompete in Africa, but they are taking steps toward collaboration. The BRICS contributes much to the African economy. Itspresence has become important for the continent and receives a positive response there.

Arbitration Foundation of South Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Vladimir O. Kramarenko

2016-12-01

Full Text Available In the present article author explores the history and legal framework for the creation and operation of international commercial arbitration in South Africa. Author notes that South Africa is the most economically developed country in Africa, it is among dozens of major international organizations. From the point of view of the development of the system of law, legal proceedings and arbitration, South Africa is an attractive state for study. Author emphasizes that the South African Republic throughout its existence has been influenced by two legal families: Anglo-Saxon and Romano-Germanic. Therefore, it is important to note that South Africa refers to a mixed system of law. To date, South Africa has two international commercial arbitration: the Arbitration Foundation of South Africa and the Association of Arbitrators. In the conclusion author points out that the development and establishment of the centers of the arbitration fund continues: new centers are being established, and the system of procedures for dealing with cases in already established centers is being improved.

Unprecedented emergency in Southern Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

1999-03-01

Despite knowledge of better prevention strategies, AIDS continues to be an unprecedented emergency in southern Africa. Statistics show that in 1998, 1.4 million people between the ages of 15 and 49 in the 9 countries of southern Africa were infected, with nearly three-quarters of a million of these new infections occurring in South Africa. In addition, some 2 million people died of AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa in 1998 and millions of new infections are occurring every year. Factors such as the loneliness suffered by migrant laborers, the wars and armed conflicts in Rwanda, and the stigma of shame, silence, and denial associated with AIDS all generate fertile conditions for the spread of HIV in southern Africa. Overcoming silence and denial, and bringing AIDS out into the open, has been considered by some countries in southern Africa. In Botswana and South Africa, appeals for greater awareness and openness by the top leadership have been coupled with a decision to set up government funding and AIDS. The challenge now will be to translate these into effective prevention and care programs.

Banking in Africa

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Beck, T.H.L.; Cull, R.; Berger, A.; Molyneux, P.; Wilson, J.

2014-01-01

This paper takes stock of the current state of banking systems across Sub-Saharan Africa and discusses recent developments including innovations that might help Africa leapfrog more traditional banking models. Using an array of different data, the paper documents that African banking systems are

Lights, shadows and doubts on the policies for R&D in Italy

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ferdinando Terranova

2014-05-01

Full Text Available This article addresses the issue of R&D in Italy, the institutions that finance it, its operational tools, spin-offs and start-ups, put in place to ensure that the R&D can be transformed into productive innovation, both of the process and the product. The question that is addressed concerns the funding streams for the launch and development of the operational instruments. The picture that emerges is extremely diverse and irregular between sources of income from the European Union, national Government, national research bodies and agencies, both public and private, the Italian regions and local entities (EELL directly and through their subsidiary companies. It leads to the question that this article attempts to answer: is the assertion that insufficient resources are devoted to R&D true? With regard to this, there are numerous legitimate doubts, and there is reason to believe that the fact there are so many channels for dispersing the resources devoted to R&D is primarily related to the excessive number of sources of funding, not to mention the evaluative procedures and timing for allocating funds. This is one aspect. The main issue is the lack of a widely shared programming policy, based on the priorities of the national and local communities for responses to their human needs.

Hantaviruses in Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Witkowski, Peter T; Klempa, Boris; Ithete, Ndapewa L; Auste, Brita; Mfune, John K E; Hoveka, Julia; Matthee, Sonja; Preiser, Wolfgang; Kruger, Detlev H

2014-07-17

This paper summarizes the progress in the search for hantaviruses and hantavirus infections in Africa. After having collected molecular evidence of an indigenous African hantavirus in 2006, an intensive investigation for new hantaviruses has been started in small mammals. Various novel hantaviruses have been molecularly identified not only in rodents but also in shrews and bats. In addition, the first African hantavirus, Sangassou virus, has been isolated and functionally characterized in cell culture. Less is known about the ability of these hantaviruses to infect humans and to cause diseases. To date, no hantavirus genetic material could be amplified from patients' specimens collected in Africa. Serological studies in West Africa, based on a battery of screening and confirmatory assays, led to the detection of hantavirus antibodies in the human population and in patients with putative hantavirus disease. In addition to this overview, we present original data from seroepidemiological and field studies conducted in the Southern part of Africa. A human seroprevalence rate of 1.0% (n=1442) was detected in the South African Cape Region whereas no molecular evidence for the presence of hantavirus was found in 2500 small animals trapped in South Africa and Namibia. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Sub-Saharan Africa Report

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

1985-01-01

.... This report from Sub-Saharan Africa, Benin, Botswana, Burkina, Cameroon, Chad, Comoros, Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa...

Sub-Saharan Africa Report

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

1985-01-01

.... This report on Sub-Saharan Africa, Angola, Botswana, Burkina, Cameroon, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mozambique, Namibia, Senegal, South Africa, and Swaziland, contains...

Sub-Saharan Africa Report

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

1985-01-01

.... This report from Sub-Saharan Africa, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burundi, Ghana, Lesoto, Liberia, Malawi, Namibia, Nigeria, Senegal, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania and Zimbabwe, contains articles...

Sub-Saharan Africa Report

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

1985-01-01

.... This report from Sub-Sahara Africa, Angola, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Kenya, Malawi, Namibia, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda...

Country Energy Profile, South Africa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1995-08-01

This country energy profile provides energy and economic information about South Africa. Areas covered include: Economics, demographics, and environment; Energy situation; Energy structure; Energy investment opportunities; Department of Energy (DOE) programs in South Africa; and a listing of International aid to South Africa.

Country Energy Profile, South Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-08-01

This country energy profile provides energy and economic information about South Africa. Areas covered include: Economics, demographics, and environment; Energy situation; Energy structure; Energy investment opportunities; Department of Energy (DOE) programs in South Africa; and a listing of International aid to South Africa

Africa, Agriculture, Aid

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kuyvenhoven, A.

2008-01-01

In a world that is developing fast, Africa¿s relative stagnation is a human tragedy that challenges the development profession. Although climate and geography, and their effect on local institutions, are not in Africa¿s favour, inappropriate policies (including neglect of agriculture) and weak

in South Africa

African Journals Online (AJOL)

9 assistance from the National Olympic Committee of South. Africa (NOCSA), while an overwhelming proportion (89%) received no financial support. Of the 45 swimmers surveyed,. 8 respondents were financially supported by Swimming South. Africa, whilst 8 indicated that they were sponsored privately. Twenty-one of the ...

Sub-Saharan Africa Report

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

1986-01-01

.... This report contains articles from Sub-Saharan Africa, Angola, Ethiopia, Ghana, Mozambique, Namibia, Sierra Leone, Togo, Zambia, and South Africa, the articles deal mainly with Politics, Sociology...

Christianity in Africa: a historical appraisal

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Samson A Fatokun

2005-10-01

Full Text Available In this article, the author challenges the popular public conception that Christianity in Africa is a latecomer introduced only with the advent of colonialism. By tracing the origins of the Christian faith in both North and sub-Saharan Africa (including, North-Central and West Africa, this paper seeks to show that Christianity has been in Africa virtually since its inception and that the continent� s own adherents to this faith played an important role in the formation and advance of Christianity elsewhere. Moreover, Christianity in Africa can be found almost everywhere on the continent and indigenous varieties of the tradition developed which allowed it to become as part of Africa as African traditional religions.

Africa-Asia trade versus Africa's trade with the North: Trends and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Abstract. This study shows that Europe continues to be Africa's major trading partner given the historical relations and long standing trading arrangements between the two. However, evidence also shows that despite maintaining strong trade linkages with Europe, Africa's trade with Asia has been growing at a much faster ...

Generation 2030/Africa

Science.gov (United States)

You, Danzhen; Hug, Lucia; Anthony, David

2014-01-01

Until relatively recently, much of Africa has been among the economically least developed and least densely populated places on earth, replete with villages and rural communities. Africa is changing rapidly, in its economy, trade and investment; in climate change; in conflict and stability; in urbanization, migration patterns, and most of all in…

The historiography of Danish representations of Africa

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jensen, Lars

2010-01-01

Denmark has one of Europe's longest historical records of contacts with Africa. This article looks at the continuity and breaks in Danish conceptualisations of Africa through Danish texts which engage with Africa in the past and the present.......Denmark has one of Europe's longest historical records of contacts with Africa. This article looks at the continuity and breaks in Danish conceptualisations of Africa through Danish texts which engage with Africa in the past and the present....

Africa: signs of hope?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

J.F. Kirsten

2008-07-01

Full Text Available The dawning of the 21st century generally brought new hope to African leaders and countless thousands of ordinary citizens of many countries on the continent. The first signs of a new turn of events shone through by the end of the last decade of the previous century. This was manifested by economic growth rates that started to pick up in a number of African states, by pro-democracy movements which in country after country succeeded in replacing authoritarian regimes, and by the winding down and termination of some of Africa’s most devastating wars. The results of this analysis confirm the above-mentioned positive political, economic and conflict trends in Africa. It is clearly a significant turn of events given the well-known political and economic predicament with which Africa is struggling. When this negative legacy and Cold War background of Africa is considered, the importance of present developments is clear to see. The identified heightened sense of purpose among the leaders and peoples of Africa and the changed mood and need among Africans to take charge of their own future that found expression in the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD are indeed significant and bode well for the future of the continent. A word of warning here is, however, necessary. Our conduct with Africa must be very cautious and we must guard against over-optimism and the exaggerated belief that Africa is now on a trajectory of sustained development and peace. We cannot generalise about Africa – for that the continent is just too big and diverse from a geographical, cultural, economic and political point of view.

Energy in Africa by 2050

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Favennec, Jean-Pierre; Adedjoumon, Christele; Duhamel, Bernard; Giri, Jacques; Gilles, Henri; Tronche, Alain

2009-01-01

In this report, the authors propose an overview of the main perceivable orientations of the energy sector in African until 2050, and suggest some other perspectives and state some recommendations for new guidelines. In its first part, the report proposes an analysis of the present situation and identifies possible directions. Several issues are addressed: major challenges, African as a continent of energy divide, energy efficiency in Africa, situation of energy per sectors, per energies and per regions. The second part addresses the prospective dimension (by 2050): world context in 2050, Africa within this context, tomorrow's energy and economy for Africa. Appendices address the following topics: the Energizing Africa initiative, promotion of substitutes for wood, alternative fuels and energies for transport, energy in Africa per region and per source

Roll Back Malaria and the new partnership for Africa\\'s development ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

It also attempts to argue that malaria control, just like HIV-Aids control be given high priority in the New Partnership for Africa\\'s Development (NEPAD) health agenda, as current statistics indicate that malaria is again on the rise. While much attention and billions of dollars have rightly been given to HIV-Aids research, ...

Decolonizing Bioethics in Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Macaulay-Adeyelure, O.C.

2017-01-01

The global spread of bioethics from its North-American and European provenance to non-Western societies is currently raising some concerns. Part of the concern has to do with whether or not the exportation of bioethics in its full Western sense to developing non-Western states is an instance of ethical imperialism or bioethical neocolonialism. This paper attempts an exploration of this debate in the context of bioethics in sub-Saharan Africa. Rather than conceding that bioethics has a colonial agenda in Africa, this paper defends the position that the current bioethics trend in sub-Saharan Africa is an unintended imperialistic project. It argues that its colonizing character is not entirely a product of the Western programmed goals of training and institution building; rather, it is a structural consequence of many receptive African minds and institutions. Though bioethics in Africa is turning out as a colonizing project, one serious implication of such trend, if unchecked urgently, is that bioethics’ invaluable relevance to Africa is being incapacitated. This paper, therefore, attempts a decolonizing trajectory of bioethics in Africa. Contrary to the pretense of ‘African bioethics,’ which some African scholars are now defending, this paper through the logic of decolonization makes case for ‘bioethics in Africa’. In such logic, the principle of existential needs is prioritized over the principle of identity and authenticity that define African voice in bioethics. PMID:28344985

Uranium in a changing South Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1993-01-01

In the early 1980s, the Republic of South Africa was the world's second-largest producer of uranium, and the country historically has been a major exporter of many other important mineral resources, including gold, platinum group metals, manganese, vanadium, and gem-quality diamonds. Yet political turbulence in the latter part of the decade caused economic stress on South Africa. Apartheid, the country's disenfranchisement of the black majority, put South Africa in the international spotlight. The world responded by implementing economic sanctions against South Africa, to pressure its government into change. In the past several years, South Africa has made significant progress toward ending apartheid. As a result, many US economic sanctions previously maintained against the country have been lifted. However, economic troubles continue to plague South Africa; repealing sanctions has done little to alleviate its economic and political challenges

Puerto del Pendulo, doubtful sound: the Malaspina expedition’s visit to New Zealand in quest of the true figure of the earth

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

King, Robert J.

2010-06-01

Full Text Available The Malaspina expedition was assigned the task of conducting a series of experiments using the pendulum to measure the strength of gravity at different locations during the course of its voyage. The immediate objective was to establish the length of a pendulum beating at seconds at latitude 45º as the basic unit of a new universal system of measures. Although the new unit, the metre, was eventually established on a different principle, the gravity experiments carried out by the expedition resulted in useful geodesic information and incidentally led to the first charting of Doubtful Sound in New Zealand.

La expedición Malaspina tuvo por misión realizar una serie de experimentos utilizando un péndulo para medir la fuerza de la gravedad en los diferentes lugares recorridos durante el viaje. El objetivo inmediato consistió en establecer la longitud de un péndulo oscilando durante unos segundos a una latitud de 45º como unidad básica de un nuevo sistema métrico universal. Aunque la nueva unidad, el metro, fue finalmente establecida por otro principio diferente, los experimentos que llevó a cabo la expedición sobre la gravedad proporcionaron una información geodésica muy útil y por casualidad dieron lugar al primer trazado de mapa de Doubtful Sound, en Nueva Zelanda.

[Matrimonial changes in Africa].

Science.gov (United States)

Hertrich, V; Pilon, M

1997-01-01

A database of census and survey information on fertility and nuptiality in Africa being assembled by the French Center for Population and Development (CEPED) was the source for this analysis of changing marriage patterns. Early marriage for girls, nearly universal marriage for both sexes, rapid remarriage of reproductive-age widows and divorcees, polygamy, and a frequently large difference in the ages of the spouses are typical of African marriage. But a great variety of situations coexist. In the 1960s, the female age at first marriage was under 17.5 years on average in West Africa, while the male age was over 26. Nearly everyone married, and one-fourth to one-third of married men were polygamous. In South Africa, at the other extreme, the average age at first marriage was 20-23 for women and 26-30 for men, over 5% never married, and polygamy was rare. Nuptiality patterns were intermediate in North, Central, and East Africa. The most recent round of censuses and surveys show the geographic differences to be shrinking. Average age at first marriage for women is increasing everywhere and often exceeds 19 years. It remains lower than 17.5 in only two countries. The increase amounts to at least a half year for 30 countries and over 1 year for 15. Marriage remains nearly universal except in South Africa. Male age at marriage is rising more slowly than female age, causing the average age gap to decline. Economic difficulties and unemployment appear to play a significant role in the delay of marriage, with increased female school attendance also a factor, although secondary and higher education for females in sub-Saharan Africa is too uncommon to have perceptible effects on the national scale. In North Africa, the age at first birth has increased in tandem with increasing marriage age, but in sub-Saharan Africa the relationship has been less marked. In Lome, for example, the increasing age at first marriage for females has had no effect on age at first birth. The

Anatomy Journal of Africa

African Journals Online (AJOL)

PROMOTING ACCESS TO AFRICAN RESEARCH. AFRICAN JOURNALS ONLINE (AJOL) · Journals · Advanced Search · USING AJOL · RESOURCES ... Anatomy Journal of Africa is the Official Journal for the Association of Anatomical Societies of Africa. ... Applied anatomy - Clinical anatomy - Morphology, - Embryology ...

The balance of trade in alien species between South Africa and the rest of Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Katelyn T. Faulkner

2017-03-01

Full Text Available Background: Alien organisms are not only introduced from one biogeographical region to another but also spread within regions. As South Africa shares land borders with six countries, multiple opportunities exist for the transfer of alien species between South Africa and other African countries; however, the direction and importance of intra-regional spread is unclear. Objectives: The aim of this study was to gain a greater understanding of the introduction of alien species into Africa and the spread of species between South Africa and other African countries. Method: We developed scenarios that describe the routes by which alien species are introduced to and spread within Africa and present case studies for each. Using data from literature sources and databases, the relative importance of each scenario for alien birds and insect pests of eucalypts was determined, and the direction and importance of intra-regional spread was assessed. Results: Alien species from many taxonomic groups have, through various routes, been introduced to and spread within Africa. For birds and eucalypt insect pests, the number of species spreading in the region has recently increased, with South Africa being a major recipient of birds (14 species received and 5 donated and a major donor of eucalypt insect pests (1 species received and 10 donated. For both groups, many introduced species have not yet spread in the region. Conclusion: The intra-regional spread of alien species in Africa represents an important and possibly increasing threat to biosecurity. To address this threat, we propose a framework that details how African countries could cooperate and develop a coordinated response to alien species introductions.

SERVIR-Africa: Developing an Integrated Platform for Floods Disaster Management in Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Macharia, Daniel; Korme, Tesfaye; Policelli, Fritz; Irwin, Dan; Adler, Bob; Hong, Yang

2010-01-01

SERVIR-Africa is an ambitious regional visualization and monitoring system that integrates remotely sensed data with predictive models and field-based data to monitor ecological processes and respond to natural disasters. It aims addressing societal benefits including floods and turning data into actionable information for decision-makers. Floods are exogenous disasters that affect many parts of Africa, probably second only to drought in terms of social-economic losses. This paper looks at SERVIR-Africa's approach to floods disaster management through establishment of an integrated platform, floods prediction models, post-event flood mapping and monitoring as well as flood maps dissemination in support of flood disaster management.

Uranium in a changing South Africa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1993-05-01

In the early 1980s, the Republic of South Africa was the world's second-largest producer of uranium, and the country historically has been a major exporter of many other important mineral resources, including gold, platinum group metals, manganese, vanadium, and gem-quality diamonds. Yet political turbulence in the latter part of the decade caused economic stress on South Africa. Apartheid, the country's disenfranchisement of the black majority, put South Africa in the international spotlight. The world responded by implementing economic sanctions against South Africa, to pressure its government into change. In the past several years, South Africa has made significant progress toward ending apartheid. As a result, many US economic sanctions previously maintained against the country have been lifted. However, economic troubles continue to plague South Africa; repealing sanctions has done little to alleviate its economic and political challenges.

The feasibility of implementing the United Nations guiding principles ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

... governance has been a challenging task for resource-rich countries in Africa. ... No doubt, rights-based frameworks, such as the GPs, are needed to ensure that ... The issue of corporate liability under international law has had its troubled ...

Poverty reduction in Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Collier, Paul

2007-10-23

Poverty in Africa has been rising for the last quarter-century, while it has been falling in the rest of the developing world. Africa's distinctive problem is that its economies have not been growing. This article attempts to synthesize a range of recent research to account for this failure of the growth process. I argue that the reasons lie not in African peculiarities but rather in geographic features that globally cause problems but that are disproportionately pronounced in Africa. These features interact to create three distinct challenges that are likely to require international interventions beyond the conventional reliance on aid.

African Peacekeepers in Africa

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Emmanuel, Nikolas G.

2015-01-01

behind African participation in United Nations (UN) peacekeeping operations in Africa. In doing so, this research focuses on US military aid and foreign troop training from 2002 to 2012, and its impact on African deployments into UN peacekeeping missions in Africa. As can be expected, such third...

Multilingualism in Southern Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Peirce, Bonny Norton; Ridge, Stanley G. M.

1997-01-01

Reviews recent research in multilingualism in Southern Africa, focusing on the role of languages in education, sociolinguistics, and language policy. Much of the research is on South Africa. Topics discussed include language of instruction in schools, teacher education, higher education, adult literacy, language contact, gender and linguistic…

Africa Center for Strategic Studies

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

2000-01-01

The Africa Center for Strategic Studies supports democratic governance in Africa by offering senior African civilian and military leaders a rigorous academic and practical program in civil-military...

FIP Symposium 1997 (South Africa); FIP Symposium 1997 (Minami Africa) ni sankashite

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Niwano, T. [Oriental Construction Co. Ltd., Tokyo (Japan); Shinagawa, K.; Takahashi, T.

1997-07-31

FIP (Federation Internationale de la Precontrainte) Symposium was held in Johannesburg, South Africa. Ikeda and others were sent by the Japan Prestressed Concrete Engineering Association to participate the symposium and visit some bridges in Hong Kong and South Africa. As the keynote addresses, the trends of PC in South Africa, Europe, America, East Asia and Australia was reported. Japanese papers among 105 presented papers are as follows: Iwasaki`s `Construction method of the railway PC skew slab bridge, Natori-Gawa bridge`, Toda`s `Construction of the suspended slab bridge longest in the world, Yume Tsuri-bashi`, Iizuka`s `Experiment on earthquake characteristics of precast concrete columns` and Sugita`s `Study on concrete using high-activity rice hull ash`. The group visited Kap Shui Mun bridge (Hong Kong) of 750m long constructed by Japanese JV which is the 5-span continuous complex cable stayed bridge, and featured by PC box girder structure of side spans. The group also visited Gouritz River PC bridge in South Africa. 5 refs., 10 figs.

Documenting indigenous knowledge about Africa's traditional ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This article examines the global debates about indigenous knowledge and Africa's traditional medicine. It explores whether it is possible to document all the elements of indigenous knowledge about Africa's traditional medicine that is used for the treatment of diverse forms of sickness. Certain types of Africa's traditional ...

Africa's middle class women bring entrepreneurial opportunities in breast care medical tourism to South Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Ahwireng-Obeng, Frederick; van Loggerenberg, Charl

2011-01-01

Africa's distribution of specialized private health services is severely disproportionate. Mismatch between South Africa's excess supply and a huge demand potential in an under-serviced continent represents an entrepreneurial opportunity to attract patients to South Africa for treatment and recuperative holidays. However, effective demand for intra-African medical tourism could be constrained by sub-Saharan poverty. Results from interviewing 320 patients and five staff at the Johannesburg Breast care Centre of Excellence, however, reject this proposition, Africa's middle class women being the target market estimated to grow annually by one million while breast cancer incidence increases with middle-class lifestyles. Uncovering this potential involves an extensive marketing strategy. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

social work and human rights in zimbabwe

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Mugumbate

The place of the social work profession on the human rights arena is beyond doubt. .... Human Rights and the Media Institute of Southern Africa. THE NEXUS ..... Becket, C.; 2006 Ethics and values in social work 3rd Edition. Basingstoke: ...

The Africa South America Intercontinental Teleconnection.

Science.gov (United States)

Cook, K. H.; Hsieh, J.-S.; Hagos, S. M.

2004-07-01

The influence of heating over Africa on the South American precipitation climatology, and the influence of South America on Africa, is examined through the application of GCM simulations with idealized boundary conditions and perpetual solstice (January and July) conditions.The presence of Africa is associated with a pronounced (up to 4 mm day-1) decrease in precipitation in Brazil's Nordeste region during austral summer. Low-level moisture divergence and dry-air advection associated with the downbranch of a Walker circulation induced by heating over southern Africa is amplified over the Nordeste due to the response of the land surface. The response is much smaller during austral winter due to differences in the heat source over Africa and a reduced sensitivity in the surface heat balance over tropical South America. Forcing from South America in January shifts the position of the South Indian convergence zone (SICZ) to the southwest over southern Africa in association with the formation of the South Atlantic convergence zone (SACZ). In July, a Rossby wave train generated over South America induces a response in the surface temperature of Africa that leads to stronger precipitation in central and western Africa.This study suggests a zonal mode of variability for South American and African circulation and precipitation fields. The resulting perturbations depend as much on land surface atmosphere interactions as on the direct forcing from the adjacent continent, and the mechanisms are highly nonlinear.

The Africa Collection: An Annotated Historical Resource Bibliography for the Student of Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Lynn, Karen

This annotated bibliographic collection of resources on Africa including non-fiction, fiction, texts, poetry, draft papers, addresses, periodicals, film, records, and travel agencies is designed to aid secondary students and their teachers interested in research on Africa. An instructional approach is taken, drawing upon examples to demonstrate…

Review of Patrick Chabal, Africa: The Politics of Suffering and Smiling, and Pierre Englebert, Africa: Unity, Sovereignty and Sorrow

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kaarsholm, Preben

2012-01-01

Review article discussing Patrick Chabal, Africa: The Politics of Suffering and Smiling (London: Zed Books, 2009) and Pierre Englebert, Africa: Unity, Sovereignty and Sorrow (Bodulder, CO: Lynne Rienner, 2009).......Review article discussing Patrick Chabal, Africa: The Politics of Suffering and Smiling (London: Zed Books, 2009) and Pierre Englebert, Africa: Unity, Sovereignty and Sorrow (Bodulder, CO: Lynne Rienner, 2009)....

Reasons to Doubt the Reliability of Eyewitness Memory: Commentary on Wixted, Mickes, and Fisher (2018).

Science.gov (United States)

Wade, Kimberley A; Nash, Robert A; Lindsay, D Stephen

2018-05-01

Wixted, Mickes, and Fisher (this issue) take issue with the common trope that eyewitness memory is inherently unreliable. They draw on a large body of mock-crime research and a small number of field studies, which indicate that high-confidence eyewitness reports are usually accurate, at least when memory is uncontaminated and suitable interviewing procedures are used. We agree with the thrust of Wixted et al.'s argument and welcome their invitation to confront the mass underselling of eyewitnesses' potential reliability. Nevertheless, we argue that there is a comparable risk of overselling eyewitnesses' reliability. Wixted et al.'s reasoning implies that near-pristine conditions or uncontaminated memories are normative, but there are at least two good reasons to doubt this. First, psychological science does not yet offer a good understanding of how often and when eyewitness interviews might deviate from best practice in ways that compromise the accuracy of witnesses' reports. Second, witnesses may frequently be exposed to preinterview influences that could corrupt reports obtained in best-practice interviews.

Cooperation: New Players in Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Philippe Hugon

2010-03-01

Full Text Available In the context of globalisation and the current global financial crisis, new players are emerging in cooperation in Africa. These partners loosen financial constraints and conditionalities, increase the room for manoeuvre and stimulate commodity markets. On the other hand, they also increase the risks of renewed indebtedness and potentially weaken the coordination of aid policies. Do these partnerships call the new cooperation practices of OECD countries into question? Do they justify the return to a realpolitik or are they repeating the earlier mistakes of industrial powers? Can these mistakes be corrected? The question also arises as to whether the global crisis, which has a profound effect on Africa, will lead to a withdrawal or to a passing of the baton on to new, emerging powers. This article highlights the new geopolitical issues concerning Africa in a multipolar world, then discusses the new players involved in cooperation in Africa, before going on to explore the horizons that are opening up for cooperation in Africa, in particular with regard to the global crisis.

On the fertility transition in Africa

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mveyange, Anthony Francis

A consensus among social scientists is that fertility rates in Africa are declining. What determines these declines? I present fresh evidence that shows education, especially for women, is an important determinant of the fertility transition in Africa. This finding is consistent with the predicti......A consensus among social scientists is that fertility rates in Africa are declining. What determines these declines? I present fresh evidence that shows education, especially for women, is an important determinant of the fertility transition in Africa. This finding is consistent...... with the predictions of the unified growth theory and sheds important insights in explaining the sustained income growth Africa has experienced since 1995. The paper also shows that the effects of income per capita and child mortality on fertility rates are non-robust and inconsistent with the predictions...

Sub-Saharan Africa: A Regional Security Strategy

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Barr, Bill; Daoud, Beshir

1996-01-01

The history of Africa is of a continent colonized and deeply exploited by European powers In the late 1940's, only four countries in Africa were independent Egypt, Liberia, Ethiopia and South Africa...

Communication received from South Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1984-02-01

The document reproduces the press release with a statement by Dr. J.W.L. de Villiers, Executive Chairman of the Atomic Energy Corporation of South Africa Limited, issued on 31 January 1984 and included in the letter received by the Director General of the IAEA from the Resident Representative of South Africa to the Agency on 31 January 1984. This statement refers to the transfer of nuclear material equipment and technology by South Africa to other countries and the Non-Proliferation Treaty

Urbanization in Africa since independence.

Science.gov (United States)

Tarver, J D

1994-01-01

Over 185 million inhabitants were added to the urban areas of Africa between 1950 and 1990. Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, and Swaziland is the most highly urbanized, with 55% in 1990; while less than a quarter of Eastern Africa's population is living in urban centers. By the year 2015 more than half of Africa's population will be living in urban areas. Many parts of Africa have suffered prolonged droughts, overgrazing, locust infestations, and desertification. Millions have become refugees from natural disasters, political oppression, and rural poverty. The large exodus from Africa's rural areas has gone to cities but the large cities have attracted disproportionately large numbers of destitute migrants. Alexandria (1 million), Cairo (2.4 million) and the Witwatersrand in South Africa were the only African urban agglomerations with at least one million inhabitants in 1950. By 1990 the two Egyptian cities together had 12.7 million inhabitants and the Witwatersrand some 5 million, whereas the other 25 urban agglomerations with a million inhabitants each in 1990 had a total population of about 51 million. Lagos, Kinshasa, and Algiers ranged from 3 to 7.7 million. The capitals are the largest cities in at least 54 of the 59 countries and territories. Lagos, Nairobi, and Dar es Salaam are disproportionately larger than the next most populous cities in their countries. The 28 urban agglomerations with at least one million inhabitants had a total population of 70 million in 1990, and are projected to reach 100 million in the year 2000. Overall, Africa's urban population is projected to increase by approximately 135 million in the 1990-2000 decade (from 217 million to 352 million). About 105 million of the growth probably will occur in the smaller urban centers. The total African urban population is likely to reach one billion inhabitants within the next 50 years. It stood at 32 million in 1950. Presently, the United Nations projects 912 million urban residents

Factors affecting the vectorial competence of Anopheles gambiae: a question of scale

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Takken, W.; Lindsay, S.W.

2003-01-01

Malaria transmission in Africa is without doubt governed by the existence of a group of highly efficient vectors, of which Anopheles gambiae Giles sensu stricto is predominant. The endophilic and anthropophagic behaviours of this mosquito create an intimate association between the human reservoir

Africa and electricity: To electrify Africa - necessary financial and human investments; The development of hydroelectricity in sub-Saharan Africa; A major challenge: to improve distribution efficiency; Smart grids in Africa?; Rural electrification in Africa; The development of renewable energies in Ethiopia - an example of empowerment of a local structure

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Horvilleur, Jacques; Favennec, Jean-Pierre; Cerdan, Jean-Pierre; Bauley, Jacky; Caumon, Pauline; Guerin, Andre-Jean; Beaussant, Henri; Louis, Frederic; Sall, Ousmane; Ledoux, Thierry; Boye, Henri; Bagayoko, Moussa

2016-01-01

This publication proposes a set of six articles which address various aspects related to the issue of Africa electrification. More precisely, the authors propose a general presentation of the present situation and an assessment of necessary financial, organisational, governance and training investments or needs (To electrify Africa: necessary financial and human investment), illustrate these issues in the case of hydroelectricity-rich Republic of Congo, discuss the issue of financing hydroelectricity development in Africa and of the need of operation and maintenance policies to meet needs associated with sustainable installations (The development of hydroelectricity in sub-Saharan Africa), address issues related to distribution through an improvement of existing distribution networks (A major challenge: to improve distribution efficiency) and through a possible development of smart grids (Smart grids in Africa?), comment issues related to rural electrification as a major challenge for these sometimes very poor areas with almost none financial resources, and evoke the possibilities associated with decentralised photovoltaic production (Rural electrification in Africa), and report interventions of an NGO in Ethiopia based on solar installations and actions of empowerment of local structures (The development of renewable energies in Ethiopia - an example of empowerment of a local structure)

Dermatology and HIV/AIDS in Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jenny Hu

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Human immunodeficiency virus and the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS have greatly complicated dermatologic disease and the required care in most regions of Africa. Opportunistic infections, ectoparasites, Kaposi sarcoma, and skin manifestations of systemic infections are exceedingly common in patients with HIV/AIDS. Dermatologists have contributed significantly to our knowledge base about HIV/AIDS and have played an important educational role regarding the clinical manifestations historically. Because of the increased burden of skin disease in Africa due to the HIV/AIDS epidemic we must redouble our efforts to provide dermatology education to care providers in Africa. We review the burden of skin disease in Africa, how it relates to HIV/AIDS and global infectious disease, current educational strategies in Africa to address this need, and suggest potential solutions to move these efforts forward.

2D geometric morphometric analysis casts doubt on the validity of large tanged points as cultural markers in the European Final Palaeolithic

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Serwatka, Kamil; Riede, Felix

2016-01-01

directeurs, especially in northern Europe. The vast majority of these finds are from the surface or derive from less-than-secure contexts. Several recent papers have cast doubt on the validity of this artefact class as a taxonomically sensitive marker. Here, we further investigate this issue using 2D...... arch-backed points. Their presence in later assemblages and technocomplexes such as the Brommean cannot therefore be considered as a derived or diagnostic feature. We suggest that this artefact class should rather be linked to weapon systems function (dart-points) different from the coeval arch...

Treaty aids 'detensioning of southern Africa'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Stumpf, W.

1991-01-01

South Africa's accession to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons is a significant step forward in trading non-weapons related nuclear technology with other world powers. In an interview with Dr Waldo Stumpf, chief executive officer of the Atomic Energy Corporation of South Africa, the impact of this decision on the Corporation and the whole of southern Africa is discussed

Performance Evaluation Of Africa Elemi Melon And Africa Locust Bean Oil As Potential Quenchants For Medium Carbon Steel

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

C. S. Ibeh

2017-06-01

Full Text Available A qualitative and comparative study was carried out on some locally sourced oils melon oil Africa elemi oil and Africa locust bean oil to evaluate suitability as substitute quenching media to mineral-based oil. The cooling ability of the oils was investigated using AISI 1034 medium carbon steel. The effect of heat transfer coefficient on quench severity mechanical properties of the quenched specimens were investigated in the course of the study. Results showed that the peak rate of heat extraction of melon oil Africa locust bean and Africa elemi oil were higher than that of mineral oil. Higher heat transfer coefficient of 1463 1023 Wm2k were obtained for melon oil and Africa locust bean Africa elemi and SAE 40 oil have heat transfer coefficient of 982 and 469 Wm2k respectively. The selected oils can be used as quenchants for medium carbon steel since the oils exhibits better cooling properties and mechanical properties than mineral-based oil.

Electricity in Africa or the continent of paradoxes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heuraux, Christine

2011-01-01

This article first proposes an overview of the present situation of the electricity sector in Africa: the continent is an energy giant because of all the resources it possesses, but an electricity dwarf regarding its present and actual capacities. The author outlines the differences between potential and actual productions, gives an overview of the current status of supply and of production capacities. She comments the status of electricity demand, electricity consumption and electricity markets in the different parts of Africa (data of electricity consumption, of global, urban and rural electrification in Northern Africa, Western Africa, Central Africa, Eastern Africa, Southern Africa with or without South Africa), and issues related to costs and tariffs. She proposes some explanations for the observed discrepancies between African regions and countries: history, too small markets supported by too fragile economies, political and economic failures. Then, she discusses how to favour a durable development of the African electricity sector

Physics in Africa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Allotey, F K.A.

1996-09-01

The paper discusses the role of basic sciences in the development of technology. This is then tied up with the broader issue of the importance of scientific and technological knowledge in the socio-economic development of a country. Physics forms the basis for most of the natural and applied sciences and technology. The state of physics in Africa is reviewed. The need for regional and international cooperation in physics education and research in Africa is stressed. (author). 13 refs, 2 tabs.

Physics in Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Allotey, F.K.A.

1996-09-01

The paper discusses the role of basic sciences in the development of technology. This is then tied up with the broader issue of the importance of scientific and technological knowledge in the socio-economic development of a country. Physics forms the basis for most of the natural and applied sciences and technology. The state of physics in Africa is reviewed. The need for regional and international cooperation in physics education and research in Africa is stressed. (author). 13 refs, 2 tabs

Expanding radio astronomy in Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gaylard, M J

2013-01-01

The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) Organisation announced in May 2012 that its members had agreed on a dual site solution for the SKA [1]. South Africa's bid for hosting the SKA has caused a ramp up of radio astronomy in Africa. To develop technology towards the SKA, the South African SKA Project (SKA SA) built a protoype radio telescope in 2007, followed in 2010 the seven antenna Karoo Array Telescope (KAT-7). Next is the 64 antenna MeerKAT, which will merge into SKA Phase 1 in Africa. As SKA Phase 2 is intended to add a high resolution capability with baselines out to 3000 km, the SKA SA brought in partner countries in Africa to host outstations. South Africa has been working with the partners to build capacity to operate the SKA and to benefit from it. The SA Department of Science and Technology (DST) developed a proposal to establish radio telescopes in the partner countries to provide hands-on learning and a capability for Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) research. Redundant 30 m class satellite antennas are being incorporated in this project.

CB Soyapi REGULATING TRADITIONAL JUSTICE IN SOUTH AFRICA

African Journals Online (AJOL)

10332324

ANALYSIS OF SELECTED ASPECTS OF THE TRADITIONAL COURTS BILL ... Customary law1 is without doubt the oldest system of law in most African societies. ... traditional leaders.2 Within such a structure, a feature which was predominant in ...... Harper E Customary Justice: From Program Design to Impact Evaluation.

South Africa and the BRICS

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Owiso, Michael; Schmidt, Johannes Dragsbæk

South Africa and the BRICS: A critical appraisal Michael Omondi Owiso and Johannes Dragsbaek Schmidt Abstract The objective of the BRICS was originally supposed to merge economic synergies and create an alternative voice in the global governance system. Debates around the ability of the BRICS...... to acquire this clout continue to dominate academia and the global discourse. Although the alliance is still in its nascent stage, scholarly attention is increasingly looking at its internal dynamics. The inclusion of South Africa being the smallest economy in the BRICS was indeed an effort to consolidate...... its image and unleash the developmental potential for the rest of the African continent. Comparably, South Africa is probably the least influential member of the BRICS, and this raises the following questions. First, how does South Africa´s affiliation impact on the development and benefits regarding...

Nuclear Power: Africa and the Future

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ibrahim, Y.M.; Hussein, A.S.

2008-01-01

Africa is a home to around 800 million people. The total population is expected to reach 1.3 billion by 2020. Efficient, clean energy forms are vital to Africa's sustainable development and fight against poverty. Nuclear power is a sustainable, clean, safe and economic way to met the African countries demand for electrical energy and water desalination As of 29 January 2007, there were 435 nuclear power plants in operation around the world. They total about 369 G We of generating capacity and supply about 16% of the world electricity. Of the 435 nuclear power plants in operation, just two are in Africa: Koeberg-1 and Koeberg-2 in South Africa. Both are 900 M We PWRs.There are also 28 new nuclear power plants under construction none in Africa. In this paper, varies factors , which support the attractiveness of nuclear power for African countries are identified and discussed

Nuclear medicine and MRI in differential diagnosis of doubtful spinal disorders

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Szilvasi, J.; Mester, A.R.; Kaposi, P.N.; Gyorke, T.; Karlinger, K.; Mako, E.K.

2004-01-01

Full text: Purpose of presentation is a retrospective analysis and pictorial assay of MRI in differential diagnosis of spinal diseases with increased Tc-99m-MDP uptake on the whole body bone scan. A retrospective analysis of 200 spine cases was carried out in respect of metastatic, osteoporotic and degenerative bony lesions with similar appearance of bone scan. Referring diagnoses were either spinal pain syndromes or tumour staging. Double headed gamma camera (ADAC) and a low field whole body (0.3 T, Hitachi) scanner were used. Bone scan, SPECT and routine SE T1 and SE T2 sequences were completed with STIR and Gd contrast administration in selected complicated cases. Recently additional opposed phase GRE sequences were used as well. In doubtful whole body scintigraphic cases, SPECT study was performed. Cases with uncertain diagnosis were sent for MRI study. Increased T2 signal and decreased T1 signal, if diffusely distributed in the vertebral body, is characteristic to recent osteoporotic compressions. In cases of non-compressed (metastatic) vertebral bodies with diffuse increased T2 signal increase this appearance had predictive value of imminent compression fracture. Increased T2 signal with decreased T1 signal in adjacent vertebral bodies accompanied by irregularity of contours and of signal intensity involving the inter-vertebral disc, and Gd enhancement were symptoms of infection, in particularly spondylodiscitis. Opposed phase GRE sequences seems to be optimal in differentiation of metastatic lesions versus porotic lesions. We conclude that routine bone scan, and MRI in selected patients suffering from back pain syndrome can help differentiation of osteoporotic versus metastatic and degenerative vertebral lesions. Additional STIR sequence, Gd administration and opposed phase GRE imaging make the diagnosis more specific. (author)

Avoid the tsunami of the Dirac sea in the imaginary time step method

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Ying; Liang, Haozhao; Meng, Jie

2010-01-01

The discrete single-particle spectra in both the Fermi and Dirac sea have been calculated by the imaginary time step (ITS) method for the Schroedinger-like equation after avoiding the "tsunami" of the Dirac sea, i.e. the diving behavior of the single-particle level into the Dirac sea in the direct application of the ITS method for the Dirac equation. It is found that by the transform from the Dirac equation to the Schroedinger-like equation, the single-particle spectra, which extend from the positive to the negative infinity, can be separately obtained by the ITS evolution in either the Fermi sea or the Dirac sea. Identical results with those in the conventional shooting method have been obtained via the ITS evolution for the equivalent Schroedinger-like equation, which demonstrates the feasibility, practicality and reliability of the present algorithm and dispels the doubts on the ITS method in the relativistic system. (author)

Effects of genetically modified T2A-1 rice on the GI health of rats after 90-day supplement.

Science.gov (United States)

Yuan, Yanfang; Xu, Wentao; He, Xiaoyun; Liu, Haiyan; Cao, Sishuo; Qi, Xiaozhe; Huang, Kunlun; Luo, Yunbo

2013-01-01

Bacillus thuringiensis insecticidal toxin (Bt) rice will be commercialized as a main food source. Traditional safety assessments on genetically modified products pay little attention on gastrointestinal (GI) health. More data about GI health of Bt rice must be provided to dispel public' doubts about the potential effects on human health. We constructed an improved safety assessment animal model using a basic subchronic toxicity experiment, measuring a range of parameters including microflora composition, intestinal permeability, epithelial structure, fecal enzymes, bacterial activity, and intestinal immunity. Significant differences were found between rice-fed groups and AIN93G-fed control groups in several parameters, whereas no differences were observed between genetically modified and non-genetically modified groups. No adverse effects were found on GI health resulting from genetically modified T2A-1 rice. In conclusion, this study may offer a systematic safety assessment model for GM material with respect to the effects on GI health.

Compendium in astronomy a volume dedicated to professor John Xanthakis on the occasion of completing twenty-five years of scientific activities as fellow of the National Academy of Athens

CERN Document Server

Theocaris, Pericles; Mavridis, L

1982-01-01

When we first approached some colleagues allover the world to sound them about a volume dedicated to Professor John Xanthakis on the occasion of completing twenty-five years of scientific activities as fellow of the National Academy of Athens, any possible doubts as to the feasibility of the project were quickly dispelled by their warm and encouraging response. In a short time 50 authors from 15 countries, coming from a wide range of Professor Xanthakis' immediate colleagues, pupils and friends joined to produce the 36 contributions included in this volume. Some of those who where originally approached found themselves un­ able to contribute, because of the time-limit necessarily imposed. Happi­ ly, they were only few in number, and we should like to record our grat­ itude to them for their good wishes for the success of the venture. Their warm words were among the many sources of inspiring encouragement extended to us.

Chemistry for sustainable development in Africa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gurib-Fakim, Ameenah [Mauritius Univ., Reduit (Mauritius); Eloff, Jacobus Nicolaas (eds.) [Pretoria Univ. (South Africa). Faculty of Veterinary Science

2013-07-01

Chemistry for Sustainable Development in Africa' gives an insight into current Chemical research in Africa. It is edited and written by distinguished African scientists and includes contributions from Chemists from Northern, Southern, Western, Eastern, Central and Island state African Countries. The core themes embrace the most pressing issues of our time, including Environmental Chemistry, Renewable Energies, Health and Human Well-Being, Food and Nutrition, and Bioprospecting and Commercial Development. This book is invaluable for teaching and research institutes in Africa and worldwide, private sector entities dealing with natural products from Africa, as well as policy and decision-making bodies and non-governmental organizations.

Southern Africa’s Transnational Threats

Science.gov (United States)

2013-04-01

private sectors lends evidence to sophisticated criminal activities.”5 As regional organizations contemplated on how to prevent and/or deter these crimes...distribution of Cannabis (also known as marijuana) is prevalent throughout Southern Africa. In most incidences, Cannabis profits dwarfs local income...had its source in Tanzania and Tanzanians have identified markets for their fake US dollars in South Africa. Cannabis South Africa, Lesotho

R-HPDC in South Africa

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Curle, A

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Phenomena 2013/ Vol. 192-193, pp 3-15 R-HPDC in South Africa CURLE Ulyate A.a, MÖLLER Heinrichb and GOVENDER Gonasagrenc Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, Materials Science and Manufacturing, Pretoria, South Africa a ucurle...

Tele-education in South Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Mars, Maurice

2014-01-01

Telemedicine includes the use of information and communication technology for education in the health sector, tele-education. Sub-Saharan Africa has an extreme shortage of health professionals and as a result, doctors to teach doctors and students. Tele-education has the potential to provide access to education both formal and continuing medical education. While the uptake of telemedicine in Africa is low, there are a number of successful and sustained tele-education programs. The aims of this study were (i) to review the literature on tele-education in South Africa, (ii) describe tele-education activities at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZ-N) in South Africa, and (iii) review the development of these programs with respect to current thinking on eHealth project implementation. A literature review of tele-education in South Africa was undertaken. The development of the tele-education services at UKZ-N from 2001 to present is described. The approaches taken are compared with current teaching on eHealth implementation and a retrospective design-reality gap analysis is made. Tele-education has been in use in South Africa since the 1970s. Several forms of tele-education are in place at the medical schools and in some Provincial Departments of Health (DOH). Despite initial attempts by the National DOH, there are no national initiatives in tele-education. At UKZ-N, a tele-education service has been running since 2001 and appears to be sustainable and reaching maturity, with over 1,400 h of videoconferenced education offered per year. The service has expanded to offer videoconferenced education into Africa using different ways of delivering tele-education. Tele-education has been used in different forms for many years in the health sector in South Africa. There is little hard evidence of its educational merit or economic worth. What it apparent is that it improves access to education and training in resource constrained settings. The development of local and

Designing a Qualitative Data Collection Strategy (QDCS) for Africa - Phase 1: A Gap Analysis of Existing Models, Simulations, and Tools Relating to Africa

Science.gov (United States)

2012-06-01

QDCS) for Africa – Phase I: A Gap Analysis of Existing Models, Simulations, and Tools Relating to Africa Ashley N. Bybee , Project Leader Dominick E...Strategy (QDCS) for Africa – Phase I: A Gap Analysis of Existing Models, Simulations, and Tools Relating to Africa Ashley N. Bybee , Project Leader...Africa Phase I: A Gap Analysis of Existing Models, Simulations, and Tools Relating to Africa June 2012 Authors: Dr. Ashley Bybee , Project Lead Dr

Evaluating Development Projects and Programmes in Africa: The ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

evaluation. It is indicated that NEPAD has not prescribed any internal or external monitoring and evaluation of its projects and programmes, and therefore calls into doubt the level of professional competence in its delivery strategies. The article also examines selected monitoring and evaluation strategies such as the African

Institute enriching students in Africa

CERN Multimedia

Burton, H

2004-01-01

In Cape Town, South Africa, the first annual African Summer Theory Institute is being held. This is a three-week conference for university science students throughout the whole of Africa, co-sponsored by Perimeter Institute as part of international outreach initiatives (1 page).

Aid and Authoritarianism in Africa

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

and Authoritarianism in Africa sheds light on the political intricacies and moral dilemmas raised by the relationship between foreign aid and autocratic rule in Africa. Through contributions by leading experts exploring the revival of authoritarian development politics in Ethiopia, Uganda, Rwanda, Cameroon, Mozambique...

Movers and shakers : social movements in Africa

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ellis, S.; Kessel, van W.M.J.

2009-01-01

Mobilization against apartheid in South Africa, the campaign against blood diamonds, the women's movement in Liberia where Africa's first female head of State was elected in 2005 - these are all examples of socially based movements that have had a major effect on Africa's recent history. Yet the

Biogas - Bioenergy potential in East Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1997-01-01

The workshop is part of the project: 'Energy production from Sisal Waste in East Africa' sponsored by the Danish Energy Agency, an agency under the Danish Ministry of Environment and Energy. This project has been carried out in close cooperation between the Danish Technological Institute and University of Dar es Salaam, Applied Microbiology Unit, who has also taken care of the practical arrangement. The main objectives of the workshop was: To present the ongoing research in East Africa on biogas production from organic residues; To get an overview of political and administrative issues related to promotion and implementation of renewable energy facilities in East Africa; To discuss appropriate set-ups for bioenergy facilities in East Africa. (au)

Biogas - Bioenergy potential in East Africa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1998-12-31

The workshop is part of the project: `Energy production from Sisal Waste in East Africa` sponsored by the Danish Energy Agency, an agency under the Danish Ministry of Environment and Energy. This project has been carried out in close cooperation between the Danish Technological Institute and University of Dar es Salaam, Applied Microbiology Unit, who has also taken care of the practical arrangement. The main objectives of the workshop was: To present the ongoing research in East Africa on biogas production from organic residues; To get an overview of political and administrative issues related to promotion and implementation of renewable energy facilities in East Africa; To discuss appropriate set-ups for bioenergy facilities in East Africa. (au)

Biogas - Bioenergy potential in East Africa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1997-12-31

The workshop is part of the project: `Energy production from Sisal Waste in East Africa` sponsored by the Danish Energy Agency, an agency under the Danish Ministry of Environment and Energy. This project has been carried out in close cooperation between the Danish Technological Institute and University of Dar es Salaam, Applied Microbiology Unit, who has also taken care of the practical arrangement. The main objectives of the workshop was: To present the ongoing research in East Africa on biogas production from organic residues; To get an overview of political and administrative issues related to promotion and implementation of renewable energy facilities in East Africa; To discuss appropriate set-ups for bioenergy facilities in East Africa. (au)

Meteorite falls in Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Khiri, Fouad; Ibhi, Abderrahmane; Saint-Gerant, Thierry; Medjkane, Mohand; Ouknine, Lahcen

2017-10-01

The study of meteorites provides insight into the earliest history of our solar system. From 1800, about the year meteorites were first recognized as objects falling from the sky, until December 2014, 158 observed meteorite falls were recorded in Africa. Their collected mass ranges from 1.4 g to 175 kg with the 1-10 kg cases predominant. The average rate of African falls is low with only one fall recovery per 1.35-year time interval (or 0.023 per year per million km2). This African collection is dominated by ordinary chondrites (78%) just like in the worldwide falls. The seventeen achondrites include three Martian meteorite falls (Nakhla of Egypt, Tissint of Morocco and Zagami of Nigeria). Observed Iron meteorite falls are relatively rare and represent only 5%. The falls' rate in Africa is variable in time and in space. The number of falls continues to grow since 1860, 80% of which were recovered during the period between 1910 and 2014. Most of these documented meteorite falls have been recovered from North-Western Africa, Eastern Africa and Southern Africa. They are concentrated in countries which have a large surface area and a large population with a uniform distribution. Other factors are also favorable for observing and collecting meteorite falls across the African territory, such as: a genuine meteorite education, a semi-arid to arid climate (clear sky throughout the year most of the time), croplands or sparse grasslands and possible access to the fall location with a low percentage of forest cover and dense road network.

Financing energy projects in Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Godier, Kevin; Marks, Jon

1999-12-01

Contains Executive Summary and Chapters on: Overview of financing trends in Africa; Multilateral support - Bedrock of Africa's first generation energy projects; ECA insurance and financing; Bilateral development finance; Offshore commercial bank lending; Local commercial bank finance; Capital markets; Legal ramifications ; Risk factors; Conclusions. (Author)

Trade networks in West Africa

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Walther, Olivier

2014-01-01

To date, most of the literature on trade networks in West Africa has considered networks in a metaphorical way. The aim of this paper is to go one step further by showing how social network analysis may be applied to the study of regional trade in West Africa. After a brief review of the literature......, this exploratory paper investigates two main issues related to regional trade. We start by discussing how recent developments in regional trade in West Africa have contributed to challenging the social structure of traders. We then discuss the changes that have affected the spatiality of regional trade by looking...

Do India's activities in Africa liberate and strengthen Africa's position in the Euro-African relation?

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Schrijen, T.; Pennink, Barteld

2017-01-01

This research will analyze the economic relationship between India and Africa by analyzing trade, investments, aid and trade agreements. Moreover, this study will investigate whether there is substitution effect for the economic relationship between Europe and Africa and compare the results to

Impacts of Climate Change on Malaria Transmission in Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Eltahir, E. A. B.; Endo, N.; Yamana, T. K.

2017-12-01

Malaria is a major vector-borne parasitic disease transmitted to humans by Anopheles spp mosquitoes. Africa is the hotspot for malaria transmission where more than 90% of malaria deaths occur every year. Malaria transmission is an intricate function of climatic factors, which non-linearly affect the development of vectors and parasites. We project that the risk of malaria will increase towards the end of the 21st century in east Africa, but decrease in west Africa. We combine a novel malaria transmission simulator, HYDREMATS, that has been developed based on comprehensive multi-year field surveys both in East Africa and West Africa, and the most reliable climate projections through regional dynamical downscaling and rigorous selection of GCMs from among CMIP5 models. We define a bell-shaped relation between malaria intensity and temperature, centered around a temperature of 30°C. Future risks of malaria are projected for two highly populated regions in Africa: the highlands in East Africa and the fringes of the desert in West Africa. In the highlands of East Africa, temperature is substantially colder than this optimal temperature; warmer future climate exacerbate malaria conditions. In the Sahel fringes in West Africa, temperature is around this optimal temperature; warming is not likely to exacerbate and might even reduce malaria burden. Unlike the highlands of East Africa, which receive significant amounts of annual rainfall, dry conditions also limit malaria transmission in the Sahel fringes in West Africa. This disproportionate risk of malaria due to climate change should guide strategies for climate adaptation over Africa.

Review: Sanya Osha (ed.), The Social Contract in Africa (2014)

OpenAIRE

Damian Chukwudi Ukwandu

2014-01-01

Review of the edited volume:Sanya Osha (ed.), The Social Contract in Africa, Pretoria: Africa Institute for South Africa, 2014, ISBN 978-0-7983-0444-3, 200 pages Besprechung des Sammelbandes:Sanya Osha (Hrsg.), The Social Contract in Africa, Pretoria: Africa Institute for South Africa, 2014, ISBN 978-0-7983-0444-3, 200 Seiten

Managing organizational performance in Africa

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Kuada, John

2012-01-01

Discusses the interplay of political, economic, social and cultural factors in the management of the performance of public and private organizations in Africa......Discusses the interplay of political, economic, social and cultural factors in the management of the performance of public and private organizations in Africa...

Shakespeare in Southern Africa: Submissions

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Shakespeare in Southern Africa publishes articles, commentary and reviews on all aspects of Shakespearean studies and performance, with a particular emphasis on responses to Shakespeare in southern Africa. Submissions are reviewed by at least two referees. The practice of 'blind' reviewing is adhered to. The Journal ...

Human Heredity and Health (H3) in Africa Kidney Disease Research Network: A Focus on Methods in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Osafo, Charlotte; Raji, Yemi Raheem; Burke, David; Tayo, Bamidele O; Tiffin, Nicki; Moxey-Mims, Marva M; Rasooly, Rebekah S; Kimmel, Paul L; Ojo, Akinlolu; Adu, Dwomoa; Parekh, Rulan S

2015-12-07

CKD affects an estimated 14% of adults in sub-Saharan Africa, but very little research has been done on the cause, progression, and prevention of CKD there. As part of the Human Heredity and Health in Africa (H3Africa) Consortium, the H3Africa Kidney Disease Research Network was established to study prevalent forms of kidney disease in sub-Saharan Africa and increase the capacity for genetics and genomics research. The study is performing comprehensive phenotypic characterization and analyzing environmental and genetic factors from nine clinical centers in four African countries (Ghana, Nigeria, Ethiopia, and Kenya) over a 5-year period. Approximately 4000 participants with specified kidney disease diagnoses and 4000 control participants will be enrolled in the four African countries. In addition, approximately 50 families with hereditary glomerular disease will be enrolled. The study includes both pediatric and adult participants age research infrastructure can be successfully established in Africa. This study will provide clinical, biochemical, and genotypic data that will greatly increase the understanding of CKD in sub-Saharan Africa. Copyright © 2015 by the American Society of Nephrology.

Molecular diagnostics of Rickettsia africae infection in travelers returning from South Africa to The Netherlands

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wieten, Rosanne W.; Hovius, Joppe W. R.; Groen, Emilie J.; van der Wal, Allard C.; de Vries, Peter J.; Beersma, Matthijs F. C.; Tijsse-Klasen, Ellen; Sprong, Hein; Grobusch, Martin P.

2011-01-01

African tick-bite fever (ATBF) is frequently diagnosed in The Netherlands in travelers returning from South Africa. It is caused by Rickettsia africae and diagnosis is based on travel history and clinical presentation and usually confirmed by detecting serum antibodies against rickettsiae of the

Korea-South Africa nuclear energy focal point

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kim, Y. H.; Lee, K. H.; Park, M. K.; Chae, J. S.; Cheon, K. J.

2007-09-01

The major objective of the project is to hold Korea-S. Africa joint nuclear or workshop and establish a network of nuclear experts between the two countries. In addition, identification of the collaboration items is another objective of this project. the outcome of this program would be a cornerstone for the nuclear collaboration between Korea and S. Africa. African countries is usually very abundant in the natural resources and developed countries are trying to improve relationships with African countries to secure the natural resources, S. Africa is also very rich with some resources including uranium. Therefore, Korea depending on foreign resources needs to improve the relationship with S. Africa form the viewpoint of securing natural resources. S. Africa has two PWR-type nuclear power plants and is planning to deploy more PWRs to increase the nuclear capacity. In addition, S. Africa is a leading country in developing the PBMR, which is a type of Generation-IV VHTR (very high temperature reactor). In Korea, the VHTR technologies are also under development for the nuclear hydrogen. Although Korea has its own PWR brand, it is not well known to S. Africa. The focal point program would lay a cornerstone for mutually beneficial nuclear collaborations between two countries

Africa

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mol, Michael J.; Stadler, Christian; Ariño, Africa

2017-01-01

Context matters in the global strategy literature. We discuss how Africa, as a setting that received limited attention in the past, offers opportunity to challenge existing theory and develop new insights. The overall goal is to ask: What will the field of global strategic management look like once...

Readings in modernity in Africa

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Geschiere, P.; Meyer, B.; Pels, P.

2008-01-01

This book provides students of Africa with a guide to the bewildering variety of scholarly work on the issue of modernity in Africa, and to offer some tools for dealing with its intellectual paradoxes. Part One contains both analytical and historical examples of the genealogies of modernity in the

The 2010 World Cup High-Frequency Data Economics: Effects on International Awareness and (Self-Defeating) Tourism

OpenAIRE

Stan Du Plessis; Wolfgang Maennig

2010-01-01

Without a doubt, the 2010 World Cup of soccer in South Africa was a great experience for both soccer fans, who enjoyed a safe and efficiently-run tournament, and their South African hosts. The sporting and social spectacle was broadcast around the world and focused unprecedented media attention on South Africa. Despite the manifest success of the tournament, its short-term effects on international tourism, which are the nucleus of all other short-term positive effects on economic variables su...

Sub-Saharan Africa: A Paradoxial Conundrum

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Dunn, Gracus

2002-01-01

.... In reassessing United States interests and security policy in Sub-Saharan Africa in the Post Cold War era, it is important to understand modern Africa's past and the peculiar relationship of politics...

Energy issues in Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Farhandi, M.

1991-01-01

The topic of the energy sector-and the petroleum sector in particular-in sub-Saharan Africa might well be considered an insignificant issue compared with many of the energy concerns which now command international attention. However, the World Bank believes that it is important for all those in international energy not to forget about the crucial problems facing Africa. They should become informed and concerned about these problems, and, hopefully, work together to bring about a satisfactory solution for an ongoing development dilemma. Simply put, the cost of imported energy to the African economy is exorbitantly high, sapping the resources needed to produce economic growth and social progress. This paper reports that, to address this issue, the World Bank is about to undertake a major initiative-two ground-breaking studies in the field of energy for sub-Saharan Africa. Both of these proposed studies are designed to find ways to reduce the burden of the cost of energy imports, mainly petroleum products, to this continent. One study will examine the design (and, subsequently, the implementation) of a rationalization scheme for the supply and distribution of petroleum products throughout sub-Saharan Africa. The other will consider the feasibility of transporting Nigeria's natural gas to neighbors to the west, all of which presently are importers of energy

France in Black Africa,

Science.gov (United States)

1989-01-01

Difficulties with this romantic concept developed, however, when General Faidherbe began to expand French control into the Senegalese hinterland. He was...and his German 45 France in Black Africa friends to gain greater control of the AOF.6 The tragi- comedy ended with the 1942 Allied landings in North...service]). Trinquier’s own stay in Africa was short-lived. Belgian resistance to a French invasion of their turf was fierce. Trinquier’s romantic

One Health capacity building in sub-Saharan Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Rwego, Innocent B; Babalobi, Olutayo Olajide; Musotsi, Protus; Nzietchueng, Serge; Tiambo, Christian Keambo; Kabasa, John David; Naigaga, Irene; Kalema-Zikusoka, Gladys; Pelican, Katherine

2016-01-01

Africa of late has been faced with challenges that require a multidisciplinary and multisectoral approach to address them, and academic and non-academic institutions have played a key role in training and conducting research that would promote the One Health approach. The objective of this review was to document networks and organizations conducting One Health training, research, and outreach in Africa, as one of a series of articles around the world. Data for this review were collected from organizations through key contacts of the authors and their knowledge of networks they have worked with. Web searches were conducted using One Health, training, and research as key words for work done in Africa. Africa has major networks involved in One Health training, research, and outreach, with participation of both academic and non-academic institutions. This review highlights an effort in Africa to form networks to conduct multidisciplinary training and research. The main networks include Afrique One, Southern African Centre for Infectious Disease Surveillance (SACIDS), and One Health Central and Eastern Africa (OHCEA). Both academic and non-academic institutions and organizations have shown an interest to conduct multidisciplinary training and research in Africa for managing challenges that Africa is facing currently, especially the outbreak of infectious diseases.

ICT and Stock Market Nexus in Africa: Evidence from Nigeria and South Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Andy Titus Okwu

2016-08-01

Full Text Available Several studies have examined ICT in relation to stock market development, economic growth and development and other macroeconomic variables. Most of the studies have been on the developed and emerging economies. Studies have been relatively scanty for the developing economies, especially Sub-Saharan Africa. Thus, knowledge gap has been identified in the literature for the African Continent. Pooled data were used in this paper to spur further studies on financial markets in Africa. This paper employed data on functional models adapted from Gompertz curve model for technology diffusion to investigate the effects of ICT on market outcomes of two leading stock exchange markets in Africa during the 1995-2015 periods. Results showed mixed effects of most ICT metrics and moderating variables in the study. Specifically, the effect of mobile telephone on all market indicators was positive and significant. Further, aggregate effect of the ICT proxies and moderating variables on all market indices was statistically significant. The ICT proxies accounted for positive dynamics in market outcomes, market operations and, thus, sine quo non to growth and development of the markets and financial sectors in the Continent. Therefore, more investments in ICT wares and innovation by the stock exchanges and financial sectors in Africa were recommended.

Epidemiology and burden of bipolar disorder in Africa: a systematic review of data from Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Esan, Oluyomi; Esan, Arinola

2016-01-01

Bipolar disorder impacts negatively on the patient, the family, as well as the society. It taxes the health care services due to a combination of the illness with associated medical and psychiatric comorbidities. In Africa, unfortunately, knowledge of the epidemiology and burden of bipolar disorder is based mainly on studies from the USA and Europe. In this systematic review of literature from Africa, we highlight the epidemiology and burden of bipolar disorder. A systematic review of publications from Africa relating to the epidemiology and burden of bipolar disorder was conducted. Data from community surveys conducted in Nigeria and Ethiopia indicated a lifetime prevalence estimate of 0.1 % to 1.83 for bipolar disorder. Missed diagnosis rate of bipolar disorder was up to 36.2 %. In one study, 8.1 % of the males and 5.4 % of the females reported a previous suicide attempt. A study showed that up to 60 % of patients with bipolar disorder had at least one comorbidity. There were no reports on all-cause mortality and cost of illness. Bipolar disorder is a major mental health problem in Africa. Scientific findings on bipolar disorder from Africa are consistent with the existing literature from other parts of the world. There still exists a dearth of high quality studies addressing the epidemiological, clinical, social, and economic burden of the disorder.

South Africa: Current Issues and U.S. Relations

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Ploch, Lauren

2008-01-01

.... With Africa's largest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and a government eager to play an active role in the promotion of regional peace and stability, South Africa is poised to have a substantial impact on the economic and political future of Africa...

MANAGING AFRICA'S NATURAL RESOURCE ENDOWMENTS ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

RAYAN_

explained by the fact that many of the oil-producing countries or petro- states are ... Specifically for Africa, it has been argued that the resource curse paradigm .... sector.18 In Mozambique, after an audit of investments between 2002 and 2008, the ..... resources reserves in Africa, in most cases, the heart of usage – especially.

Africa region population projections : 1990-91

OpenAIRE

Stephens, Patience W.; Bos, Eduard; Vu, My T.; Bulatao, Rodolfo A.

1991-01-01

As recently as the mid-1970s, the Africa region had a smaller population than the Asia, the Latin American and the Caribbean, or the Europe, Middle East, and North Africa regions. Explosive population growth of more than 3 percent per year, projected to decline only gradually, will make Africa the second largest region by 2005. Its share of the world's population will increase from less than 10 percent now to 20 percent in the middle of the next century and to 25 percent when stationarity is ...

The Little Data Book on Africa 2012/13

OpenAIRE

World Bank

2013-01-01

The Little Data Book on Africa 2012/2013 is a pocket edition of Africa Development Indicators 2012/2013. It contains some 115 key indicators on economics, human development, governance, and partnership and is intended as a quick reference for users of the Africa Development Indicators 2010 book and African Development Indicators Online. The country tables present the latest available data for World Bank member countries in Sub-Saharan Africa, covering about 1,700 indicators from 1961 to 2011....

Neurosyphilis in Africa: A systematic review.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Michael Marks

2017-08-01

Full Text Available Neurological involvement is one of the most important clinical manifestations of syphilis and neurological disease occurs in both early and late syphilis. The impact of HIV co-infection on clinical neurosyphilis remains unclear. The highest prevalence of both syphilis and HIV is in Africa. Therefore it might be expected that neurosyphilis would be an important and not uncommon manifestation of syphilis in Africa and frequently occur in association with HIV co-infection; yet few data are available on neurosyphilis in Africa. The aim of this study is to review data on neurosyphilis in Africa since the onset of the HIV epidemic.We searched the literature for references on neurosyphilis in Africa for studies published between the 1st of January 1990 and 15th February 2017. We included case reports, case series, and retrospective and prospective cohort and case-control studies. We did not limit inclusion based on the diagnostic criteria used for neurosyphilis. For retrospective and prospective cohorts, we calculated the proportion of study participants who were diagnosed with neurosyphilis according to the individual study criteria. Depending on the study, we assessed the proportion of patients with syphilis found to have neurosyphilis, and the proportion of patients with neurological syndromes who had neurosyphilis. Due to heterogeneity of data no formal pooling of the data or meta-analysis was undertaken.Amongst patients presenting with a neurological syndrome, three studies of patients with meningitis were identified; neurosyphilis was consistently reported to cause approximately 3% of all cases. Three studies on stroke reported mixed findings but were limited due to the small number of patients undergoing CSF examination, whilst neurosyphilis continued to be reported as a common cause of dementia in studies from North Africa. Ten studies reported on cases of neurosyphilis amongst patients known to have syphilis. Studies from both North and

Neurosyphilis in Africa: A systematic review.

Science.gov (United States)

Marks, Michael; Jarvis, Joseph N; Howlett, William; Mabey, David C W

2017-08-01

Neurological involvement is one of the most important clinical manifestations of syphilis and neurological disease occurs in both early and late syphilis. The impact of HIV co-infection on clinical neurosyphilis remains unclear. The highest prevalence of both syphilis and HIV is in Africa. Therefore it might be expected that neurosyphilis would be an important and not uncommon manifestation of syphilis in Africa and frequently occur in association with HIV co-infection; yet few data are available on neurosyphilis in Africa. The aim of this study is to review data on neurosyphilis in Africa since the onset of the HIV epidemic. We searched the literature for references on neurosyphilis in Africa for studies published between the 1st of January 1990 and 15th February 2017. We included case reports, case series, and retrospective and prospective cohort and case-control studies. We did not limit inclusion based on the diagnostic criteria used for neurosyphilis. For retrospective and prospective cohorts, we calculated the proportion of study participants who were diagnosed with neurosyphilis according to the individual study criteria. Depending on the study, we assessed the proportion of patients with syphilis found to have neurosyphilis, and the proportion of patients with neurological syndromes who had neurosyphilis. Due to heterogeneity of data no formal pooling of the data or meta-analysis was undertaken. Amongst patients presenting with a neurological syndrome, three studies of patients with meningitis were identified; neurosyphilis was consistently reported to cause approximately 3% of all cases. Three studies on stroke reported mixed findings but were limited due to the small number of patients undergoing CSF examination, whilst neurosyphilis continued to be reported as a common cause of dementia in studies from North Africa. Ten studies reported on cases of neurosyphilis amongst patients known to have syphilis. Studies from both North and Southern Africa continue

South Africa comes clean

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Albright, D.

1993-01-01

South African President F. W. de Klerk made headlines on March 24 when he admitted to a joint session of parliament that South Africa had once had a supply of nuclear weapons; six of seven planned devices had been completed. South African spokesmen had previously said that Pretoria was capable of building weapons, but they had remained deliberately vague about whether or not any had been built. According to de Klerk, the weapons were dismantled before South Africa signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty on July 10, 1991. De Klerk's revelation came in response to charges by the African National Congress and U.S. government officials that South Africa had possibly hidden atomic bomb components and manufacturing plants and that it had been evasive about its stockpile of weapon-grade uranium. A more complete discussion of de Klerk's disclosure and events leading to the admission are explored in this article

'Just that little bit of doubt': Scottish parents', teenage girls' and health professionals' views of the MMR, H1N1 and HPV vaccines.

Science.gov (United States)

Kennedy, Catriona; Gray Brunton, Carol; Hogg, Rhona

2014-02-01

Parental decision making about childhood vaccinations is complex and the vaccination schedule ever-changing. Vaccination may be controversial even in countries with historically high vaccination rates such as Scotland. Health behaviour models have aided understanding of individual vaccine intentions for specific vaccines. These are limited in explaining actual behaviours and are divorced from the impact of socio-cultural contexts on vaccination decision making. To explore vaccination views in Scotland amongst parents, teenage girls and health professionals across three controversial vaccines: the Measles, Mumps, Rubella (MMR), the Human Papilloma virus (HPV) and the Influenza A (H1N1) vaccine. We used qualitative interviews and focus group discussions in a purposive sample of health professionals (n = 51), parents (n = 15) and teenage girls aged 12-15 years (n = 8) about their views of these vaccines. Discussions were analysed using thematic analysis. Two main themes are highlighted: 'vaccine risks revisited' in which we explored how the MMR legacy resurfaced and how worries about vaccine safety permeated the data. 'Vaccine responsibilities' indicated tensions regarding roles and responsibilities for vaccines. An overarching notion of 'just that little bit of doubt' referred to lingering doubts and uncertainties interwoven across the vaccines. Public health authorities should remain alert towards pervasive vaccine concerns. It is important for authorities to clarify vaccine roles and responsibilities in the face of new and existing vaccines and to acknowledge public concerns regarding vaccine safety.

Epidemiology of HIV in southern Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zanoni, Brian C.

2009-01-01

HIV/AIDS disproportionately affects sub-Saharan Africa and 90% of the children with HIV are found there. In addition, non-HIV-infected children in the region are also vulnerable with an estimated 11.4 million AIDS orphans (many of whom are also HIV-positive). South Africa has an estimated 5.5 million people infected with HIV, which is by far the highest in the world. South Africa was reluctant to accept international assistance and began to provide care and treatment much later than its neighbours, and access to care and treatment remains low. Only 36% of children with advanced AIDS living in South Africa were receiving antiretroviral drugs in 2007. This paper not only provides data expressing the extent of the HIV problem affecting children, but also compares neighbouring African countries' successes and failures in combating the disease. (orig.)

Improving Youth Employment Policies in Francophone Africa | IDRC ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Africa's persistent job crisis calls for more effective employment policies, including training programs and support for job searches. This project will address the crisis through recommendations that will improve employment policies in francophone Africa. Youth employment initiatives in Africa Over the last two decades, ...

Neonatal mortality in East Africa and West Africa: a geographic analysis of district-level demographic and health survey data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sue C. Grady

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Under-five child mortality declined 47% since 2000 following the implementation of the United Nation’s (UN Millennium Development Goals. To further reduce under-five child mortality, the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs will focus on interventions to address neonatal mortality, a major contributor of under-five mortality. The African region has the highest neonatal mortality rate (28.0 per 1000 live births, followed by that of the Eastern Mediterranean (26.6 and South-East Asia (24.3. This study used the Demographic and Health Survey Birth Recode data (http://dhsprogram.com/data/File-Types-and-Names.cfm to identify high-risk districts and countries for neonatal mortality in two sub-regions of Africa – East Africa and West Africa. Geographically weighted Poisson regression models were estimated to capture the spatially varying relationships between neonatal mortality and dimensions of potential need i care around the time of delivery, ii maternal education, and iii women’s empowerment. In East Africa, neonatal mortality was significantly associated with home births, mothers without an education and mothers whose husbands decided on contraceptive practices, controlling for rural residency. In West Africa, neonatal mortality was also significantly associated with home births, mothers with a primary education and mothers who did not want or plan their last child. Importantly, neonatal mortality associated with home deliveries were explained by maternal exposure to unprotected water sources in East Africa and older maternal age and female sex of infants in West Africa. Future SDG-interventions may target these dimensions of need in priority high-risk districts and countries, to further reduce the burden of neonatal mortality in Africa.

South Africa

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Cathy Egan

prompted in part by the growth of the anti-apartheid movement. ... showing a new degree of organizational capacity and power in South Africa and among .... leading institutions in the generation and application of new knowledge to meet.

Environmental management systems in South Africa

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Tine Herreborg; Smink, Carla

2004-01-01

The article presents som empirical findings regarding environmental management systems of four companies in the automotive industry in South Africa.......The article presents som empirical findings regarding environmental management systems of four companies in the automotive industry in South Africa....

Strategic investments in non-communicable diseases (NCD) research in Africa: the GSK Africa NCD Open Lab.

Science.gov (United States)

Hall, Matthew D; Dufton, Ann M; Katso, Roy M; Gatsi, Sally A; Williams, Pauline M; Strange, Michael E

2015-01-01

In March 2014, GSK announced a number of new strategic investments in Africa. One of these included investment of up to 25 million Pounds Sterling (£25 million) to create the world's first R&D Open Lab to increase understanding of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in Africa. The vision is to create a new global R&D effort with GSK working in partnership with major funders, academic centres and governments to share expertise and resources to conduct high-quality research. The Africa NCD Open Lab will see GSK scientists collaborate with scientific research centres across Africa. An independent advisory board of leading scientists and clinicians will provide input to develop the strategy and selection of NCD research projects within a dynamic and networked open-innovation environment. It is hoped that these research projects will inform prevention and treatment strategies in the future and will enable researchers across academia and industry to discover and develop new medicines to address the specific needs of African patients.

Children in Africa: Key Statistics on Child Survival, Protection and Development

Science.gov (United States)

UNICEF, 2014

2014-01-01

This report presents key statistics relating to: (1) child malnutrition in Africa; (2) HIV/AIDS and Malaria in Africa; (3) child marriage, birth registration and Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C); (4) education in Africa; (5) child mortality in Africa; (6) Drinking water and sanitation in Africa; and (7) maternal health in Africa.…

The West Africa Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The West Africa Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Program, a strategy to improve disease surveillance and epidemic control in West Africa. ... The program includes four countries: Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Togo with an overarching goal to progressively cover all French speaking countries in West Africa ...

Forecasting South Africa's performance at the 2010 Commonwealth ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Objectives. This paper predicts South Africa's performance at the Delhi 2010 Commonwealth Games. Methods. Potential scenarios are developed based on South Africa's previous performances. Results. South Africa will win up to 15 gold medals and 43 medals in total. Conclusions. After Delhi 2010, the actual results ...

Trapped in Development Crisis and Balkanization: Africa versus ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Undoubtedly, globalisation is a complex process. It is touted as having the potential to accelerate Africa\\'s development if the continent\\'s economies would be reformed in accordance with market principles. But clearly, globalisation is widening the disparities between the developed and developing economies. Africa\\'s ...

The Economic Situation in Contemporary Africa: Comment on ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The Economic Situation in Contemporary Africa: Comment on Questions Posed by Lansana Keita. P Bond, DM Dembele. Abstract. The economic situation in contemporary Africa is highly problematic, creating populations that are in general much discontented with matters as they now stand. Africa's populations are now ...

Comprehending Adverbs Of Doubt And Certainty In Health Communication: A Multidimensional Scaling Approach

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Norman S. Segalowitz

2016-05-01

Full Text Available This research explored the feasibility of using multidimensional scaling (MDS analysis in novel combination with other techniques to study comprehension of epistemic adverbs expressing doubt and certainty (e.g., evidently, obviously, probably as they relate to health communication in clinical settings. In Study 1, Australian English speakers performed a dissimilarity-rating task with sentence pairs containing the target stimuli, presented as doctors' opinions. Ratings were analyzed using a combination of cultural consensus analysis (factor analysis across participants, weighted-data classical-MDS, and cluster analysis. Analyses revealed strong within-community consistency for a 3-dimensional semantic space solution that took into account individual differences, strong statistical acceptability of the MDS results in terms of stress and explained variance, and semantic configurations that were interpretable in terms of linguistic analyses of the target adverbs. The results confirmed the feasibility of using MDS in this context. Study 2 replicated the results with Canadian English speakers on the same task. Semantic analyses and stress decomposition analysis were performed on the Australian and Canadian data sets, revealing similarities and differences between the two groups. Overall, the results support using MDS to study comprehension of words critical for health communication, including in future studies, for example, second language speaking patients and/or practitioners. More broadly, the results indicate that the techniques described should be promising for comprehension studies in many communicative domains, in both clinical settings and beyond, and including those targeting other aspects of language and focusing on comparisons across different speech communities.

Climate strategy for Africa

OpenAIRE

Hernes, Helga; Dalfelt, Arne; Berntsen, Terje; Holtsmark, Bjart; Næss, Lars Otto; Selrod, Rolf; Aaheim, H. Asbjørn

1995-01-01

1. General observations Africa south of the Sahara is probably the most vulnerable region when it comes to the impact and consequences of climate changes. Yet the African continent runs a serious risk of being marginalized in the global dialogue on climate issues. Africa contributes little to the global emissions of CO2, and other greenhouse gases. The major focus of the Framework Convention on Climate Change is on abatement and mitigation of emissions rather than adaptation to the con...

Oil is killing Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Paris, H.

2007-09-01

Sub-Saharan Africa, with its mining and petroleum resources, is still the object of covetous desires from developed countries. The Gulf of Guinea is a promising area and probably the future battlefield of the 21. century. The fighters of this war are the African people and the big powers, the USA and China at the head, who call upon mercenaries to get their share of this fabulous treasure. Oil was a chance for Africa, but now oil is killing it

West Africa

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

freelance

considered by many as a successful model of river basin organization. NBA, after years of ... a Regional Water Protocol for West Africa, following the model of the SADC ...... protection of water against pollution of all kinds (urban, industrial,.

South Africa : an opportunity for Western Europe ?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fischer, D.

1989-01-01

Of the six threshold countries (Argentina, Brazil, India, Israel, Pakistan, and South Africa), South Africa is the only one that, by a judicious application of pressures and incentives might be induced to accede the Non-Proliferation Treaty. There are several reasons for this, which derive chiefly from South Africa's political isolation and economic vulnerability and the absence of any credible military threat from beyond the country's borders. (author)

eGY-Africa: Addressing the Digital Divide for Science in Africa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barton, C.E.; /Australian Natl. U., Canberra; Amory-Mazaudier, C.; /Lab.Phys.Plasmas, Saint Maur des Fosses; Barry, B.; /Assoc.African Univ., Accra; Chukwuma; /Olabisi Onabanjo U.; Cottrell, R.L.; /SLAC; Kalim, U.; /Pakistan Natl. U.; Mebrahtu, A.; /Mekelle U.; Petitdidier, M.; /Lab. d' Atmos., Velizy; Rabiu, B.; /Federal Tech. U., Akure; Reeves, C.; /Earthworks bv, Delft

2010-06-16

Adoption of information and communication technologies and access to the Internet is expanding in Africa, but because of the rapid growth elsewhere, a Digital Divide between Africa and the rest of the world exists, and the gap is growing. In many sub-Saharan African countries, education and research sector suffers some of the worst deficiencies in access to the Internet, despite progress in development of NRENs - National Research and Education (cyber) Networks. By contrast, it is widely acknowledged in policy statements from the African Union, the UN, and others that strength in this very sector provides the key to meeting and sustaining Millennium Development Goals. Developed countries with effective cyber-capabilities proclaim the benefits to rich and poor alike arising from the Information Revolution. This is but a dream for many scientists in African institutions. As the world of science becomes increasingly Internet-dependent, so they become increasingly isolated. eGY-Africa is a bottom-up initiative by African scientists and their collaborators to try to reduce this Digital Divide by a campaign of advocacy for better institutional facilities. Four approaches are being taken. The present status of Internet services, problems, and plans are being mapped via a combination of direct measurement of Internet performance (the PingER Project) and a questionnaire-based survey. Information is being gathered on policy statements and initiatives aimed at reducing the Digital Divide, which can be used for arguing the case for better Internet facilities. Groups of concerned scientists are being formed at the national, regional levels in Africa, building on existing networks as much as possible. Opinion in the international science community is being mobilized. Finally, and perhaps most important of all, eGY-Africa is seeking to engage with the many other programs, initiatives, and bodies that share the goal of reducing the Digital Divide - either as a direct policy

The New .Africa Top Level Domain: An African Initiative in Ensuring Africa's Rightful Place on The Global Network

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Eddie Hurter

2014-08-01

Full Text Available The new gTLD programme of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN is the single most important development since the privatisation of the DNS in 1998. The management of the Domain Name System (DNS has developed from a modest undertaking to its current explosive expansion through the new gTLD programme. Africa has boldly entered the arena through the delegation of the .Africa gTLD. This new development heralds an innovative era in the management of the DNS, especially for Africa. The dotAfrica gTLD launch strategy offers several advantages to African governments and traders alike. One of the innovative features of the management of dotAfrica is the fact that a broader set of rights including commercial, cultural, linguistic, religious and personal rights will be protected. Furthermore, African trade mark proprietors and other rights holders are protected, initially at least, by various innovative rights-protection mechanisms. This development is important for African governments and it should form an integral part of right holders' intellectual property management strategy.

Future climate change over Southern Africa

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Davis, Claire L

2017-10-01

Full Text Available This chapter presents key messages drawn from recent subsets of future climate projections for the southern Africa region. Material in this chapter is drawn from Chapter 3 of Climate Risk and Vulnerability: A Handbook for Southern Africa (Davis 2011...

The European Union's Africa Policy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Olsen, Gorm Rye

2013-01-01

For a number of years, there has been an international debate on whether and to what extent small member states can influence the common external policies of the European Union. Recent research on the role of small EU states concludes that these states are neither per se political dwarfs nor power...... including North–South and specifically Africa policies. Five separate analyses are carried out addressing the question of Nordicization and Europeanization. Based on the empirical analyses, it is not possible to confirm the hypothesis that a Nordicization of the European Union's Africa policy has taken...... place. Rather, it appears adequate to talk about convergence of policies between the Nordics and the EU and therefore, the Africa policies of both actors are basically the result of Europeanization....

Europa e Africa - Anatomia di un incontro

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zoppi, Marco

Available at: - http://ebook.edizionieiffel.com/product.php?id_product=36 or on AMAZON at:  http://www.amazon.it/Europa-Africa-Anatomia-Marco-Zoppi-ebook/dp/B01DPSBE6C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1460205243&sr=8-1&keywords=marco+zoppi The book title translates as: "Europe and Africa: anatomy of an enc......Available at: - http://ebook.edizionieiffel.com/product.php?id_product=36 or on AMAZON at:  http://www.amazon.it/Europa-Africa-Anatomia-Marco-Zoppi-ebook/dp/B01DPSBE6C/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1460205243&sr=8-1&keywords=marco+zoppi The book title translates as: "Europe and Africa: anatomy...

Africa gaining importance in world LPG trade

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haun, R.R.; Otto, K.W.; Whitley, S.C.

1997-01-01

Major LPG projects planned or under way in Africa will increase the importance of that region's presence in world LPG trade. Supplies will nearly double between 1995 and 2005, at which time they will remain steady for at least 10 years. At the same time that exports are leveling, however, increasing domestic demand for PG is likely to reduce export-market participation by Algeria, Nigeria, Egypt, and Libya. The growth of Africa's participation in world LPG supply is reflected in comparisons for the next 15--20 years. Total world supply of LPG in 1995 was about 165 million metric tons (tonnes), of which Africans share was 7.8 million tonnes. By 2000, world supply will grow to slightly more than 200 million tonnes, with Africa's share expected to increase to 13.2 million tonnes (6.6%). And by 2005, world LPG supply will reach nearly 230 million tonnes; Africa's overall supply volumes by that year will be nearly 16.2 million tonnes (7%). World LPG supply for export in 1995 was on order of 44 million tonnes with Africa supply about 4 million tonnes (9%). By 2005, world export volumes of LPG will reach nearly 70 million tonnes; Africa's share will have grown by nearly 10 million tonnes (14.3%)

Regional Economic Integration in Africa: Challenges and Prospects ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Africa has witnessed various efforts of economic integration at the continental and regional levels. While the idea of regional integration is as old as the Organization of African Unity now renamed as African Union, recent summits have reaffirmed Africa's commitment toward boosting intra-Africa trade and integration. With the ...

United Nations Africa Human Development Report 2016 : Accelerating Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in Africa

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Carrasco Miro, G.

2016-01-01

Gender inequality is costing sub-Saharan Africa on average $US95 billion a year, peaking at US$105 billion in 2014– or six percent of the region’s GDP – jeopardising the continent’s efforts for inclusive human development and economic growth, according to the Africa Human Development Report 2016.

The Association of Petroleum Producers of Africa (APPA): an instrument of cooperation for the development of energy in Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Semassoussi, M.H.

1996-01-01

The role and contribution of the Association of Petroleum Producers of Africa (APPA) to the cooperative development of energy in Africa were described. APPA was created in Lagos in 1987 by eight founding countries, i.e. Algeria, Gabon, Libya, Nigeria, Angola, Benin, Cameroun and Congo. Since then, the Ivory Coast, Egypt, Zaire and Equatorial Guinea have joined APPA. The objectives of APPA are primarily technical. They are to promote amongst its members commercial strategies, an understanding of the energy needs of Africa, and technical collaboration to improve the national energy needs definition in Africa. Current petroleum and natural gas reserves and crude oil and refined products production for the African continent were also reviewed

Echinococcus felidis in hippopotamus, South Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Halajian, Ali; Luus-Powell, Wilmien J; Roux, Francois; Nakao, Minoru; Sasaki, Mizuki; Lavikainen, Antti

2017-08-30

Hydatid cysts of Echinococcus felidis are described from the hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) from Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. Among six hippopotami investigated, hepatic hydatids were found in three. The identification was based on mitochondrial and nuclear DNA sequences. In addition, the rostellar hook morphology was analysed. This is the first morphological description of the metacestode of E. felidis, and the first molecularly confirmed report of the intermediate host of E. felidis in South Africa. The definitive host of E. felidis in South Africa is the lion (Panthera leo). Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

China-Africa: New Directions of Cooperation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

L V Ponomarenko

2015-12-01

Full Text Available This article analyzes the policy of fifth generation of Chinese leadership with regard to African states. The article deals with the concept of “Chinese Dream”, which was first declared in Africa, an innovative model of international cooperation in the framework of the formation of “economic zone of the Silk Road”. The authors reveal three basic directions of cooperation - political, economic and humanitarian cooperation. Political cooperation is characterized by the activation of mutual visits at the highest level, the interaction in the framework of the UN General Assembly, participation in UN peacekeeping operations. Economic cooperation is characterized by the activation of bilateral trade, the transition to a “modernized version of” investment cooperation, implementation of the strategy of “going abroad” of Chinese products, imports of natural resources from Africa, creating jobs for the local population, financing of infrastructure projects, the transfer of labor-intensive industries in Africa. Humanitarian cooperation includes training program for Africa, the implementation of the Sino-African programs, technology partnerships, research and exchange, and the China-Africa Forum “Think Tank”. Cooperation in health care also plays an important role. The authors note that the new Chinese leadership declares transition to an upgraded version of the Sino-African cooperation.

Africa and the global carbon cycle

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Denning A Scott

2007-03-01

Full Text Available Abstract The African continent has a large and growing role in the global carbon cycle, with potentially important climate change implications. However, the sparse observation network in and around the African continent means that Africa is one of the weakest links in our understanding of the global carbon cycle. Here, we combine data from regional and global inventories as well as forward and inverse model analyses to appraise what is known about Africa's continental-scale carbon dynamics. With low fossil emissions and productivity that largely compensates respiration, land conversion is Africa's primary net carbon release, much of it through burning of forests. Savanna fire emissions, though large, represent a short-term source that is offset by ensuing regrowth. While current data suggest a near zero decadal-scale carbon balance, interannual climate fluctuations (especially drought induce sizeable variability in net ecosystem productivity and savanna fire emissions such that Africa is a major source of interannual variability in global atmospheric CO2. Considering the continent's sizeable carbon stocks, their seemingly high vulnerability to anticipated climate and land use change, as well as growing populations and industrialization, Africa's carbon emissions and their interannual variability are likely to undergo substantial increases through the 21st century.

Eastern Africa Social Science Research Review: Contact

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Eastern Africa Social Science Research Review: Contact. Journal Home > About the Journal > Eastern Africa Social Science Research Review: Contact. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads.

Psychiatric Contributions from South Africa: Ex Africa Semper ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Given that humans originated in Africa, it is likely that many seminal psychological observations and interventions originate in the continent. Relatively little attention has been paid, however, to more recent African contributions to the scientific fields of psychiatry and clinical psychology. This article notes that a number of ...

Ubuntu research values needed for Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Bateman, Chris

2012-05-15

Ex Africa semper aliquid novi. Africa's health researchers last month took greater collective responsibility for cultivating their continent's historically neglected and under-funded work when an international forum in Cape Town agreed on co-operative strategies to translate their findings into improving more lives on the ground.

Journal of Student Affairs in Africa

African Journals Online (AJOL)

... Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives. Journal Homepage Image. The Journal of Student Affairs in Africa (JSAA) is an independent, peer-reviewed, multi-disciplinary, open-access academic journal that publishes scholarly research and reflective discussions about the theory and practice of student affairs in Africa.

Journal of Social Development in Africa

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The Journal of Social Development in Africa publishes analyses of social development issues as they affect the poor and marginalized. It deals especially with concerns relevant to sub Saharan Africa and is addressed to development and social workers, planners, policymakers and academics in a variety of fields.

Creating Programs for Africa's Urban Youth : The Challenge of Marginalization

OpenAIRE

Sommers, Marc

2007-01-01

Urban youth constitute the vanguard of Africa's twinned demographic transformations. Sub-Saharan Africa's youth population growth rate is the highest of any world region (North Africa's rate is also high). In addition, Africa's urban growth rate is the world's highest. Taken together, the need to provide adequate, effective support for urban youth is critical to fostering Africa's development – and its political, social and economic stability. This article is designed to help address this nee...

The New Presence of China in Africa

OpenAIRE

2009-01-01

This book describes China's growing range of activities in Africa, especially in the sub-Saharan region. The three most important instruments China has at its disposal in Africa are development aid, investments and trade policy. The Chinese government, which believes the Western development aid model has failed, is looking for new forms of aid and development in Africa. China's economic success can partly be ascribed to the huge availability of cheap labour, which is primarily employed in exp...

South Africa makes some decisions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anon.

1996-08-01

The potential heritage of apartheid still affects energy availability in South Africa. This article describes a new Energy Policy White paper, to be presented to Parliament, which will start to rectify current inequalities. Most of the black citizens have no access to electricity, while the affluent white minority have cheap electricity readily available to them. The complexities of funding necessary changes are addressed. South Africa`s low-cost coal reserves, mined from opencast pits next to power stations, are likely to continue to be exploited. As yet the country`s solar potential is unlikely to be developed because of the availability of coal. The production of electricity and the future of liquid fuel industries are likely to remain in crisis, even after the White Paper`s implementation. (UK)

Pleistocene Palaeoart of Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Robert G. Bednarik

2013-02-01

Full Text Available This comprehensive review of all currently known Pleistocene rock art of Africa shows that the majority of sites are located in the continent’s south, but that the petroglyphs at some of them are of exceptionally great antiquity. Much the same applies to portable palaeoart of Africa. The current record is clearly one of paucity of evidence, in contrast to some other continents. Nevertheless, an initial synthesis is attempted, and some preliminary comparisons with the other continents are attempted. Certain parallels with the existing record of southern Asia are defined.

Intelligibility criticism of Human Sciences in Africa | Nzeyimana ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Africa, as to be everything, is positive in itself. Such is a first good postulate to think of Africa. Contrary to this first intuition, the speech on Africa is negativistic. The individual is always in contradiction with the universal; identities are badly assumed; only the immediate has some value; Afro pessimism of a continent which is in ...

The Determinants of Household Poverty in South Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ajuruchukwu Obi

2016-12-01

Full Text Available South Africa was privileged to be part of the MDGs agenda which was adopted in 2000. One of the aims of MDGs was to reduce extreme poverty by half in 2015. For that reason, South Africa integrated policies and strategies to rid poverty by half to that of United Nations (UN. Through all the combined policy approaches, South Africa has successfully achieved the target of halving the population living below PPP$1.25c per person per day. Whichever threshold used, the results showed that the percentage share of people living below poverty line has now decreased from 11.3 per cent in 2000 to 4.0 per cent in 2011. However, these reports are not reflecting the exact poor’s experiences because at household level there is still an outright poverty. Therefore, if the national poverty report gives a good picture about South African poverty status whereas there is still prevalence of poverty at household level, there are high chances that wrong policies in regard to poverty reduction strategies will be wrought. Hence this paper focuses on the determinants of household poverty in South Africa. The sole aim of this paper is to assess the determinants of household poverty in South Africa. The reviewed literature on determinants of poverty in South Africa would enable policy makers to see the effect of demographic characteristics on poverty in South Africa. Thus, strategies and policies aimed at alleviating poverty in South Africa can be directed to the discussed factors.

Aspects of Digital Forensics in South Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jacques Ophoff

2016-10-01

Full Text Available This paper explores the issues facing digital forensics in South Africa. It examines particular cyber threats and cyber threat levels for South Africa and the challenges in addressing the cybercrimes in the country through digital forensics. The paper paints a picture of the cybercrime threats facing South Africa and argues for the need to develop a skill base in digital forensics in order to counter the threats through detection of cybercrime, by analyzing cybercrime reports, consideration of current legislation, and an analysis of computer forensics course provision in South African universities. The paper argues that there is a need to develop digital forensics skills in South Africa through university programs, in addition to associated training courses. The intention in this paper is to promote debate and discussion in order to identify the cyber threats to South Africa and to encourage the development of a framework to counter the threats – through legislation, high tech law enforcement structures and protocols, digital forensics education, digital forensics skills development, and a public and business awareness of cybercrime threats.

Odd complaints and doubtful conditions: norms of hypochondria in Jane Austen and Catherine Belling.

Science.gov (United States)

Nelson, James Lindemann

2014-06-01

In her final fragmentary novel Sanditon, Jane Austen develops a theme that pervades her work from her juvenilia onward: illness, and in particular, illness imagined, invented, or self-inflicted. While the "invention of odd complaints" is characteristically a token of folly or weakness throughout her writing, in this last work imagined illness is also both a symbol and a cause of how selves and societies degenerate. In the shifting world of Sanditon, hypochondria is the lubricant for a society bent on turning health into a commodity. As a result, people's rationality and their moral character come under attack. Catherine Belling's recent subtle study, A Condition of Doubt: The Meanings of Hypochondria, unveils hypochondria's discursive and cultural character. Running sharply against the tenor of Austen's treatment, however, she argues in defense of the rationality of hypochondriacs; the notion that the condition may involve morally significant defects is not entertained; any connection to the commercialization of health care is muted. Here, I contrast Austen's morally and epistemically negative rendering of her hypochondriacal characters in Sanditon with Belling's efforts to create a sympathetic understanding of people with hypochondria. I will argue that, despite time gaps and genre differences, joint consideration of these texts can help bioethicists better appreciate how medicine can intensify, pathologize, and exploit anxieties about illness and death, thus adding to the challenges of living well in the face of mortality and morbidity.

Eastern Africa Social Science Research Review

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The Eastern Africa Social Science Research Review (EASSRR) is a bi-annual journal published by the Organization for Social Science Research in Eastern Africa (OSSREA). Since the publication of its maiden ... Emerging regions in Ethiopia: are they catching up with the rest of Ethiopia? EMAIL FULL TEXT EMAIL FULL ...

Sub Saharan Africa Food Value Chains

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Butler, Ivan Harry

2016-01-01

Study of food value chains in East Africa as a preliminary study. The paper wishes to underline a few under-researched assumptions about esepcially protein deficiencies, allergies etc. to establish what enablers and constraints exist when trying to supply food from e.g. Europe to e.g. East Africa....

Democratic Governance in Sub-Saharan Africa

African Journals Online (AJOL)

there was general consensus that the “democratic experiment” had taken root in Africa ... African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance is of particular importance in this context. The .... of governmental work through results in the interests of citizens. ... declarations impact on the reality of political rule in Africa?

Local Governance and ICT Research Network for Africa | Page 2 ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Local Governance and ICT Research Network for Africa (LOG-IN Africa) is an emergent pan-African network of researchers and research institutions from nine countries. LOG-IN Africa will assess the current state and outcome of electronic local governance initiatives in Africa, focusing on how information and ...

The Africa Center for Biostatistical Excellence: a proposal for enhancing biostatistics capacity for sub-Saharan Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Machekano, Rhoderick; Young, Taryn; Rusakaniko, Simbarashe; Musonda, Patrick; Sartorius, Ben; Todd, Jim; Fegan, Greg; Thabane, Lehana; Chikte, Usuf

2015-11-30

Sub-Saharan Africa has a shortage of well-trained biomedical research methodologists, in particular, biostatisticians. In July 2014, a group of biostatisticians and researchers from the region attended a brainstorming workshop to identify ways in which to reduce the deficit in this critical skill. The workshop recognized that recommendations from previous workshops on building biostatistics capacity in sub-Saharan Africa had not been implemented. The discussions culminated with a proposal to setup an Africa Center for Biostatistical Excellence, a collaborative effort across academic and researcher institutions within the region, as a vehicle for promoting biostatistics capacity building through specialized academic masters programs as well as regular workshops targeting researchers. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Nephrology in Africa--not yet uhuru.

Science.gov (United States)

Swanepoel, Charles R; Wearne, Nicola; Okpechi, Ikechi G

2013-10-01

Nephrology is a 'Cinderella speciality', a disregarded area of health care, in Africa. Other health issues have relegated the treatment of kidney diseases to a low priority status, and the cost of treating the more common and widespread communicable diseases, financial mismanagement and corruption in many countries has sounded the death knell for expensive therapies such as dialysis. The communicable diseases that have devastated the health systems around Africa are tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. Until recently, very little information was available on the impact of HIV on acute and chronic dialysis admissions. Patients with acute kidney injury (AKI) in most of Africa are seldom treated because of great distances to travel, lack of expertise, poverty and poor sustainable funding for health matters. An acute peritoneal dialysis (PD) programme has now been initiated in Tanzania but the sustainability of this project will be tested in the future. The International Society of Nephrology (ISN) has developed a training programme for nephrologists from developing countries, which may now be bearing fruit. A report from the sub-Saharan Africa region shows that the numbers of patients on dialysis and those diagnosed with chronic kidney disease (CKD) has increased significantly. Other ISN-sponsored programmes such as Continuing Medical Education activities for physicians and community screening projects have had far-reaching positive effects. Government funding for a dialysis programme is well established in South Africa, but this funding is limited so that the numbers accepted for public dialysis are restricted. Consequently in the Western Cape province of South Africa, a 'category system' has been formulated to attempt to cope with this unacceptable and restrictive ruling.

Sub-Saharan Africa thirty years hence.

Science.gov (United States)

Wheeler, J

1986-11-01

By the year 2015, Sub-Saharan Africa's population will probably rise from a 1985 level of about 460 million to about 1.1 billion. Today Africa's population is growing at a rate of roughly 3% a year, with exceptionally high growth rates in some countries. The leaders of Africa, and those who wish to help Africa, confront difficult and urgent problems of drought, political and military conflict, accumulated debt, lower commodity prices, and other factors of immediate and important concern. Africa has given education a high priority and should be as well known for its success in increasing school enrollment as it is for its relative failures in other areas. A projected population of 1.1 billion people and a fertility rate down to 30/1000 by the year 2015 suggests that the number of children old enough to enter primary school will be of the order of 30 million a year at this time. The working-age population will grow from 235 million now to perhaps 600 million in 30 years. The urban population has been growing at about 6% a year--twice the pace of population increase. All of these situations will have an effect on environment, water, and health. Coping with Africa's burgeoning population in terms of children in school, the demand on health systems, the need for jobs, achieving an adequate diet, the provision of basic urban services, and all the rest, is an extraordinary challenge. While the government's role is critical, success at the sectoral level almost always means cost recovery, administration decentralized to the community or to the private sector, and program implementation that does not burden the budget.

South Africa in African an in the International System

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mandrup, Thomas

in terms of values and norms. This paper focuses on South Africa as member of the BRICS. It is the newest member of the BRICS, accepted December 2010, and is dwarfed by the other BRICS countries both in terms of size of its population and its economy to an extent that it can be questioned why it has been...... accepted into the BRICS. This paper will argue that the explanation has to be found at the political level, where South Africa claims to be representing Africa in BRICS. The paper examines South Africa’s role in Africa and scrutinises to what extent South Africa has got the backing of the Sub...

OBJECT MARKING IN AFFECTIVE CONSTRUCTIONS IN SWAHILI ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Africa, all relationships between an item that can be considered to be a whole and ..... shaka, a-li-lo-li-sema without of doubt,. 1SM-Pst-5Rel-5OM-say li-li-kuwa tusi kubwa kwa ..... In M. Butt and T. H. King (Eds.), Proceedings of the LFG02 ...

Filosofia e neurociência: entre certezas e dúvidas Philosophy and neuroscience: between certainties and doubts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ana Cristina Zimmermann

2011-12-01

hierarchization, but to extract elements that help us to think about our certanties and doubts about the human movement. Philosophy can restate questions and restore the place of doubt, when initially, it helps us to enquire assumptions and consequences of our research. On the other hand, Science opens fields, stimulates curiosity and allows questioning even without one recognizing it. The difference between the ways of thinking reality and knowledge does not need to be fought at the costs of weakening both. However, it is possible to extract interesting consequences from an approximation between Philosophy and Science.

GlobWetland Africa: Implementing Sustainable Earth Observation Based Wetland Monitoring Capacity in Africa and Beyond

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Tottrup, Christian; Riffler, Michael; Wang, Tiejun

and decision support, [iii] receive a freely available, open, flexible and modifiable framework for easy establishment of new wetland observatories, for easy integration in existing observatory infrastructures and for easy adaptation to new requirements, e.g. changes in management processes.......Lack of data, appropriate information and challenges in human and institutional capacity put a serious constraint on effective monitoring and management of wetlands in Africa. Conventional data are often lacking in time or space, of poor quality or available at locations that are not necessarily...... for the conservation, wiseuse and effective management of wetlands in Africa and to provide African stakeholders with the necessary EO methods and tools to better fulfil their commitments and obligations towards the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. The main objective of GlobWetland Africa (GW-A) is to provide the major...

Application of the critical loads approach in South Africa

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Van Tienhoven, AM

1995-12-01

Full Text Available , South Africa. Abstract. South Africa is the most industrialised country in southern Africa and stands at some risk from negative pollution i apa~ To the authors' knowledge, this paper presents the first attempt toapply the critical loads approach...

Health Promoting Schools: Initiatives in Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Macnab, Andrew J.; Stewart, Donald; Gagnon, Faith A.

2014-01-01

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to describe the rationale for and potential of World Health Organization (WHO) health promoting schools (HPS) in Africa. Design/Methodology/Approach: Overview of the related literature and presentations at the 2011 Stellenbosch international colloquium on HPS relating to sub-Saharan Africa. Findings: Schools…

The physician-scientists: rare species in Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Adefuye, Anthonio Oladele; Adeola, Henry Ademola; Bezuidenhout, Johan

2018-01-01

There is paucity of physician-scientists in Africa, resulting in overt dependence of clinical practice on research findings from advanced "first world" countries. Physician-scientists include individuals with a medical degree alone or combined with other advanced degrees (e.g. MD/MBChB and PhD) with a career path in biomedical/ translational and patient-oriented/evaluative science research. The paucity of clinically trained research scientists in Africa could result in dire consequences as exemplified in the recent Ebola virus epidemic in West Africa, where shortage of skilled clinical scientists, played a major role in disease progression and mortality. Here we contextualise the role of physician-scientist in health care management, highlight factors limiting the training of physician-scientist in Africa and proffer implementable recommendations to address these factors.

Evolution of Corruption in Sub-Saharan Africa - from Nkruma To Mutharika The 2nd: Case Study Of South Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mavhungu Abel Mafukata

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Since Sub-Saharan Africa's first independence in Ghana, the region has experienced massive and costly political and bureaucratic corruption within public service and administration. The causes of the corruption, its nature and form are wide and intertwined. In Sub-Saharan Africa, efforts to curb corruption have failed to discard it. The paper focused on the period from Nkruma in Ghana to Mutharika the 2nd in Malawi. This paper reviewed existing literature on political and bureaucratic corruption in Sub-Saharan Africa while on the other hand the paper employed key informant interviews to gather the required data to investigate, analyse and profile the genesis and evolution of corruption in Sub-Saharan Africa. The key informant interviews were employed to solicit public views and opinion from nineteen key informant participants (n=19 selected from 11 countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. The paper found that corruption is legendary; has entrenched itself to becoming some sort of culture in the region, and has become the most difficult socio-economic challenge to resolve in the region despite the various anti-corruption efforts employed by stakeholders to curb it. It emerged through the study that law-enforcement efforts against corruption need some reinforcement in order to be effective and eficient in uprooting corruption in the region. If Sub-Saharan Africa fails to address its corruption challenge, its development prospects would seriously curtailed.

The Consortium for NCD Prevention and Control in Sub-Saharan Africa (CNCD-Africa): from concept to practice.

Science.gov (United States)

Amuyunzu-Nyamongo, Mary; Owuor, Jared O; Blanchard, Claire

2013-12-01

CNCD-Africa was established in July 2009 in response to and in recognition of the continuously increasing burden of diseases such as injuries, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and mental health in low- and middle-income countries, and specifically in countries of sub-Saharan Africa. CNCD-Africa aims to comprehensively address specific and common objectives while building capacity in the region to prevent and control NCDs. With support from key partners and funders, and a keen interest in opportunities to address NCDs from health promotion and equity perspectives, the Consortium has excelled in four key areas: convening; knowledge generation and sharing; advocacy; and networking. However, the path to successful and sustainable efforts remains laden with challenges and barriers. Retaining interest of network partners through flagship efforts and continued efforts to ascertain support from local and international partners with interest in NCDs across the region remain essential to CNCD-Africa core activities. A key lesson learnt from the early years of CNCD-Africa is that existing regional platforms can and should be used to showcase what is being done locally, and to share best practices and best-buys. In addition, partnerships and stakeholder involvement have been key for CNCD-Africa and are essential to NCD action. Sustaining such partnerships requires incentives for the various partners to keep actively involved in NCD action. This can be achieved through joint inception, project planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation. Another ingredient for success seems to be innovative financing for NCD efforts, which is possible through the establishment and sustaining of regional and global partnerships that are robust, locally relevant and respond to country needs.

Mother-tongue education or bilingual education for South Africa ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Mother-tongue education or bilingual education for South Africa: theories, pedagogies and sustainability. ... academics and other stakeholders in education in South Africa. There remains a need for a population proficient ... the relationship between theory, approaches and contexts in language development in South Africa.

MNC reporting on CSR and conflict in Central Africa

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Kolk, A.; Lenfant, F.

2010-01-01

In recent years, corporate social responsibility (CSR) of Multinational Corporations (MNCs) in developing countries has received more attention. However, in this literature Africa is much less well represented than other regions, and existing studies about Africa have mainly focused on South Africa

eGY-Africa: addressing the digital divide for science in Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Baki, Paul; Nguno, Anna; Barton, Charles; Amaeshi, Larry; Tenthani, Chifundo; Petitdidier, Monique; Cottrell, Les

2013-04-01

Adoption of information and communication technologies and access to the Internet is expanding in Africa, but because of the rapid growth elsewhere, a Digital Divide between Africa and the rest of the world exists. In many sub-Saharan African countries, education and research sector suffers some of the worst deficiencies in access to the Internet, despite progress in the development of NRENs - National Research and Education (cyber) Networks. By contrast, it is widely acknowledged in policy statements from the African Union, the UN, and others that strength in this very sector provides the key to meeting and sustaining Millennium Development Goals. Developed countries with effective cyber-capabilities proclaim the benefits to rich and poor alike arising from the Information Revolution. This is still a dream for many scientists in African institutions. As the world of science becomes increasingly Internet-dependent, so they become increasingly isolated. eGY-Africa is a bottom-up initiative by African scientists and their collaborators to try to reduce this digital divide by a campaign of advocacy for better institutional facilities. Four approaches are being taken. The present status of Internet services, problems, and plans are being mapped via a combination of direct measurement of Internet performance (the PingER Project) and a questionnaire-based survey. Information is being gathered on policy statements and initiatives aimed at reducing the digital divide, which can be used for arguing the case for better Internet facilities. Groups of concerned scientists are being formed at the national, regional levels in Africa, building on existing networks as much as possible. Opinion in the international science community is being mobilized. Finally, and perhaps most important of all, eGY-Africa is seeking to engage with the many other programs, initiatives, and bodies that share the goal of reducing the digital divide - either as a direct policy objective, or indirectly

Telerehabilitation in South Africa - is there a way forward?

Science.gov (United States)

Mars, Maurice

2011-01-01

South Africa, like the rest of sub-Saharan Africa, has a disproportionate burden of disease and a shortage of health professionals. Telemedicine has been identified as a possible way of overcoming part of the problem but telemedicine has not been widely adopted. In the public sector hospitals in South Africa which serve 82% of the population there are 2.5 physiotherapists and 2 occupational therapists per 100,000 people served. The extent of telerehabilitation in South Africa is unknown. A literature review of telerehabilitation found no papers from South Africa. A survey of the heads of university departments of physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech and language pathology revealed limited knowledge of telerehabilitation. Telerehabilitation services are confined to follow-up of patients at some institutions by telephone, fax or email. There is need to raise awareness among therapists if telerehabilitation is to become a reality in South Africa. Future actions are outlined.

Africa's Mining Sector Development: An Industry Perspective ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Open Access DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT ... major mining destination for mining companies from Europe, North America, China, and of course South Africa. ... interest in Africa, because the continent is clearly a significant potential source of raw ...

Legislative Framework Required for Africa's M-Economy

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Williams, Idongesit

2014-01-01

This article discusses the importance of developing legislative frameworks for the development of an m - economy in Africa......This article discusses the importance of developing legislative frameworks for the development of an m - economy in Africa...

The dynamics of EMS in South Africa

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Tine Herreborg

2003-01-01

The paper presents some of the empirical findings of four companies in the automobile industry in South Africa.......The paper presents some of the empirical findings of four companies in the automobile industry in South Africa....

Africa Development - Vol 30, No 3 (2005)

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Spectralizing Bergson and the dilemmas of decolonization. A review of Messay Kebede, Africa\\'s quest for a philosophy of decolonization, 2004. Sanya Osha. http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ad.v30i3.22235 ...

Powering Africa: Meeting the financing and reform challenges

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Eberhard, Anton; Shkaratan, Maria

2012-01-01

Sub-Saharan Africa faces chronic power problems, including insufficient generation capacity, low connectivity, poor reliability, and high costs, all of which constrain development. The investment requirements to meet Africa's power needs are noted and strategies to address the funding gap are set out. The time for an ideological debate on public versus private investment is over—both are needed. Africa's key challenges are the management of hybrid power markets, the reform of state-owned utilities, cost-reflective pricing, better targeting of subsidies, the nimbler rollout of electrification, and stronger regional integration. - Highlights: ► Africa has insufficient power generation, low connectivity, poor reliability, and high costs. ► Investment requirements to meet Africa's power needs are calculated. ► Key challenges are the management of hybrid power markets and the reform of state-owned utilities. ► Other challenges are cost-reflective pricing, extending access, and stronger regional integration.

Sustainable Development of Africa's Water Resources

OpenAIRE

Narenda P. Sharma

1996-01-01

This study, African water resources: challenges and opportunities for sustainable management propose a long-term strategy for water resource management, emphasizing the socially sustainable development imperatives for Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The message of this strategy is one of optimism - the groundwork already exists for the sustainable management of Africa's water resources. The stra...

Archives: Journal of Psychology in Africa

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Archives: Journal of Psychology in Africa. Journal Home > Archives: Journal of Psychology in Africa. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads. Username, Password, Remember me, or Register · Journal Home · ABOUT THIS JOURNAL · Advanced Search · Current Issue · Archives. 1 - 4 of 4 Items. 2005. Vol 15 ...

Development of oral health in Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Thorpe, Samuel J

2003-01-01

Around 80% of African communities can be considered to be materially deprived. The presence of widespread poverty and underdevelopment in Africa means that communities are increasingly exposed to all of the major environmental determinants of oral disease. Previous approaches to oral health in Africa have failed to recognize the epidemiological priorities of the region or identify reliable and appropriate strategies to address them. Efforts have consisted of providing unplanned, ad hoc and spasmodic curative oral health services, which in most cases are poorly distributed and only reach affluent or urban communities. Realizing the limited impact of existing strategies, the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa (WHO/AFRO) developed a regional oral health strategy to assist African countries and their partners in identifying priorities and planning preventive-oriented programmes, particularly at the district level. The long-term objective is to provide equitable and universal access to cost-effective quality oral healthcare and thereby significantly reduce the incidence of oral diseases in Africa. Copyright 2003 S. Karger AG, Basel

Renewable energy resources barriers in Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Umoh, U.T.; Ekpoh, I.J.

2008-01-01

Africa's hydroelectric power plants are not able to perform at greater than 30 per cent of their installed capacity, despite the fact that Africa has abundant hydroelectric resources. Droughts and floods attributed to climate change are presenting challenges to the effective management and distribution of hydroelectric power supplies. This paper identified climate change-related barriers against hydroelectric power development in Africa. Case studies of 3 hydroelectric power projects in Nigeria were considered. Rainfall intensity data for a 25-year period were analyzed. The study showed that while the hydroelectric power plants are capable of supplying more power, most dams in Africa are prone to erosion and flash flooding. The sedimentation of reservoirs and natural lakes are also posing significant water management problems. Redesigns are needed in order to reduce risk. The new hydroelectric projects should be designed to ensure that environmental impacts are minimized. A river basin management approach was recommended in order to improve industrial water supplies, power generation, and recreational aspects of waterways. 11 refs., 2 tabs.

Reality check: Will cellphones really solve Africa's problems? | IDRC ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

2011-01-25

Jan 25, 2011 ... ... are showing how wireless PDAs can improve healthcare delivery in Africa. ... Will these technologies draw Africa to and beyond the tipping point where ... in four key areas: access, quality of services, pricing, and regulatory environment. ... Information for Change 2011: Digital Publishing in West Africa.

Marketing of irradiated commodities in South Africa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Du Plessis, T A; Stevens, R C.B.

1985-01-01

Although the industrial exploitation of radiation processing in the medical and allied fields has been successfully marketed and applied for the past two decades in South Africa, the introduction of food radurisation on an industrial level adds a completely new dimension to the marketing of this processing technique. Extensive research into the use of radiation for the treatment of various foodstuffs has been carried out by the Nuclear Development Corporation of South Africa for more than a decade, resulting in South Africa being one of the first countries where a commercial irradiator dedicated to this branch of radiation processing, was established. The marketing of this process is especially difficult due to the emotive aspects associated with radiation and man's sensitive reaction to anything pertaining to his food. This situation was made even more difficult by the general public's apprehension towards nuclear activities throughout the world. Details are given of the steps taken in South Africa to transform the unfavourable public image associated with the process. The approach proved to be very successful and greatly assisted in creating a climate whereby the public in South Africa today generally has a favourable attitude towards the radurisation of foodstuffs.

Marketing of irradiated commodities in South Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Du Plessis, T.A.; Stevens, R.C.B.

1985-01-01

Although the industrial exploitation of radiation processing in the medical and allied fields has been successfully marketed and applied for the past two decades in South Africa, the introduction of food radurisation on an industrial level adds a completely new dimension to the marketing of this processing technique. Extensive research into the use of radiation for the treatment of various foodstuffs has been carried out by the Nuclear Development Corporation of South Africa for more than a decade, resulting in South Africa being one of the first countries where a commercial irradiator dedicated to this branch of radiation processing, was established. The marketing of this process is especially difficult due to the emotive aspects associated with radiation and man's sensitive reaction to anything pertaining to his food. This situation was made even more difficult by the general public's apprehension towards nuclear activities throughout the world. Details are given of the steps taken in South Africa to transform the unfavourable public image associated with the process. The approach proved to be very successful and greatly assisted in creating a climate whereby the public in South Africa today generally has a favourable attitude towards the radurisation of foodstuffs. (author)

A continent in chaos: Africa's environmental issues.

Science.gov (United States)

Clay, R

1994-12-01

Half of Africa's almost 450 million inhabitants have no access to health services, while two-thirds lack safe drinking water, according to a 1991 report by the World Bank. Most Africans are also seriously affected by poverty, civil war, indoor and outdoor pollutants, diarrhea-causing microbes, tropical diseases such as malaria, rapid population growth, inadequate sanitation and sewage treatment, poor environmental management, corrupt government policies, desertification and deforestation, mining, and the overuse of pesticides and insecticides. Environmentally-related diseases compromise the continent's productivity, making it more difficult to generate revenue to fight the environmental health problems. Industrial pollutants remain rare, however, since almost 80% of sub-Saharan Africa remains pastoral or agro-pastoral. Even so, urbanization is exposing growing numbers of sub-Saharan Africans to hazardous and toxic wastes. Developing countries ship their most dangerous wastes to Africa because their own domestic environmental laws and the high costs of disposal make it difficult and expensive to dispose of them at home. The author discusses population growth in Africa; the lack of good data on the environment and health in Africa; infant and child mortality; water, sewage, and garbage; agriculture, mining, and industry; and sustainable development and the future.

[[History of Community Health in Africa. The Swiss Medical Missionaries' Endeavour in South Africa].

Science.gov (United States)

Mabika, Hines

2015-01-01

It was not Dutch settlers nor British colonizers who introduced public and community health practice in north-eastern South Africa but medical doctors of the Swiss mission in southern Africa. While the history of medical knowledge transfer into 19th-20th century Africa emphasises colonial powers, this paper shows how countries without colonies contributed to expand western medical cultures, including public health. The Swiss took advantage of the local authorities' negligence, and implemented their own model of medicalization of African societies, understood as the way of improving health standards. They moved from a tolerated hospital-centred medicine to the practice of community health, which was uncommon at the time. Elim hospital's physicians moved back boundaries of segregationist policies, and sometime gave the impression of being involved in the political struggle against Apartheid. Thus, Swiss public health activities could later be seen as sorts of seeds that were planted and would partly reappear in 1994 with the ANC-projected national health policy.

West Africa

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

freelance

NESDA: Network for Environment and Sustainable Development in Africa .... Some of the key natural resources of the region are transboundary—case of surface ..... The goals of the present study on the risk-sharing approach to regional ...... The reserve includes a World Heritage Site (Djoudj) and 5 Ramsar sites (Djoudj,.

Climate Change Adaptation in Africa | IDRC - International ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

The poor in many parts of Africa will have to cope with more drought, more extreme temperatures, ... Stories from the field : adapting fishing policies to address climate change in West Africa ... IDRC at the ICLEI Resilient Cities 2018 conference.

Coal: the future in South Africa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1976-07-01

The whole issue is devoted to the future of coal in South Africa, and includes articles on the Petrick report, coal conversion research in South Africa, the activities of the Fuel Research Institute (on beneficiation, briquetting, carbonization, fluidized bed combustion), Sasol's production of chemical feedstocks from coal, mining methods, and the coal requirements of the electric and chemical industries.

The Black Journalist in South Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Hachten, William A.

The role of the black journalist in South Africa is contradictory, precarious, and permeated with politics. There is little freedom of expression for blacks in South Africa, yet white-owned newspapers have expanded their coverage of black news, and some have special editions for black readers. As a result, the English language press is using more…

Africa's Developmental Impasse: Some Perspectives and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This crisis which has shaken the very bases of the capitalistic system affords African leaders and thinkers the opportunity to break loose of the neoliberal yoke and explore a development path that is more in tune with Africa. The author underscores that such a path should be non-capitalistic because the heavy toll that Africa ...

A landslide susceptibility map of Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Broeckx, Jente; Vanmaercke, Matthias; Duchateau, Rica; Poesen, Jean

2017-04-01

Studies on landslide risks and fatalities indicate that landslides are a global threat to humans, infrastructure and the environment, certainly in Africa. Nonetheless our understanding of the spatial patterns of landslides and rockfalls on this continent is very limited. Also in global landslide susceptibility maps, Africa is mostly underrepresented in the inventories used to construct these maps. As a result, predicted landslide susceptibilities remain subject to very large uncertainties. This research aims to produce a first continent-wide landslide susceptibility map for Africa, calibrated with a well-distributed landslide dataset. As a first step, we compiled all available landslide inventories for Africa. This data was supplemented by additional landslide mapping with Google Earth in underrepresented regions. This way, we compiled 60 landslide inventories from the literature (ca. 11000 landslides) and an additional 6500 landslides through mapping in Google Earth (including 1500 rockfalls). Various environmental variables such as slope, lithology, soil characteristics, land use, precipitation and seismic activity, were investigated for their significance in explaining the observed spatial patterns of landslides. To account for potential mapping biases in our dataset, we used Monte Carlo simulations that selected different subsets of mapped landslides, tested the significance of the considered environmental variables and evaluated the performance of the fitted multiple logistic regression model against another subset of mapped landslides. Based on these analyses, we constructed two landslide susceptibility maps for Africa: one for all landslide types and one excluding rockfalls. In both maps, topography, lithology and seismic activity were the most significant variables. The latter factor may be surprising, given the overall limited degree of seismicity in Africa. However, its significance indicates that frequent seismic events may serve as in important

Investor perception towards small medium enterprises investment in Africa

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Aboah, J.; White, B.; Meuwissen, M.P.M.

2015-01-01

This study seeks to examine investor perceptions towards investing in SMEs in Africa. Data was collected via an online survey sent to investors on the Venture Capital for Africa (VC4Africa) platform. The Kendall’s coefficient of concordance was used to determine the degree of agreement among

Dispelling the myths and beliefs toward female genital cutting of woman: assessing general outpatient services at a tertiary health institution in Enugu state, Nigeria.

Science.gov (United States)

Ekwueme, O C; Ezegwui, H U; Ezeoke, U

2010-03-01

The practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) has continued because it is deeply entrenched in tradition and culture especially in developing countries where the victims are often its strongest proponents. This study aimed at using accurate information to dispel the traditional myths and beliefs about FGM among woman. Using a before and after intervention evaluation research design, interviewer administered questionnaires were administered to a sample of 100 women drawn by systematic sampling from the General Outpatient Department of University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital. Information's on their knowledge, attitude and behaviour towards FGM were elicited pre-and-post intervention. Pre-intervention, knowledge of the respondents on the true meaning of FGM was 54% and that of the 6 complications enlisted on average was 22.2%. Seventy (70.0%) believed that FCM is good and should be continued based mainly on culture and tradition (85.7%). Among the 29(29.0%) respondents against FGM, 26(89.7%) and 24(82.8%) said it increases risk of HIV/AIDS and pregnancy complications respectively. Respondents displayed a high negative and stigmatizing attitude toward the uncircumcised women. Seventy-four (74.0%) said they are promiscuous. Additionally, 49% said they are shameful, 14% cursed/outcast while 66% would not recommend them for marriage. Post-intervention, 85% of the respondents now understood full meaning of FGM and 71.3% on the average knew the complications. While only 11% now support FGM, 83% were against the practice. The stigmatizing attitudes held against uncircumcised women decreased significantly from baseline to post-intervention as follows: promiscuous 74% to 22%, shameful 49% to 12%, outcast/cursed 14% to 2%, and not good for marriage from 66% to 19%. The differences in the baseline and post-intervention data on knowledge, beliefs and attitudes of the respondents toward FGM were statistically significant (p beliefs and negative attitudes of women toward FGM.

Saving in Sub-Saharan Africa

OpenAIRE

Ernest Aryeetey; Christopher Udry

2000-01-01

Gross domestic savings in Africa averaged only 8 percent of GDP in the 1980s, compared to 23 percent for Southeast Asia and 35 percent in the Newly Industrialized Economies. Aside from being generally low, saving rates in most of Africa have shown consistent decline over the last thirty years. These savings figures must be considered tentative, because they are derived as a residual in the national accounts from expenditure and production data that are themselves quite unreliable. Notwithstan...

Counselling Psychology in South Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Bantjes, Jason; Kagee, Ashraf; Young, Charles

The origin and development of counselling psychology in South Africa has been profoundly influenced by the country's socio-political history and the impact of apartheid. As a result of this, counselling psychologists in the country face a number of challenges and opportunities for the future. In this paper we provide a portrait of counselling psychology in South Africa by describing the current character of the specialty and the context in which South African psychologists work. We critically discuss the challenges that the specialty faces to meet the country's mental health care needs, contest the current Scope of Practice; affirm multiculturalism without essentializing or reifying race and ethnicity, and build an evidence base for community interventions in the country. We also consider how, in the future, counselling psychologists in South Africa may make a more meaningful contribution within public health and the country's health care and education systems.

Uranium in South Africa: 1985

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1986-03-01

South Africa's participation in the nuclear industry was limited to the production of uranium and research, with minor commercial activities. The commissioning of the Koeberg Nuclear power station in 1984 placed South Africa firmly on the path of commercial nuclear power generation. A unique, locally developed uranium enrichment process will enable South Africa to be self-sufficient in its nuclear-fuel needs. Uranium has always been of secondary importance to gold as a target commodity in the exploration of the quartz-pebble conglomerates. In the Witwatersrand Basin it is estimated that in excess of R100 million was spent on exploration during 1985. This was spent primarily in the search for gold but as many of the gold reefs are uraniferous, new uranium resources are being discovered concurrently with those of gold. Uranium mineralization is present in rocks which encompass almost the whole of the geological history of South Africa. Significant mineralization is restricted to five fairly well-defined time periods. Each period is characterized by a distinct type or combination of types of mineralization. Resource estimates are divided into separate categories that reflect different levels of confidence in the quantities reported. The resource categories are further separated into levels of exploitability based on the estimated cost of their exploitation. A major part (87%) of South Africa's uranium resources is present as a by-product of gold in the quartz-pebble conglomerates of the Witwatersrand Basin. The uranium resources in the reasonably assured resources (RAR) and estimated additional resources - category I (EAR-I) catogories were 483 300 t U. Production during 1985 was 4880 t U. Although a production peaking at over 1200 t U/a is theoretically attainable, it is considered, from market projections, that a production ceilling of 10 000 t U/a would be more realistic

Uranium in South Africa: 1987

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1988-06-01

South Africa's participation in the nuclear industry was limited to the production of uranium and research, with minor commercial activities. The commissioning of the Koeberg Nuclear power station in 1984 placed South Africa firmly on the path of commercial nuclear power generation. A unique locally developed uranium enrichment process wil enable South Africa to be self-sufficient in its nuclear-fuel needs. Uranium has always been of secondary importance to gold as a target commodity in the exploration of the quartz-pebble conglomerates. In the Witwatersrand Basin it is estimated that in excess of R300 million was spend on exploration during 1987. This was spend primarily in the search for gold but as many of the gold reefs are uraniferous, new uranium resources are being discovered concurrently with those of gold. Uranium mineralization is present in rocks which encompass almost the whole of the geological history of South Africa. Significant mineralization is restricted to five fairly well-defined time periods. Each period is characterized by a distinct type or combination of types of mineralization. Resource estimates are divided into separate categories that reflect different levels of confidence in the quantities reported. The resource categories are further separated into levels of exploitability based on the estimated cost of their exploitation. A major part (87%) of South Africa's uranium resources is present as a by-product of gold in the quartz-pebble conglomerates of the Witwatersrand Basin. The uranium resources in the RAR and EAR-I categories were 536 500 t u. Production during 1987 was 3963 t u. Although a production peaking at over 1100 t U/a is theoretically attainable, it is considered, from market projections, that a production ceiling of 10 000 t U/a would be more realistic

Critical perspectives on language planning and policy in Africa ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Africa, except for South Africa. However, even in South Africa there has been a pre- occupation with the mother tongue debate, rather than with establishing how African languages can be harnessed into an integrated multilingual teaching programme. As regards the former (i.e. speakers' mother tongues), an African child is ...

Opportunity calls: Booming growth and innovation in Africa | CRDI ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Africa is the next frontier for trade. Surprised? With weak economic outlooks in industrialized economies, global growth depends on trade with developing countries. After East Asia, Africa has the world's fastest-growing economy. Over the past decade, trade between Africa and China has grown from $10 billion to $170 ...

West Africa Ebola Virus Disease Epidemic: The Africa Experience ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Ebola Virus Disease (EVD), formerly known as Ebola haemorrhagic fever, is a severe acute viral illness characterized by sudden onset of fever, myalgia, malaise, and severe headache, followed by vomiting and diarrhea and, in some instances, bleeding. The 2014 West Africa outbreak is the largest in history, affecting ...

Marine water-quality management in South- Africa

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Taljaard, Susan

1995-01-01

Full Text Available In South Africa the ultimate goal in water quality management is to keep the water resources suitable for all ''beneficial uses''. Beneficial uses provide a basis for the derivation of water quality guidelines, which, for South Africa, are defined...

Robotics and automation activities in South Africa

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Utete, S

2013-09-01

Full Text Available Second in the series of articles focusing on the state of robotics and automation in the BRICS countries: Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, this article provides an overview on South Africa written by researchers from the Council...

The New Presence of China in Africa

NARCIS (Netherlands)

M.P. van Dijk (Meine Pieter)

2010-01-01

textabstractThis book describes China's growing range of activities in Africa, especially in the sub-Saharan region. The three most important instruments China has at its disposal in Africa are development aid, investments and trade policy. The Chinese government, which believes the Western

Effects of South Africa’s Economic Growth on Sub-Saharan Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kwon Sik Kim

2007-06-01

Full Text Available Major countries, such as the United States, Japan, and China have already recognized the potential of Africa’s markets. Korea has also taken notice of Africa's diverse export markets recently. However, Africa is comprised of 53 different countries and, as a result, entry into the region poses a formidable strategic challenge. Korean authorities and export groups have suggested a "3 plus 2 Country Strategy" in order to make inroads into the African region. This paper contributes to discussions of this strategy by comparing the effects of economic growth in South Africa and Nigeria on Sub-Saharan Africa. In addition, because economic power in Africa is concentrated in a small number of countries, whose market characteristics are different from those of integrated unions, the determinants of economic growth in Africa as a whole and unions may be different. This paper investigates whether or not this is, in fact, the case. The empirical results can be summarized as follows: First, the effects of South Africa's economic growth on Sub-Saharan Africa and the SADC (a representative union of South Africa are much larger than the effects of Nigeria's growth on Sub-Saharan Africa and the ECOWAS (a representative union of Nigeria. These empirical results imply that the preferred country to pursue economic cooperation with is South Africa. Second, we confirm that determinants of economic growth are different for Africa and the unions. The main determinant of growth in African countries may be the population ratio, but in the SADC, growth appears to be determined by ratio trade volumes of GDP. Finally, we also find that the ratio investments of GDP have a positive influence on the economic growth of both Africa and SADC.

Students' perceptions and doubts about menstruation in developing countries: a case study from India.

Science.gov (United States)

Chothe, Vikas; Khubchandani, Jagdish; Seabert, Denise; Asalkar, Mahesh; Rakshe, Sarika; Firke, Arti; Midha, Inuka; Simmons, Robert

2014-05-01

Menstrual education is a vital aspect of adolescent health education. Culture, awareness, and socioeconomic status often exert profound influence on menstrual practices. However, health education programs for young women in developing countries do not often address menstrual hygiene, practices, and disorders. Developing culturally sensitive menstrual health education and hygiene programs for adolescent females has been recommended by professional health organizations like the World Health Organization and UNICEF. These programs cannot be developed without understanding existing myths and perceptions about menstruation in adolescent females of developing countries. Thus, the purpose of this qualitative study from India was to document existing misconceptions regarding menstruation and perceptions about menarche and various menstrual restrictions that have been understudied. Out of the 612 students invited to participate by asking questions, 381 girls participated by asking specific questions about menstruation (response rate = 62%). The respondents consisted of 84 girls from sixth grade, 117 from seventh grade, and 180 from eighth grade. The questions asked were arranged into the following subthemes: anatomy and physiology, menstrual symptoms, menstrual myths and taboos, health and beauty, menstrual abnormalities, seeking medical advice and home remedies; sanitary pads usage and disposal; diet and lifestyle; and sex education. Results of our study indicate that students had substantial doubts about menstruation and were influenced by societal myths and taboos in relation to menstrual practices. Parents, adolescent care providers, and policy makers in developing countries should advocate for comprehensive sexuality education and resources (e.g., low-cost sanitary pads and school facilities) to promote menstrual health and hygiene promotion.

The Military of the New South Africa

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Mandrup, Thomas

in the South African government’s foreign policy drive in Africa. However, the new foreign policy role prerequisite that the state uses it military tool, the SANDF, in accordance with internal law and dominant norms. The role of the defence force stand in stark contrast to the role played by the old South...... African Defence Force (SADF) during the apartheid era. The transition to peacemaker has imposed constraints on the use of force and required fundamental changes to the way military force is employed. South Africa’s transition has therefore transformed the international role of the SANDF. The destabilizing....... Introduction – Setting the Scene Chapter 2. Foreign Policy and Military Power in South Africa – framing the debate on RSA foreign policy in relation to Africa, Chapter 3. South Africa and the Concept of National Security Chapter 4. The SANDF: Capacity and Capabilities Chapter 5. Sorry Mr. Chairman, can we stop...

The facts and doubts about beginning of the human life and personality

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Asim Kurjak

2004-02-01

Full Text Available “What a piece of work is a man!” William Shakespeare, Hamlet“To those of average curiosity about the wonders of nature, it is likely that two great mysteries have stirred the imagination; and each concerns a birth. Who has not gazed into the heavens on the starlit night and wondered about the birth of the universe? And who has not been stimulated by the sight of the newly born baby to the marvel at the unseen events within the mother’s uterus that have led to the birth of such a perfect creation?”(1 These words written by the Professor Sir Graham (Mont Liggins open Pandora’s box of questions, dilemmas, doubts and controversies about human life and its beginning offering everybody lifelong challenge to solve mystery of life.Entering this filed scientists have been remiss in failing to translate science into the terms that allow mankind to share their excitement of discovering life before birth. Regardless to remarkable scientific development, curiosity, and speculations dating back to Hippocrates, life before birth still remains a big secret. Different kinds of intellectuals involved themselves trying to contribute to the solution of human life puzzle. They are led by the idea that each newborn child will only reach its full potential if its development in uterus is free from any adverse influence, providing the best possible environment for the embryo/foetus. Considering embryo/foetus, it should be always kept in mind amazing aspect of these parts of human life in which the mother and the embryo/foetus, although locked in the most intimate relationships, are at ALL TIMES two separate people. Accepting embryo/foetus as the person opened new set of questions about its personality and human rights. Today, synthesis between scientific data and hypotheses, philosophical thought, and issues in the humanities, has become pressing necessity in order to deal with ethical, juridical and social problems arising from man’s interference

Pambzuka News : building a progressive pan-Africa movement

OpenAIRE

Manji, Firoze

2008-01-01

Pambzuka News is described variously as an e-newsletter or platform of website about social justice in Africa. There are some that see it as an example innovative use of information communications technology. Yet it is both all of these and none of them. Pambzuka News is an attempt to nurture and encourage the building of a progressive pan Africa movement within Africa and amongst what is popularly described as the African diaspora.

Wind power potential and integration in Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Agbetuyi, A.F.

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Wind energy penetration into power networks is increasing very rapidly all over the world. The great concern about global warming and continued apprehensions about nuclear power around the world should drive most countries in Africa into strong demand for wind generation because of its advantages which include the absence of harmful emissions, very clean and almost infinite availability of wind that is converted into electricity. This paper shows the power available in the wind. It also gives an overview of the wind power potential and integration in some selected Africa countries like Egypt, Morocco, South Africa and Nigeria and the challenges of wind power integration in Africa’s continent are also discussed. The Northern part of Africa is known to be Africa’s Wind pioneers having installed and connected the Wind Energy Converters (WEC to the grid. About 97% of the continent’s total wind installations are located in Egypt, Morocco and Tunisia. Research work should commence on the identified sites with high wind speeds in those selected Africa countries, so that those potential sites can be connected to the grid. This is because the ability of a site to sufficiently accommodate wind generation not only depends on wind speeds but on its ability to interconnect to the existing grid. If these wind energy potentials are tapped and connected to the grid, the erratic and epileptic power supply facing most countries in Africa will be reduced; thereby reducing rural-urban migration and more jobs will be created.

Importance of bovine mastitis in Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Motaung, Thabiso E; Petrovski, Kiro R; Petzer, Inge-Marie; Thekisoe, Oriel; Tsilo, Toi J

2017-06-01

Bovine mastitis is an important animal production disease that affects the dairy industry globally. Studies have estimated the prevalence of this disease in approximately 30% of African countries, with the highest prevalence found in Ethiopia. This is despite the wide cattle distribution in Africa, and the largest number of dairy farms and herds in countries such as South Africa, Kenya and Uganda. Furthermore, the estimated financial losses due to direct and indirect impacts of bovine mastitis are lacking in this continent. Therefore, intensive research efforts will help determine the continent-wide economic impacts and advance careful monitoring of disease prevalence and epidemiology. Here, published cases supporting the occurrence and importance of bovine mastitis in certain regions of Africa are outlined.

Deforestation in Sub- Sahara Africa

OpenAIRE

Diarrassouba, Malick; Boubacar, Inoussa

2009-01-01

According to FAO (2005) about 13 million hectares of the word’s forest are lost due to deforestation. Naoto (2006) found Africa to lead the list of countries with the highest rate of deforestation. This worrisome situation is further aggravated by the possible negative impacts of climate change due to an increase in the mean global temperature. Evidence supports that Africa is most likely to suffer the most the devastating impacts of natural calamities such as droughts and floods. This paper ...

Standing of industrial radiography in South Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marais, J.J.

1983-01-01

In this article a look is taken at industrial radiography in South Africa to determine where radiographic testing is being used, and for what reasons. The status of training of industrial radiographers is considered and it is compared to radiographic techniques used in South Africa

common problems affecting supranational attempts in africa

African Journals Online (AJOL)

user

Politico-legal Framework for Integration in Africa: Exploring the Attainability of a ... laws, the common international trade policy, the common fisheries policy and the .... among the member states according to the annual imports, production and ...... Fredland R (eds) Integration and Disintegration in East Africa (University.

Africa Insight - Vol 38, No 1 (2008)

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Democratic South Africa in the International Migration–Development Nexus: The Development Impact for sub-Saharan Africa · EMAIL FULL TEXT EMAIL FULL TEXT DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT ... Nigeria and its Anti-Corruption War: The Cases of Dariye and Alamieyeseigha · EMAIL FULL TEXT EMAIL FULL TEXT

ADOPTION OF ISO 9001 QUALITY MANAGEMENT STANDARD IN AFRICA

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Erlantz Allur

2014-03-01

Full Text Available This article analyzes the dissemination of ISO 9001, the main global management standards, within Africa. The work refers to the diffusion of ISO 9001 standard in terms of its certification intensity. In this article, the dissemination of ISO 9001 in Africa has been analyzed. The findings reveal that the diffusion of the standard in this continent is not very relevant, what might be seen as an indicator of the process of Africa's trade marginalization in the age of globalization. The general certification intensity of the continet is of 0.18; in other words, the proportion of the contribution of Africa to the global GDP of the world is more than five times superior to the proportion of ISO 9001 certificates located in Africa. By means of the logistic model the dissemination of ISO 9001 is forecasted, and it has been observed that the diffusion of ISO 9001 in Africa is in an 85% of its saturation point. Taking into account this model, it's expected that the dissemination of ISO 9001 will be growing until 2020.

The Production of Corporate Research to Manufacture Doubt About the Health Hazards of Products: An Overview of the Exponent Bakelite® Simulation Study.

Science.gov (United States)

Egilman, David

2018-01-01

Although corporate sponsorship of research does not necessarily lead to biased results, in some industries, it has resulted in the publication of inaccurate and misleading data. Some companies have hired scientific consulting firms to retrospectively calculate exposures to hazardous products during use that are no longer manufactured or sold. As an example, this paper reviews one such study-a litigation-generated study of Union Carbide Corporation's asbestos-containing product, Bakelite®. This analysis is based on previously secret documents, produced as a result of litigation. The study generated asbestos fiber exposure measurements which resulted in underestimates of actual exposures to create doubt about the hazards associated with manufacture and manipulation of Bakelite®.

tribalism-vague but valid

African Journals Online (AJOL)

issues but, for now, it is necessary only to emphasize the reluctance to use the term "tribe". .... the malaise--political, economic, social that has gripped so much of Africa ..... might have, there is little doubt that it. is even far more a product of western reality .... such units insofar as they represent populations integrated for the.

Discourse of Denunciation: A Critical Reading of Chinua Achebe's ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

No doubt the novel is classified among African classics in literary studies, as it is one of the narrative texts studied in universities across Africa and beyond. This study seeks to critically examine the nature of linguistic tools and stylistic detours that define the satiric outlooks of this narrative text of Achebe as a denunciative ...

Socio-cultural Issues for Sustainable Development in Africa ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Socio-cultural Issues for Sustainable Development in Africa. ... focal areas of sustainable development – social, economic and environmental factors. ... that designed a Sustainable Integrated Rural Development in Africa (SIRDA) programme.

Counselling Psychology in South Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Bantjes, Jason; Kagee, Ashraf; Young, Charles

2016-01-01

The origin and development of counselling psychology in South Africa has been profoundly influenced by the country’s socio-political history and the impact of apartheid. As a result of this, counselling psychologists in the country face a number of challenges and opportunities for the future. In this paper we provide a portrait of counselling psychology in South Africa by describing the current character of the specialty and the context in which South African psychologists work. We critically discuss the challenges that the specialty faces to meet the country’s mental health care needs, contest the current Scope of Practice; affirm multiculturalism without essentializing or reifying race and ethnicity, and build an evidence base for community interventions in the country. We also consider how, in the future, counselling psychologists in South Africa may make a more meaningful contribution within public health and the country’s health care and education systems. PMID:27867261

Foot-and-mouth Disease Transmission in Africa: Implications for Control, a Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Tekleghiorghis, T; Moormann, R J M; Weerdmeester, K; Dekker, A

2016-04-01

In Africa, for the control of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), more information is needed on the spread of the disease at local, regional and inter-regional level. The aim of this review is to identify the role that animal husbandry, trade and wildlife have on the transmission of FMD and to provide a scientific basis for different FMD control measures in Africa. Review of literature, published reports and databases shows that there is more long distance spread of FMD virus serotypes within North, West, Central and East Africa than in southern Africa. In North, West, Central and East Africa migratory animal husbandry systems often related with search for grazing and water as well as trade are practiced to a greater extent than in southern Africa. In southern Africa, the role of African buffalo (Syncerus caffer) is more extensively studied than in the other parts of Africa, but based on the densities of African buffalo in Central and East Africa, one would assume that buffalo should also play a role in the epidemiology of FMD in this part of Africa. More sampling of buffalo is necessary in West, Central and East Africa. The genetic analysis of virus strains has proven to be valuable to increase our understanding in the spread of FMD in Africa. This review shows that there is a difference in FMD occurrence between southern Africa and the rest of the continent; this distinction is most likely based on differences in animal husbandry and trade systems. Insufficient data on FMD in wildlife outside southern Africa is limiting our understanding on the role wildlife plays in the transmission of FMD in the other buffalo inhabited areas of Africa. © 2014 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

Cervical cancer in sub-Saharan Africa: a preventable noncommunicable disease.

Science.gov (United States)

Mboumba Bouassa, Ralph-Sydney; Prazuck, Thierry; Lethu, Thérèse; Jenabian, Mohammad-Ali; Meye, Jean-François; Bélec, Laurent

2017-06-01

Infections caused by high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) are responsible for 7.7% of cancers in developing countries, mainly cervical cancer. This disease is steadily increasing in sub-Saharan Africa, with more than 75,000 new cases and 50,000 deaths yearly, further increased by HIV infection. Areas covered: The current status of cervical cancer associated with HPV in sub-Saharan Africa has been systematically revised. The main issues discussed here are related to the public health burden of cervical cancer in sub-Saharan Africa and predictions for the coming decades, including molecular epidemiology and determinants of HPV infection in Africa, and promising prevention measures currently being evaluated in Africa. Expert commentary: By the year 2030, cervical cancer will kill more than 443,000 women yearly worldwide, most of them in sub-Saharan Africa. The increase in the incidence of cervical cancer in Africa could counteract the progress made by African women in reducing maternal mortality and longevity. Nevertheless, cervical cancer is a potentially preventable noncommunicable disease, and intervention strategies to eliminate cervical cancer as a public health concern should be urgently implemented.

The Africa Initiative for Planetary and Space Sciences

Science.gov (United States)

Baratoux, D.; Chennaoui-Aoudjehane, H.; Gibson, R.; Lamali, A.; Reimold, W. U.; Selorm Sepah, M.; Chabou, M. C.; Habarulema, J. B.; Jessell, M.; Mogessie, A.; Benkhaldoun, Z.; Nkhonjera, E.; Mukosi, N. C.; Kaire, M.; Rochette, P.; Sickafoose, A.; Martínez-Frías, J.; Hofmann, A.; Folco, L.; Rossi, A. P.; Faye, G.; Kolenberg, K.; Tekle, K.; Belhai, D.; Elyajouri, M.; Koeberl, C.; Abdeem, M.

2017-12-01

Research groups in Planetary and Space Sciences (PSS) are now emerging in Africa, but remain few, scattered and underfunded. It is our conviction that the exclusion of 20% of the world's population from taking part in the fascinating discoveries about our solar system impoverishes global science. The benefits of a coordinated PSS program for Africa's youth have motivated a call for international support and investment [1] into an Africa Initiative for Planetary and Space Sciences. At the time of writing, the call has been endorsed by 230 scientists and 19 institutions or international organizations (follow the map of endorsements on https://africapss.org). More than 70 African Planetary scientists have already joined the initiative and about 150 researchers in non-African countries are ready to participate in research and in capacitity building of PSS programs in Africa. We will briefly review in this presentation the status of PSS in Africa [2] and illustrate some of the major achievements of African Planetary and Space scientists, including the search for meteorites or impact craters, the observations of exoplanets, and space weather investigations. We will then discuss a road map for its expansion, with an emphasis on the role that planetary and space scientists can play to support scientific and economic development in Africa. The initiative is conceived as a network of projects with Principal Investigators based in Africa. A Steering Committee is being constituted to coordinate these efforts and contribute to fund-raising and identification of potential private and public sponsors. The scientific strategy of each group within the network will be developed in cooperation with international experts, taking into account the local expertise, available equipment and facilities, and the priority needs to achieve well-identified scientific goals. Several founding events will be organized in 2018 in several African research centers and higher-education institutions to

Sub-Saharan Africa Report

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

1987-01-01

Partial Contents: Subsaharan Africa, Resolution, Settlement, Leaderships, Election Fraud, Political, Propaganda War, Guerilla War, Commonwealth President, Warns Officers, National Youth Corps, Diversity, Unemployment...

Sub-Saharan Africa Report

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

1987-01-01

Partial Contents: Subsaharan Africa, Railway Development, Arrests, International Reports, Lends Funds, Refugees, Investment Tax, Territory, Evidence, Leadership, Journalists, Credit LIne, Soliderity, Foreign Trades...

Rapidly developing market regions : South Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Spore, E.

1997-01-01

In South Africa, a country that is rich in natural resources, gross domestic product has risen steadily since the historic elections in April 1994. In 1995, foreign trade made up almost 50 per cent of the country's gross national product. Unemployment and concurrent shortage of skilled labour are some of the major challenges that still exist for South Africa. Sasol is one of South Africa's top 10 private companies. It was founded in 1950; it supplies 44 per cent of South Africa's liquid fuel needs and produces most of the feedstocks used by the chemical and plastics industries in the country. The company is known for innovative technologies, such as the Sasol Synthol Process. It produces high-quality synthetic fuels such as petrol, diesel, kerosene, gas and furnace oils. The unique Sasol Synthol Process was described. Coal is put under high pressure and high temperature in the presence of steam and oxygen, is converted to crude gas, purified by removing sulfur and is then used in the production of gasoline, diesel and other fuels. The process also yields 120 other chemical products for domestic and international markets. 3 refs., 5 figs

Prostate cancer incidence rates in Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Chu, Lisa W; Ritchey, Jamie; Devesa, Susan S; Quraishi, Sabah M; Zhang, Hongmei; Hsing, Ann W

2011-01-01

African American men have among the highest prostate cancer incidence rates in the world yet rates among their African counterparts are unclear. In this paper, we compared reported rates among black men of Sub-Saharan African descent using data from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the National Cancer Institute Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program for 1973-2007. Although population-based data in Africa are quite limited, the available data from IARC showed that rates among blacks were highest in the East (10.7-38.1 per 100,000 man-years, age-adjusted world standard) and lowest in the West (4.7-19.8). These rates were considerably lower than those of 80.0-195.3 observed among African Americans. Rates in Africa increased over time (1987-2002) and have been comparable to those for distant stage in African Americans. These patterns are likely due to differences between African and African American men in medical care access, screening, registry quality, genetic diversity, and Westernization. Incidence rates in Africa will likely continue to rise with improving economies and increasing Westernization, warranting the need for more high-quality population-based registration to monitor cancer incidence in Africa.

Higher Education Transformation: A Paradigm Shift in South Africa ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

South Africa\\'s higher education system is struggling to become a socially relevant ivory tower: that is, a university system that pays close attention to its calling of research while staying linked to the existential and political struggles of the people, the primary stakeholders in the system. Africa Insight Vol.34(2/3) 2004: 65-72 ...

An Alternative Theoretical Model for Economic Reforms in Africa ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This paper offers an alternative model for economic reforms in Africa. It proposes that Africa can still get on the pathway of sustained economic growth if economic reforms can focus on a key variable, namely, the price of non-tradables. Prices of non-tradables are generally less in Africa than in advanced economies, and the ...

Economic relations between turkey and Africa: challenges and ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Economic relations between turkey and Africa: challenges and prospects. ... The incumbent Turkish government now attaches great importance to developing ... It also seeks to analyse recent Turkish initiatives in Africa's energy sector.

China in Africa: The Human Rights Impact

NARCIS (Netherlands)

C.L. Bennett (Clare); S. McCann (S.); B. Radley (Ben)

2008-01-01

markdownabstract__Abstract__ This report examines the practical impact of Chinese investment on human rights in Africa, in order to assess how the positive effects of China in Africa can be maximised and how the negative effects – which have the potential to be particularly damaging in states

Africa Insight - Vol 35, No 1 (2005)

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The New Partnership for Africa\\'s Development: Promoting Foreign Direct Investment Through Moral Political Leadership · EMAIL FULL TEXT EMAIL FULL TEXT · DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT DOWNLOAD FULL TEXT. Zein Kebonang, 3-13. http://dx.doi.org/10.4314/ai.v35i1.22419 ...

Field guide to trees of Southern Africa

OpenAIRE

Rishan Singh

2012-01-01

The mainland region of Africa is Southern Africa because it is considered to be robust with an estimate of around 1700 tree species that are native and a couple 100 more that are alien, but have become accustomed to the natural environment; invading, penetrating and replacing vegetation.

Establishing and sustaining research partnerships in Africa: a case study of the UK-Africa Academic Partnership on Chronic Disease

NARCIS (Netherlands)

de-Graft Aikins, Ama; Arhinful, Daniel K.; Pitchforth, Emma; Ogedegbe, Gbenga; Allotey, Pascale; Agyemang, Charles

2012-01-01

This paper examines the challenges and opportunities in establishing and sustaining north-south research partnerships in Africa through a case study of the UK-Africa Academic Partnership on Chronic Disease. Established in 2006 with seed funding from the British Academy, the partnership aimed to

Africa Development

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Africa Development is the quarterly bilingual journal of CODESRIA. It is a social science journal whose major focus is on issues which are central to the development of society. Its principal objective is to provide a forum for the exchange of ideas among African scholars from a variety of intellectual persuasions and various ...

Coal, energy efficiency and environmental issues in South Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Surridge, A.D.; Grobbelaar, C.J.; Barker, R.; Asamoah, J.K.; Barnard, W.O.

1997-01-01

Like China, a large portion of South Africa's primary energy is sourced from coal, and is likely to remain South Africa's major source of energy for the short to medium term. It is imperative to address the environmental dimension as an integral component of coal energy considerations. This issue is discussed through energy efficiency, and South Africa's Low-Smoke Coal Programme as it pertains to the use of coal in households. South Africa is engaged on several other programmes to minimise the impact of coal on the atmospheric environment. Some of those activities have been outlined in this paper. (R.P.)

East Africa-India Security Relations/China-Africa Partnership: the ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Kenyan media as well as international media such as VOX Africa continue to report that Uhuru Kenyatta returned this week with an investment package totaling 425 billion shillings (5 billion dollars) from China. The target domains are railroad from Mombasa to Kisumu and energy generation. The move is interpreted as the ...

Eastern Africa Social Science Research Review: Site Map

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Eastern Africa Social Science Research Review: Site Map. Journal Home > About the Journal > Eastern Africa Social Science Research Review: Site Map. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads.

Combating cyberspace fraud in Africa

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Grobler, M

2009-12-01

Full Text Available in Africa Marthie Grobler, Joey Jansen van Vuuren Council for Scientific and Industrial Research Defence, Peace, Safety & Security © CSIR 2007 www.csir.co.za Combating cyber crime in Africa is a reality • Computer crime... www.csir.co.za Reduction of Cyber Crime was given as one of the major objectives during the State of the Nation address by President Zuma on 3 June 2009. “Amongst other key initiatives, we will start the process of setting up a Border Management...

Assessing women empowerment in Africa

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Adjei, Stephen Baffour

2015-01-01

Programme (UNDP) as a universal benchmark for assessing gender inequality. It has been highlighted that agency is a necessary component in the conceptualisation and realisation of women empowerment particularly in Africa. The article further demonstrates that the GEM has capitalist, elitist and Eurocentric......This review discusses the religious and cultural challenges to the empowerment of women in some patriarchal societies in Africa. The article takes a critical reflection on some of the contextual deficiencies of the gender empowerment measure (GEM) developed by the United Nations Development...

Africa : The Road to Opportunity

OpenAIRE

Wolfowitz, Paul

2006-01-01

Paul Wolfowitz, President of the World Bank, remarked that the past-quarter century has to count as the most successful 25 years in history in the fight against poverty. The one region that has so far been conspicuously left behind by that progress is Sub-Saharan Africa. The people of Africa are hard at work building a more hopeful future for their continent. There is no shortage of energy, ambition, or entrepreneurial spirit. What are most severely lacking are resources to support good plan...

Additional Miocene to Pleistocene rhinoceroses of Africa

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hooijer, D.A.

1973-01-01

The purpose of the present paper is to place on record data on fossil Rhinocerotidae from Africa not included in earlier papers. Material has turned up in Africa in great quantities over the last decade, much from beautifully calibrated sequences especially in Ethiopia and the Baringo area of Kenya.

Introduction Health Governance in Africa: Taking Stock

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa, 2017. (ISSN: 0850 ... The theme of this issue, Public Health Governance in Africa, is within the framework of ... She stresses, however, that the innovations developed by community ... policies, while insisting, however, on the fact that health insurance should.

Globalization and State–Society Relations in Africa

African Journals Online (AJOL)

sulaiman.adebowale

2008-10-20

Oct 20, 2008 ... Department of African and African American Studies, Pennsylvania State .... higher taxes and state provision of greater public services (Findlay and Wellisz ... the impacts of new globalization on state–society relations in Africa is placed ... In any case, the experience of Africa's incorporation into the global.

Evaluating Foreign Direct Investment and Africa's Development ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The question of Africa's development has continued to occupy the front burner from the social and economic discussions by scholars of various divides. But Africa's development through foreign direct investment has become a recent challenge to the African continent. African social critics and commentators as well as ...

Journal of Librarianship and Information Science in Africa ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Journal of Librarianship and Information Science in Africa: Advanced Search. Journal Home > Journal of Librarianship and Information Science in Africa: Advanced Search. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads.

Gender and HIV/AIDS: Exploring Men and Vulnerability Towards Effective HIV/AIDS Policy Interventions and Sub-Saharan Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ogochukwu Nzewi

2012-06-01

Full Text Available This article examines the dynamics between HIV/Aids gender policy strategies and the socio-political demands on HIV/Aids interventions in sub-Saharan Africa. Gender in HIV/Aids intervention seems inescapable. Nowhere else is this more marked than in the social dimensions of HIV/Aids prevention in sub-Saharan Africa. This has resulted in prevention strategies, which are encumbered by the reality of poverty, gender, access, power and the various debates on behavioural change. The social constructions of gender roles and power relations play a significant role in the region’s HIV /Aids dynamic. To this end, the mainstreaming of gender issues into national political, social and economic agenda and policies has been championed by international development and economic institutions. In developing HIV/Aids intervention policies, gender has also been mainstreamed, especially where epidemiological data show the disparity in infection rates between men and women, where women are seen as more susceptible to infection. The gendered approach to HIV/Aids appears to typecast women as the vulnerable and suffering face of HIV/Aids, while men, as ‘the other’, are generally regarded as the perpetuators and spreaders of the virus. While there is no doubt that women’s vulnerability in this milieu has been proven within known research evidence to exist, the neglect of institutional (social, cultural and economic and historical vulnerabilities of African men’s realities are sometimes overlooked. Recently, greater focus has shifted to curbing infection rates in men based on new scientific evidence that shows that risk of transmission in circumcised men is reduced. The article argues that such movement towards showing areas of men’s vulnerability as a focus in HIV/Aids policy interventions may have the potential to shift the observed burden that current HIV/Aids policy thrusts inadvertently place on African women. The article will put forward an argument for

Partnerships for Building S&T Capacity in Africa: The African ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

2011-01-12

Jan 12, 2011 ... Brain drain and capacity building in Africa. “In 25 years, Africa will be empty of brains.” That dire warning, from Dr Lalla Ben Barka of the UN. View moreBrain drain and capacity building in Africa ...

The effects of obesity on doctor-diagnosed chronic diseases in Africa: empirical results from Senegal and South Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Asfaw, Abay

2006-01-01

While inadequate food and communicable infectious diseases have been a concern of researchers and policy makers in Africa, little attention has been given to obesity and chronic, non-communicable diseases. Africa is not usually associated with obesity and chronic diseases. Yet there has been a sharp rise in the incidence of obesity and chronic diseases, a major public health problem in many countries. The paper examines the impact of obesity on the prevalence of four doctor-diagnosed chronic diseases in Senegal and South Africa. The results reveal that obese respondents were 4.7, 2.8, and 4.8% more likely to face the risks of arthritis, diabetes, and heart diseases in South Africa and 6.5 and 7.4% more likely to face the risks of heart disease and asthma in Senegal than their lean counterparts. Obesity imposes a real and substantial danger, affecting the prevalence of chronic diseases. Unchecked it can be a major public health problem, impose a serious challenge to the health sector, and can jeopardize future developments.

Doubtful records of reptile species in some areas of the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve (Romania

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

TÖRÖK Zsolt Csaba

2012-09-01

Full Text Available In the present paper there are provided details on the doubtful data on the occurrence of some reptile species in various parts of the Danube Delta Biosphere Reserve. Testudo graeca was indicated by mistake at Sfântu Gheorghe (probably the authors saw the species in some places from the continental plateau nearby of Sfântu Gheorghe branch, not inside the Danube Delta. Lacerta viridis was mentioned in the so-called “maritime Delta” and at the ruins of Histria fortress (due to confusion with specimens of Lacerta agilis. Also, Podarcis muralis was “recorded” at the ruins of Histria fortress (due to misidentification of specimens belonging to species P. taurica. A corps of snake found at Letea forest was considered by mistake as belonging to species Eryx jaculus. In several official reports (grey literature the species Elaphe longissima (Zamenis longissimus was mentioned by mistake as occurring at Letea forest. Elaphe (quatuorlineata sauromates was “recorded” at the ruins of Histria fortress and at Sfântu Gheorghe due to confusion with specimens belonging to other snake species. Specimens of Vipera urisnii from the Danube Delta were considered as belonging to the species Vipera berus. Also, Vipera ursinii was metioned by mistake at Caraorman marine levee and at Chituc marine levee, based only on the idea that if the species occurs on other marine levees, it has to be present on these two marine levees, too.

Editorial: Childhood Cancer in sub-Saharan Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Parkin, Donald Maxwell; Stefan, Cristina

2017-01-01

Measurement of incidence rates of childhood cancer in Africa is difficult. The study 'Cancer of Childhood in sub Saharan Africa' [Stefan C, Bray F, Ferlay J, Parkin DM and Liu B (2017) Cancer of Childhood in sub-Saharan Africa ecancer 11 (755)] brings together results from 16 population-based registries which, as members of the African Cancer Registry Network (AFCRN), have been evaluated as achieving adequate coverage of their target population. The cancers are classified according to the third revision of the International Classification of Childhood Cancer (ICCC-3) and recorded rates in Africa are compared with those in childhood populations in the UK, France, and the USA. It is clear that, in many centres, lack of adequate diagnostic and treatment facilities, leads to under-diagnosis (and enumeration) of leukaemias and brain cancers. However, for several childhood cancers, incidence rates in Africa are higher than those in high income countries. This applies to infection-related cancers such as Kaposi sarcoma, Burkitt lymphoma, Hodgkin lymphoma and hepatocellular carcinoma, and also to two common embryonal cancers-retinoblastoma and nephroblastoma. These (and other) observations are unlikely to be artefact, and are of considerable interest when considering possible aetiological factors, including ethnic differences in risk (and hence genetic/familial antecedents). The data reported are the most extensive so far available on the incidence of cancer in sub Saharan Africa, and clearly indicate the need for more resources to be devoted to cancer registration, especially in the childhood age range, as part of an overall programme to improve the availability of diagnosis and treatment of this group of cancers, many of which have-potentially-an excellent prognosis.

Sub-Saharan Africa Report

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

1987-01-01

Partial Contents: Sub Saharan Africa, Military Exercise, Radio Commentary, Stock Exchange, Prime Minister, Economic, Domestic Service, Armed Forces, Health, Organizations, Death, International Service, Foreign Policy...

Africa's Young Entrepreneurs

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

in statistics from the university of ibadan, holds a master's degree in business administration and in ... institute of business science (gibs), university of Pretoria, south africa. Rilwan is a. Fellow of .... the pace of economic and social development ...

Estimating agricultural yield gap in Africa using MODIS NDVI dataset

Science.gov (United States)

Luan, Y.; Zhu, W.; Luo, X.; Liu, J.; Cui, X.

2013-12-01

Global agriculture has undergone a period of rapid intensification characterized as 'Green Revolution', except for Africa, which is the region most affected by unreliable food access and undernourishment. Increasing crop production will be one of the most challenges and most effectual way to mitigate food insecurity there, as Africa's agricultural yield is on a much lower level comparing to global average. In this study we characterize cropland vegetation phenology in Africa based on MODIS NDVI time series between 2000 and 2012. Cumulated NDVI is a proxy for net primary productivity and used as an indicator for evaluating the potential yield gap in Africa. It is achieved via translating the gap between optimum attainable productivity level in each classification of cropping systems and actual productivity level by the relationship of cumulated NDVI and cereal-equivalent production. The results show most of cropland area in Africa have decreasing trend in cumulated NDVI, distributing in the Nile Delta, Eastern Africa and central of semi-arid to arid savanna area, except significant positive cumulated NDVI trends are mainly found between Senegal and Benin. Using cumulated NDVI and statistics of cereal equivalent production, we find remarkable potential yield gap at the Horn of East Africa (especially in Somalia), Northern Africa (Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia). Meanwhile, countries locating at the savanna area near Sahel desert and South Africa also show significant potential, though they already have a relatively high level of productivity. Our results can help provide policy recommendation for local government or NGO to tackle food security problems by identifying zones with high potential of yield improvement.

Epilepsy: Asia versus Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Bhalla, Devender; Tchalla, Achille Edem; Marin, Benoît; Ngoungou, Edgard Brice; Tan, Chong Tin; Preux, Pierre-Marie

2014-09-01

Is epilepsy truly an "African ailment"? We aimed to determine this, since international health agencies often refer to epilepsy as an African disease and the scientific literature has spoken the same tone. Various published materials, mainly reports, articles, were used to gather Asian and African evidence on various aspects of epilepsy and many of its risk and associated factors. Our results suggest that in no way can epilepsy be considered as an African ailment and such characterization is most likely based on popular beliefs rather than scientific evidence. In comparison to Africa, Asia has a 5.0% greater burden from all diseases, and is 17.0% more affected from neuropsychiatric disorders (that include epilepsy). Given that more countries in Asia are transitioning, there may be large demographic and lifestyle changes in the near future. However these changes are nowhere close to those expected in Africa. Moreover, 23 million Asians have epilepsy in comparison to 3.3 million Africans and 1.2 million sub-Saharan Africans. In comparison to Africa, Asia has more untreated patients, 55.0% more additional epilepsy cases every year, because of its larger population, with greater treatment cost and possibly higher premature mortality. Of several associated factors discussed herein, many have more importance for Asia than Africa. The current state of epilepsy in Asia is far less than ideal and there is an urgent need to recognize and accept the importance of epilepsy in Asia. In no way can epilepsy be considered as an African ailment. This is most likely based on popular beliefs rather than scientific evidence. A PowerPoint slide summarizing this article is available for download in the Supporting Information section here. Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2014 International League Against Epilepsy.

Terrorism in South Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

MacFarlane, Campbell

2003-01-01

The Republic of South Africa lies at the southern tip of the African continent. The population encompasses a variety of races, ethnic groups, religions, and cultural identities. The country has had a turbulent history from early tribal conflicts, colonialisation, the apartheid period, and post-apartheid readjustment. Modern terrorism developed mainly during the apartheid period, both by activities of the state and by the liberation movements that continued to the time of the first democratic elections in 1994, which saw South Africa evolve into a fully representative democratic state with equal rights for all. Since 1994, terrorist acts have been criminal-based, evolving in the Cape Town area to political acts, largely laid at the feet of a predominantly Muslim organisation, People against Gangsterism and Drugs, a vigilant organisation allegedly infiltrated by Muslim fundamentalists. Along with this, has been terrorist activities, mainly bombings by disaffected members of white, right-wing groups. In the apartheid era, a Draconian series of laws was enacted to suppress liberation activities. After 1994, most of these were repealed and new legislation was enacted, particularly after the events of 11 September 2001; this legislation allows the government to act against terrorism within the constraints of a democratic system. Disaster management in South Africa has been largely local authority-based, with input from provincial authorities and Civil Defence. After 1994, attempts were made to improve this situation, and national direction was provided. After 11 September 2001, activity was increased and the Disaster Management Act 2002 was brought into effect. This standardized disaster management system at national, provincial, and local levels, also facilites risk assessment and limitation as well as disaster mitigation. The potential still exists for terrorism, mainly from right-wing and Muslim fundamentalist groups, but the new legislation should stimulate disaster

Case Studies on Africa and the Middle East | IDRC - International ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

21 avr. 2016 ... Participatory GIS for resource management in Africa: Taking stock. This ICT4D article series features results from innovative research on participatory geographic information systems (P-GIS) in Africa. View moreParticipatory GIS for resource management in Africa: Taking stock ...

On the pace of fertility decline in sub-Saharan Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

David Shapiro

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Background: This descriptive finding examines the comparative pace of fertility decline in sub-Saharan Africa, relative to Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Northern Africa. Objective: We seek to determine if fertility decline has been slower in sub-Saharan Africa than elsewhere in the developing world. Methods: United Nations 2017 estimates of national fertility are used in assessing the comparative pace of fertility decline, and the four regions are compared in terms of how far they are into their fertility transition. Results: The data shows clearly that fertility decline in sub-Saharan Africa, still at a comparatively early stage, has been considerably slower than the earlier declines in Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Northern Africa at comparable stages of the transition, and displays less within-region heterogeneity than the transitions in these other regions. Conclusions: The slower pace of fertility decline in sub-Saharan Africa, in conjunction with the high current fertility levels in the region, means that in the absence of policies seeking to accelerate fertility decline, sub-Saharan Africa will continue to experience rapid population growth that in turn will constrain its development. Contribution: Presentation of data in a novel way (Figures 2‒4, and associated calculations unambiguously demonstrates the slow pace of fertility decline in sub-Saharan Africa compared with other regions of the world.

Africa's Expanding Population: Old Problems, New Policies.

Science.gov (United States)

Goliber, Thomas J.

1989-01-01

Sub-Saharan Africa faces a historic challenge: to achieve economic and social progress while experiencing extraordinary population growth. With an estimated 1989 population of 512 million, the 42 countries of sub-Saharan Africa have the highest birth and death rates of any major world region. Throughout the region, population has outstripped…

Social Change and Language Shift: South Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Kamwangamalu, Nkonko M.

2003-01-01

Examines language shift from majority African languages, such as Sotho, Xhosa, and Zulu to English in South Africa. Examines the extent to which sociopolitical changes that have taken place in South Africa have impacted everyday linguistic interaction and have contributed to language shift from the indigenous African language to English,…

Nigerian tourists to South Africa: Challenges, expectations and demands

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ikechukwu O. Ezeuduji

2013-08-01

Research purpose: This paper investigated the challenges, demands and expectations of Nigerian tourists to South Africa. Motivation for the study: Nigeria, along with other African nations, has been identified as one of the core regional source markets with air links to South Africa. Increasing revenue generated from regional tourism is important to South African Tourism. Research design, approach and method: Descriptive statistics and Chi-square tests were used to analyse the data collected using a questionnaire survey of 320 Nigerian tourists to South Africa. Main findings: Results showed that Nigerian tourists visit South Africa mostly for the purposes of business, holiday, visiting friends and relatives, education and medical care. Challenges perceived by these Nigerian tourists visiting South Africa include long waiting time for the visa process in Nigeria, expensive cost of living in South Africa, safety and security problems, not so many airlines to choose from and expensive flight costs. Nigerian tourists mostly expect South Africans to be friendlier and have expectations of linking up with new business partners or performing transactions. They also have a strong demand for shopping, leisure and quality education. Practical/managerial implications: This study recommends a bilateral tourism relationship agreement between the Nigerian and South African governments to ameliorate the visa process; targeted marketing communications by South African Tourism toward Nigerian tourists based on study results; strong police presence and proper policing in South Africa; air transport liberalisation and low-cost carriers implementation for shared economic growth within the African region. Contribution/value-add: No former research has specifically identified Nigerian tourists’ challenges, expectations and demands whilst visiting South Africa.

Mobile Africa : changing patterns of movement in Africa and beyond

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bruijn, de M.E.; Dijk, van R.A.; Foeken, D.W.J.

2001-01-01

The case studies in this book on mobility in sub-Saharan Africa critically discuss dichotomous interpretations of mobility and reject the idea that migration indicates a breakdown in society. They adopt the approach that sedentary and mobile worlds converge and that mobility is part of the

[Has the urban transition ended in sub-Saharan Africa?].

Science.gov (United States)

Bocquier, P

1999-01-01

In 1950, 28% of the world¿s population lived in cities. At that point, localities larger than 10,000 inhabitants were home to 0.7 billion people, of whom 36% were in developing countries. However, according to UN projections, the rate of urbanization will reach 47.4% in 2000, with cities housing 2.9 billion people, of whom 68.7% will be in developing countries. Africa, like other continents, is urbanizing. Although Africa is among the world¿s least urbanized regions, it is nonetheless the continent with the highest rate of urbanization. Urban population growth reached its height during the 1950s, then the urban population in the region multiplied by a factor of 10 during 1950-90, far outpacing the rate of overall population growth on the continent. However, during the 1980s and 1990s, urban growth in Africa declined sharply. The author discusses urbanization in Africa devoid of industrialization, declining rates of urban population growth in the region, the uncertain future of urbanization in Africa, and how future urbanization in Africa depends upon the role the continent will play in the global economy.

Financing and Managing Infrastructure in Africa

OpenAIRE

Mthuli Ncube

2010-01-01

This paper discusses various ways of financing infrastructure under public private partnership (PPP) arrangements in Africa. The paper presents the standard literature on the relationship between infrastructure investment and economic growth, highlighting the contradictory findings in the literature. Stylised facts about the state of infrastructure in Africa, compared with other regions such as Asia and Latin America, are also presented. Examples of how PPPs structures work are discussed incl...

Care of children with HIV infection and AIDS in Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Marum, L H; Tindyebwa, D; Gibb, D

1997-01-01

HIV/AIDS is a major cause of pediatric morbidity and mortality, especially in Africa. The UN Joint Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) estimates that 85% of the 2.6 million children with HIV infection are from sub-Saharan Africa. About 650,000 children are living with HIV/AIDS and approximately 1000 infected infants are born every day in Africa. Since few of the 7 million infected African women have access to HIV testing and counseling, not to mention interventions such as AZT to reduce the risk of HIV transmission to their infants, the high incidence of HIV-infected children in Africa will likely continue for some time. The countries of east and southern Africa and several countries in west Africa have the highest HIV prevalence rates in the world. The development of cost-effective strategies to provide care and improve the quality of life of HIV-infected infants and children in Africa should be a priority area for increased research and support. The authors describe progress in understanding the natural history of HIV infection in African children, review strategies for managing HIV-infected children in resource-poor settings, and discuss issues of community response and counseling for children.

Water resources for Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-01-01

Water scarcity is a matter of urgent, national, regional and international concern. For those people, usually women, who are responsible for the daily task of obtaining sufficient water for household use, water shortages are a perpetual worry. It is a situation which affects many individual families and communities throughout the arid and semi-arid regions of Africa. The isotope studies conducted thus far have proved that the majority of regional groundwater systems in northern Africa and the Sahel zone are paleowaters, replenished thousands of years ago, without the possibility of significant replenishment under present climatic conditions. Therefore, removal from such underground reservoirs will eventually deplete the resource. Mapping these paleowaters, and estimating their reservoir sizes, is a priority. (IAEA)

Southern Africa Journal of Education, Science and Technology ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Southern Africa Journal of Education, Science and Technology: Journal Sponsorship. Journal Home > About the Journal > Southern Africa Journal of Education, Science and Technology: Journal Sponsorship. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads.

The Determinants of Household Poverty in South Africa

OpenAIRE

Ajuruchukwu Obi; Sanelise Tafa

2016-01-01

South Africa was privileged to be part of the MDGs agenda which was adopted in 2000. One of the aims of MDGs was to reduce extreme poverty by half in 2015. For that reason, South Africa integrated policies and strategies to rid poverty by half to that of United Nations (UN). Through all the combined policy approaches, South Africa has successfully achieved the target of halving the population living below PPP$1.25c per person per day. Whichever threshold used, the results showed that the perc...

Plasmodium vivax Transmission in Africa.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rosalind E Howes

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Malaria in sub-Saharan Africa has historically been almost exclusively attributed to Plasmodium falciparum (Pf. Current diagnostic and surveillance systems in much of sub-Saharan Africa are not designed to identify or report non-Pf human malaria infections accurately, resulting in a dearth of routine epidemiological data about their significance. The high prevalence of Duffy negativity provided a rationale for excluding the possibility of Plasmodium vivax (Pv transmission. However, review of varied evidence sources including traveller infections, community prevalence surveys, local clinical case reports, entomological and serological studies contradicts this viewpoint. Here, these data reports are weighted in a unified framework to reflect the strength of evidence of indigenous Pv transmission in terms of diagnostic specificity, size of individual reports and corroboration between evidence sources. Direct evidence was reported from 21 of the 47 malaria-endemic countries studied, while 42 countries were attributed with infections of visiting travellers. Overall, moderate to conclusive evidence of transmission was available from 18 countries, distributed across all parts of the continent. Approximately 86.6 million Duffy positive hosts were at risk of infection in Africa in 2015. Analysis of the mechanisms sustaining Pv transmission across this continent of low frequency of susceptible hosts found that reports of Pv prevalence were consistent with transmission being potentially limited to Duffy positive populations. Finally, reports of apparent Duffy-independent transmission are discussed. While Pv is evidently not a major malaria parasite across most of sub-Saharan Africa, the evidence presented here highlights its widespread low-level endemicity. An increased awareness of Pv as a potential malaria parasite, coupled with policy shifts towards species-specific diagnostics and reporting, will allow a robust assessment of the public health

Telerehabilitation In South Africa – Is There A Way Forward?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Maurice Mars

2011-05-01

Full Text Available South Africa, like the rest of sub-Saharan Africa, has a disproportionate burden of disease and a shortage of health professionals. Telemedicine has been identified as a possible way of overcoming part of the problem but telemedicine has not been widely adopted. In the public sector hospitals in South Africa which serve 82% of the population there are 2.5 physiotherapists and 2 occupational therapists per 100,000 people served. The extent of telerehabilitation in South Africa is unknown. A literature review of telerehabilitation found no papers from South Africa. A survey of the heads of university departments of physiotherapy, occupational therapy and speech and language pathology revealed limited knowledge of telerehabilitation. Telerehabilitation services are confined to follow-up of patients at some institutions by telephone, fax or email. There is need to raise awareness among therapists if telerehabilitation is to become a reality in South Africa.  Future actions are outlined.

South Africa's transformational approach to global governance ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

One goal was to transform structures and institutions of global governance while another aim was to place developmental goals on the global agenda. As South Africa targeted UN agencies, notably the Security Council, the IMF, World Bank, WTO and more recently the G20, the curious question begs: will South Africa ...

Telemedicine and advances in urban and rural healthcare delivery in Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Mars, Maurice

2013-01-01

Telecardiology holds great promise for Africa, from tele-echocardiography and tele-ECG s, to home monitoring and text messaging for medication adherence monitoring. The burden of disease is great and there is an extreme shortage of health professionals. Telemedicine can provide access to scarce specialist care, improve the quality of care in rural areas and reduce the need for rural patients to travel to seek medical attention. International cross border service can alleviate the shortage of doctors. But telecardiology, and telemedicine uptake in general, has been poor in Africa. Legal and ethical issues around local and cross border telemedicine have not been resolved. The literature was reviewed and obstacles to telemedicine in Africa and current telemedicine activities in Africa, are described. There are few sustained telemedicine services in Africa with the exception of tele-education. There is an expectation that mobile phones will facilitate a range of telemedicine activities in Africa. Africa needs telemedicine. © 2013.

Study of the genetic heterogeneity of SAT-2 foot-and-mouth disease virus in sub-Saharan Africa with specific focus on East Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

M. Sahle

2007-09-01

Full Text Available The epidemiology of serotype SAT-2 foot-and-mouth disease was investigated in sub-Saharan Africa by phylogenetic analysis using the 1D gene encoding the major antigenic determinant. Fourteen genotypes were identified of which three are novel and belong to East Africa, bringing the total number of genotypes for that region to eight. The genotypes clustered into three lineages that demonstrated surprising links between East, southern and south-western Africa. One lineage was unique to West Africa. These results established numerous incursions across country borders in East Africa and long term conservation of sequences for periods up to 41 years. Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda have all experienced outbreaks from more than one unrelated strain, demonstrating the potential for new introductions. The amount of variation observed within this serotype nearly equalled that which was found between serotypes; this has severe implications for disease control using vaccination.

Dispelling myths about eggs.

Science.gov (United States)

With the rise of the “Google generation”, consumers can easily access information with a simple click. Unfortunately, this information is not always accurate or honest. This can pose many problems if consumer perception of your product is swayed by erroneous information. Being able to factually a...

Migration and Africa

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Zoppi, Marco

2014-01-01

European powers imposed the nation-state on Africa through colonialism. But even after African independencies, mainstream discourses and government policies have amplified the idea that sedentariness and the state are the only acceptable mode of modernity. Migration is portrayed as a menace...

Opportunities for the power industry in South Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lynch, R.W.; Pinkney, C.; Feld, L.; Kreil, E.; Lockwood, A.W.

1996-01-01

South Africa is a country in the midst of transformation. Political changes within the country, and the ensuing empowerment of the black majority, have created a situation where dramatic improvements are needed in the country's infrastructure in order to enable it to meet the needs of all its people over the coming decades. Largely as a result of the international embargo placed on South Africa during the apartheid era, the South African government became heavily involved in the country's energy sector. This involvement included development of a synfuels program, price controls in the oil sector, monopolies in both upstream and downstream oil sectors, and a strong centralized electric power company. In 1994, South Africa became the eleventh member of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), an organization which was established in 1980 to synchronize development plans for its member countries. SADC is presently working to formulate a regional energy development plan, and coordinate technical information exchanges and joint research needs. Each of the SADC nations have also begun to develop their regional electricity grids and other parts of their energy infrastructure to plan for the growing needs of the 500 million people who live in sub-Saharan Africa. South Africa, in particular, must make significant changes in each of its energy sectors in the near future, to keep up with its growing energy requirements. These changes translate to opportunity for the US Power Industry

Opportunities for the power industry in South Africa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lynch, R.W.; Pinkney, C.; Feld, L.; Kreil, E.; Lockwood, A.W. [Dept. of Energy, Washington, DC (United States)

1996-11-01

South Africa is a country in the midst of transformation. Political changes within the country, and the ensuing empowerment of the black majority, have created a situation where dramatic improvements are needed in the country`s infrastructure in order to enable it to meet the needs of all its people over the coming decades. Largely as a result of the international embargo placed on South Africa during the apartheid era, the South African government became heavily involved in the country`s energy sector. This involvement included development of a synfuels program, price controls in the oil sector, monopolies in both upstream and downstream oil sectors, and a strong centralized electric power company. In 1994, South Africa became the eleventh member of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), an organization which was established in 1980 to synchronize development plans for its member countries. SADC is presently working to formulate a regional energy development plan, and coordinate technical information exchanges and joint research needs. Each of the SADC nations have also begun to develop their regional electricity grids and other parts of their energy infrastructure to plan for the growing needs of the 500 million people who live in sub-Saharan Africa. South Africa, in particular, must make significant changes in each of its energy sectors in the near future, to keep up with its growing energy requirements. These changes translate to opportunity for the US Power Industry.

Sustainable waste management in Africa through CDM projects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Couth, R. [CRECHE, Centre for Research in Environmental, Coastal and Hydrological Engineering, School of Engineering, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4041 (South Africa); Trois, C., E-mail: troisc@ukzn.ac.za [CRECHE, Centre for Research in Environmental, Coastal and Hydrological Engineering, School of Engineering, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4041 (South Africa)

2012-11-15

Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer This is a compendium on GHG reductions via improved waste strategies in Africa. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer This note provides a strategic framework for Local Authorities in Africa. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Assists LAs to select Zero Waste scenarios and achieve sustained GHG reduction. - Abstract: Only few Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) projects (traditionally focussed on landfill gas combustion) have been registered in Africa if compared to similar developing countries. The waste hierarchy adopted by many African countries clearly shows that waste recycling and composting projects are generally the most sustainable. This paper undertakes a sustainability assessment for practical waste treatment and disposal scenarios for Africa and makes recommendations for consideration. The appraisal in this paper demonstrates that mechanical biological treatment of waste becomes more financially attractive if established through the CDM process. Waste will continue to be dumped in Africa with increasing greenhouse gas emissions produced, unless industrialised countries (Annex 1) fund carbon emission reduction schemes through a replacement to the Kyoto Protocol. Such a replacement should calculate all of the direct and indirect carbon emission savings and seek to promote public-private partnerships through a concerted support of the informal sector.

Space doubt

OpenAIRE

Rega, Joseph Mark

2003-01-01

Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro de Comunicação e Expressão. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Inglês e Literatura Correspondente. The recent surge in cyberspace science fiction follows previous trends within the genre, i.e. those connected with future city-space and outer space, and is an inevitable result of economic forces. There has always been a close relationship between capitalism and spatial expansion, compelled by technological innovations that ha...

Radiating doubt

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pockley, P.

1976-01-01

Comments are offered on the 'First Report of the Ranger Uranium Environmental Inquiry' by a committee under the chairmanship of Mr. Justice Russell Fox, published by the Australian Government Publishing Service, October 1976, and the proposed parliamentary debate on same. The Fraser government, under protests by environmental movements, has announced a decision to allow mining to proceed on some U leases in order to fulfil existing export contracts with W. Germany, Japan, and the USA for a total of 10,700 tonnes of U oxide. The report is concerned with a proposal by the Ranger Uranium Mining Co. to recover 85,000 tonnes of U 3 0 8 from an area 200 km east of Darwin in Australia's remote Northern Territory. It appeared that there was no close concurrence between the views of the committee and the decisions of a government that is in favour of an expanding mining industry. The findings of the Fox report are reproduced in full. (U.K.)

The landscape of tobacco control in Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Mark Paracandola

2018-03-01

Full Text Available Background Tobacco use prevalence in Africa is projected to rise over the next 15 years without stronger tobacco control measures. However, little research details the scope of tobacco control research being conducted in Africa. A systematic literature review was conducted to better understand the landscape of tobacco control efforts in Africa. Methods A literature search of tobacco research conducted in all African countries from 1996 to 2016 was performed in PubMed, Embase, and African Index Medicus. Published abstracts meeting the inclusion criteria of focusing on nicotine or tobacco product(s and having been conducted in one or more African countries were selected for full coding and analysis. The authors coded on study characteristics such as type of research, tobacco product, and country. Three coders double-coded 5% of the articles reviewed to ensure agreement. Results This review found 645 relevant articles, in French and English, representing 52 African countries. South Africa was the focus of the greatest proportion of these published tobacco control research articles (23%, followed by Nigeria (17%, Egypt (13%, and Tunisia (12%. Reporting the prevalence of tobacco use was the focus of 51% of these articles. Other areas of research included the potential determinants of tobacco use (28%; knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about tobacco products or policies (26%; and biological consequences of tobacco use (25%. Most studies (63% discussed cigarettes, and 15% studied smokeless tobacco. Youth-targeted studies comprised 25% of all research in Africa. Publications per year increased between 1996 and 2015, quadrupling in number by 2015. Conclusions A comprehensive review of the literature provides a baseline understanding of the tobacco control landscape and the increased attention countries are showing to tobacco and tobacco control. This research may inform opportunities for further research and for strengthening networks and thereby the

Quantitative maps of groundwater resources in Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

MacDonald, A M; Bonsor, H C; Dochartaigh, B É Ó; Taylor, R G

2012-01-01

In Africa, groundwater is the major source of drinking water and its use for irrigation is forecast to increase substantially to combat growing food insecurity. Despite this, there is little quantitative information on groundwater resources in Africa, and groundwater storage is consequently omitted from assessments of freshwater availability. Here we present the first quantitative continent-wide maps of aquifer storage and potential borehole yields in Africa based on an extensive review of available maps, publications and data. We estimate total groundwater storage in Africa to be 0.66 million km 3 (0.36–1.75 million km 3 ). Not all of this groundwater storage is available for abstraction, but the estimated volume is more than 100 times estimates of annual renewable freshwater resources on Africa. Groundwater resources are unevenly distributed: the largest groundwater volumes are found in the large sedimentary aquifers in the North African countries Libya, Algeria, Egypt and Sudan. Nevertheless, for many African countries appropriately sited and constructed boreholes can support handpump abstraction (yields of 0.1–0.3 l s −1 ), and contain sufficient storage to sustain abstraction through inter-annual variations in recharge. The maps show further that the potential for higher yielding boreholes ( > 5 l s −1 ) is much more limited. Therefore, strategies for increasing irrigation or supplying water to rapidly urbanizing cities that are predicated on the widespread drilling of high yielding boreholes are likely to be unsuccessful. As groundwater is the largest and most widely distributed store of freshwater in Africa, the quantitative maps are intended to lead to more realistic assessments of water security and water stress, and to promote a more quantitative approach to mapping of groundwater resources at national and regional level. (letter)

Africa Insight - Vol 38, No 3 (2008)

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The impact of major sporting events on the economy and the people of a developing region: the case of the 2010 Fifa World Cup tournament · EMAIL FULL TEXT EMAIL FULL TEXT ... When will it be Africa's turn?: prospects and challenges for South Africa hosting the Olympic games · EMAIL FULL TEXT EMAIL FULL TEXT

Environmental management systems in South-Africa

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Jørgensen, Tine Herreborg; Smink, Carla Kornelia

2003-01-01

The paper presents and discusses some of the empirical findings regarding envi-ronmental management systems (EMS) of four companies in the automotive industry in South Africa and compares some of the findings to Danish and international experiences.......The paper presents and discusses some of the empirical findings regarding envi-ronmental management systems (EMS) of four companies in the automotive industry in South Africa and compares some of the findings to Danish and international experiences....

Accounting for female employment in Africa

OpenAIRE

Anyanwu, John C.

2012-01-01

Women employment has become a critical development challenge globally. This is because the exclusion of women in employment has potential negative effects on both sustainable inclusive development and poverty reduction. In this paper, we examine the characteristics and the key determinants of female employment in Africa. Our empirical estimates, using available cross-sectional data over the period, 1991 and 2009 suggest that in the all-Africa estimation, quadratic levels of real per capita GD...

South Africa in the BRICS: Opportunities, Challenges and Prospects1

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This study investigates the participation of South Africa in the BRICS group from an analytical perspective. It is argued that South Africa's membership to this group entails both opportunities and challenges for South Africa, the continent and the system of global governance. We seek to flesh out the potential mediumand ...

Race, crime and criminal justice in South Africa

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Bosilong, KP

2010-05-01

Full Text Available -1 Chapter Title: Race, crime and criminal justice in South Africa Bosilong, KP: CSIR DPSS, Pretoria Mbecke, P: CSIR DPSS, Pretoria ABSTRACT: This chapter begins with a brief tour of South Africa's justice and political systems, demographics...

The Regionalization of Africa: Delineating Africa's Subregions Using Airline Data

Science.gov (United States)

Good, Pieter R.; Derudder, Ben; Witlox, Frank J.

2011-01-01

Current regionalizations of Africa have limitations in that they are attribute-based and regions are delineated according to national boundaries. Taking the world city network approach as starting point, it is possible to use relational data (i.e., information about the relationships between cities) rather than attribute data, and moreover, it…

Progress in cryptology - AFRICACRYPT 2010 : third international conference on cryptology in Africa, Stellenbosch, South Africa, May 3-6, 2010 : proceedings

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Bernstein, D.J.; Lange, T.

2010-01-01

Africacrypt 2010, the Third International Conference on Cryptology in Africa, took place May 3–6, 2010 in Stellenbosch, South Africa. The General Chairs, Riaal Domingues from the South African Communications and Security Agency and Christine Swart from the University of Cape Town, were always a

Piperaquine Resistance in Plasmodium falciparum, West Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Inoue, Juliana; Silva, Miguel; Fofana, Bakary; Sanogo, Kassim; Mårtensson, Andreas; Sagara, Issaka; Björkman, Anders; Veiga, Maria Isabel; Ferreira, Pedro Eduardo; Djimde, Abdoulaye; Gil, José Pedro

2018-08-17

Dihydroartemisinin/piperaquine (DHA/PPQ) is increasingly deployed as antimalaria drug in Africa. We report the detection in Mali of Plasmodium falciparum infections carrying plasmepsin 2 duplications (associated with piperaquine resistance) in 7/65 recurrent infections within 2 months after DHA/PPQ treatment. These findings raise concerns about the long-term efficacy of DHA/PPQ treatment in Africa.

Regional energy integration in Africa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2005-06-15

This report is the first publication produced within the framework of the WEC's Africa Regional Action Plan as part of the 2005-2007 Work Programme. Presently, over 80% of the total energy consumption in Africa is based on traditional biomass used mostly for cooking. This lack of access to modern energy is holding back economic and social development for 1.6 billion people around the world. The situation is particularly grave in sub-Sahara Africa where over 80% of the population lives in rural areas and the average electrification rate is less than 5%. At least 50 million new connections are needed to provide electricity to supply the non-connected areas in Africa. The over 700 million potential customers represented by these new connections provide a major business opportunity. It is now widely recognised that development assistance, bilateral aid, multilateral financing institutions, a multitude of international aid agencies, NGOs and others have failed to make a significant difference. A new approach is required, otherwise the number of people without access to electricity will continue to grow, and none of the Millennium Development Goals set by the United Nations will be achieved. This regional report highlights key factors that affect cooperative energy projects. The geopolitical context, investment climate and appropriate regulation are just as important as the institutional and technical capacity required to execute many of these projects. The report identifies four key benefits of regional integration: improved security of supply and accessibility; increased economic efficiency; enhanced environmental quality and broader development of renewable resources.

Regional energy integration in Africa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2005-06-15

This report is the first publication produced within the framework of the WEC's Africa Regional Action Plan as part of the 2005-2007 Work Programme. Presently, over 80% of the total energy consumption in Africa is based on traditional biomass used mostly for cooking. This lack of access to modern energy is holding back economic and social development for 1.6 billion people around the world. The situation is particularly grave in sub-Sahara Africa where over 80% of the population lives in rural areas and the average electrification rate is less than 5%. At least 50 million new connections are needed to provide electricity to supply the non-connected areas in Africa. The over 700 million potential customers represented by these new connections provide a major business opportunity. It is now widely recognised that development assistance, bilateral aid, multilateral financing institutions, a multitude of international aid agencies, NGOs and others have failed to make a significant difference. A new approach is required, otherwise the number of people without access to electricity will continue to grow, and none of the Millennium Development Goals set by the United Nations will be achieved. This regional report highlights key factors that affect cooperative energy projects. The geopolitical context, investment climate and appropriate regulation are just as important as the institutional and technical capacity required to execute many of these projects. The report identifies four key benefits of regional integration: improved security of supply and accessibility; increased economic efficiency; enhanced environmental quality and broader development of renewable resources.

The Economic Burden of Violence against Children in South Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Fang, Xiangming; Zheng, Xiaodong; Fry, Deborah A; Ganz, Gary; Casey, Tabitha; Hsiao, Celia; Ward, Catherine L

2017-11-22

The purpose of this study was to estimate the economic burden of violence against children in South Africa. We assembled summative estimates of lifetime prevalence, calculated the magnitude of associations with negative outcomes, and thereby estimated the economic burden of violence against children. According to our calculations, 2.3 million and 84,287 disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) lost in South Africa in 2015 were attributable to nonfatal and fatal violence against children, respectively. The estimated economic value of DALYs lost to violence against children (including both fatal and nonfatal) in South Africa in 2015 totalled ZAR173 billion (US $13.5 billion)-or 4.3% of South Africa's gross domestic product (GDP) in 2015. In addition, the reduced earnings attributable to childhood physical violence and emotional violence in South Africa in 2015 were ZAR25.2 billion (US $2.0 billion) and ZAR9.6 billion (US $750 million), respectively. In addition, South Africa spent ZAR1.6 billion (US $124 million) on child care and protection in fiscal year 2015/2016, many of which costs are directly related to violence against children. This study confirms the importance of prioritising violence against children as a key social and economic concern for South Africa's future.

Uranium in South Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ford, M.A.

1993-01-01

The history, sources, mineralogy, extraction metallurgy, conversion, and enrichment of uranium in South Africa is reviewed. Over the past 40 years extraction plants were built at 27 sites, and over 140 kt of uranium have been produced. Older plants have had to adapt to changing market conditions, no single technology has had the opportunity to become entrenched, and the costs have been reduced to a third of those of the original flowsheet. The research efforts aimed at developing the country's nuclear raw materials have been particularly rewarding, as they have enabled South Africa to become a world leader in the extraction of uranium from low-grade ores and to develop methods for uranium enrichment and the production of nuclear fuels. 43 refs., 7 figs., 4 tabs

Greenhouse gas emissions in Sub-Saharan Africa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Graham, R.L.; Perlack, R.D.; Prasad, A.M.G.; Ranney, J.W.; Waddle, D.B.

1990-11-01

Current and future carbon emissions from land-use change and energy consumption were analyzed for Sub-Saharan Africa. The energy sector analysis was based on UN energy data tapes while the land-use analysis was based on a spatially-explicit land-use model developed specifically for this project. The impacts of different energy and land-use strategies on future carbon emissions were considered. (A review of anthropogenic emissions of methane, nitrous oxides, and chlorofluorocarbons in Sub-Saharan Africa indicated that they were probably minor in both a global and a regional context. The study therefore was focused on emissions of carbon dioxide.) The land-use model predicts carbon emissions from land use change and the amount of carbon stored in vegetation (carbon inventory) on a yearly basis between 1985 and 2001. Emissions and inventory are modeled at 9000 regularly-spaced point locations in Sub-Saharan Africa using location-specific information on vegetation type, soils, climate and deforestation. Vegetation, soils, and climate information were derived from continental-scale maps while relative deforestation rates(% of forest land lost each year) were developed from country-specific forest and deforestation statistics (FAO Tropical Forest Resources Assessment for Africa, 1980). The carbon emissions under different land use strategies in Sub-Saharan Africa were analyzed by modifying deforestation rates and altering the amount of carbon stored under different land uses. The considered strategies were: preservation of existing forests, implementation of agroforestry, and establishment of industrial tree plantations. 82 refs., 16 figs., 25 tabs.

CPIA Africa, July 2017 : Assessing Africa's Policies and Institutions

OpenAIRE

World Bank Group

2017-01-01

Sub-Saharan Africa faced another challenging year in 2016. Economic activity continued to weaken, amid less favorable terms of trade, slowdown in global growth, and difficult domestic conditions. Output growth decelerated sharply to 1.3 percent, the slowest pace in over two decades and not as stellar as the average annual growth of around 5 percent in the pre-global financial crisis period...

Potential for CHP in Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yameogo, Gabriel

2000-01-01

It is suggested that many industries in Africa could benefit from biomass-fired cogeneration so long as the correct structures and learning processes are put in place. The article discusses Africa's energy background and gives figures for generation sources and consumption. A profile of Sudan and its energy needs is presented. It is argued that although some barriers do exist, a move to cogeneration is essential. CHP should be particularly attractive for industries able to use thermal energy for drying, heating and cooling: typical areas would be pharmaceutical and chemical plants, textile factories, cement works and steel mills

Power generation in South Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Van der Walt, N.T.

1976-01-01

There have been extensive developments in the power supply industry in South Africa. The most evident of these has been the increase in the size of generating units. Escom has recently placed orders for 600 MW units. In South Africa, with its large indigenous reserves of cheap coal, there was no need to rush into a nuclear power programme before it would be economic and, accordingly the first serious study of nuclear power generation was not undertaken until 1966. A final aspect of power generation which is becoming very important is the control of pollution and protection of the environment

Vectors of rickettsiae in Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Bitam, Idir

2012-12-01

Vector-borne diseases are caused by parasites, bacteria, or viruses transmitted by the bites of hematophagous arthropods. In Africa, there has been a recent emergence of new diseases and the re-emergence of existing diseases, usually with changes in disease epidemiology (e.g., geographical distribution, prevalence, and pathogenicity). In Africa, rickettsioses are recognized as important emerging vector-borne infections in humans. Rickettsial diseases are transmitted by different types of arthropods, ticks, fleas, lice, and mites. This review will examine the roles of these different arthropod vectors and their geographical distributions. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Making a Difference Through Engineer Capacity Building in Africa

Science.gov (United States)

2014-05-22

expense is 10 percent in Africa whereas in China energy it is only 3 percent.37 A lack of transportation infrastructure in Africa means that businesses...Africa. In 2012, China committed to provide $20 billion in loans for agriculture and infrastructure development. While this level of aid is roughly the...using wind, solar, hydropower, natural gas, and geothermal sources. This program is being executed in six sub-Saharan African nations. They are

Selected socioeconomic barriers of education in Sub-Saharan Africa

OpenAIRE

Tillová, Petra

2015-01-01

Selected socioeconomic barriers of education in Sub-Saharan Africa Abstract The aim of bachelor thesis is to describe and understand the process of education in Sub-Saharan Africa and analyze components that cause limited access to education. The first part of the thesis describes the process of education in Sub-Saharan Africa using selected indicators. The second main part focuses on the description and possible relations between selected socioeconomic barriers and literacy. Selected barrier...

Patterns of Manufacturing Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Austin, G.; Frankema, E.H.P.; Jerven, M.

2017-01-01

This chapter reviews the ‘long twentieth-century’ development of ‘modern’ manufacturing in Sub-Saharan Africa from colonization to the present. It argues that classifying Africa generically as a ‘late industrializer’ is inaccurate. To understand the distinctively African pattern of manufacturing

Strengthening Africa's science granting councils as champions of ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Science granting councils are central to funding and catalyzing research and innovation, particularly in national science systems in sub-Saharan Africa. The availability of reliable indicators—to monitor Africa's scientific and technological developments, implement science policies and strategies, track public investment in ...

An update on the management of breast cancer in Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Vanderpuye, V; Grover, S; Hammad, N; PoojaPrabhakar; Simonds, H; Olopade, F; Stefan, D C

2017-01-01

There is limited information about the challenges of cancer management and attempts at improving outcomes in Africa. Even though South and North Africa are better resourceds to tackle the burden of breast cancer, similar poor prognostic factors are common to all countries. The five-year overall Survival rate for breast cancer patients does not exceed 60% for any low and middle-income country (LMIC) in Africa. In spite of the gains achieved over the past decade, certain characteristics remain the same such as limited availability of breast conservation therapies, inadequate access to drugs, few oncology specialists and adherence to harmful socio-cultural practices. This review on managing breast cancer in Africa is authored by African oncologists who practice or collaborate in Africa and with hands-on experience with the realities. A search was performed via electronic databases from 1999 to 2016. (PubMed/Medline, African Journals Online) for all literature in English or translated into English, covering the terms "breast cancer in Africa and developing countries". One hundred ninety were deemed appropriate. Breast tumors are diagnosed at earlier ages and later stages than in highincome countries. There is a higher prevalence of triple-negative cancers. The limitations of poor nursing care and surgery, inadequate access to radiotherapy, poor availability of basic and modern systemic therapies translate into lower survival rate. Positive strides in breast cancer management in Africa include increased adaptation of treatment guidelines, improved pathology services including immuno-histochemistry, expansion and upgrading of radiotherapy equipment across the continent in addition to more research opportunities. This review is an update of the management of breast cancer in Africa, taking a look at the epidemiology, pathology, management resources, outcomes, research and limitations in Africa from the perspective of oncologists with local experience.

Cancer prevention in Africa: a review of the literature.

Science.gov (United States)

Busolo, David S; Woodgate, Roberta L

2015-06-01

Cancer is an emerging crisis in Africa. Cancer was the seventh leading cause of death in 2004. If not controlled, cancer incidence in Africa is expected to reach 1.28 million cases annually and claim 970,000 lives yearly by 2030. This paper presents a review of the literature on current cancer prevention approaches in Africa, and consists of cancer prevention studies conducted in African countries (e.g. South Africa and Nigeria) from PubMed, Scopus, and CINAHL databases. Common female cancers in Africa are breast and cervical cancer while prostate cancer is the most common neoplasm among African males. Other common cancers are liver, colorectal, and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Mortality related to these cancers comes as a result of delays in screening and treatment, unfamiliarity with cancer and cancer prevention, inaccessibility and unaffordability of care, and inefficiency of healthcare systems. Cancer prevention efforts are deficient because many governments lack cancer prevention and control policies. Also contributing to the lack of cancer prevention and control policies are low levels of awareness, scarce human and financial resources, and inadequacy of cancer registries. Overall, governments grapple with limited funds and competing healthcare priorities. As cancer continues to increase in Africa, the need for rigorous interdisciplinary research on cancer etiology and monitoring in Africa has never been timelier. Cost-effective cancer prevention programs, coordination of donor funding, advocacy, and education should be aggressively pursued. The call for more collaborative approaches in research and policy is urgently needed. © The Author(s) 2014.

The African Genome Variation Project shapes medical genetics in Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Gurdasani, Deepti; Carstensen, Tommy; Tekola-Ayele, Fasil; Pagani, Luca; Tachmazidou, Ioanna; Hatzikotoulas, Konstantinos; Karthikeyan, Savita; Iles, Louise; Pollard, Martin O.; Choudhury, Ananyo; Ritchie, Graham R. S.; Xue, Yali; Asimit, Jennifer; Nsubuga, Rebecca N.; Young, Elizabeth H.; Pomilla, Cristina; Kivinen, Katja; Rockett, Kirk; Kamali, Anatoli; Doumatey, Ayo P.; Asiki, Gershim; Seeley, Janet; Sisay-Joof, Fatoumatta; Jallow, Muminatou; Tollman, Stephen; Mekonnen, Ephrem; Ekong, Rosemary; Oljira, Tamiru; Bradman, Neil; Bojang, Kalifa; Ramsay, Michele; Adeyemo, Adebowale; Bekele, Endashaw; Motala, Ayesha; Norris, Shane A.; Pirie, Fraser; Kaleebu, Pontiano; Kwiatkowski, Dominic; Tyler-Smith, Chris; Rotimi, Charles; Zeggini, Eleftheria; Sandhu, Manjinder S.

2015-01-01

Given the importance of Africa to studies of human origins and disease susceptibility, detailed characterization of African genetic diversity is needed. The African Genome Variation Project provides a resource with which to design, implement and interpret genomic studies in sub-Saharan Africa and worldwide. The African Genome Variation Project represents dense genotypes from 1,481 individuals and whole-genome sequences from 320 individuals across sub-Saharan Africa. Using this resource, we find novel evidence of complex, regionally distinct hunter-gatherer and Eurasian admixture across sub-Saharan Africa. We identify new loci under selection, including loci related to malaria susceptibility and hypertension. We show that modern imputation panels (sets of reference genotypes from which unobserved or missing genotypes in study sets can be inferred) can identify association signals at highly differentiated loci across populations in sub-Saharan Africa. Using whole-genome sequencing, we demonstrate further improvements in imputation accuracy, strengthening the case for large-scale sequencing efforts of diverse African haplotypes. Finally, we present an efficient genotype array design capturing common genetic variation in Africa.

The African Genome Variation Project shapes medical genetics in Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Gurdasani, Deepti; Carstensen, Tommy; Tekola-Ayele, Fasil; Pagani, Luca; Tachmazidou, Ioanna; Hatzikotoulas, Konstantinos; Karthikeyan, Savita; Iles, Louise; Pollard, Martin O; Choudhury, Ananyo; Ritchie, Graham R S; Xue, Yali; Asimit, Jennifer; Nsubuga, Rebecca N; Young, Elizabeth H; Pomilla, Cristina; Kivinen, Katja; Rockett, Kirk; Kamali, Anatoli; Doumatey, Ayo P; Asiki, Gershim; Seeley, Janet; Sisay-Joof, Fatoumatta; Jallow, Muminatou; Tollman, Stephen; Mekonnen, Ephrem; Ekong, Rosemary; Oljira, Tamiru; Bradman, Neil; Bojang, Kalifa; Ramsay, Michele; Adeyemo, Adebowale; Bekele, Endashaw; Motala, Ayesha; Norris, Shane A; Pirie, Fraser; Kaleebu, Pontiano; Kwiatkowski, Dominic; Tyler-Smith, Chris; Rotimi, Charles; Zeggini, Eleftheria; Sandhu, Manjinder S

2015-01-15

Given the importance of Africa to studies of human origins and disease susceptibility, detailed characterization of African genetic diversity is needed. The African Genome Variation Project provides a resource with which to design, implement and interpret genomic studies in sub-Saharan Africa and worldwide. The African Genome Variation Project represents dense genotypes from 1,481 individuals and whole-genome sequences from 320 individuals across sub-Saharan Africa. Using this resource, we find novel evidence of complex, regionally distinct hunter-gatherer and Eurasian admixture across sub-Saharan Africa. We identify new loci under selection, including loci related to malaria susceptibility and hypertension. We show that modern imputation panels (sets of reference genotypes from which unobserved or missing genotypes in study sets can be inferred) can identify association signals at highly differentiated loci across populations in sub-Saharan Africa. Using whole-genome sequencing, we demonstrate further improvements in imputation accuracy, strengthening the case for large-scale sequencing efforts of diverse African haplotypes. Finally, we present an efficient genotype array design capturing common genetic variation in Africa.

[Study on discourse right construction of China's medical aid to Africa].

Science.gov (United States)

Li-Ying, Zhou; Yao, Deng; Kun, Yang

2016-11-24

To analyze the discourse right construction of China's medical aid to Africa, so as to provide evidences for improving the effect and sustainable development of China's medical aid to Africa. The documents of the discourse right that China constructed in the medical aid to Africa were selected at different periods as discourse samples. The achievement and deficiency were analyzed from four aspects, namely confident, charismatic, influential, and dominant. China's medical team made much in the discourse right construction in their aid to Africa, but some China's medical team members were still too cautious and too low-key. China's medical team gained the trust of the people of Africa, but the language communication difficulties still hampered in China's medical aid to Africa. Chinese medical team were widely praised by the African society, but in the west, some African media, even China's media still neglected to report China's doctors. China's international discourse right were greatly improved, but western countries still dominated the public opinion. China should refer to the actual situation of medical aid to Africa to strengthen the construction of discourse right.

Openness, Inequality and Poverty in Africa

OpenAIRE

Alemayehu Geda

2006-01-01

This paper explores the relationships between openness, poverty and inequality in Africa. The analysis begins with a review of social development on the continent since 1980, followed by a discussion of openness and a lengthy exploration of the patterns of trade and finance that link Africa to the rest of the world. The macroeconomic policy framework that guided African policymaking over the last three decades is the lens through which poverty and inequality are further examined. The paper hi...

Rural development update for South Africa

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Arent, D. [National Renewable Energy Lab., Golden, CO (United States)

1997-12-01

This paper describes renewable energy programs implemented in South Africa as part of a collaborative program for rural development. Different facets of this program include: Renewable Energy for South Africa (REFSA); hybrid collaborative R&D; electricity sector restructuring; provincial level initiation of renewable energy applications; renewable energy for African development (REFAD); and Suncorp photovoltaic manufacturing company. Limited detailed information is provided on the activities of each of these different program facets over the past year in particular.

Childhood Autism In Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Lotter, Victor

1978-01-01

Mentally handicapped children were screened in 5 countries in Africa in order to explore the usefulness of Western criteria for the recognition of childhood autism in children from developing countries. (CM)

Michiel Heyns’s Lost Ground: The white man’s sense of identity and place in a decolonised Africa and a democratic South Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Renate Lenz

2017-03-01

Full Text Available In Lost Ground, Michiel Heyns portrays the former white settlers’ position and experience in South Africa, Africa and Europe after the overturn of South Africa’s apartheid regime. An analysis of the novel illustrates that the legacy of the colonisation of Africa and apartheid in South Africa still shapes the settler descendants’ perception of self and the other and the formers’ place in South Africa and Africa. After the electoral victory of the African National Congress, contemporary white South African men, as exemplified by the English-speaking male protagonist who features in the novel, tend to dissociate themselves from the country and the African continent as home. Although the original colonisers’ experience of alienation and ambivalence about apartheid has been widely depicted, the significance of this experience in relation to white South African male identity has not been fully explored in a study of Heyns’s Lost Ground, principally as regards the novel’s detective narrative framework and the counterdiscursive technique of intertextual referencing that implies other interpretative possibilities. Lost Ground will be critically analysed in terms of the central character’s experience of space and place, and the influence of these paradigms on Peter Jacobs as he makes strides towards abandoning historical/racial restrictions and locating his identity in people.

Geographic distribution and ecological niche of plague in sub-Saharan Africa

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Neerinckx, Simon B; Peterson, Andrew T; Gulinck, Hubert

2008-01-01

Background Plague is a rapidly progressing, serious illness in humans that is likely to be fatal if not treated. It remains a public health threat, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. In spite of plague's highly focal nature, a thorough ecological understanding of the general distribution pattern...... of plague across sub-Saharan Africa has not been established to date. In this study, we used human plague data from sub-Saharan Africa for 1970-2007 in an ecological niche modeling framework to explore the potential geographic distribution of plague and its ecological requirements across Africa. Results We...... predict a broad potential distributional area of plague occurrences across sub-Saharan Africa. General tests of model's transferability suggest that our model can anticipate the potential distribution of plague occurrences in Madagascar and northern Africa. However, generality and predictive ability tests...

Astronomy Education & Outreach in South Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Throop, Henry B.

2015-11-01

Although South Africa has evolved greatly in the 20 years since the end of apartheid, it remains a very divided country. The highest-performing students are comparable in ability to those in the US and Europe, but nearly all of these students are from priveleged Afrikaaner (European) backgrounds. The vast majority of students in the country are native African, and school standards remain very low across the country. It is common that students have no textbooks, teachers have only a high school education, and schools have no telephones and no toilets. By high school graduation, the majority of students have never used a web browser -- even students in the capital of Johannesburg. And while a few students are inspired by home-grown world-class projects such as the Square Kilometer Array (SKA) and Southern African Large Telescope (SALT), most remain unaware of their existence.Despite the poor state of education in the country, students work hard, are curious, and desire information from the outside world. Astronomy is one subject in which students in rural Africa often show exceptional interest. Perhaps astronomy serves as a 'gateway science,' linking the physically observable world with the exotic and unknown.Here I report on many visits I have made to both rural and urban schools in South Africa during the 2013-2015 period. I have interacted with thousands of grade 7-12 students at dozens of schools, as well as taught students who graduated from this system and enrolled in local universities. I will present an assessment of the state of science education in South Africa, as well as a few broader suggestions for how scientists and educators in developed countries can best make an impact in Southern Africa.

Norovirus Epidemiology in Africa: A Review.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Janet Mans

Full Text Available Norovirus (NoV is recognised as a leading cause of gastroenteritis worldwide across all age groups. The prevalence and diversity of NoVs in many African countries is still unknown, although early sero-prevalence studies indicated widespread early infection. Reports on NoVs in Africa vary widely in terms of study duration, population groups and size, inclusion of asymptomatic controls, as well as genotyping information. This review provides an estimate of NoV prevalence and distribution of genotypes of NoVs in Africa. Inclusion criteria for the review were study duration of at least 6 months, population size of >50 and diagnosis by RT-PCR. As regions used for genotyping varied, or genotyping was not always performed, this was not considered as an inclusion criteria. A literature search containing the terms norovirus+Africa yielded 74 publications. Of these 19 studies from 14 out of the 54 countries in Africa met the inclusion criteria. Data from studies not meeting the inclusion criteria, based on sample size or short duration, were included as discussion points. The majority of studies published focused on children, under five years of age, hospitalised with acute gastroenteritis. The mean overall prevalence was 13.5% (range 0.8-25.5% in children with gastroenteritis and 9.7% (range 7-31% in asymptomatic controls, where tested. NoV GII.4 was the predominant genotype identified in most of the studies that presented genotyping data. Other prevalent genotypes detected included GII.3 and GII.6. In conclusion, NoV is a common pathogen in children with diarrhoea in Africa, with considerable carriage in asymptomatic children. There is however, a paucity of data on NoV infection in adults.

Linking Up : Public-Private Partnerships in Power Transmission in Africa

OpenAIRE

World Bank

2017-01-01

The 'Linking up: Public-Private Partnerships in Power Transmission in Africa' report examines private sector-led investments in transmission globally and how this approach is applicable in sub-Saharan Africa. The private sector has invested over US$25 billion in the generation sector in Africa, and across other regions, has also participated successfully in transmission networks in many co...

Burden of end-stage renal disease in sub-Saharan Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Naicker, S

2010-11-01

To review prevalence, causes and management of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Review of literature and data. Approximately 70% of the least developed countries of the world are in SSA. Rapid urbanization is occurring in many parts of the continent, contributing to overcrowding and poverty. While infections and parasitic diseases are still the leading cause of death in Africa, non-communicable diseases are coming to the forefront. There is a continuing "brain drain" of healthcare workers (physicians and nurses) from Africa to more affluent regions. There are large rural areas of Africa that have no health professionals to serve these populations. There are no nephrologists in many parts of SSA; the numbers vary from 0.5 per million population (pmp) in Kenya to 0.6 pmp in Nigeria, 0.7 pmp in Sudan and 1.1 pmp in South Africa. Chronic kidney disease affects mainly young adults aged 20 - 50 years in SSA and is primarily due to hypertension and glomerular diseases. HIV- related glomerular disease often presents late, with patients requiring dialysis. Diabetes mellitus affects 9.4 million people in Africa. The prevalence of diabetic nephropathy is estimated to be 6 - 16% in SSA. The current dialysis treatment rate is Africa, Nigeria, Mauritius and Ghana, with most of the transplants being living donor transplants, except in South Africa where the majority are from deceased donors. Chronic kidney disease care is especially challenging in SSA, with large numbers of ESRD patients, inadequate facilities, funding and support.

Corruption and Human Rights Law in Africa (2016 Hart Publishing, Oxford)

OpenAIRE

Willard T Mugadza

2018-01-01

This contribution reviews the book by Kolawole Olaniyan on corruption and human rights law in Africa. The book, Corruption and Human Rights Law in Africa, provides a framework for complementarity between promoting and protecting human rights and combatting corruption in Africa.

Sub-Saharan Africa Report

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

1985-01-01

This is Sub Saharan Africa Report. It contains the issues with different topics on Inter African Affairs, Angola, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, Congo, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, madagascar, Mozambique...

Africa's Quest for Developmental States: 'renaissance' for whom?

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Shaw, Timothy Milton

2012-01-01

After a generally disappointing half-century since recapturing formal independence, at the turn of the second decade of the 21st century, Africa(s) may now be able to seize unanticipated emerging opportunities to move from `fragile' or `failed' towards `developmental' political economies. The con...

Journal of Librarianship and Information Science in Africa ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Author Guidelines. The Journal of Librarianship and Information Science in Africa (JLISA)/Revue de Bibliotheconomie et Science de l'information en Afrique is expected to explore the range of issues and problems of concern to librarians, information scientists and other information professionals especially in Africa.

Canada-Africa Prevention Trials Network : Building African Capacity ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Canada-Africa Prevention Trials Network : Building African Capacity for HIV/AIDS Prevention Trials. The Canada-Africa Prevention Trials Network (CAPT Network) was formed through a capacity building grant from the Global Health Research Initiative (GHRI). The Network comprises eight African centres (four in Uganda, ...

Peace, Human Security and Sustainable Development in Africa ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Peace, Human Security and Sustainable Development in Africa ... into a sustainable livelihood for some of the poorest communities in Africa. ... Project status ... IDRC congratulates first cohort of Women in Climate Change Science Fellows ... titled “Climate change and adaptive water management: Innovative solutions from ...

Early Childhood Development in South Africa--Progress Since the End of Apartheid

Science.gov (United States)

Atmore, Eric

2013-01-01

In April 1994, South Africa held its historic first democratic election. The African National Congress overwhelmingly triumphed and Nelson Mandela became the first president of a free and democratic South Africa. In this review, the situation of South Africa's young children under apartheid and the context of young children in South Africa in 2012…

Energy Relations between the European Union and North Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Sarah Kilpeläinen

2013-06-01

Full Text Available This article discusses European Union (EU-North Africa energy relations with a special focus on renewables in North Africa, arguing that the research so far has not taken due account of North African perceptions of EU external energy policy. It is argued that current research on EU-North African relations has not taken sufficient note of the multidimensionality of energy or addressed the inconsistent nature of EU policy making. However, addressing these issues is vital in approaching EU-North Africa energy relations and EU policy towards North Africa in general. The study of perceptions is introduced as one way to develop research further, to give further impetus on understanding how EU-North African energy relations develop and to understand energy relations in their complexity.

Uranium occurrences in the surficial deposits of Southern Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hambleton-Jones, B.B.

1982-01-01

This paper outlines the geology of the Tertiary to Recent(10 to 0,1 Ma) surficial uranium deposits in South West Africa/Namibia and South Africa. They occur mainly in the Namib Desert to the east of Walvis Bay in South West Africa/Namibia and in the north-western Cape Province of South Africa. All the deposits can be classified as fluviatile, lacustrine/pan, or pedogenic types. The economic potential of the surficial uranium deposits in the north-western Cape is insignificant compared with their South West African/Namibian counterparts. Most of the deposits occur in gypsiferous fluviatile gravels and lacustrine/pan sediments. The largest of the deposits is a lacustrinal, peat-rich, diatomaceous earth type. The mechanisms for the precipitation of the uranium are discussed

Uraniferous surficial deposits in Southern Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hambleton-Jones, B.B.; Levin, M.; Wagener, G.F.

1986-01-01

Surficial uranium deposits are located in the north-western Cape Province of South Africa, in the Namib Desert east of Walvis Bay in South West Africa/Namibia and in the Serule Block of Botswana. They have been classified into the valley-fill, lacustrine, and pedogenic types. Carnotite is the main uranium-bearing mineral in the larger surficial deposits, with other minerals such as soddyite and phosphuranylite occurring locally. Uraninite or urano-organic complexes occur in the reducing environments of the diatomaceous earth, peat-rich deposits. Economically, the valley-fill type is the most important, with the largest deposits occurring in South West Africa/Namibia. In South West Africa/Namibia the valley-fill surficial uranium deposits occur in the Tumas and Langer Heinrich formations of the Teriary to Recent Namib Group. The Tubas, Langer Heinrich, and Welwitchia deposits are discussed: in them, carnotite occurs in calcareous and gypsiferous fluvial gravels. The pedogenic deposit at Mile 72 occurs in weathered granite and overlying gypcrete and has little economic potential. The economic potential of the surficial deposits in the north-western Cape Province is very limited in comparison with their South West African/Namibian counterparts, but the most important deposits are the lacustrine type, in particular those containing peat and diatomaceous earth. The mechanisms for the precipitation and preservation of the uranium are discussed

Eastern Africa Social Science Research Review: About this journal

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Eastern Africa Social Science Research Review: About this journal. Journal Home > Eastern Africa Social Science Research Review: About this journal. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads.

Early Back-to-Africa Migration into the Horn of Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Hodgson, Jason A.; Mulligan, Connie J.; Al-Meeri, Ali; Raaum, Ryan L.

2014-01-01

Genetic studies have identified substantial non-African admixture in the Horn of Africa (HOA). In the most recent genomic studies, this non-African ancestry has been attributed to admixture with Middle Eastern populations during the last few thousand years. However, mitochondrial and Y chromosome data are suggestive of earlier episodes of admixture. To investigate this further, we generated new genome-wide SNP data for a Yemeni population sample and merged these new data with published genome-wide genetic data from the HOA and a broad selection of surrounding populations. We used multidimensional scaling and ADMIXTURE methods in an exploratory data analysis to develop hypotheses on admixture and population structure in HOA populations. These analyses suggested that there might be distinct, differentiated African and non-African ancestries in the HOA. After partitioning the SNP data into African and non-African origin chromosome segments, we found support for a distinct African (Ethiopic) ancestry and a distinct non-African (Ethio-Somali) ancestry in HOA populations. The African Ethiopic ancestry is tightly restricted to HOA populations and likely represents an autochthonous HOA population. The non-African ancestry in the HOA, which is primarily attributed to a novel Ethio-Somali inferred ancestry component, is significantly differentiated from all neighboring non-African ancestries in North Africa, the Levant, and Arabia. The Ethio-Somali ancestry is found in all admixed HOA ethnic groups, shows little inter-individual variance within these ethnic groups, is estimated to have diverged from all other non-African ancestries by at least 23 ka, and does not carry the unique Arabian lactase persistence allele that arose about 4 ka. Taking into account published mitochondrial, Y chromosome, paleoclimate, and archaeological data, we find that the time of the Ethio-Somali back-to-Africa migration is most likely pre-agricultural. PMID:24921250

Population growth and food supply in sub-Saharan Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Meerman, J; Cochrane, S H

1982-09-01

It is argued in this article that sub-Saharan Africa, given its present institutions and endowments of capital and technology, is already dangerously close to overpopulation. The rapid growth of its population projected for the next decades will greatly increase human misery and depress economic development. Specifically, rapid population growth will have disastrous effects on the region's ability to increase exports and provide people with food. There must be a search for new ways in which these effects could be mitigated. In sub-Saharan Africa fertility either continues to be very high or is increasing, in part due to some decline in traditional practices that reduce fertility, such as prolonged breastfeeding. This situation and the expectation of declining mortality imply that African population growth may increase further. Currently, population in sub-Saharan Africa is about half that of India and a third of China. There are 2 main reasons why reduced fertility in the next few decades is unlikely in sub-Saharan Africa as a whole: Africa has low literacy, high infant and child mortality, and low urbanization; and average African fertility rates may even increase for the next 20 years or so. The question that arises is what are the implications of continuing and rapid population growth for the African food supply. The region's cereal production is largely restricted to 4 grains, i.e., millet, sorghum, maize, and rice. The volume of grain production is less, by weight, than 60% of the production of roots and tubers. There are 2 main differences between the output of these crops in sub-Saharan Africa and the rest of the world: yields/hectare are lower in Africa than in elsewhere; and yields have generally been decreasing or largely constant in Africa. The low productivity has several causes. Today, population pressure has brought diminishing returns to traditional agriculture in much of the Sahel and the savanna, in parts of East Africa, Southern Africa, and parts

IDRC in South Africa

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

challenges remain. ... such issues as environmental preserva- tion, new ... women's access to land. ... Youth in South Africa face many hurdles, ... works like family and friends to overcome chal- ... representatives, local businesses, and gov-.

Student Power in Africa

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Sociology, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University, USA. ... publication, the book Student Politics in Africa: Representation and Activism, published .... reference to two moments in the country's student political history: the 1973 student.

Tobacco Control in Africa

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Manufactured tobacco production in Cameroon (tons) ... Africa has a responsibility to resist the carrot of industrial temptation. ...... parliamentary systems, unitary versus federal designs and the relative development and influence of the judicial ...

Histoplasmosis in Africa: An emerging or a neglected disease?

Science.gov (United States)

2018-01-01

Histoplasmosis in Africa has markedly increased since the advent of the HIV/AIDS epidemic but is under-recognised. Pulmonary histoplasmosis may be misdiagnosed as tuberculosis (TB). In the last six decades (1952–2017), 470 cases of histoplasmosis have been reported. HIV-infected patients accounted for 38% (178) of the cases. West Africa had the highest number of recorded cases with 179; the majority (162 cases) were caused by Histoplasma capsulatum var. dubuosii (Hcd). From the Southern African region, 150 cases have been reported, and the majority (119) were caused by H. capsulatum var. capsulatum (Hcc). There have been 12 histoplasmin skin test surveys with rates of 0% to 35% positivity. Most cases of Hcd presented as localised lesions in immunocompetent persons; however, it was disseminated in AIDS patients. Rapid diagnosis of histoplasmosis in Africa is only currently possible using microscopy; antigen testing and PCR are not available in most of Africa. Treatment requires amphotericin B and itraconazole, both of which are not licensed or available in several parts of Africa. PMID:29346384

Review: Pierre Englebert, Africa: Unity, Sovereignty, and Sorrow (2009 Buchbesprechung: Pierre Englebert, Africa: Unity, Sovereignty, and Sorrow (2009

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Thomas Bierschenk

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Review of the monograph: Pierre Englebert (2009, Africa: Unity, Sovereignty, and Sorrow, Boulder, Co. & London: Lynne Rienner Publishers, ISBN: 978-1-58826-646-0 (Hardcover / 978-1-58826-623-1 (Paperback, 310 pages. Besprechung der Monographie: Pierre Englebert (2009, Africa: Unity, Sovereignty, and Sorrow, Boulder, Co. & London: Lynne Rienner Publishers, ISBN: 978-1-58826-646-0 (Hardcover / 978-1-58826-623-1 (Paperback, 310 Seiten.

Mitochondrial lineage M1 traces an early human backflow to Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

González, Ana M; Larruga, José M; Abu-Amero, Khaled K; Shi, Yufei; Pestano, José; Cabrera, Vicente M

2007-07-09

The out of Africa hypothesis has gained generalized consensus. However, many specific questions remain unsettled. To know whether the two M and N macrohaplogroups that colonized Eurasia were already present in Africa before the exit is puzzling. It has been proposed that the east African clade M1 supports a single origin of haplogroup M in Africa. To test the validity of that hypothesis, the phylogeographic analysis of 13 complete mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences and 261 partial sequences belonging to haplogroup M1 was carried out. The coalescence age of the African haplogroup M1 is younger than those for other M Asiatic clades. In contradiction to the hypothesis of an eastern Africa origin for modern human expansions out of Africa, the most ancestral M1 lineages have been found in Northwest Africa and in the Near East, instead of in East Africa. The M1 geographic distribution and the relative ages of its different subclades clearly correlate with those of haplogroup U6, for which an Eurasian ancestor has been demonstrated. This study provides evidence that M1, or its ancestor, had an Asiatic origin. The earliest M1 expansion into Africa occurred in northwestern instead of eastern areas; this early spread reached the Iberian Peninsula even affecting the Basques. The majority of the M1a lineages found outside and inside Africa had a more recent eastern Africa origin. Both western and eastern M1 lineages participated in the Neolithic colonization of the Sahara. The striking parallelism between subclade ages and geographic distribution of M1 and its North African U6 counterpart strongly reinforces this scenario. Finally, a relevant fraction of M1a lineages present today in the European Continent and nearby islands possibly had a Jewish instead of the commonly proposed Arab/Berber maternal ascendance.

Mitochondrial lineage M1 traces an early human backflow to Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Pestano José

2007-07-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The out of Africa hypothesis has gained generalized consensus. However, many specific questions remain unsettled. To know whether the two M and N macrohaplogroups that colonized Eurasia were already present in Africa before the exit is puzzling. It has been proposed that the east African clade M1 supports a single origin of haplogroup M in Africa. To test the validity of that hypothesis, the phylogeographic analysis of 13 complete mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA sequences and 261 partial sequences belonging to haplogroup M1 was carried out. Results The coalescence age of the African haplogroup M1 is younger than those for other M Asiatic clades. In contradiction to the hypothesis of an eastern Africa origin for modern human expansions out of Africa, the most ancestral M1 lineages have been found in Northwest Africa and in the Near East, instead of in East Africa. The M1 geographic distribution and the relative ages of its different subclades clearly correlate with those of haplogroup U6, for which an Eurasian ancestor has been demonstrated. Conclusion This study provides evidence that M1, or its ancestor, had an Asiatic origin. The earliest M1 expansion into Africa occurred in northwestern instead of eastern areas; this early spread reached the Iberian Peninsula even affecting the Basques. The majority of the M1a lineages found outside and inside Africa had a more recent eastern Africa origin. Both western and eastern M1 lineages participated in the Neolithic colonization of the Sahara. The striking parallelism between subclade ages and geographic distribution of M1 and its North African U6 counterpart strongly reinforces this scenario. Finally, a relevant fraction of M1a lineages present today in the European Continent and nearby islands possibly had a Jewish instead of the commonly proposed Arab/Berber maternal ascendance.

Review: John S. Saul, Liberation Lite: The Roots of Recolonization in Southern Africa (2011 Buchbesprechung: John S. Saul, Liberation Lite: The Roots of Recolonization in Southern Africa (2011

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Henning Melber

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Review of the monograph: John S. Saul, Liberation Lite: The Roots of Recolonization in Southern Africa, Trenton, N.J.: Africa World Press, 2011, ISBN 978-1-59221-835-6, 133 pagesBesprechung der Monographie: John S. Saul, Liberation Lite: The Roots of Recolonization in Southern Africa, Trenton, N.J.: Africa World Press, 2011, ISBN 978-1-59221-835-6, 133 Seiten

Memory of Lithuania in South Africa

OpenAIRE

Paulauskienė, Aušra

2010-01-01

Lithuania remains a constant in the memory of Jews of the world. Lithuania is remembered in English literature of South Africa of the second half of the 20th century, especially in works by Rose Zwi and Dan Jacobson. Lithuania is still remembered in the South Africa not only because of nostalgic feelings Lithuanian Jews of this country have. After the truth about the Jewish community destroyed in Lithuania, descendants of immigrants felt guilt because of their privileged position in the commu...

Technical Aspects Of Africa's Economic Development And The ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Africa's path to economic development has been constrained by destiny and policy choices to different degrees, but evidence does suggest that if institutions are built up, market economy values introduced, and the work ethic harvested, this opening century of a new millennium could indeed by Africa's century.

Antiphospholipid syndrome in Africa: a review | Akintayo | African ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Objective: To review the extent of research findings on Antiphospholipid Syndrome (APS) across the African continent. Data source: Published original researches and reviews were searched in English related to APS in Africa. Study design: Only studies conducted on Africans living in Africa were reviewed. Related review ...

Middle stone age shell beads from South Africa

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Henshilwood, C

2004-04-16

Full Text Available There are two competing models for the emergence of modern human behaviour: first, a late emergence in Africa or Eurasia similar to 50 to 40 thousand years ago and second, and a gradual transition in Africa between 250 to 50 ka. The earliest...

Agricultural Adaptations to Climate Changes in West Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Guan, K.; Sultan, B.; Lobell, D. B.; Biasutti, M.; Piani, C.; Hammer, G. L.; McLean, G.

2014-12-01

Agricultural production in West Africa is highly vulnerable to climate variability and change and a fast growing demand for food adds yet another challenge. Assessing possible adaptation strategies of crop production in West Africa under climate change is thus critical for ensuring regional food security and improving human welfare. Our previous efforts have identified as the main features of climate change in West Africa a robust increase in temperature and a complex shift in the rainfall pattern (i.e. seasonality delay and total amount change). Unaddressed, these robust climate changes would reduce regional crop production by up to 20%. In the current work, we use two well-validated crop models (APSIM and SARRA-H) to comprehensively assess different crop adaptation options under future climate scenarios. Particularly, we assess adaptations in both the choice of crop types and management strategies. The expected outcome of this study is to provide West Africa with region-specific adaptation recommendations that take into account both climate variability and climate change.

Implementation of genomics research in Africa: challenges and recommendations.

Science.gov (United States)

Adebamowo, Sally N; Francis, Veronica; Tambo, Ernest; Diallo, Seybou H; Landouré, Guida; Nembaware, Victoria; Dareng, Eileen; Muhamed, Babu; Odutola, Michael; Akeredolu, Teniola; Nerima, Barbara; Ozumba, Petronilla J; Mbhele, Slee; Ghanash, Anita; Wachinou, Ablo P; Ngomi, Nicholas

2018-01-01

There is exponential growth in the interest and implementation of genomics research in Africa. This growth has been facilitated by the Human Hereditary and Health in Africa (H3Africa) initiative, which aims to promote a contemporary research approach to the study of genomics and environmental determinants of common diseases in African populations. The purpose of this article is to describe important challenges affecting genomics research implementation in Africa. The observations, challenges and recommendations presented in this article were obtained through discussions by African scientists at teleconferences and face-to-face meetings, seminars at consortium conferences and in-depth individual discussions. Challenges affecting genomics research implementation in Africa, which are related to limited resources include ill-equipped facilities, poor accessibility to research centers, lack of expertise and an enabling environment for research activities in local hospitals. Challenges related to the research study include delayed funding, extensive procedures and interventions requiring multiple visits, delays setting up research teams and insufficient staff training, language barriers and an underappreciation of cultural norms. While many African countries are struggling to initiate genomics projects, others have set up genomics research facilities that meet international standards. The lessons learned in implementing successful genomics projects in Africa are recommended as strategies to overcome these challenges. These recommendations may guide the development and application of new research programs in low-resource settings.

Community-acquired acute kidney injury in adults in Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Adu, Dwomoa; Okyere, Perditer; Boima, Vincent; Matekole, Michael; Osafo, Charlotte

We review recent published data on demographics, causes, diagnoses, treatment, and outcome of acute kidney injury (AKI) in Africa. A review of the incidence, etiology, diagnoses, and treatment of AKI in adults in Africa from studies published between the years 2000 and 2015. The incidence of AKI in hospitalized patients in Africa ranges from 0.3 to 1.9% in adults. Between 70 and 90% of cases of AKI are community acquired. Most patients with AKI are young with a weighted mean age of 41.3 standard deviation (SD) 9.3 years, and a male to female ratio of 1.2 : 1.0. Medical causes account for between 65 and 80% of causes of AKI. This is followed by obstetric causes in 5 - 27% of cases and surgical causes in 2 - 24% of cases. In the reported studies, between 17 and 94% of patients who needed dialysis received this. The mortality of AKI in adults in Africa ranged from 11.5 to 43.5%. Most reported cases of AKI in Africa originate in the community. The low incidence of hospital-acquired AKI is likely to be due to under ascertainment. Most patients with AKI in Africa are young and have a single precipitating cause. Prominent among these are infection, pregnancy complications and nephrotoxins. Early treatment can improve clinical outcomes.

CORRUPTION IN SOUTH AFRICA: GENESIS AND OUTLOOK

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Natasha Georgieva Hadji Krsteski

2017-10-01

Full Text Available Corruption in South Africa includes the private use of public resources, bribery and improper favouritism. South Africa scored 45 points out of 100 on the 2016 Corruption Perceptions Index reported by Transparency International. Corruption Index in South Africa averaged 46.97 Points from 1996 until 2016, reaching an all-time high of 56.80 Points in 1996 and a record low of 41 Points in 2011. A tenderpreneur is common corruption in South Africa. It is an individual who enriches themselves through corrupting the awarding of government tender contracts, mostly based on personal connections and corrupt relationships - although outright bribery might also take place - and sometimes involving an elected or politically appointed official (or his or her family members holding simultaneous business interests. This is often accompanied by overcharging and shoddy workmanship. BEE-fronting is an abuse of the rules governing Black Economic Empowerment (BEE, where qualifying persons are given a seat on the Board of Directors of a company while having no decision-making power in the company, in order to qualify the company for government contracts in terms of BEE.

Hydrometeorological Research in South Africa: A Review

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Christina M. Botai

2015-04-01

Full Text Available Water resources, particularly in arid and semi-arid regions of the world are of great concern, as they are closely linked to the wellbeing of humankind. Sophisticated hydrological prediction tools are required to assess climatic and hydrometeorological conditions, as they impact the sustainability of water resources as well as water availability. Research and data collection activities from multi-hydrometeorological sensors (e.g., gauges, radars, satellites form the basis for quantifying the impact of extreme episodes along the hydrologic phases that manifest in terms of the magnitude, duration and frequency of floods, droughts and other hydrometeorological hazards that affect water resources management. A number of hydrometeorological research activities have been reported in the literature by various researchers and research groups globally. This contribution presents (a a review of the hydrometeorology resource landscape in South Africa; (b an analysis of the hydrometeorology services and products in South Africa; (c a review of the hydrometeorological research that has been conducted in South Africa for the last four decades; and (d highlights on some of the challenges facing the sustained advancement of research in hydrometeorology in South Africa.

Nutrition in Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Murray-lee, M

1989-07-01

Village women have adopted techniques set down by UNICEF in achieving higher food production and, ultimately, self sufficiency. Women's cooperatives integrate kitchen gardening and irrigated agriculture in an effort to combat the complex nutritional problems in Africa. Projects also offered training in a variety of areas including management of plots, labor-saving technology--diesel-driven grinding mills, rice husking, machines, wells with hand pumps, motor pumps for irrigation, all geared towards women benefitting themselves by growing their own food and furthering their children's health and development. Projects such as the one in Senegal were undertaken in other regions of Africa, like the Sahel and the Wadis--low-lying areas. From these projects, aid agencies and governments have suggested a number of recommendations in seeking a solution to Africa's nutritional problems. 1st, a balance between production of cash crops and food for consumption is called for. 2nd, research is necessary to improve the quality of locally grown food as much as livestock. 3rd, governments should extend surface area cultivation, 4th, more research on the advantage of indigenous food plants, 5th, women should be in on all levels of decision making in food production, 6th, governments should increase women farmer's efficiency, and further women's access to land and credit and 7th, women should be provided with increased educational opportunities. Nutrition in developing countries cannot be viewed as an isolated phenomenon--solutions to nutritional development should include all aspects of the problem including health and nutrition education, growth monitoring, water supply, literacy, technological know-how, and agricultural and plant and soil conservation.

The heart of Africa: succeeding against the odds.

Science.gov (United States)

Sliwa, Karen

2016-12-17

South Africa and other areas of sub-Saharan Africa have in the past 20 years undergone rapid demographical changes, largely due to urbanisation and changes in lifestyle. This rapid change has led to a marked increase in specific cardiac conditions, such as hypertensive heart disease and coronary artery disease (with the highest prevalence in the middle-aged population), in conjunction with a range of other heart diseases, which are historically common in Africa-eg, rheumatic heart disease, cardiomyopathies, and unoperated congenital heart disease. The short supply of well-equipped screening facilities, late diagnosis, and inadequate care at primary, secondary, and tertiary levels have led to a large burden of patients with poorly treated heart failure. Excellent progress has been made in the understanding of the epidemiology, sociodemographical factors, effect of urbanisation, and pathophysiology of cardiac conditions, such as peripartum cardiomyopathy, rheumatic heart disease, and tuberculous pericarditis, which are common in sub-Saharan Africa. This progress has been achieved largely through several studies, such as the Heart of Soweto, THESUS, REMEDY, BA-HEF, Abeokuta-HF, and the PAPUCO studies. Studies on the suitable therapeutic management of several heart conditions have also been done or are underway. In this Lecture, I provide a personal perspective on the evolving burden of cardiac disease, as witnessed since my appointment at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, in Soweto, South Africa, in 1992, which was also the year that the referendum to end apartheid in South Africa was held. Subsequently, a network of cardiologists was formed under the umbrella of the Heart of Africa Studies and the Pan African Cardiac Society. Furthermore, I summarise the major gaps in the health-care system dealing with the colliding epidemic of communicable and non-communicable heart diseases, including cardiac diseases common in peripartum women. I also touch on the fantastic

Pediatric HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa: emerging issues and way ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Conclusion: HIV infected children and their families in sub-Saharan Africa face myriad of complex medical and psychosocial issues. A holistic health promotional approach is being advocated as the required step for eradication of pediatric HIV in Africa. Keywords: Pediatric HIV, sub-Saharan Africa, Challenges.

Current Writing: Text and Reception in Southern Africa: Advanced ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

Current Writing: Text and Reception in Southern Africa: Advanced Search. Journal Home > Current Writing: Text and Reception in Southern Africa: Advanced Search. Log in or Register to get access to full text downloads.

Novel Livestock Vaccines for Viral Diseases in Africa toward ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

Africa's livestock industry The research will take place in Kenya and South Africa, where ... They will enhance food security by increasing production efficiency and ... provided through Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development Canada (DFATD).

Does China and Africa South-South cooperation lead to economic development in Africa?

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nonfodji, P.

2013-03-01

Full Text Available Since a few decades now Chinese enterprises’ investments abroad have seen a continuous and steady ascension. At first cautious and just across the Chinese national borders, these investments, slowly but surely, spread like a sheet of water that seeps into the heart of each continent on the globe. This global infiltration of Chinese companies coincides with the popularity in the use of the expression “South-South Cooperation” to characterize a type of relations between countries categorized as being “developing”. Accordingly this paper seeks to examine the role of the use of this concept as a “channel to achieve common development” in the context of Chinese enterprises’ outward direct investments in Africa adopting insights from international business production theories combined with an historical analysis of the notion of South-South Cooperation. Drawing on primary data gathered during my fieldwork in China in the period stretching from December 2011 to February 2012 and secondary data sources, it is argued that these Chinese investments supported by the Chinese government rhetoric on South-South cooperation, cannot lead to significant economic development in Africa like it has happened in China in the eighties. Rather and at most Chinese investments in Africa show some “trickle-down” effects characterised by very limited economic development in scattered localities throughout the African continent.

Sub-Saharan Africa: Sustainability Risk Discussion

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Victoria Bakhtina

2011-11-01

Full Text Available Africa is a rising star - one of the most desirable investment destinations in the world. Nonetheless, economic growth is uneven among African countries, and many obstacles must be overcome in order to realize the full potential of opportunity. To achieve long-term sustainable investment results, and ultimately progress towards Sustainable Development goals, many risks must be isolated, analyzed, and mitigated. This paper introduces the concept of Sustainability Risk, identifying a set of major risk components for Sub-Saharan Africa and building an integral measure to quantify the degree of remoteness of the forty-six Sub-Saharan Africa countries from the total set of threats considered. The countries are separated into distinct groups with similar characteristics in terms of Sustainability Risk, and an analysis for potential decision-making, based on the visualization of the countries' position in relation to the major sustainability threats, is performed for each group. The research identifies risks with maximum impacts.

The earliest modern humans outside Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Hershkovitz, Israel; Weber, Gerhard W; Quam, Rolf; Duval, Mathieu; Grün, Rainer; Kinsley, Leslie; Ayalon, Avner; Bar-Matthews, Miryam; Valladas, Helene; Mercier, Norbert; Arsuaga, Juan Luis; Martinón-Torres, María; Bermúdez de Castro, José María; Fornai, Cinzia; Martín-Francés, Laura; Sarig, Rachel; May, Hila; Krenn, Viktoria A; Slon, Viviane; Rodríguez, Laura; García, Rebeca; Lorenzo, Carlos; Carretero, Jose Miguel; Frumkin, Amos; Shahack-Gross, Ruth; Bar-Yosef Mayer, Daniella E; Cui, Yaming; Wu, Xinzhi; Peled, Natan; Groman-Yaroslavski, Iris; Weissbrod, Lior; Yeshurun, Reuven; Tsatskin, Alexander; Zaidner, Yossi; Weinstein-Evron, Mina

2018-01-26

To date, the earliest modern human fossils found outside of Africa are dated to around 90,000 to 120,000 years ago at the Levantine sites of Skhul and Qafzeh. A maxilla and associated dentition recently discovered at Misliya Cave, Israel, was dated to 177,000 to 194,000 years ago, suggesting that members of the Homo sapiens clade left Africa earlier than previously thought. This finding changes our view on modern human dispersal and is consistent with recent genetic studies, which have posited the possibility of an earlier dispersal of Homo sapiens around 220,000 years ago. The Misliya maxilla is associated with full-fledged Levallois technology in the Levant, suggesting that the emergence of this technology is linked to the appearance of Homo sapiens in the region, as has been documented in Africa. Copyright © 2018, The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works.

Evolutionary analysis of foot-and-mouth disease virus serotype SAT 1 isolates from east africa suggests two independent introductions from southern africa

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Sangula, Abraham K.; Belsham, Graham; Muwanika, Vincent B.

2010-01-01

Background: In East Africa, foot-and-mouth disease virus serotype SAT 1 is responsible for occasional severe outbreaks in livestock and is known to be maintained within the buffalo populations. Little is known about the evolutionary forces underlying its epidemiology in the region. To enhance our...... 1 FMD viruses from East Africa has been determined and compared with known sequences derived from other SAT 1 viruses from sub-Saharan Africa. Purifying (negative) selection and low substitution rates characterized the SAT 1 virus isolates in East Africa. Two virus groups with probable independent...... appreciation of the epidemiological status of serotype SAT 1 virus in the region, we inferred its evolutionary and phylogeographic history by means of genealogy-based coalescent methods using 53 VP1 coding sequences covering a sampling period from 1948-2007. Results: The VP1 coding sequence of 11 serotype SAT...

Marketing of irradiated commodities in South Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Du Plessis, TA; Stevens, RCB

Although the industrial exploitation of radiation processing in the medical and allied fields has been successfully marketed and applied for the past two decades in South Africa, the introduction of food radurisation on an industrial level adds a completely new dimension to the marketing of this processing technique. Extensive research into the use of radiation for the treatment of various foodstuffs has been carried out by the Nuclear Development Corporation of South Africa for more than a decade, resulting in South Africa being one of the first countries where a commercial irradiator dedicated to this branch of radiation processing, was established. The marketing of this process is especially difficult due to the emotive aspects associated with radiation and man's sensitive reaction to anything pertaining to his food. This situation was made even more difficult by the general public's apprehension towards nuclear activities throughout the world. In an attempt to transform the unfavourable public image associated with this process, an important first step was to form a National Steering Committee for the Marketing of Radurised Food, the members of which were drawn from various agricultural controlling bodies, the Department of Health, and other controlling bodies held in high esteem by the public, such as the Consumer Council and representatives from commerce and industry. This approach proved to be very successful and greatly assisted in creating a climate whereby the public in South Africa today generally has a favourable attitude towards the radurisation of foodstuffs. The development of this marketing strategy for food radurisation in South Africa is discussed in detail.

Africa and climate change: Adapt, survive, thrive? | IDRC ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

2011-01-27

Jan 27, 2011 ... Faced with a changing climate, projects to help Africans adapt are springing up across the continent. Across the continent of Africa, the landscape is changing. ... Africa' (CCAA) — jointly funded by the Canadian International Development Research Centre .... Computers for Schools Kenya at top of the class.

Sustainable development and bioeconomic prosperity in Africa: Bio ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

... and bio-security that impinge on daily human existence and welfare. High–cost fossil fuel prices and national security concerns have sparked interest in bio-fuels in continental Africa. In brief, Africa is taking the lead in creating its own biotechnology agenda and roadmap to socioeconomic and sustainable development.

Journal of Librarianship and Information Science in Africa

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The Journal of Librarianship and Information Science in Africa (JLISA)/Revue de Bibliotheconomie et Science de l'information en Afrique is expected to explore the range of issues and problems of concern to librarians, information scientists and other information professionals especially in Africa and aims to publish articles, ...

Democratic South Africa in the International Migration–Development ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

sub-Saharan Africa. However, the country has also experienced defi cits in net international migration relative to the core Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) region of the world system. The tentative conclusion to be drawn from. South Africa's involvement in international migration is that it has ...

Translator education and accreditation policies in Africa: Exploring ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

This article questions the presuppositions on which current translator education and accreditation in South Africa and Africa are based. This is done on the basis of Tymozcko's reconceptualisation of translation studies and of Robinson's theory of translation quality. It presents sets of data as case studies that support ...

Restorative Justice and Knowledge Management in Africa: A ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

The article seeks to demonstrate the applicability of the Trans-dimensional Knowledge Management Model (TDKM-M) to restorative justice in Africa. The TDKM-M contradicts existing models of conflict control, management and resolution in Africa. The TDKM-M demonstrate that knowledge can be managed in such a way ...

Strengthening health systems in Africa | CRDI - Centre de ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

New recruitment and retention methods are therefore an important way to build staffing in rural areas. Research in Uganda ... Telemedicine studied by researchers in French-speaking Africa helped to reduce decision-making errors in remote areas, increase the number of consultations, and save patients money. The Africa ...

The state of space science in Africa | Mhlahlo | Africa Insight

African Journals Online (AJOL)

There has been an increase in the number of space science activities and facilities in Africa in the last 15 years. This increase, however, is not proportionate to the indigenous user community for these activities and facilities. In this paper, I discuss these activities and their benefits for the African region, and point out some of ...

Epidemiology of Leptospirosis in Africa: A Systematic Review of a Neglected Zoonosis and a Paradigm for 'One Health' in Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Allan, Kathryn J; Biggs, Holly M; Halliday, Jo E B; Kazwala, Rudovick R; Maro, Venance P; Cleaveland, Sarah; Crump, John A

2015-01-01

Leptospirosis is an important but neglected bacterial zoonosis that has been largely overlooked in Africa. In this systematic review, we aimed to summarise and compare current knowledge of: (1) the geographic distribution, prevalence, incidence and diversity of acute human leptospirosis in Africa; and (2) the geographic distribution, host range, prevalence and diversity of Leptospira spp. infection in animal hosts in Africa. Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, we searched for studies that described (1) acute human leptospirosis and (2) pathogenic Leptospira spp. infection in animals. We performed a literature search using eight international and regional databases for English and non-English articles published between January 1930 to October 2014 that met out pre-defined inclusion criteria and strict case definitions. We identified 97 studies that described acute human leptospirosis (n = 46) or animal Leptospira infection (n = 51) in 26 African countries. The prevalence of acute human leptospirosis ranged from 2 3% to 19 8% (n = 11) in hospital patients with febrile illness. Incidence estimates were largely restricted to the Indian Ocean islands (3 to 101 cases per 100,000 per year (n = 6)). Data from Tanzania indicate that human disease incidence is also high in mainland Africa (75 to 102 cases per 100,000 per year). Three major species (Leptospira borgpetersenii, L. interrogans and L. kirschneri) are predominant in reports from Africa and isolates from a diverse range of serogroups have been reported in human and animal infections. Cattle appear to be important hosts of a large number of Leptospira serogroups in Africa, but few data are available to allow comparison of Leptospira infection in linked human and animal populations. We advocate a 'One Health' approach to promote multidisciplinary research efforts to improve understanding of the animal to human transmission of leptospirosis on the African

Epidemiology of Leptospirosis in Africa: A Systematic Review of a Neglected Zoonosis and a Paradigm for 'One Health' in Africa.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Kathryn J Allan

Full Text Available Leptospirosis is an important but neglected bacterial zoonosis that has been largely overlooked in Africa. In this systematic review, we aimed to summarise and compare current knowledge of: (1 the geographic distribution, prevalence, incidence and diversity of acute human leptospirosis in Africa; and (2 the geographic distribution, host range, prevalence and diversity of Leptospira spp. infection in animal hosts in Africa.Following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA guidelines, we searched for studies that described (1 acute human leptospirosis and (2 pathogenic Leptospira spp. infection in animals. We performed a literature search using eight international and regional databases for English and non-English articles published between January 1930 to October 2014 that met out pre-defined inclusion criteria and strict case definitions.We identified 97 studies that described acute human leptospirosis (n = 46 or animal Leptospira infection (n = 51 in 26 African countries. The prevalence of acute human leptospirosis ranged from 2 3% to 19 8% (n = 11 in hospital patients with febrile illness. Incidence estimates were largely restricted to the Indian Ocean islands (3 to 101 cases per 100,000 per year (n = 6. Data from Tanzania indicate that human disease incidence is also high in mainland Africa (75 to 102 cases per 100,000 per year. Three major species (Leptospira borgpetersenii, L. interrogans and L. kirschneri are predominant in reports from Africa and isolates from a diverse range of serogroups have been reported in human and animal infections. Cattle appear to be important hosts of a large number of Leptospira serogroups in Africa, but few data are available to allow comparison of Leptospira infection in linked human and animal populations. We advocate a 'One Health' approach to promote multidisciplinary research efforts to improve understanding of the animal to human transmission of leptospirosis on the

South Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2002-01-01

This document provides information on the status of institutional and financial arrangements in South Africa for the long term management of HLW and SNF, It includes the following elements: A consistent set of requirements for the technical and legal infrastructure including: funding, liability, institutional control, records management, and research activities; An organizational structure with clearly defined responsibilities; and Provisions for participation by interested parties in decisions and outcomes

Fresh ideas needed: building the PV market in Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hankins, M.

2006-01-01

The reasons why sales of photovoltaics in Africa are miniscule compared with those in Europe, America, Japan and China are analysed and suggestions for ways of developing the African market are put forward. Although there have been some PV off-grid installations, on-grid systems are almost non-existent. The PV market in Africa has been constrained by a lack of a sound government policy and a lack of incentives for the private sector. It is suggested that Africa should study the success of PVs in other parts of the world and that governments, utilities and large consumers should initiate new projects to develop both small off-grid and large on-grid systems. The PV potential in Africa is massive, but at present it is not being realised. (author)

Toxoplasma and Africa: One Parasite, Two Opposite Population Structures.

Science.gov (United States)

Galal, Lokman; Ajzenberg, Daniel; Hamidović, Azra; Durieux, Marie-Fleur; Dardé, Marie-Laure; Mercier, Aurélien

2018-02-01

Exploring the genetic diversity of Toxoplasma gondii is essential for an understanding of its worldwide distribution and the determinants of its evolution. Africa remains one of the least studied areas of the world regarding T. gondii genetic diversity. This review has compiled published data on T. gondii strains from Africa to generate a comprehensive map of their continent-wide geographical distribution. The emerging picture about T. gondii strain distribution in Africa suggests a geographical separation of the parasite populations across the continent. We discuss the potential role of a number of factors in shaping this structure. We finally suggest the next steps towards a better understanding of Toxoplasma epidemiology in Africa in light of the strains circulating on this continent. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

in South Africa

African Journals Online (AJOL)

skills, talent identification, financial implications and sci- entific support for swimmers in South Africa. The top 45 swimmers ... potential, capacity and raw talent to compete at interna- tional leveL Scientific and medical support, administration ..... Human Kinstie811, 1999. 7-8. . 3 . Bruckner P, Khan K. Clinical Sport8 Medicine.

The U.S. and Southern Africa: Progress, Potential, and Stable States

Science.gov (United States)

2016-02-01

Social Citizenship in Postapartheid South Africa. SUNY Series in Global Modernity. Scottsville, South Africa: U of KwaZulu-Natal P, 2011. (HD 8801...in a Democracy South Africa: White Paper on National Defence of 1996. 1996. (http://www.isn.ethz.ch/ Digital -Library/Publications/Detail/?id=155722

Curbing stem cell tourism in South Africa.

Science.gov (United States)

Meissner-Roloff, Madelein; Pepper, Michael S

2013-12-01

Stem cells have received much attention globally due in part to the immense therapeutic potential they harbor. Unfortunately, malpractice and exploitation (financial and emotional) of vulnerable patients have also drawn attention to this field as a result of the detrimental consequences experienced by some individuals that have undergone unproven stem cell therapies. South Africa has had limited exposure to stem cells and their applications and, while any exploitation is detrimental to the field of stem cells, South Africa is particularly vulnerable in this regard. The current absence of adequate legislation and the inability to enforce existing legislation, coupled to the sea of misinformation available on the Internet could lead to an increase in illegitimate stem cell practices in South Africa. Circumstances are already precarious because of a lack of understanding of concepts involved in stem cell applications. What is more, credible and easily accessible information is not available to the public. This in turn cultivates fears born out of existing superstitions, cultural beliefs, rituals and practices. Certain cultural or religious concerns could potentially hinder the effective application of stem cell therapies in South Africa and novel ways of addressing these concerns are necessary. Understanding how scientific progress and its implementation will affect each individual and, consequently, the community, will be of cardinal importance to the success of the fields of stem cell therapy and regenerative medicine in South Africa. A failure to understand the ethical, cultural or moral ramifications when new scientific concepts are introduced could hinder the efficacy and speed of bringing discoveries to the patient. Neglecting proper procedure for establishing the field would lead to long delays in gaining public support in South Africa. Understanding the dangers of stem cell tourism - where vulnerable patients are subjected to unproven stem cell therapies that

Narrative review of EHDI in South Africa

Science.gov (United States)

Storbeck, Claudine

2015-01-01

Background With 17 babies born with hearing loss every day in South Africa, there is a pressing need for systematic Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI) services. Progress is being made in offering newborn hearing screening and studies have been conducted to document these processes within South Africa. However, due to the lack of a national and holistic overview of EHDI services to date, an accurate picture of the current status of EHDI within the South African context is required. Objective To document and profile what has been published within the field of EHDI in South Africa over the last two decades (Jan 1995–Sept 2014) in order to gain a comprehensive overview of the current status and practice of screening and diagnosis in the field of paediatric hearing loss. Method A narrative review of peer-reviewed articles related to EHDI in South Africa was conducted by searching the EBSCOHOST, SCOPUS and JSTOR databases for the period January 1995 to September 2014. Results Results indicate that over the last two decades research and publications in the field of EHDI have increased considerably. These publications have revealed extensive knowledge related to paediatric hearing screening and intervention services in South Africa; however, this knowledge seems to be limited primarily to the provinces of Gauteng and the Western Cape. Furthermore, studies pertaining to diagnosis have revealed that, although much has been written on the scientific aspects on tools for diagnosis of hearing loss, there is a lack of comprehensive information on diagnostic protocols and procedures. Conclusion Despite the clear progress being made in South Africa in the field of early hearing detection and intervention, there is a need for comprehensive studies on protocols and procedures in diagnosing paediatric hearing loss. Finally, the narrative review revealed a clear need to ensure that development and growth in the field of EHDI is a national priority and extends beyond the

Narrative review of EHDI in South Africa

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Selvarani Moodley

2015-11-01

Full Text Available Background: With 17 babies born with hearing loss every day in South Africa, there is a pressing need for systematic Early Hearing Detection and Intervention (EHDI services. Progress is being made in offering newborn hearing screening and studies have been conducted to document these processes within South Africa. However, due to the lack of a national and holistic overview of EHDI services to date, an accurate picture of the current status of EHDI within the South African context is required. Objective: To document and profile what has been published within the field of EHDI in South Africa over the last two decades (Jan 1995–Sept 2014 in order to gain a comprehensive overview of the current status and practice of screening and diagnosis in the field of paediatric hearing loss. Method: A narrative review of peer-reviewed articles related to EHDI in South Africa was conducted by searching the EBSCOHOST, SCOPUS and JSTOR databases for the period January 1995 to September 2014. Results: Results indicate that over the last two decades research and publications in the field of EHDI have increased considerably. These publications have revealed extensive knowledge related to paediatric hearing screening and intervention services in South Africa; however, this knowledge seems to be limited primarily to the provinces of Gauteng and the Western Cape. Furthermore, studies pertaining to diagnosis have revealed that, although much has been written on the scientific aspects on tools for diagnosis of hearing loss, there is a lack of comprehensive information on diagnostic protocols and procedures. Conclusion: Despite the clear progress being made in South Africa in the field of early hearing detection and intervention, there is a need for comprehensive studies on protocols and procedures in diagnosing paediatric hearing loss. Finally, the narrative review revealed a clear need to ensure that development and growth in the field of EHDI is a national priority

Science Granting Councils Initiative in Sub-Saharan Africa | IDRC ...

International Development Research Centre (IDRC) Digital Library (Canada)

... the increasingly important role of these councils in national science systems. ... that will contribute to economic and social development in Sub-Saharan Africa. ... Initiative for Sub-Saharan Africa's website to learn more about the initiative.

Uranium enrichment with lasers - will South Africa lead or lag?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Du Toit, G.

1992-01-01

Over 30 percent of the cost of locally made nuclear fuel in South Africa is associated with increasing the concentration of uranium 235. Cheaper enrichment technologies and, in particular, the decision by the Atomic Energy Corporation of South Africa to concentrate its research efforts on laser techniques are therefore of considerable significance. The laser isotope separation programme in South Africa is reviewed. 1 ill

The H3Africa policy framework: negotiating fairness in genomics.

Science.gov (United States)

de Vries, Jantina; Tindana, Paulina; Littler, Katherine; Ramsay, Michèle; Rotimi, Charles; Abayomi, Akin; Mulder, Nicola; Mayosi, Bongani M

2015-03-01

Human Heredity and Health in Africa (H3Africa) research seeks to promote fair collaboration between scientists in Africa and those from elsewhere. Here, we outline how concerns over inequality and exploitation led to a policy framework that places a firm focus on African leadership and capacity building as guiding principles for African genomics research. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

NIASA: Nuclear Industry Association of South Africa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mollard, P.; Louf, P.H.; Gentet, G.; Doix, G.

2015-01-01

NIASA (Nuclear Industry Association of South Africa) aims at promoting the highest standards in the development and use of nuclear technologies. NIASA was founded in 2007. South-Africa has a long history in nuclear activity since the construction of the first nuclear power plant ever built on African soil was commissioned in 1984 in South-Africa (Koeberg plant equipped with two 900 MW reactors). There is also an important center for nuclear research near Pretoria that was founded in 1948 to regulate the prospecting for uranium. NECSA (South African Nuclear Energy Corporation is a state-owned public company) that manages nuclear research, operates the Safari-1 (2 MWe - commissioned in 1965) research reactor and manages the national radioactive waste center located at Vaalputs. The South African nuclear industry employs about 4000 people. (A.C.)

Space Research in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities | Ligate ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

All of these examples show that at a certain stage in history, Africa was a leader in science and technology (Shibanda & Isabel, 2000). However in the 21st Century, Africa has lagged behind technologically compared to all the other continents. Space research and deployment of supporting technologies including remote ...