An Analysis of the Real, as Reflected in Conrad\u27s Heart of Darkness

Heart of Darkness, as a framed narrative, questions perception and authenticity. It is difficult to discern Marlow\u27s individual voice, for it is buried within a layering of narration. Critics ascribe the words of the text to Marlow, claiming he is the one who, in Achebe\u27s words, dehumanizes Africans. Yet, the quotation marks suggest otherwise. Perception is relevant to an analysis of Heart of Darkness, for it is unclear whose point of view constructs the text, that of Kurtz, Marlow, or the frame narrator. Since the narrative is likely composed of multiple perspectives, it is difficult to determine whose reality it reveals. Marlow questions reality and whether it is feasible to convey one\u27s own life-sensations to another, as does Louis Althusser. Althusser discusses the difference between ideologically determined truth and authentic reality. Modernist writers, such as Eliot and Woolf, seem to agree with Althusser on how it is through great art that one might convey his own lived experiences to another. Marlow attempts to express his reality through his own art, or the story he creates about his time in the Congo. In the text, Marlow claims his goal is to allow others to see him interestingly, Althusser claims real art allows for one to see, perceive, and feel another\u27s reality. Critics state Marlow is searching for a sense of self in the Congo however, it seems Marlow actually hopes to find the real, in Althusser\u27s sense. While Marlow might glimpse the real in Africa, he seems disappointed to find reality is something he cannot have in the Western world. In fact, Marlow finds the truth of reality in Africa . . . that it is unreal. Marlow is an always already subject without an authentic voice, which seems to be what he finds horrifyin

Mothers’ knowledge of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and infant feeding practices in Juba, South Sudan

Introduction: While exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life is recommended for HIV-infected mothers, this may not be practiced fullyin South Sudan; exclusive formula feeding, which is the best alternative to breastfeeding, may not be practical.Objective: To assess the knowledge of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (MTCT) and practices of feeding infants in the first six months of life among HIV-infected mothers attending Antiretroviral Therapy Centres in Juba Teaching Hospital (JTH) and Juba Military Hospital (JMH).Method: A cross-sectional study in which 304 HIV-infected mothers with children aged 6-18 months were interviewed between October and  December 2016 using structured questionnaires. Key informant interviews (KIIs) and focus group discussions (FGDs) were also conducted using interview guides. Quantitative data was analysed using Statistics Package for Social Sciences software. Chi-square test was used to test the presence of significant association between the variables and the association is statistically significant when the p-value is < 0.05. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to identify which predictor variables have major effect on the dependent variable. Qualitative data was transcribed in English and summarized according to the key themes, and the information obtained was used to supplement and interpret the findings of the quantitative data.Results: Only 120 (40%) of the HIV-infected mothers had a good knowledge of MTCT; 213 mothers (70.1%) practiced mixed feeding, 70 (23.0%)  practiced exclusive breastfeeding and 20 (6.6%) practiced exclusive formula feeding. The factors that were found to have a positive effect on choice of infant feeding methods were having more than one child (odds ratio = 0.303, 95% Confidence interval: 0.161-0.571, p = 0.001) and participation in the prevention of motherto-child transmission of HIV programme (PMTCT) (odds ratio = 2.260, 95% Confidence interval: 1.251-4.084, p = 0.007). Stigma (p = 0.248) and mothers’ knowledge of MTCT (p = 0.072) were not statistically significantly associated with the mothers’ infant feeding practices.Conclusion: Knowledge of MTCT is low. Mixed feeding before six months of age is predominant among the HIV-infected mothers. It is thereforerecommended that HIV-infected mothers receive adequate information from counsellors regarding MTCT and exclusive breastfeeding for the first six monthsof an infant’s life.  Key words: Knowledge, infant feeding, HIV-infected mothers, Juba

Revisiting Reading: Exploring an intensive reading pedagogy in adult literacy

Applied linguistic research into genres of written communication hashad a considerable impact in recent decades on the pedagogy of writing inall sectors of education in Australia, from early schooling to post-secondaryand workplace contexts (eg. Christie and Martin 1997). Attending to thesocial purpose of language and modelling and deconstructing texts inpreparation for supported writing has become a common feature of manyprograms, including those in the field of adult English as a SecondLanguage (ESL) and adult literacy. However, effective engagement withmodel texts for writing is dependent on students being able to read thosetexts. While reading continues to be explicitly identified as a component ofmost adult literacy programs, there is evidence to suggest that less attentionmay be given to the deliberate supported development of reading skills(Burns and de Silva Joyce 2000, 2005). This paper reports on a projectfunded by the National Centre for Vocational Education Research(NCVER) in Australia. The study, Investigating the impact of intensive readingpedagogy in adult literacy, was designed to explore the relevance and thepotential of an intensive, explicit reading pedagogy, Reading-to-Learn, in adultand community education (ACE) and TAFE colleges in metropolitanSydney, teaching literacy in ESL and adult basic education (ABE) classes.The study was a partnership between practising teachers andresearcher/teacher educators. It identified positive outcomes for students,with advances in reading abilities for many students well beyond thoseanticipated by teachers and students alike. Teachers also reported verypositive outcomes for their own professional development. Importantly, thestudy also identified a number of system-level features that would need to bein place to support a broader adoption of the pedagogy

Special Libraries and Information Services in the Development of Nigeria 1962-2022

Nigerian Library Association celebrated her sixty years anniversary in July 2022. Therefore, the focus of this paper is to reveal how Special Libraries have contributed to development in Nigeria. The paper presents the concept of development and special libraries and also present types of special libraries in Nigeria, users, brief historical development of special libraries in Nigeria and library and information services they provided to support research for development in Nigeria. The paper revealed that for special libraries in Nigeria to provide efficient and effective library and information services some have adopted and utilized Information and communication Technology. Finally. Some challenges still facing special libraries in the provision of library and information service were revealed and necessary recommendations made

INFLUENCE OF FUNDING ACTIVITY AS ACOMPONENT OF SANITATION FINANCING PROGRAM ON COMMUNITY LIVELIHOOD IN URBAN INFORMAL SETTLEMENT OF OBUNGA, KISUMU COUNTY, KENYA

The study sought to investigate the influence of funding activities as a component of sanitation financing programme on community livelihood in urban informal settlements of Kisumu County, Kenya. The purpose of the study was to assess the influence of funding activities on community livelihood in urban informal settlement of Obunga, Kisumu County Kenya. The study adopted inferential analysis and descriptive survey research design with sample size of 384 households and 10 key informants. The study sample was obtained through stratified simple random, and purposive sampling strategies. Quantitative data was analysed using means, standard deviations, frequencies, and percentages. Qualitative data was transcribed and analysed in emergent themes and sub-themes. Results were interpreted and requisite recommendations made. According to the results, there is a statistically significant positive correlation between funding activities and community livelihood (p < 0.05). Coefficient of determination showed that funding activities accounted for 24.1% of the changes in community livelihood. Findings from the study established that there was statistically significant correlation between funding activities as a component of sanitation financing program and community livelihood. The study recommends the funding activity should be sustained in the sanitation financing program for purposes of improving community livelihood .The study concluded that investing in funding activities of sanitation financing programme in Obunga urban informal settlement of Kisumu County, Kenya has a positive influence on community livelihood. The study calls for further research on the influence of funding activities as a component of sanitation financing program on community livelihood using other predictors of community livelihood as well as influence of sanitation financing program on community livelihood; a comparison between formal and informal urban settlements.  Article visualizations

Obesity Reduction Within a Generation: The Dual Roles of Prevention and Treatment

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/93699/1/oby.2011.199.pd

Two closely related ureotelic fish species of the genus Alcolapia express different levels of ammonium transporters in gills

Most fish excrete their nitrogenous waste across the gills as ammonia through the activity of the Rhesus glycoprotein ammonium transporters. In contrast, fish of the subgenus Alcolapia (Oreochromis) are the only vertebrates that survive the extreme conditions of the soda lakes of Natron and Magadi in East Africa and have evolved adaptations to the highly alkaline waters including the ability to excrete their nitrogenous waste as urea. Nevertheless, Alcolapia retain the Rhesus glycoprotein genes in their genomes and using two heterologous expression systems, we demonstrate that Alcolapia Rhbg is capable of moving ammonia. Comparing ammonia and urea excretion from two closely related Alcolapia species from the same aquarium, we found that while Alcolapia grahami remains fully ureotelic after many generations in lab conditions, Alcolapia alcalica excretes some of its nitrogenous waste as ammonia. Using in situ hybridisation, we demonstrate robust, localised gene expression of Rhbg, rhcg1 and rhcg2 in the gill tissue in both A. alcalica embryos and adults, similar to that in other ammoniotelic fish. In contrast, the expression of these genes in A. grahami gills is much lower than in A. alcalica, suggesting the rapid evolution of a molecular mechanism underlying the complete ureotelism of A. grahami