Language development for literacy ; the case of Shiyeyi in Botswana

Since independence, the government of Botswana has practiced an exclusive language policy in which only English has been used in government circles at the exclusion of all the 26 languages represented in the country, with a limited use of the national language, Setswana. However, in recent years more positive statements have been heard in Parliament, opening up to recognize the use of other languages in education and society. These statements have provided a conducive environment for Non-governmental organizations to develop other languages for use in education and out-of-school literacy. This paper focuses on the work of one such organization. It reports on a project this organization is undertaking to revive the language and culture of the Wayeyi people in North Western, and Central Botswana. It gives findings on attitudes towards Shiyeyi as a language of instruction for literacy and shows how the preference expressed for Shiyeyi has great potential for a literacy program

Uthatyatho nxaxheba luluntu: Ingaba INkundla yoMgaqo siSeko ilunike ntoni uluntu?

In LDD’s first Xhosa-language article, Linda Nyati explores the duty to facilitate public participation in legislative processes in terms of sections 59(1) (a), 72(1) (a) and 118(1) (a) of the Constitution. This issue, the article demonstrates, is highly pertinent to citizens in grappling with the inner working of a democratic dispensation

Pathogenesis, growth and survival characteristics of Listeria monocytogenes - a newly emerged food-borne pathogen

A research article on some newly discovered pathogens that are found in food items.Survival and growth characteristics of Listeria monocytogenes isolates were determined in Tryptose Phosphate Broth and in chicken and beef substrates in the period 1993 to 1994. Observed generation times for the Scott A strain (clinical isolate) in Tryptose Phosphate Broth, anaerobically, were 146.2,21.0,16.5,8.2 and 1.6 hours at 0,3.5,5.5, 8.0 and 20°C, respectively, compared to 123.4,23.1,17.5,7.5 and 1.5 hours, aerobically. Similar growth rates were observed for strain RMIT 405 (raw chicken isolate), both anaerobically and aerobically in Tryptose Phosphate Broth, chicken and beef substrates. Growth rates were fitted to the square root model with a coefficient of determination (R2 value) of 98.36 to 99.48 percent. Heating to an internal temperature of 70°C resulted in a 3 to 5 log reduction of all L. monocytogenes isolates under study in broth and chicken substrates while a heat treatment to 70°C/2 minutes resulted in a reduction greater than 7 log cycles. Lowering the product pH to 5.0 was effective in inhibiting L. monocytogenes growth, whereas a sodium chloride concentration of 2 percent had a negligible effect on growth rates

Public Participation: What has the Constitutional Court given the public?

Linda Nyati explores the duty to facilitate public participation in legislative processes in terms of sections 59(1) (a), 72(1) (a) and 118(1) (a) of the Constitution. This issue, the article demonstrates, is highly pertinent to citizens in grappling with the inner working of a democratic dispensation. The author delves into it by way of a critical analysis of the Constitutional Court judgment in Merafong Demarcation Forum & Others v The President of the Republic of South Africa 2008 (10) BCLR 968 (2008 (5) SA 171) CC.) After considering the representative and participatory aspects of our constitutional democracy, the article considers whether the standards set by the courts are effective in ensuring that legislative bodies fully discharge their duty to facilitate meaningful participation by all citizens. The “minimalist approach to public participation” adopted by the court in this matter, it concludes, “has created a gap wide enough to let an important piece of legislation which has significant implications on the public to be passed as reasonable. Setting such low standards means that judicial review of the other branches of government is ineffective.

From a phone call to the high court : wayeyi visibility and the Kamanakao association’s campaign for linguistic and cultural rights in Botswana

This paper by the Coordinator of the Kamanakao Association reflects upon the Association’s campaign against tribally discriminatory laws, against the social stigma of past serfdom, and for human rights and democracy in Botswana. The campaign made Wayeyi from the North West District highly visible on the national scene. Through litigation up to the High Court, the Kamanakao Association broke new ground for judicial review in the broad public interest. The advance was for the cultural rights of ‘minorities’ in general, and not only in the interest of the Wayeyi. The most favourable High Court ruling recognised Yei cultural distinctness, allowed them to secede from the tribe of their past overlords, the Tawana, and concluded a landmark case in the wider fight against state-backed tribal discrimination and denial of language rights. As an insider’s account mainly about recent events, but seen in a perspective extending to precolonial times, the paper focuses on strategies for and against change. These are the strategies effecting the power relations, in turn, between the Yeyi and the Tawana, former serfs and overlords, the Yeyi and the Government, and the Government and the Tswana speaking tribes unfairly privileged by the tribally discriminatory laws

Draft Genome Sequence of Campylobacter jejuni 11168H

Campylobacter jejuni is the most prevalent cause of food-borne gastroenteritis in the developed world. The reference and original sequenced strain C. jejuni NCTC11168 has low levels of motility compared to clinical isolates. Here, we describe the draft genome of the laboratory derived hypermotile variant named 11168H

Genetic diversity of sterile cultured Trebouxia photobionts associated with the lichen-forming fungus Xanthoria parietina visualized with RAPD-PCR fingerprinting techniques

Photobiont diversity within populations of Xanthoria parietina was studied at the species level by means of ITS analyses and at the subspecific level with fingerprinting techniques (RAPD-PCR) applied to sterile cultured algal isolates. Populations from coastal, rural and urban sites from NW, SW and central France and from NE Switzerland were investigated. Between 8 and 63 samples per population, altogether 150 isolates, were subjected to phenetic and ordination analyses. Epiphytic samples of X. parietina associated with different genotypes of Trebouxia decolorans but saxicolous samples contained T. arboricola. For comparison the T. gelatinosa photobiont of a small population of Teloschistes chrysophthalmus (4 samples) was investigated. ITS sequences of T. decolorans isolates from different geographic locations were largely similar. In all populations a surprisingly high diversity of genotypes was observed in Trebouxia isolated from lichen thalli growing side by side. As Trebouxia spp. are assumed to be asexually reproducing haplonts, the genetic background of this diversity is discussed. Fingerprinting techniques are a powerful tool for obtaining valuable insights into the genetic diversity within the algal partner of lichen-forming fungi at the population level, provided that sterile cultured isolates are availabl

Negative Feedbacks by Isoprenoids on a Mevalonate Kinase Expressed in the Corpora Allata of Mosquitoes

Background Juvenile hormones (JH) regulate development and reproductive maturation in insects. JHs are synthesized through the mevalonate pathway (MVAP), an ancient metabolic pathway present in the three domains of life. Mevalonate kinase (MVK) is a key enzyme in the MVAP. MVK catalyzes the synthesis of phosphomevalonate (PM) by transferring the gamma-phosphoryl group from ATP to the C-5 hydroxyl oxygen of mevalonic acid (MA). Despite the importance of MVKs, these enzymes have been poorly characterized in insects. Results We functionally characterized an Aedes aegypti MVK (AaMVK) expressed in the corpora allata (CA) of the mosquito. AaMVK displayed its activity in the presence of metal cofactors. Different nucleotides were used by AaMVK as phosphoryl donors. In the presence of Mg2+, the enzyme has higher affinity for MA than ATP. The activity of AaMVK was regulated by feedback inhibition from long-chain isoprenoids, such as geranyl diphosphate (GPP) and farnesyl diphosphate (FPP). Conclusions AaMVK exhibited efficient inhibition by GPP and FPP (Ki less than 1 mu M), and none by isopentenyl pyrophosphate (IPP) and dimethyl allyl pyrophosphate (DPPM). These results suggest that GPP and FPP might act as physiological inhibitors in the synthesis of isoprenoids in the CA of mosquitoes. Changing MVK activity can alter the flux of precursors and therefore regulate juvenile hormone biosynthesis

Characterization of Juvenile Hormone Biosynthetic Enzymes in the Mosquito, Aedes aegypti

The juvenile hormones (JHs) are sesquiterpenoid compounds that play a central role in insect reproduction, development and behavior. They are synthesized and secreted by a pair of small endocrine glands, the corpora allata (CA), which are intimately connected to the brain. The enzymes involved in the biosynthesis of JH are attractive targets for the control of mosquito populations. This dissertation is a comprehensive functional study of five Aedes aegypti CA enzymes, HMG-CoA synthase (AaHMGS), mevalonate kinase (AaMK), phosphomevalonate kinase (AaPMK), farnesyl diphosphate synthase (AaFPPS) and farnesyl pyrophosphate phosphatase (AaFPPase). The enzyme AaHMGS catalyzes the condensation of acetoacetyl-CoA and acetyl-CoA to produce HMG-CoA. The enzyme does not require any co-factor, although its activity is enhanced by addition of Mg2+. The enzyme AaMK is a class I mevalonate kinase that catalyzes the ATP-dependent phosphorylation of mevalonic acid to form mevalonate 5-phosphate. Activity of AaMK is inhibited by isoprenoids. The enzyme AaPMK catalyzes the cation-dependent reversible reaction of phosphomevalonate and ATP to form diphosphate mevalonate and ADP. The enzyme AaFPPS catalyzes the condensation of isopentenyl diphosphate (IPP) and dimethylallyl pyrophosphate (DMAPP) to form geranyl diphosphate (GPP) and farnesyl pyrophosphate (FPP). The enzyme AaFPPS shows an unusual product regulation mechanism, with chain length final product of 10 or 15 C depending on the metal cofactor present. The enzymes AaFPPase-1 and AaFPPase-2 efficiently hydrolyze FPP into farnesol, although RNAi experiments demonstrate that only AaFPPase-1 is involved in the catalysis of FPP into FOL in the CA of A. aegypti. This dissertation also explored the inhibition of the activity of some of the JH biosynthesis enzymes as tools for insect control. We described the effect of N-acetyl-S-geranylgeranyl-L-cysteine as a potent inhibitor of AaFPPase 1 and AaFPPase-2. In addition, inhibitors of AaMK and AaHMGS were also investigated using purified recombinant proteins. The present study provides an important contribution to the characterization of recombinant proteins, the analysis of enzyme kinetics and inhibition constants, as well as the understanding of the importance of these five enzymes in the control of JH biosynthesis rates