Inviting backchat: how schools and communities in Ghana, Swaziland and Kenya support children to contextualize knowledge and create agency through sexuality education

Education about sex, relationships and HIV and AIDS in African contexts is riddled with socio-cultural complexity. In this paper the authors argue that in extreme contexts education can lead change further by developing young people as significant actors in their own lives and in the lives of the community by bringing bring about change in attitudes in the community, as well as practices in schools. A qualitative study was undertaken in eight primary schools of the use of student knowledge and voice to change attitudes, impact upon socio cultural beliefs, adult-child dialogue and drive changes in practice in AIDS education. Drawing on a contextual framework that includes a socio-cultural approach to education, Basil Bernstein’s well established theories of everyday and school knowledge and Catherine Campbell’s notion of AIDS competent communities, it shows how this initiative variably unfolded in six sub-Saharan countries (Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, Swaziland and Tanzania, – although only the latter three are discussed in detail) and analyses the potential of schools to operate for the benefit of children in difficult circumstances, especially with regard to poverty, gender, sexual violence and health. Participation, dialogue and agency were the key factors

Complete genome sequence of Meiothermus silvanus type strain (VI-R2).

Meiothermus silvanus (Tenreiro et al. 1995) Nobre et al. 1996 belongs to a thermophilic genus whose members share relatively low degrees of 16S rRNA gene sequence similarity. Meiothermus constitutes an evolutionary lineage separate from members of the genus Thermus, from which they can generally be distinguished by their slightly lower temperature optima. M. silvanus is of special interest as it causes colored biofilms in the paper making industry and may thus be of economic importance as a biofouler. This is the second completed genome sequence of a member of the genus Meiothermus and only the third genome sequence to be published from a member of the family Thermaceae. The 3,721,669 bp long genome with its 3,667 protein-coding and 55 RNA genes is a part of the Genomic Encyclopedia of Bacteria and Archaea project

Complete genome sequence of Planctomyces limnophilus type strain (Mü 290).

Planctomyces limnophilus Hirsch and Müller 1986 belongs to the order Planctomycetales, which differs from other bacterial taxa by several distinctive features such as internal cell compartmentalization, multiplication by forming buds directly from the spherical, ovoid or pear-shaped mother cell and a cell wall which is stabilized by a proteinaceous layer rather than a peptidoglycan layer. Besides Pirellula staleyi, this is the second completed genome sequence of the family Planctomycetaceae. P. limnophilus is of interest because it differs from Pirellula by the presence of a stalk and its structure of fibril bundles, its cell shape and size, the formation of multicellular rosettes, low salt tolerance and red pigmented colonies. The 5,460,085 bp long genome with its 4,304 protein-coding and 66 RNA genes is a part of the Genomic Encyclopedia of Bacteria and Archaea project