Language policy and orthographic harmonization across linguistic, ethnic and national boundaries in Southern Africa

Drawing on online and daily newspapers, speakers' language and writing practices, official government documents and prescribed spelling systems in Southern Africa, the paper explores the challenges and possibilities of orthographic reforms allowing for mobility across language clusters, ethnicity, regional and national borders. I argue that this entails a different theorisation of language, and for orthographies that account for the translocations and diasporic nature of late modern African identities and lifestyles. I suggest an ideological shift from prescriptivism to practice-orientated approaches to harmonisation in which orthographies are based on descriptions of observable writing practices in the mobile linguistic universe. The argument for orthographic reforms is counterbalanced with an expose on current language policies which appear designed for an increasing rare monoglot 'standard' speaker, who speaks only a 'tribal' language. The implications of the philosophical challenges this poses for linguists, language planners and policy makers are thereafter discussed.IS

A novel community driven software for functional enrichment analysis of extracellular vesicles data.

Bioinformatics tools are imperative for the in depth analysis of heterogeneous high-throughput data. Most of the software tools are developed by specific laboratories or groups or companies wherein they are designed to perform the required analysis for the group. However, such software tools may fail to capture "what the community needs in a tool". Here, we describe a novel community-driven approach to build a comprehensive functional enrichment analysis tool. Using the existing FunRich tool as a template, we invited researchers to request additional features and/or changes. Remarkably, with the enthusiastic participation of the community, we were able to implement 90% of the requested features. FunRich enables plugin for extracellular vesicles wherein users can download and analyse data from Vesiclepedia database. By involving researchers early through community needs software development, we believe that comprehensive analysis tools can be developed in various scientific disciplines

Decision support tools for site-specific fertilizer recommendations and agricultural planning in selected countries in sub-Sahara Africa

Peer Revie

Complex journeys and methodological responses to engaging in self-study in a rural comprehensive university

The context in which self-study research is conducted is sometimes complex, affecting the manner in which related data is gathered and interpreted. This article comprises collaboration between three students and two supervisors. It shares methodological choices made by graduate students and supervisors of a rural university at which, self-study research was introduced in 2010. As individuals, and as a collective, we reflect on the reasons and decisions for adopting certain research approaches towards self-study: the ways in which such decisions are negotiated in conceptualising, conducting, transcribing, and supervising graduate research. While self-reflexive data-collection approaches (mainly journal writing and storytelling) guide our research, the manner in which data is analysed and presented to the wider university community is influenced by expectations and by the context of the university. We, therefore, use innovative approaches differing from self-study research, speaking more to the challenges and expectations of a rural context. We further reflect on the implications such choices have for our research and the work produced where knowledge shifts are executed, methodologies are re-defined and social change is desired.

Regional price transmission in Southern African maize markets

In light of the importance of maize as a staple crop in Southern Africa, as well as its prioritisation from a policy perspective, this study evaluates the extent of price transmission between selected maize markets in the region. It employs secondary data of weekly white maize prices in seven markets in the region to quantify the long and short run price relationships between relevant markets based on geographic proximity and expected trade patterns. While several authors have noted the isolation of white maize markets in Southern Africa from the global market, this study finds evidence of co-integration between multiple maize markets within the Southern African region. By implication, policy decisions affecting prices in any single country will influence price levels in multiple surrounding markets, impacting on both producer and consumer welfare not only in the country of application but also in the region as a whole

Evaluating price volatility and the role of trade in Eastern and Southern African maize markets

Food price volatility, particularly in key food staple markets, has been a long standing challenge in Sub-Saharan Africa, where prices are already some of the highest in the world. In many cases, governments have acted to curb volatility, though several researchers have shown that actions aimed at reducing volatility in the short run have often been counterproductive for long term aims of market led productivity growth that would be able to reduce high prices in the region. With increased intra-regional trade having been proposed as a solution to volatile prices in the region, this study finds that across a sample of 36 maize markets in Eastern and Southern Africa between 2008 and 2014, volatility is significantly lower in markets with higher trade volumes. Thus it postulates that policies aimed at increasing the efficiency and reducing the cost of intra-regional trade will be efficient in curbing volatility in the region, thus improving food security

Breathing under water: a transcontinental conversation about the "why" of co-facilitating transdiscilinary self-study learning communities

The preceding chapters in this book exemplify polyvocal professional learning through self-study research as phenomenon (what) and method (how). Overall, these transdisciplinary exemplars comprise a complex conversation about supporting and enacting professional learning, with self-study methodology at the centre.

'Walking our talk': exploring supervision of postgraduate self-study research through metaphor drawing

The authors of this article portray their learning as a group of eight academics who met to examine the roles and relationships of supervisors of postgraduate self-study research. In the article, they represent how through a metaphor-drawing activity they were able collectively to rethink their experiences and understandings of becoming and being supervisors of postgraduate self-study students. They used a metaphor-drawing activity to gain further understanding of self-study supervision, while also learning more about how visual methods can assist in self-study research. Significantly, in their drawings the supervisor was portrayed as a partner working with the student during the supervision process, rather than as a provider of expert knowledge. Through collaborative interactions and sharing of their personal images of supervision of postgraduate self-study research with critical friends, they were able to reconsider their practices in a reflexive manner that provided insight into possibilities for enhancing their supervisory roles and relationships.

HIV Suppresses Cervical Neutrophil Infiltration in Women with Normal or Abnormal Pap Smears

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection of CD4+ T cells results in a weakened immune system due to decreased white blood cells, particularly multi-lobed neutrophils (neutropenia) and other granulocytes.1 The purpose of this study was to determine whether a correlation exists between HPV/HIV status and presence of neutrophils. To test this, we used a computer software program (QuPath) to analyze neutrophil infiltration seen in pap smears of both HIV+ and HIV- patients from samples collected in Tanzania from three different sites: Bagamoyo, Chalinze, and Dar es Salaam. The software was used to quantify neutrophils per image based on the size and shape of the nuclei. For each sample, three slide images were taken and the average neutrophil count was determined through QuPath and compared to data about sample HIV and HPV status from a previous study. Results showed that HIV+ patients had significantly lower neutrophil counts, regardless of HPV type and cytology grade based on the Bethesda system. Therefore, we concluded that cervical neutrophil infiltration is suppressed in HIV+ samples for both normal and abnormal pap smears. 1. Shi, X. et al. Neutropenia during HIV infection: adverse consequences and remedies. Int Rev Immunol 33, 511-536 (2014)