Researching to make a difference: Possibilities for social science research in the age of AIDS

HIV and AIDS is recognized as one of the most devastating pandemics of sub-Saharan Africa, and South Africa in particular, with adverse effect on individuals, families, schools, communities and society at large. Research is therefore required to provide a deeper understanding of the complexities of HIV and AIDS in order to mitigate the effect of the pandemic. Much of the excellent research that has been done has been undertaken within a positivist paradigm and has focused on the biomedical aspects of HIV and AIDS, as well as the social aspects of the pandemic. This theoretical position paper draws on various projects in the field of HIV and AIDS education in rural KwaZulu-Natal to argue that more social science research should be framed within a participatory research paradigm, foregrounding participant engagement and process, and which simultaneously has a ‘research-as-intervention’ focus. Such research adheres to the requirement of knowledge production, but also engages the participants as knowledge producers who, through the research process, are enabled to shift towards taking up their own agency. Reflecting on the findings from the various projects suggests that visual participatory methodologies are particularly useful when working with marginalized persons whose voices are seldom heard especially when exploring topics which are difficult to discuss. Furthermore, it brings issues to the fore and opens up debate, while at the same time democratizing research and allowing universities to take up their social responsibility and to contribute towards making a difference in the communities they serve.Keywords: HIV and AIDS, participatory research, visual methodologies, democratizing research, social change, research as interventio

Generalised Umbral Moonshine

Umbral moonshine describes an unexpected relation between 23 finite groups arising from lattice symmetries and special mock modular forms. It includes the Mathieu moonshine as a special case and can itself be viewed as an example of the more general moonshine phenomenon which connects finite groups and distinguished modular objects. In this paper we introduce the notion of generalised umbral moonshine, which includes the generalised Mathieu moonshine [Gaberdiel M.R., Persson D., Ronellenfitsch H., Volpato R., Commun. Number Theory Phys. 7 (2013), 145-223] as a special case, and provide supporting data for it. A central role is played by the deformed Drinfel'd (or quantum) double of each umbral finite group $G$, specified by a cohomology class in $H^3(G,U(1))$. We conjecture that in each of the 23 cases there exists a rule to assign an infinite-dimensional module for the deformed Drinfel'd double of the umbral finite group underlying the mock modular forms of umbral moonshine and generalised umbral moonshine. We also discuss the possible origin of the generalised umbral moonshine

Career identities of first-year female coloured students

It is a well-acknowledged fact that the role of women in society has been changing worldwide over recent decades and South Africa has not been exempt from this trend. Dramatic changes — politically, socially, economically and educationally — have occurred in South Africa since its first democratic, non-racial elections in 1994, which have affected the lives of all citizens. These changes have had major implications for South African women, also regarding their identities. This necessitates a re-evaluation of the prior conceptualisation of identity among women, an issue which has moved from the periphery of academic discourse to the centre. The objective in this research was to explore and describe the career identities of a group of first-year female coloured students in post-apartheid South Africa. A qualitative, explorative, descriptive and contextual research design was implemented. Using purposive sampling, data were collected during six focus group interviews with the students. The findings of the study are presented under four central themes which emerged, namely, the participants' perspectives on career issues; self-knowledge; factors influencing career identities and career choices; and concerns regarding career development. Finally, recommendations are presented in this regard.South African Journal of Education Vol. 27 (1) 2007: pp. 117-13

Youth envisioning safe schools: a participatory video approach

Gender-based violence is pervasive in South African society and is often seen as the driver of HIV, particularly affecting youth. Rural KwaZulu-Natal, where we have been working in a district in an on-going university-school partnership, is noted as the epicentre of the epidemic. The two secondary schools in this study were therefore conveniently chosen while the 30 Grade 9 learners, 7 boys and 23 girls between the ages of 13–16, were purposively selected. The use of participatory visual methodologies,which is the focus of this special issue, taps into the notion of ‘research asintervention’ and speaks to the potential of educational research contributing to social change. In this qualitative study we used participatory video to explore youths’ understanding of gender-based violence, as well as how they envision making schools safe. Power theory is used as theoretic lens to frame the study and to make meaning of the findings, namely, that girls’ bodies are sites for gender-based violence at unsafeschools; that the ‘keepers of safety’ are perpetuating gender-based violence at school; and that learners have a sound understanding of what can be done to address gender-based violence. This study, with its ‘research as intervention’ approach, enabled learners to make their voices heard and to reflect on what it is that they as youth can do to contribute to safe schooling

Zero kinetic energy-pulsed field ionization and resonance enhanced multiphoton ionization photoelectron spectroscopy: Ionization dynamics of Rydberg states in HBr

The results of rotationally resolved resonance enhanced multiphoton ionization photoelectron spectroscopy and zero kinetic energy‐pulsed field ionization studies on HBr via various rotational levels of the F^ 1Δ_2 and f^ 3Δ_2 Rydberg states are reported. These studies lead to an accurate determination of the lowest ionization threshold as 94 098.9±1 cm^(−1). Observed rotational and spin–orbit branching ratios are compared to the results of ab initio calculations. The differences between theory and experiment highlight the dominant role of rotational and spin–orbit interactions for the dynamic properties of the high‐n Rydberg states involved in the pulsed field ionization process

Silage- and forage-based diets compared to commercial diets in Ugandan pig growth

Introduction: Smallholder pig farmers in east Africa report that lack of feed, seasonal feed shortages, quality and cost of feed are key constraints to pig rearing. Commercially prepared pig diets are too expensive and there is competition for food between pigs and people. Smallholder farmers typically feed nutritionally unbalanced diets. This results in low average daily gain (ADG) and poor farmer profits. The objective was to compare the ADG of Ugandan pigs fed forage- or silage-based or commercial diets. Materials and Methods: Local and crossbred Ugandan weaner-grower pigs were randomly assigned to commercial or forage- or silage-based diets. The forage-based diet, on an as-fed basis included specific amounts (%) of the following ingredients; avocado (25.5 kg), banana leaf (1.7), cottonseed meal (1.8), jackfruit (21.9), maize bran (9.5), sun-dried fish (3.1), sweet potato vine (36.1), limestone (0.14), salt (0.14) and vitamin/mineral premix (0.07). Silage-based diet included similar amounts of cottonseed meal, jackfruit, minerals and vitamins, but more maize bran (12.4), sun-dried fish (2.7), and ensiled sweet potato vine and tubers (60.8). Pigs were individually weighed every 3 weeks from 9 to 32 weeks of age. Pen-level ADG was compared across diets controlling for breed and starting weight using multiple linear regression. Results: ADG of pigs fed commercial diet was higher than those fed forage- or silage-based diets between 9 and 24 weeks of age (p<0.03). Between 28 and 32 weeks, pigs fed forage-based diets had a lower ADG than those on other diets (P<0.001). Least squares mean ADG (g/pig/day) for pigs fed commercial, forage- and silage-based diets were 294, 36 and 52, respectively at 9–15 weeks; 329, 163, 212 at 15–19 weeks; 574, 112, 362 at 20-24 weeks and 1233, 694, and 994 at 28 to 32 weeks of age. Conclusion: Forage-and silage-based diets were unsuitable for newly-weaned pigs, which may be attributed to higher than anticipated diet ash and fiber contents. However, pigs on forage- and silage-based diets grew better than those on smallholder farms once they reached 20–24 weeks and 15–19 weeks, respectively. This was when pigs were approximately 12 kg body weight. Well-balanced cost-effective diets are needed to improve pig performance in east Africa. Fresh and ensiled locally available feedstuffs can be used in diets that meet the nutrient requirements of pigs. Low-cost forage- and silage-based diets containing some zero-cost feedstuffs are needed to improve the potential for profitability of smallholder pig farming. Efficient use of these feedstuffs is required to promote sustainable smallholder pig rearing enterprises

Feeding decisions for the newly weaned pigs in East Africa are weight dependent

Introduction: Smallholder pig farmers in east Africa typically wean pigs at 6 to 8 weeks. Farmers report that commercially prepared pig diets are too expensive and therefore typically feed forage and food waste. This results in low average daily gain (ADG), especially for the newly weaned pig. The objective was to describe the weaning weights of local and crossbred Ugandan pigs purchased from smallholder farmers and to compare the growth rate of the pigs fed forage- or silage-based or commercial diets by their starting weights. Materials and Methods: Littermate local (n = 45) and crossbred (n = 45) Ugandan pigs were purchased from 14 smallholder farmers and individually weighed at 9 weeks of age. Pigs were randomly assigned to forage- or silage-based or commercial diets, housed in pens of 3 pigs and weighed every 3 weeks. Pigs on each diet were categorized into the lightest, middle, or heaviest tertile. Pig-level ADG was compared within diet and across diet by weight tertile multiple linear regression. Results: Average (SD) and range of body weight for 9-week-old pigs was 5.7 (1.6) and 2.8–10.2 kg for local and 8.0 (1.8) and 3.9 to 11.4 kg for crossbred pigs. From 9 to 20 weeks of age, 19 pigs gained less than 5 kg. All were fed either forage- or silage-based diets. Most pigs on these diets gained less than the smallest pigs fed commercial diet. For pigs fed forage-based, silage-based or commercial diets, the ADG of the lightest tertile of pigs was 18, -8 and 154 gm/d from 9–12 weeks and 115, 142 and 268 gm/d for 18–20 week old pigs fed forage-based, silage-based and commercial diets, respectively. Similarly, for these 3 diets, the ADG for the heaviest tertile of pigs was 32, 44, and 247 gm/d from 9–12 weeks, and 221, 332, and 319 gm/d for 18- to 20-week-old pigs. The ash levels ranged from 9–12, 12–20, and 9–11 % DM for forage-based, silage-based, and commercial diets. The high ash levels may in part explain the low ADG in the study. The highest ash levels were found in the first diets fed to the 9-week-old pigs because we included animal-grade dried fish dust rather than human-grade whole dried fish. The ash levels decreased when this change was made. Conclusion: At 9 weeks of age, there was a wide range of weaning weights for local and crossbred Ugandan pigs purchased from smallholder farms. Farmers should be encouraged to feed commercial diet until the pigs reach 11 kg of body weight. Older and heavier pigs grow well on less expensive forage-based and silage-based diets. ADG will likely be further improved when the ash content of diets can be reduced from both farmer made and commercial diets