Browsing by Subject "southern Africa"

Now showing 1 - 5 of 5
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    An inquiry into the structure and function of space in indigenous settlement in Ovamboland
    (1984) Mills, Glen Trevor
    The problem of informing appropriate architectural practice in southern Africa is addressed by proposing to divert analytical attention away from the level of appearances when researching the form of indigenous settlement patterns and architecture. By way of example, an empirical study of the homestead as a unit of settlement pattern in Ovamboland is undertaken by exploring the ways in which the designer/builders themselves perceive and value space with a view to identifying and describing the organizational structure of the homestead. The initial assumption is that this form of settlement, examined as a set of spatial relations, encodes within its organizational structure the formula (or diagram) for its reproduction. The hypothesis is that a relevant understanding of indigenous settlement and architecture can only be grasped if inquiry extends beyond the formal aspects of style and technology to include an analysis of its spatial characteristic; this being the external projection of the socio-economic pattern (or ideology) of the people that produce it. And, such analysis being useful in identifying the formula which, when it interacts with its context, reproduces the observed settlement form. In view of this, a method of study is proposed which attempts to describe and examine settlement space from 'within' by exploring all the physical and non-physical determinants of form. This is done by isolating each determinant as a specification of settlement from and thereby arranging it into a scheme based on the scale of space with which it deals. The conclusions are, firstly, that because the homesteads display similar features of layout and accommodation there must exist a common, agreed-upon diagram which ensures its constant reproduction. Secondly, the evidence for the diagram must lie within the way the designer/builders perceive homestead space. Thirdly, this perception has its roots in historically inherited and functionally derived values and uses of space. Finally, a preliminary diagram is proposed which, it is argued, needs to be verified by undertaking further investigations of a similar nature in other areas of southern Africa where indigenous people occupy space.
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    Changes in self-reported HIV testing during South Africa's 2010/2011 national testing campaign: gains and shortfalls
    (2016) Maughan-Brown, Brendan; Lloyd, Neil; Bor, Jacob; Venkataramani, Atheendar S
    HIV counselling and testing is critical to HIV prevention and treatment efforts. Mass campaigns may be an effective strategy to increase HIV testing in countries with generalized HIV epidemics. We assessed the self-reported uptake of HIV testing among individuals who had never previously tested for HIV, particularly those in high-risk populations, during the period of a national, multisector testing campaign in South Africa (April 2010 and June 2011).
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    Climate change and health in the SADC region
    (2010) Young, T; Tucker, T; Galloway, M; Manyike, P; Chapman, A; Myers, J
    The draft review examines the link between climate change and health with special reference to the Southern African region (SADC countries). It attempts to set the scene for determining pertinent research priorities in the region to contribute to knowledge on the one hand, and for identification, implementation and evaluation of adaptation interventions that are likely to be appropriate and effective in the region. This review has been conducted by Strategic Evaluation, Advisory and Development Consulting (SEAD), a health consultancy together with the COEHR, and is part of the Regional Climate Change Programme (RCPP) led by One World Sustainable Investments. While this is currently a research work which outlines research and development objectives, it is envisaged that much of the material reviewed is also suitable for inclusion in teaching - particularly postgraduate teaching at University Masters level.
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    Craniodental continuity and change between Iron Age peoples and their descendants
    (2014) Warren, Kerryn A; Hall, Simon; Ackermann, Rebecca R
    The appearance of the Iron Age of southern Africa early in the first millennium AD is associated with the migration of Bantu speakers who were broadly ancestral to present-day Bantu speakers. While there is sufficient genetic, physical anthropological and cultural evidence to support general continuity into contemporary populations, the extent to which events since colonialism have affected morphological variation is poorly understood. We used dental anthropological techniques and three-dimensional craniomandibular metrics to examine biological relationships among Iron Age farmers, a historical 19th-century Ndebele sample and 20th-century Bantu speakers. We show that, although Iron Age and modern morphologies are generally similar, there are differences. Moreover, the historical sample falls between the precolonial and modern samples, suggesting increased genetic exchange from the 19th century onwards. These results suggest that recent historical events altered the genetic make-up of Bantu speakers and that, as a result, extrapolations from modern groups to the past should be done with caution as morphological variability is relative to historical context.
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    Novel sugarcane streak and sugarcane streak Reunion mastreviruses from southern Africa and La Réunion.
    (Springer Verlag, 2008) Shepherd, Dionne N; Varsani, Arvind; Windram, Oliver P; Lefeuvre, Pierre; Monjane, Ade´rito L; Owor, Betty E; Martin, Darren P
    The sugarcane infecting streak viruses (SISVs) are mastreviruses (Family Geminiviridae) belonging to a group of ‘‘African streak viruses’’ (AfSVs) that includes the economically devastating Maize streak virus (MSV). Although there are three currently described SISV species (Sugarcane streak virus [SSV], Sugarcane streak Egypt virus [SSEV] and Sugarcane streak Re´union virus [SSRV]), only one strain variant has been fully sequenced for each of these species and as a result very little is known about the diversity and evolutionary origins of the SCISVs. Here we present annotated full genome sequences of four new SISV isolates, including a new strain of both SSRV and SSV, and one potentially new SISV species, sampled from wild grasses in La Re´union and Zimbabwe. For the first time, we report the finding of SSRV isolates in Zimbabwe and SSV isolates on the island of La Re´union. Phylogenetic and recombination analyses indicate continent-wide SSRV strain diversity and that our isolate potentially representing a new SISV species is a recombinant.