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Abstract We present a first assessment of the potential impacts of anthropogenic climate change on the endemic flora of Namibia, and on its vegetation structure and function, for a projected climate in ∼2050 and ∼2080. We used both niche‐based models (NBM) to evaluate the sensitivity of 159 endemic species to climate change (of an original 1020 plant species modeled) and a dynamic global vegetation model (DGVM) to assess the impacts of climate change on vegetation structure and ecosystem...

Abstract We present a first assessment of the potential impacts of anthropogenic climate change on the endemic flora of Namibia, and on its vegetation structure and function, for a projected climate in ∼2050 and ∼2080. We used both niche‐based models (NBM) to evaluate the sensitivity of 159 endemic species to climate change (of an original 1020 plant species modeled) and a dynamic global vegetation model (DGVM) to assess the impacts of climate change on vegetation structure and ecosystem...

Preface Introduction Pre-modern Africa Afro-Arab Islamic Africa Anglophone Africa Anglophone Africa--II: Ethiopia, Liberia, South Africa Europhone Africa Thematic Perspective: The Role of Foreign Aid Conclusion: The Colonial Legacy Appendix I: An Exploration into the Provenance of the Modern African University Appendix II: The Historical Antecedents of the Disjuncture Between Pre-Modern and Modern Africa Appendix III: The European Colonial Empires in Africa on the Eve of Political Independence Glossary Bibliography Index

Ali A. AbdiDepartment of Educational Policy StudiesUniversity of Alberta, Edmonton, CanadaEdward ShizhaLecturer, University of Zimbabwe, HarareResearch Associate, University of AlbertaIgnatio BwalyaLecturer, Faculty of EducationUniversity of Zambia, LusakaINTRODUCTIONSince the early 1990s and, perhaps, as one effect of the emergence of the uni-polar world, there have been a lot of “democratizing” activities in the Sub-Saharan context, with Zambia, a central African country of about 10...

Poisoning by means of hazardous chemicals through ignorance, mishap or intentionally is becoming a serious health problem worldwide. Epidemiological data on this important health issue are, however, scarce in Ethiopia. The purpose of this study is to assess the pattern of acute poisonings and determine the approaches employed for the management of poisoning.The medical records of patients with acute poisonings presented to the Gondar University hospital between July 2001 and June 2004 were...

The 20-item Computer Anxiety Scale was administered to a Nigerian sample of 162 undergraduates in education (53 men and 109 women). Analysis indicated that the construct of computer anxiety appears to be invariant with respect to sex, year of study, or group (science/nonscience). In addition, a high prevalence of computer anxiety was observed as about two-thirds of the participants had computer anxiety scores exceeding 60 with a mean score of 65.3 (SD= 16.6).

The apartheid state provided higher education in very differentiated ways. After 1994, the issue of how new policies would address the issue of unjust differentiation was widely discussed via the concept of ‘redress’. After 1994, the idea of redress for the cohort of historically disadvantaged institutions went through many shifts and competing definitions. The article shows that by 2001 the stage was set for a number of centrally imposed proposals to address the problems of institutional...

Geriatric care is a new phenomenon in Egypt. This study investigates how Egyptian caregivers experience their work and how they conceive its meaning. A qualitative case study in a geriatric home in Upper Egypt was conducted using structured interviews with 10 staff members and content analysis according to Mayring. Performing care required learning to overcome initial experiences of fear, disgust, and sexual taboo. Care was perceived as a laborious repetition. Its ideal form was described as...

Research shows, for African American adolescents, issues of school belonging, identification, and engagement are critical to academic performance and successful completion of high school. In the existing literature, school belonging has been significantly linked with teacher support, peer relations, motivation, engagement, and academic performance. This paper reviews major findings on school belonging for this group of students, and offers future directions for research.

This study examined whether culture mediated teachers' reported classroom behaviors. Teachers were asked to complete a questionnaire with items that depicted a traditional classroom behavior or activity performed under specific cultural orientations. Reports of culture-based classroom behaviors were ascertained as a function of teacher cultural group and classroom cultural practice type. Classroom cultural practice was measured through a scale developed to assess typical classroom activities...

South Africa like many countries is moving towards a system of community care for people with mental health problems. This is set against a backdrop of under-resourced and overburdened services. These problems are particularly apparent in the township communities. The aim of this study was to devise an education programme for South African volunteer health workers using principles adapted from the UK evidence base for psychosocial intervention (PSI) and to evaluate the impact of the...

Calcium and dairy consumption are documented to be low among African Americans and have demonstrated benefits to bone growth, overall nutritional status, and health throughout the life cycle. There is also an emerging relationship to the prevention of obesity. This low consumption has been attributed to both cultural and community/environmental barriers. Using a life course construct and an ecological model of health behavior, this paper will illustrate why nutrition education and food...

Utilizing a sample of students (N = 504) from Matabeleland, Zimbabwe, Africa, this study investigated the extent to which knowledge of AIDS and two components of the Health Belief Model are related to: 1) attitude toward condom use, and 2) intentions to use a condom in future sexual encounters. Results indicated that knowledge of AIDS is not significantly related to any of the two dependent variables. However, belief in the efficacy of condoms, and lack of barriers to the use of condoms were...

Objective Trachoma is one of the leading preventable causes of blindness worldwide. We evaluate the impact of a health education program on the prevalence of active trachoma in children 3 to 9 years old. Design Community randomized intervention study. Data were collected by means of cross-sectional surveys before and after intervention. Participants Within 40 rural Ethiopian communities, households were selected at random, and all 3- to 9-year-old children within households were invited for...

Clinical observation shows that most of the patients with pleural effusion of undetermined aetiology in a Nigerian teaching hospital receive antiTB drug trials. This observation prompted the authors to evaluate the role of percutaneous needle pleural biopsy as a diagnostic tool in effusions of uncertain aetiology. Thirty-seven patients with pleural effusion of uncertain aetiology were investigated by percutaneous pleural biopsies using Abrams pleural biopsy needle over an 18-month period. In...

Exposure to genotoxic compounds present in ambient air has been studied in Cotonou, Benin, a city where two-stroke motorbikes are the major form of transportation and gasoline quality is poor. Personal monitoring and biomarkers were used to assess the exposure. Non-smoking taxi-moto drivers (city) and village residents were the study subjects. Benzene exposure was significantly higher in the city, as compared to the village (76.0 ± 26.8 μg/m3 versus 3.4 ± 3.0, p = 0.0004). Urinary excretion...

There is debate about whether the rate of return to education in developing countries declines with the level of schooling. This paper reports evidence from urban Papua New Guinea which shows that the average private rate of return to an additional year of education rises with the level of education considered. This pattern is robust to the specification of the extended earnings function and is strengthened when the measure of employee compensation includes fringe benefits. The results are...

This research is a case study of using a distance learning network for teachers’ professional development in Egypt. It aims to investigate the impact of using Egypt’s National Network for Distance Training (NNDT) in developing teachers’ knowledge and on building communities of practice. It explores the role of professional development experts and teachers’ participation within the network. In addition, it draws attention to the teachers’ level of engagement in professional development...