Hasil untuk "History of Africa"

J. Bayart

Anna-Sapfo Malaspinas, Michael C. Westaway, Craig Muller et al.

Nitwara Wikan, Duncan R. Smith

Chantel Siriram, Roseanne Harris

Abstract This commentary critiques the global transplantation of Health Technology Assessment (HTA) frameworks grounded in cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) and cost-utility analysis (CUA), highlighting their potential misalignment with the ethical and historical realities of LMICs such as South Africa. We introduce utilitarian principlism, a hybrid ethical framework that combines utilitarian efficiency with the normative safeguards of principlism to enable context-sensitive health priority-setting. Drawing on two recent empirical studies done by the authors (currently under review), we show that internationally developed EQ-5D value sets used to compute CEA locally in South Africa correlate poorly with patient-reported health status in South Africa and that sociodemographic variables significantly influence patient-perceived health scores necessitating a deep understanding of South African history to adequately make ethical and fair healthcare policy decisions. We argue that while locally derived utility weights are necessary for more accurate local CEA analysis, use of metrics like CEA alone in contexts like South Africa fails to address systemic inequity in the population. Instead, we propose a Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) framework to integrate CEA determined by using locally derived value sets with ethical and contextual considerations. We therefore recommend four policy shifts: (1) ethical adaptation of economic methods; (2) localisation of HTA methods and value sets; (3); contextualisation of global HTA guidance and (4) a move away from cost efficacy only metrics and adoption of MCDA approaches. This approach advances a model of contextual fairness and ethical pluralism, enabling LMICs to build HTA systems that reflect their own moral, historical, and public health priorities, offering a principled, equitable path forward for value-based healthcare reform.

H. Zeller, W. van Bortel, B. Súdre

Dorothy E. Loy, Weimin Liu, Yingying Li et al.

Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax account for more than 95% of all human malaria infections, and thus pose a serious public health challenge. To control and potentially eliminate these pathogens, it is important to understand their origins and evolutionary history. Until recently, it was widely believed that P. falciparum had co-evolved with humans (and our ancestors) over millions of years, whilst P. vivax was assumed to have emerged in southeastern Asia following the cross-species transmission of a parasite from a macaque. However, the discovery of a multitude of Plasmodium spp. in chimpanzees and gorillas has refuted these theories and instead revealed that both P. falciparum and P. vivax evolved from parasites infecting wild-living African apes. It is now clear that P. falciparum resulted from a recent cross-species transmission of a parasite from a gorilla, whilst P. vivax emerged from an ancestral stock of parasites that infected chimpanzees, gorillas and humans in Africa, until the spread of the protective Duffy-negative mutation eliminated P. vivax from human populations there. Although many questions remain concerning the biology and zoonotic potential of the P. falciparum- and P. vivax-like parasites infecting apes, comparative genomics, coupled with functional parasite and vector studies, are likely to yield new insights into ape Plasmodium transmission and pathogenesis that are relevant to the treatment and prevention of human malaria.

Marc de Manuel, Ross Barnett, Marcela Sandoval-Velasco et al.

Significance Lions were once the most globally widespread mammal species, with distinct populations in Africa, Eurasia, and America. We generated a genomic dataset that included 2 extinct Pleistocene cave lions, 12 lions from historically extinct populations in Africa and the Middle East, and 6 modern lions from Africa and India. Our analyses show the Pleistocene cave lion as maximally distinct with no evidence of hybridization with other lion groups based on the level of population structure and admixture. We also confirm long-term divisions between other extant lion populations and assess genetic diversity within individual samples. Our work provides views on the complex nature of the global lion species-complex and its evolution and provides conservation data for modern lion regional populations. Lions are one of the world’s most iconic megafauna, yet little is known about their temporal and spatial demographic history and population differentiation. We analyzed a genomic dataset of 20 specimens: two ca. 30,000-y-old cave lions (Panthera leo spelaea), 12 historic lions (Panthera leo leo/Panthera leo melanochaita) that lived between the 15th and 20th centuries outside the current geographic distribution of lions, and 6 present-day lions from Africa and India. We found that cave and modern lions shared an ancestor ca. 500,000 y ago and that the 2 lineages likely did not hybridize following their divergence. Within modern lions, we found 2 main lineages that diverged ca. 70,000 y ago, with clear evidence of subsequent gene flow. Our data also reveal a nearly complete absence of genetic diversity within Indian lions, probably due to well-documented extremely low effective population sizes in the recent past. Our results contribute toward the understanding of the evolutionary history of lions and complement conservation efforts to protect the diversity of this vulnerable species.

Trudy Rene Marais, Charlené Downing

Background: The Operating Department Assistant is employed in the perioperative environment to assist with anaesthetics, scrubbing and circulating duties. Research indicates a lack of this phenomenon experienced by Operating Department Assistant in the perioperative environment. Aim: To explore and describe the Operating Department Assistants' experiences in the perioperative environment. Methodological design: A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive and contextual design was followed using a phenomenological research method. A purposeful sampling method was utilised to select eight female participants from one private hospital group in Gauteng. In-depth, individual, unstructured interviews were conducted using Giorgi's method of data analysis to reveal the construct of the phenomenon. Findings: The results revealed that Operating Department Assistants experienced happiness, pride, joy, understanding of their duties and fostered teamwork with in the perioperative environment. Furthermore the Operating Department Assistants experienced unhappiness, revealing role confusion, distrust, emotional suppression, limited professional and exploitation in the perioperative environment. Conclusion: The experiences of the Operating Department Assistants in the perioperative environment was explored and described. The sensitive nature of this phenomenon highlighted the happiness and unhappiness experienced by the Operating Department Assistants in the perioperative environment. Recommendation practices include effective orientation. mentorship, transitioning and partnership to caringly support, clarify the Operating Department Assistant role, affirmation and display their expertise, providing valuabe assistance in the perioperative environment.

Jacques Sevestre, Caroline Bernardi, Morgane Gillet et al.

Abstract Background Malaria is a potentially lethal parasitic disease due to infection by Plasmodium parasites, transmitted by Anopheles mosquito vectors. Various preventative measures may be recommended for travellers who visit endemic areas. The diagnosis is generally evoked in the context of a febrile patient returning from an endemic zone. Nevertheless, symptoms and clinical signs may be difficult to interpret, and fatal cases may only be diagnosed retrospectively with laboratory techniques, specific pathological features and patient history. The present work reports a case of fatal cerebral malaria diagnosed post-mortem, along with the techniques that allowed identification of the causative agent. Case presentation A 29 year-old male was found dead in his rental home during a vacation in Southern France. In the absence of explainable cause, an autopsy was performed, which did not retrieve major lesions. In the context of frequent business-related travels in tropical Africa, several samples were adressed for parasitological examination. Microscopy techniques, along with immunochromatographic and molecular biology assays, led to post-mortem diagnosis of fatal cerebral malaria. It was discovered in retrospect that the patient had not used preventative measures against malaria when travelling in endemic zones, and had not been provided with proper travel medicine counseling prior to his travel. Conclusion A vast proportion of imported malaria cases reported in France concerns patients who did not use preventive measures, such as bed nets, repellents or chemoprophylaxis. Given the wide availability of prevention tools in developed countries, and the important number of declared imported malaria cases, there is no doubt traveller awareness still needs to be raised. Moreover, healthcare professionals should always question travel history in febrile patients. The authors advocate for recurrent information campaigns for travellers, and physician training for a better prevention and diagnosis of malaria cases.

Solomon Kibret, Matthew McCartney, Jonathan Lautze et al.

Abstract Expansion of various types of water infrastructure is critical to water security in Africa. To date, analysis of adverse disease impacts has focused mainly on large dams. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of both small and large dams on malaria in four river basins in sub-Saharan Africa (i.e., the Limpopo, Omo-Turkana, Volta and Zambezi river basins). The European Commission’s Joint Research Center (JRC) Yearly Water Classification History v1.0 data set was used to identify water bodies in each of the basins. Annual malaria incidence data were obtained from the Malaria Atlas Project (MAP) database for the years 2000, 2005, 2010 and 2015. A total of 4907 small dams and 258 large dams in the four basins, with 14.7million people living close (< 5 km) to their reservoirs in 2015, were analysed. The annual number of malaria cases attributable to dams of either size across the four basins was 0.9–1.7 million depending on the year, of which between 77 and 85% was due to small dams. The majority of these cases occur in areas of stable transmission. Malaria incidence per kilometre of reservoir shoreline varied between years but for small dams was typically 2–7 times greater than that for large dams in the same basin. Between 2000 and 2015, the annual malaria incidence showed a broadly declining trend for both large and small dam reservoirs in areas of stable transmission in all four basins. In conclusion, the malaria impact of dams is far greater than previously recognized. Small and large dams represent hotspots of malaria transmission and, as such, should be a critical focus of future disease control efforts.

Logan Emlet

Marcia S. Ponce de León, T. Koesbardiati, J. Weissmann et al.

Significance The cavity system of the inner ear—the so-called bony labyrinth—houses the senses of balance and hearing. This structure is embedded in dense petrous bone, fully formed by birth and generally well preserved in human skeletal remains, thus providing a rich source of morphological information about past populations. Here we show that labyrinthine morphology tracks genetic distances and geography in an isolation-by-distance model with dispersal from Africa. Because petrous bones have become prime targets of ancient DNA recovery, we propose that all destructive studies first acquire high-resolution 3D computed-tomography data prior to any invasive sampling. Such data will constitute an important archive of morphological variation in past and present populations, and will permit individual-based genotype–phenotype comparisons. The dispersal of modern humans from Africa is now well documented with genetic data that track population history, as well as gene flow between populations. Phenetic skeletal data, such as cranial and pelvic morphologies, also exhibit a dispersal-from-Africa signal, which, however, tends to be blurred by the effects of local adaptation and in vivo phenotypic plasticity, and that is often deteriorated by postmortem damage to skeletal remains. These complexities raise the question of which skeletal structures most effectively track neutral population history. The cavity system of the inner ear (the so-called bony labyrinth) is a good candidate structure for such analyses. It is already fully formed by birth, which minimizes postnatal phenotypic plasticity, and it is generally well preserved in archaeological samples. Here we use morphometric data of the bony labyrinth to show that it is a surprisingly good marker of the global dispersal of modern humans from Africa. Labyrinthine morphology tracks genetic distances and geography in accordance with an isolation-by-distance model with dispersal from Africa. Our data further indicate that the neutral-like pattern of variation is compatible with stabilizing selection on labyrinth morphology. Given the increasingly important role of the petrous bone for ancient DNA recovery from archaeological specimens, we encourage researchers to acquire 3D morphological data of the inner ear structures before any invasive sampling. Such data will constitute an important archive of phenotypic variation in present and past populations, and will permit individual-based genotype–phenotype comparisons.

D. Hilfiker-Kleiner, A. Haghikia, David Masuko et al.

K. Barber

Alex Matos Rabelo, Jaquileude Araújo Martins

O presente artigo pretende construir uma leitura crítica do racismo nas relações de trabalho escravo contemporâneo pensado sob a ótica da hierarquização e a superexploração da mão-de-obra negra. A investigação trata-se com base em pesquisa bibliográfica, tendo como aporte teórico os estudos de Costa (2018), Rodrigues (2016), Fanon (1968), Oliva (2007), Harvey (2001), etc.. Temos como objetivo refletir sobre a questão racial no contexto histórico e social da reprodução do trabalho escravo na sociedade atual, bem como, problematizar suas interfaces na produção da desigualdade social, emergida com os “novos” processos de modernização em múltiplas dimensões. Palavras-chave: Racismo. Hierarquização. Superexploração. Trabalho Escravo Contemporâneo.   The present article intends to build a critical reading of racism in the relations of contemporany slave labor thourght from the perspective of hierarchization of black labor.The investigation is based on bibliographic research, having as theoretical contribution the studies of Costa (2018), Rodrigues (2016), Fanon (1968), Oliva (2007), Harvey (2001), etc.. We ain to reflecton the racial inssue in the historical and social context of the reproduction of slave labor in today's society, as well as to problematize its interfaces in the “new” moderniztion processes in multiple dimensionis. Keywords: Racism. Hierarchy. Overexploitation. Contemporany Slave Labor.   Le présent article entend construire une lecture critique du racisme dansles relations de travail contemporaines entre esclaves pensé dans la perspective de la hiérarchie et de la surexploitation du travail noir. L'enquête et basée sur la recherche bibliographique, ayant pour contribution thé o rique les études de Costa (2018), Rodrigues (2016), Fanon (1968), Oliva (2007), Harvey (2001), etc.. Nous cherchons à réfléchir sur la question raciale dans le contexte historique et social de la reproduction du travail esclave dans la société d'aujourd'hui, ainsi qu'á problématiser ses interfaces dans la production des inégualités sociales, qui ont émergé avec les nouveaux processus de modernisation dans de multiples dimensionis. Mosts-clés: Racisme; Hiérarchie. Surexploitation. Travail Esclave Contemporain.

Ian Gibson

In Nepal’s public discourse, Christianity is often described as a divisive force, perhaps a plot by foreign powers to undermine the cohesion of Nepali society. In this article, I present ethnographic material from Bhaktapur suggesting that, at least with respect to family life, the social effects of conversion may often differ from this stereotypical picture. In Bhaktapur, I argue, conversion is more frequently a consequence of pre-existing conflicts within families than a source of new ones. Furthermore, in some contexts, the social, ethical, and ritual practices of Bhaktapurian churches can bring reconciliation to troubled families. In other contexts, conversion can heighten intrafamilial tensions, in particular through the commitment it brings to exclusivist theology. I explore how converts negotiate the conversion process and the tensions that precipitate and result from it, describing how familial power dynamics influence such negotiations. To give the reader a fleshed-out sense of the lived experience of Christian and part-Christian families in Bhaktapur, I give thick descriptions of the conversions of one church minister and his family, and of a church house fellowship in which post-conversion family tensions are discussed. Connecting this ethnography with wider research on Bhaktapurian Christianity, I delineate the competing forces at work in converts’ family lives. In light of the rapid growth of Christianity in Nepal, and the heated and sometimes violent nature of political responses to this, ethnographic research is urgently needed to examine not just the causes but also the longterm effects of Christian conversion; this will help to clarify whether patterns found in Bhaktapur are replicated elsewhere in the country.

Prince Peprah, Emmanuel Mawuli Abalo, Julius Nyonyo et al.

This qualitative study was conducted in some selected rural communities within the Birim South District between March to June 2017 with the main aim of teasing out insights into Ghana’s perspective of pregnant women’s attitudes and perceptions about modern and traditional midwives and perceptional impact on health seeking behaviour and status. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first known study in Ghana that has provided empirical evidence on this subject. The study found that pregnant women have good attitudes and perceptions toward traditional midwives based on their personal experiences, beliefs and philosophies. Thus, pregnant women only see the need to seek the service of modern midwives when serious complications occur during childbirth and predominantly have their deliveries supervised by traditional midwives. These results call for, specifically two main policy interventions. First, behavioral change interventions through education, community sensitisation and awareness, is required. This should target family members, especially husbands and mothers in-law who are key household decision makers. This will radically help change the conservative attitudes and perceptions about modern midwives by pregnant women. Second, based on the support offered and willingness showed by the study participants, effective intercultural midwifery system will help maximise the utilisation of our midwifery and health delivery systems. Traditional and modern midwives need to work together to ensure safe birth. We consider collaboration among healthcare providers as critical, especially in the rural areas where the number of modern midwives are limited. Keywords: Traditional midwife, Modern midwife, Intercultural midwifery system, Behavioral change, Rural Ghana

Biodun Jeyifo

This essay involves an exploration of complex and fascinating acts of decentering and re-centering of writers in relation to traditional Muses as institutionalizations or sedimentations of artistic and intellectual inspiration in cultural tradition. Using the specific example of Wole Soyinka’s much discussed appropriation of Ogun, the Yoruba god of war, metallurgy and creativity as a point of departure, the paper gives what is intended as a far more complex and even more contradictory relationship between Soyinka and this chosen Muse than what we typically encounter in the criticism and scholarship on the Nigerian dramatist’s writings. This is done in two distinct though interlocking interpretive, discursive moves: first, by reading Soyinka’s positive appropriation of Ogun against Derek Walcott’s disavowal of the Muses of both Europe and Africa in the play, Dream on Monkey Mountain and in one of his most important essays, “The Muse of History”; and, secondly, by critically excavating Soyinka’s own scathing and revisionary critique of Ogun as a Muse in his first major play, A Dance of the Forests. Building on these readings of Soyinka and Walcott, the essay ends with a plea for paying as much attention, in the postcolonial Nigerian and African context, to re-centering as is given to decentering in Western postmodernist discourses, always with an eye to the interpenetrations and exchanges that take place among the diverse literary and cultural traditions of the world.

Vanessa Guéno

Until 2011, when the revolutionary sparkle was lit in Homs (Syria), it was a place considered being insignificant or forgotten by most people. Its revolutionary effervescence transformed the city – until then without any major historical events – to an emblematic city and the apocalyptic images of the events were accessed/used by the media and by the local stakeholders thanks to social media. In this context, facing these brutal actions, the role and position of the historian needs to be reconsidered. It forces him/her to review his/her understanding of the past, of his/her choice of source material and their interpretation of them. With the transformation of the field of study into a “battlefield”, the concept of tangible and intangible heritage is renewed. Be it abandoned old stones, disused local expressions or forgotten popular rituals, the people of Homs are rediscovering their city and reclaim their heritage. In this chaos, can the historian continue to dissociate/distance from the events and the emotions. Does the history of Ottoman Homs written in 2007 need to be rewritten?

José Thiago Cintra

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