Scientists widely agree that species extinction has heavily accelerated in the last decades. A grave problem for the conservation of diversity is the still very fragmentary knowledge of the ecology of most species. Attempts of sustainable management and conservation must integrate local communities and their traditional knowledge. Management decisions need to include the high importance of natu...

The African pygmy mice (Mus, subgenus Nannomys) are a group of small-sized rodents that occur widely throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Chromosomal diversity within this group is extensive and numerous studies have shown the karyotype to be a useful taxonomic marker. This is pertinent to Mus minutoides populations in South Africa where two different cytotypes (2n = 34, 2n = 18) and a modification o...

Although it is widely accepted that modern humans (Homo sapiens sapiens) can trace their African origins to 150-200 kilo years ago (kya) (recent African origin model; Henn et al, 2012; Ingman et al, 2000; Poznik et al, 2013; Weaver, 2012), an alternative model suggests that the diverse populations of our species evolved separately on different continents from archaic human forms (multiregional ...

BACKGROUND Despite considerable concern regarding the social consequences of sub-Saharan Africa's high orphan prevalence, no research investigates how living in a community densely populated with orphans is more broadly associated with children's-including nonorphans'-acquisition of human capital. OBJECTIVE We provide a new look at the implications of widespread orphanhood in sub-Saharan Afri...

My original intention with this paper was to provide a diagnosis of the state of the African languages of South Africa: whether these languages are being maintained or are shifting to English. This was to be achieved through an analysis of sociohistorical data and recent language-attitude research and the use of a number of theoretical frameworks. It was based, furthermore, on the assumption th...

conclusions: ten percent of the isolates were positive for meca gene among the vancomycin-oxacillin resistant strains, while van gene was not detected in any of the isolates. the data obtained would be useful in clinical control of resistant staphylococcal strains. results: a total of 120 staphylococcus isolates were screened, out of which, 32 (26%) were susceptible to both methicillin and vanc...

An overview on the systematics of the stone huntsman spider genus Eusparassus Simon, 1903 and an identification key to the known species are presented. Six species-groups are proposed: the walckenaeri group (3 species, Eastern Mediterranean to Arabia and parts of North-Eastern Africa), dufouri group (8 species, Iberian Peninsula to parts of North-western Africa), vestigator group (3 species, Ce...

In Haiti, >90% of the population descended from African slaves. Of 7,147 Haitian pregnant women sampled, 44% of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections were caused by genotype A1, which today is found mainly in eastern Africa. Twenty percent belong to a rare subgenotype, A5, which has been found only in the former Bight of Benin, a former primary slave trading post. Haitian A subgenotypes appear to ...

â  â  hepatocellular carcinoma (hcc) is a major worldwide public health concern. despite recent advances, there has been little success in improving the survival of hcc patients. due to advances in diagnostic modalities and the increasing incidence of chronic viral hepatitis and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (nafld), both of which are well known risk factors of hcc, the prevalence of hcc is ...

Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) are extralimital (non-native) to the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa yet they have and continue to be introduced to the region. Financial gain has arguably been the driving force behind these introductions as foreign tourists associate giraffe with Africa and the African wildlife experience. This raises a number of ethical, ecological and philosophical quest...