The role of birds in the culture of the Ndebele people of Zimbabwe

Msimanga, A. 2000. The role of birds in the culture of the Ndebele people of Zimbabwe. Ostrich 71 (1 & 2): 22–24.

The Ndebele people of western Zimbabwe uphold some beliefs and practices relating to birds and these are either shared with other ethnic groups or unique to them. Some areas of interaction include the naming of birds, taboos, folk stories and songs as well as food and medicine. The changes in the lifestyle of the Ndebele resulting from industrialisation and urbanisation have had corresponding effects on attitudes towards cultural beliefs and this is affecting birdlife and indeed all biodiversity. It is suggested that where possible those beliefs and practices that impact positively on birdlife be identified and promoted for purposes of conservation and sustainable utilisation.     

生物技术专业《生命科学进展》双语教学初探

为提高学生的外语水平,适应社会经济高速发展对人才的更高要求,通过对《生命科学进展》课程进行了双语教学的实践探索,探讨了教学手段和方法的改革,教学效果调查评估结果显示,认为课程总评及满意程度达良好及以上等级的学生占94%,表明开展的《生命科学进展》双语教学活动所采用的教学方法和手段基本适合学生目前的英语和专业知识水平,《生命科学进展》双语教学改革实践是成功的。     

All Africa conference on tobacco control.

Although the health hazards of smoking are now generally accepted in most Western countries, the arguments have not had much impact on poorer nations. A conference on tobacco control held in Harare, Zimbabwe, in November last year was the largest to tackle this problem. The conference heard how threats of epidemics of tobacco related disease in the distant future held little weight with governments of countries that often already had massive public health problems. More immediate effects needed to be emphasised. Speakers gave three cogent arguments; firstly, the loss of capacity for foreign trade in essential goods, since most African countries are net importers of tobacco; secondly, the extensive deforestation which is occurring to fuel the flue curing of tobacco; thirdly, evidence from Papua New Guinea that raising taxation on tobacco provides governments with increased income for many years before a decrease begins.     

The evolution of culture (or the lack thereof): mapping the conceptual space

This short essay is based on a lecture that I gave at short notice on a subject in which I am by no means an expert. The combination of lack of expertise and time for preparation, created an unexpectedly unique opportunity for thinking outside the box. I decided not to try to read up (as there was no time in any case) but instead to organize the little that I already knew about cultural evolution in a systematic schema—I attempted to create a scaffolding, on which I could hang everything I knew about cultural evolution, and hopefully, everything I might ever discover about cultural evolution in the future. I considered three dimensions of the study of cultural evolution, namely (i) the phenomenon of cultural evolution, (ii) production of knowledge in the field of cultural evolution, and (iii) the consequences or applications of an understanding of the evolution of culture.     

The poetry of science

During the past year, I have taken part in an experiment in which I have been the experimental animal. I was awarded a fellowship that gave me the opportunity to take a sabbatical from science and spend a year in the School of Literature and Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia. The School of Literature and Creative Writing is internationally renowned, and past students include household names such as Ian McEwan, Kazuo Ishiguro, Trezza Azzopardi and Tracy Chevalier. I have a keen interest in creative writing and had written a few short stories. This was a formidable but thrilling challenge. During my adventure, I realized that, in many ways, I was coming home.     

全球化背景下医学伦理学教学改革的探索

医学伦理学理论和实践根植于一定时期的社会经济、文化和教育,并随之发生改变和发展。随着全球经济一体化的进展完善,不同国家的文化和教育已在全球范围内互联互通并进而影响异乡本土医学文化。从目前我国医学伦理学教育和实践看,医学伦理学教学及评价体系已不能满足日新月异的全球化医学发展进程。本文从传统医学文化和医学伦理学的理论渊源入手,针对我国医学伦理学教学实践中存在的德性培育重视不足、临床决策能力培养缺失、标准化评价体系缺失等主要问题,探析教学改革的路径,以促进医学伦理学教学理论和实践的发展。     

Does geographic range affect the attractant–aggregation–attachment pheromone of the tropical bont tick, Amblyomma variegatum?

The tropical bont tick, Amblyomma variegatum, transmits heartwater in sub-Saharan Africa and in the Caribbean. This species has a broad geographic distribution, ranging from Madagascar and other islands in the Indian Ocean through most of sub-Saharan Africa, to several islands in the eastern Caribbean Sea. Blood fed male A. variegatum secrete an attraction–aggregation–attachment (AAA) pheromone which, combined with CO₂, excites host finding and formation of feeding clusters of these ticks. However, it is not known whether the composition of the pheromone varies throughout A. variegatums geographic range. Extracts of fed male ticks were examined for phenols and volatile organic acids by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry to determine whether differences occur in the pheromone components of populations of this species across the geographic range (Guadeloupe, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Rwanda). No significant difference in the chemical composition of the pheromone in relation to geographic range was found. No significant differences in rates of attachment in response to native versus foreign extracts were found in on-host attachment tests comparing ticks from two countries, Guadeloupe (Caribbean) and Zimbabwe (African). This finding was confirmed in more detailed studies with ticks from Guadeloupe and four African countries (Kenya, Rwanda, Zambia and Zimbabwe). On-host attachment assays from these countries did not detect consistent differences in response to extracts from different locations.In an olfactometer bioassay, females were not consistently more attracted to extracts from their native locality than from any of the foreign localities.We conclude that despite the widespread distribution of A. variegatum over both hemispheres, no significant differences in pheromone composition or biological responses to male tick pheromone secretions occur.     

留学生医学遗传学教学中教学新模式的构建

以发展外国留学生教育为主要标志的教育国际化,是当今世界教育发展的一大趋势。为了提高我校的教学水平和办学层次,我校医学院自2005年秋季开始招收外国留学生。留学生的学习方法和思维模式与中国学生相比有很大差异,而传统的教学模式不能适应留学生的教学的需求。因此构建新型教学模式在留学生医学遗传学教学中至关重要。     

"Quit Talking and Learn English!": Conflicting Language Ideologies in an ESL Classroom

This article addresses the relationship between educational theory—as manifested in particular ideologies of teaching and learning—and classroom practice. Based on an ethnographic study of English-as-a-second-language (ESL) learning at a Canadian senior public school, I outline a conflict between two language ideologies that give shape to, and are shaped by, the classroom practices of the ESL teacher, his assistants, and the students. I discuss the implications of this ideological conflict in terms of the opportunities ESL students are given, and that they create for themselves, to practice speaking English. I end by outlining how these findings can be used to shape educational policy as it relates to ESL classroom curricula in order to create a more equitable learning environment for ESL students.     

旅游开发及其对生态系统和景观的影响

概括了国内外关于旅游开发和环境关系的研究进展。国外研究主要包括对旅游环境概念和旅游环境质量标准的探讨,旅游对自然环境影响的研究,旅游环境容量的研究,旅游对社会文化环境影响的研究及旅游环境保护对策研究等;国内的有关科研工作滞后于国外,但是旅游与环境的关系从20世纪70年代开始就受到重视。由于国内研究者广泛吸收国外的研究成果,研究起点较高,使这一领域取得了长足发展。还介绍了旅游对生态系统组成和景观的负面影响研究,如旅游对植被的局部性破坏,造成土壤侵蚀和理化性质的变化,减少野生动物的数量,增加空气中细菌、灰尘和废气的含量,造成水体污染等。今后的研究要处理好开发与保护两者间的矛盾,将景观生态学的观点应用到旅游区规划和保护之中。     

Using upper limits of "bateman gradients" to estimate the opportunity for sexual selection

The widespread use of molecular markers to estimate parentagemakes possible a new index of the opportunity for sexual selection.After demonstrating the need for a new measure, I develop onebased on the upper limit on sexual selection. I describe whatsets the upper limit for each sex by showing how maximum fecundityincreases with number of mates, accounting for the amount ofenergy (or critical resources) available for reproduction andlevels of parental care. For females the upper limit on sexualselection is set by the value of paternal investment that comeswith each mating. For males, the upper limit on sexual selectionis set by the fecundity of their mates (including any boostto female fecundity from paternal investment). Sex-roles aremost likely to reverse (making males choosy and females competitive)when the amount of reproductive energy investment made by eachsex is low, irrespective of the level of paternal investment.Finally, I propose that we use the difference between male andfemale upper limits on sexual selection to quantify sex differencesin the opportunity for sexual selection. Using upper limitsto estimate the opportunity for sexual selection is more intuitivethan older methods (e.g., standardized variance in mating success),it is experimentally measurable, and it is valuable in understandingthe evolution of mating systems.     

Technology in the teaching of neuroscience: enhanced student learning

The primary motivation for integrating any form of education technology into a particular course or curriculum should always be to enhance student learning. However, it can be difficult to determine which technologies will be the most appropriate and effective teaching tools. Through the alignment of technology-enhanced learning experiences with a clear set of learning objectives, teaching becomes more efficient and effective and learning is truly enhanced. In this article, I describe how I have made extensive use of technology in two neuroscience courses that differ in structure and content. Course websites function as resource centers and provide a forum for student interaction. PowerPoint presentations enhance formal lectures and provide an organized outline of presented material. Some lectures are also supplemented with interactive CD-ROMs, used in the presentation of difficult physiological concepts. In addition, a computer-based physiological recording system is used in laboratory sessions, improving the hands-on experience of group learning while reinforcing the concepts of the research method. Although technology can provide powerful teaching tools, the enhancement of the learning environment is still dependent on the instructor. It is the skill and enthusiasm of the instructor that determines whether technology will be used effectively.     

Between a Rock and a Hard Place: The Power and Powerlessness of Transnational Narratives among Gay Martinican Men

In Martinique, self-identified gay men often tell each other stories about gay communities in other societies. France and Martinique are central characters in these stories but their presence is largely negative: life in the former is criticized for its economic or racial hardships and life in the latter is criticized for homophobia, hypocrisy, and smallness, creating a frustrating catch-22 for these men. However, in these narratives Quebec often emerges as an ideal destination of racial and sexual freedom. In this paper, I argue that Quebec is signified as utopic in terms that are antithetical and therefore profoundly connected to impressions of social life in France and Martinique. At the same time, however, I maintain that these narratives also reveal common threads in the African-pan-American diasporic experience. Furthermore, these men's experiences of "gay" life in other countries demonstrate their awareness of a "global gay" identity, albeit one that is commercially and ideologically centered in Euro-American societies, [homosexuality, Martinique, transnationalism, diaspora, race]     

“食品微生物学”课程以问题为基础的学习与小规模限制性在线课程融合教学模式探索

工科专业基础课程教学模式改革对于工程教育专业认证和应用型人才培养至关重要。以工程教育专业认证为契机,针对互联网背景下传统教学模式的不足,基于"食品微生物学"课程理论性和实践性强的特点,采用以问题为基础的学习(Problem-Based Learning,PBL)与小规模限制性在线课程(Small Private Online Course,SPOC)融合教学模式,并对该教学模式的课前问题导入、课中问题介入和课后问题反馈实施过程以及实践成果进行了分析探讨,以期提高学生自主学习能力和团队协作意识,为工程教育专业认证和应用型地方本科院校工科专业基础课程教学的开展提供借鉴。     

"Our Hands Will Know": The Development of Tactile Diagnostic Skill—Teaching, Learning, and Situated Cognition in a Physical Therapy Program

Relying on observational and interview data from a clinical practice class in a graduate physical therapy program, I examine, within a situated cognition framework, the teaching and learning of a concept in biomechanics, the manual techniques and tactile discrimination skills that accompany it, and the diagnostic frame of mind that informs concept, technique, and skill. In examining this complex set of practices, I hope to add to and qualify the literature on working knowledge, participation and competence, and situated learning and pedagogy.     

Fetal learning about ethanol and later ethanol responsiveness: evidence against "safe" amounts of prenatal exposure

Near-term fetuses of different mammalian species, including humans, exhibit functional sensory and learning capabilities. The neurobiological literature indicates that the unborn organism processes sensory stimuli present in the amniotic fluid, retains this information for considerable amounts of time, and is also capable of associating such stimuli with biologically relevant events. This research has stimulated studies aimed at the analysis of fetal and neonatal learning about ethanol, a topic that constitutes the core of the present review. Ethanol has characteristic sensory (olfactory, taste, and trigeminal) attributes and can exert pharmacologic reinforcing effects. The studies under examination support the hypothesis that low to moderate levels of maternal ethanol intoxication during late pregnancy set the opportunity for fetal learning about ethanol. These levels of prenatal ethanol exposure do not generate evident morphologic or neurobehavioral alterations in the offspring, but they exert a significant impact upon later ethanol-seeking and intake behaviors. Supported by preclinical and clinical findings, this review contributes to strengthening the case for the ability of prenatal ethanol exposure to have effects on the postnatal organism.     

"Ma'iingan Is Just a Misspelling of the Word Wolf": A Case for Teaching Culture through Language

Framed by the English language and positioned as a distinct subject, Ojibwe culture and language are often appreciated by students rather than taught for a deeper understanding or fluency, or used as the language of instruction in tribal schools. Ojibwe culture and language have been "added on" to existing school curriculum, an approach that changes the meaning of culture. In this article I critique the add-on approach and propose that teaching through the Indigenous language (immersion) supports cultural and language revitalization in a more fundamental way.     

‘Disease,Disaster and Despair’? The Presentation of Health in Low- and Middle-Income Countries on Australian Television

Background

In high-income nations mainstream television news remains an important source of information about both general health issues and low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). However, research on news coverage of health in LMICs is scarce.

Principal Findings

The present paper examines the general features of Australian television coverage of LMIC health issues, testing the hypotheses that this coverage conforms to the general patterns of foreign news reporting in high-income countries and, in particular, that LMIC health coverage will largely reflect Australian interests. We analysed relevant items from May 2005 – December 2009 from the largest health-related television dataset of its kind, classifying each story on the basis of the region(s) it covered, principal content relating to health in LMICs and the presence of an Australian reference point. LMICs that are culturally proximate and politically significant to Australia had higher levels of reportage than more distant and unengaged nations. Items concerning communicable diseases, injury and aspects of child health generally consonant with ‘disease, disaster and despair’ news frames predominated, with relatively little emphasis given to chronic diseases which are increasingly prevalent in many LMICs. Forty-two percent of LMIC stories had explicit Australian content, such as imported medical expertise or health risk to Australians in LMICs.

Significance

Media consumers'' perceptions of disease burdens in LMICs and of these nations'' capacity to identify and manage their own health priorities may be distorted by the major news emphasis on exotic disease, disaster and despair stories. Such perceptions may inhibit the development of appropriate policy emphases in high-income countries. In this context, non-government organisations concerned with international development may find it more difficult to strike a balance between crises and enduring issues in their health programming and fundraising efforts.