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Learners’ perceptions of english essay writing problems in northern Namibia: towards Oshiwambo-English translanguaging discourse in english classrooms
No full textLiterature shows that Namibian learners encounter several challenges when writing essays in English. Hence, several studies have been carried out from the teachers’ perspective to identify problems that learners encounter when writing in English. However, there are few studies that were done to explore learners’ perceptions of their writing problems. Consequently, this article is aimed at exploring learners’ perceptions of challenges in writing in English and the strategies to overcome them. In addition, the article examines prospects for translanguaging as pedagogical discourse in multilingual contexts of northern Namibia. In this regard, structured, one-on-one interviews were conducted with 21 Oshiwambo-speaking learners from seven public schools in the Omusati region. The findings suggest that while some learners were concerned about using Oshiwambo to teach forms of writing in English, the overriding finding was that Oshiwambo should be used more than is currently the case. The article concludes with a discussion of the pedagogic implications of Oshiwambo-English translanguaging discourse, the strategic grouping of learners, peer learning, collaboration and teacher mentoring, for the transformation of the classroom into an interactive space for fluid and creative multilingual resource use in task orientation, topic brainstorming, essay drafting, proofreading and editing
Optimally integrating a reservoirs group and a flood detention basin for improving their flood control performance
No full textJingjiang flood detention basin and Three gorges (TG), Shuibuya (SBY) and Geheyan (GHY) reservoirs are located in the midstream and downstream of Changjiang River Basin. These reservoirs as a group and the flood detention basin are crucial to mitigate the extreme magnitude flood events in the midstream and downstream of Changjiang River Basin. This study proposed an optimal model to integrate the operation of a reservoirs group and flood detention basin rather than the current separately operations for improving their flood control performance. The operation schemes of an FDB sluices are enumerated for exploring the potential start time and end time of operating an FDB. The regulation of a reservoirs group is integrated with the operation of the sluices of an FDB. The impacts of the optimal FDB and reservoirs group flood control schemes on the flood control performance are quantified to gain insights on the difference between the FDB and reservoirs group flood control. The results and discussion indicate that synchronizing the operation of an FDB sluice-gate for the flood peak is better than the traditional rule for reducing the over flood volume. And the more flexible FDB flood control scheme can significantly improve the flood control performance. Therefore, our study will not only propose an optimal model to integrate an FDB and a reservoirs group, but also help to comprehend the mechanism of the reservoirs group and FDB flood control. [Display omitted]. A model to integrate a flood detention basin (FDB) and reservoirs is proposed for improving flood control performance. The impacts of FDB on flood control are quantified to understand the difference between FDB and reservoir flood control. The ways of operating FDB affect flood control performance are explored
Investment promotionin Tanzania: an examination of the legal and institutional framework.
No full textForeign Direct Investment in Africa: The wave of political independence in Africa during the 1960s ushered in a strong desire among leaders to assert economic sovereignty. While colonial economies were open to foreign investments, these investments were primarily beneficial to colonial powers, fostering a deep scepticism of foreign post-independence dominance. Leaders like Julius Nyerere championed self-reliance through policies such as Ujamaa, emphasising socialism, nationalisation, and local empowerment. This cautious approach to FDI prioritised state-led development over external capital, reflecting dismay at neo-colonialism. Whereas these restrictive policies reinforced political independence, they delayed Africa's integration into global markets, contributing to the economic quagmire in subsequent decades
AI hype through an African lens: a critical analysis of language as symbolic action in online news publications
No full textNews media play a crucial role in shaping a public understanding of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and influencing how society interacts with this technology, often contributing to AI hype. This is particularly significant in Africa, where unique socioeconomic dynamics and historical relationships with technology shape news discourse on AI. However, there is limited understanding of how African news media contribute to AI hype. To address this, this study analysed news reportage on AI in online publications (n = 724) from 26 Anglophone African countries published in national and regional outlets between 1 June 2022 and 31 December 2023. Using content analysis and drawing on the Burkean notion of language as symbolic action, we examine how these publications frame AI and contribute to its hype. Our findings reveal a bias: Western authors dominate coverage and consistently focus on AI’s technical and economic aspects, with AI-related articles predominantly appearing in technology (36%) and business (19%) sections. This emphasis on tools and solutions suggests a utilitarian view of AI, prioritising practical applications over broader societal implications. By employing a structured approach to analyse various elements of news articles, this study develops a framework for examining and understanding how African news media fuels AI hype in public discourse
An Integrative Propositional Analysis of Finland's Successful Homelessness Policy: A New Policy Design Insight
No full textFinland can be seen as having some of the best success in terms of dealing with the complex issue of homelessness and was confirmed in a recent case study by de la Porte et al. in 2022, ‘Successful Public Policy in the Nordic Countries: Cases, Lessons and Challenges’. Focusing specifically on the policy content and its potential insights, this paper utilises the systems‐based integrative propositional analysis method to analyse the policy text of the AUNE Homelessness policy of Finland, 2016–2019. Drawing on policy design‐as‐content literature, this article uses the analytical concept of ‘structural logic’ as the abstractable unit of analysis, which enables policy mapping and interaction assessment with insights for policy effectiveness. Findings suggest that the relatively higher level of structural logic of the Finnish homelessness policy correlates with the policy's effectiveness in application. Because of the granularity of the type of analysis, the IPA not only provides descriptive and diagnostic data, which is important for decision‐making, policy coordination and insights into policy evaluation. The paper also discusses important insights for policy design, policy process and implications for governance, scholars and policy practitioners
Screening for retinopathy of prematurity in South Africa: are those developing severe ROP screened on time? Data from a prospective register
No full textBackground/Aims To determine whether retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) screening is initiated on time according to current South African (SA) guidelines, that is, before the onset of stage 3 and type 1 ROP. Methods A prospective study of preterm infants screened at five neonatal units between 1 May 2022 and 31 January 2023 in Cape Town, SA. Data on all infants screened with a birth weight <1250 g or gestational age (GA) <32 weeks were extracted from the ROP South
African (ROPSA) register, including postnatal age (PNA) and postmenstrual age (PMA) at first screening. Results A total of 696 infants were included, 58.9% (n=410) of whom had an early ultrasound (EUS) for GA estimation. Overall, 220 (31.6%) infants developed ROP, 20 (2.9%) had stage 3 or type 1 and 7 (1.0%) required treatment. Screening was initiated on time according to SA criteria in 549 (78.9%) infants, none of whom had stage 3 or type 1 ROP at first screening. Stage 3 and type 1 ROP were first detected at PNA and PMA of 6.3 and 33.1 and 8.9 and 35.9 weeks, respectively. Most infants (319, 45.8%) were screened according to PNA only, and 78.9% of the 185 infants screened only once did not attend subsequent examinations. Conclusion Screening started on time in most infants and prior to the development of severe ROP. Due to the limited availability of EUS in our region and to promote complete screening, we recommend that screening be initiated using PNA alone at 4–6 weeks or prior to discharge, whichever is earliest. The low proportion of infants with stage 3 and type 1 ROP is a limitation in our study. Therefore, recommendations may not be generalisable to South African regions where neonatal care results in a higher proportion of infants developing type 1 ROP
ʼn Psigoanalitiese lees van die ouer-kind-verhouding in die romans Kinnes van chase rhys en hy kom met die skoenlappers deur valda jansen.
No full textThe idea that psychoanalysis can be used to analyse literary texts was first proposed by the founder of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud. This analyzing method, namely psychoanalytic literary criticism, can be used when the complex parent-child-relationship, especially in households that were previously marginalized, are portrayed. The method allows the reader to identify behavioural patterns as well as analyze the development process from childhood to adulthood with the help of the psychoanalytic theory. Valda Jansen’s novel, Hy kom met die skoenlappers (2016), as well as Chase Rhys’s novel, Kinnes (2018), explores themes such as violence, poverty and how environment can make an individual feel powerless. These books shed light on how relationships, especially violent relationships, may affect a child’s identity. Kinnes and Hy kom met die skoenlappers addresses uncomfortable silences within the coloured or brown community. This includes showing the influence of the relationship between a parent and child on the child’s identity. The writers of these books are narrating these stories from the perspective of previously marginalised coloured characters
Asymmetry in the analogous spin–isospin-flip excitations of the [Jπ, T] = [2+, 1]1 and [2+, 1]2 states in 14 6C8, 14 7N7, and 14 8O6 from the [1+, 0]1 ground state of 14N
No full textThis study investigated the asymmetry among the analogous spin-isospin-flip transition strengths from the [jπ , t ] = [1+, 0]1 ground state of 14n to the [2+, 1]1 and [2+, 1]2 states in the a = 14 nuclei 14 6c8, 14 7n7, and 14 8o6. the reduced transition strengths for the excited states in 14n, denoted by b(gt0 ), were obtained via a 14n(p, p ) experiment at ep = 200 mev performed at ithemba labs, south africa. the b(gt0 ) values obtained for the [2+, 1]1 and [2+, 1]2 states in 14n were compared with the b(gt+) and b(gt−) values for the analogous states in 14c and 14o, which are available from the charge-exchange reaction measurements. based on the simple two-state model, the off-diagonal matrix elements of the nuclear hamiltonians h+ c and h− c for 14c and 14o, respectively, were deduced. the obtained h± c values are roughly proportional to the tz values of the respective nuclei
Embracing work-integrated learning in political studies
No full textGiven the challenge of graduate unemployment in South Africa, this article considers whether Work-integrated Learning (WIL) can be successfully implemented in a discipline such as Political Studies. To do this, it outlines the experiences of former Political Studies students who were placed into internship positions. The article also reflects on how this internship programme served as a catalyst for embracing a broader WIL approach. We find that students that interned experienced personal growth and were successful in developing a career path having been exposed to ‘some form of WIL’. While not providing a panacea for unemployment and other socio-economic challenges, the journey leads us to believe that strengthening of knowledge through WIL can occur in disciplines such as Political Studies and can assist in equipping graduates with a real-world work experience and opportunities. Additionally, we argue that alongside such WIL programmes, a WIL teaching orientation should be considered to empower and equip a broader spectrum of graduates. Indeed, the internship programme paved the way for the development of an entirely new Masters programme with significant potential benefits for students in terms of their academic growth, personal, career, skills and development
Investigating mutual coupling in the hydrogen epoch of reionization array and mitigating its effects on the 21-cm power spectrum
No full textInterferometric experiments designed to detect the highly redshifted 21-cm signal from neutral hydrogen are producing increasingly stringent constraints on the 21-cm power spectrum, but some k-modes remain systematics-dominated. Mutual coupling is a major systematic that must be o v ercome in order to detect the 21-cm signal, and simulations that reproduce effects seen in the data can guide strategies for mitigating mutual coupling. In this paper, we analyse 12 nights of data from the Hydrogen Epoch of Reionization Array and compare the data against simulations that include a computationally efficient and physically moti v ated semi-analytic treatment of mutual coupling. We find that simulated coupling features qualitatively agree with coupling features in the data; ho we ver, coupling features in the data are brighter than the simulated features, indicating the presence of additional coupling mechanisms not captured by our model. We explore the use of fringe-rate filters as mutual coupling mitigation tools and use our simulations to investigate the effects of mutual coupling on a simulated cosmological 21-cm power spectrum in a ‘worst case’ scenario where the foregrounds are particularly bright. We find that mutual coupling contaminates a large portion of the ‘EoR Window’, and the contamination is several orders-of-magnitude larger than our simulated cosmic signal across a wide range of cosmological Fourier modes. While our fiducial fringe-rate filtering strategy reduces mutual coupling by roughly a factor of 100 in power, a non-negligible amount of coupling cannot be excised with fringe-rate filters, so more sophisticated mitigation strategies are required