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Full text linkN\AThis paper explores the integration of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) for 3D terrain mapping and autonomous navigation, emphasizing the fusion of advanced technologies such as multi-camera setups and reinforcement learning (RL). As UAS applications expand across sectors like urban planning, disaster management, agriculture, and environmental conservation, the need for sophisticated mapping techniques and autonomous navigation systems grows. UAS equipped with high-performance sensors can create detailed three-dimensional terrain models, facilitating real-time data analysis for critical applications. Furthermore, RL enhances UAS autonomy by enabling the learning of optimal navigation strategies through environmental interaction. This study addresses key challenges, including ethical concerns, regulatory frameworks, and the reliability of autonomous systems, while highlighting future directions in algorithm development, sensor integration, traffic management, and real-world testing to ensure the effective implementation of UAS technology in various industries.N\
Automating workflows and providing academic credit to data curators for F.A.I.R. research data archiving.
No full textThis webinar, part of a series focused on enhancing research discoverability and efficiency in scholarly workflows, was introduced by Ebuka Ezeike, Project Manager at AfricArXiv. He highlighted AfricArXiv's role in promoting African research visibility and collaboration. The guest speaker, Sonia Barbosa, Associate Director at Dataverse, discussed the Dataverse project—a globally used open-source research data repository software. Sonia detailed automated data workflows, metadata management, and FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) principles in Dataverse. She also highlighted key features like the "Ask the Data" LLM tool, data visualization, and integration with large data management tools. The session underscored the importance of data curation, repository management, and upcoming features aimed at enhancing data accessibility and reuse within the Dataverse ecosystem.Automating workflows and providing academic credit to data curators for F.A.I.R. research data archiving - AfricArXiv Open Science Webinar Series 2024
Watch the recording here: https://info-africarxiv.ubuntunet.net/2024/08/01/dataverse-automating-workflows-and-providing-academic-credit-to-data-curators-for-f-a-i-r-research-data-archiving
Exploring the impact of a collaborative, multi-pronged early literacy intervention on 4- and 5-year-olds - Brief 1
No full textYizani Sifunde (isiXhosa for “come, let’s read”) aimed to boost early literacy outcomes at under-resourced early childhood development (ECD) centres in the Eastern Cape. It was implemented in three one-year cycles between 2021 and 2023.
The project was initiated and funded by the Liberty Community Trust, and jointly designed and delivered by three literacy nonprofits: Book Dash, Nal’ibali and Wordworks. Local Eastern Cape partners ITEC and Khululeka supported implementation.
More information about Yizani Sifunde is available on the Book Dash website https://bookdash.org/yizani-sifunde/This is the first in a series of learning briefs that explore the design, implementation and impact of Yizani Sifunde, a collaborative multi-pronged intervention designed to boost early literacy outcomes in 4- and 5-year-olds.
This brief describes:
• how the intervention was designed;
• how close monitoring of implementation enabled improvements to the design over time.Liberty Community Trus
Exploring the impact of a collaborative, multi-pronged early literacy intervention on 4- and 5-year-olds - Brief 4
No full textYizani Sifunde (isiXhosa for “come, let’s read”) aimed to boost early literacy outcomes at under-resourced early childhood development (ECD) centres in the Eastern Cape. It was implemented in three one-year cycles between 2021 and 2023.
The project was initiated and funded by the Liberty Community Trust, and jointly designed and delivered by three literacy nonprofits: Book Dash, Nal’ibali and Wordworks. Local Eastern Cape partners ITEC and Khululeka supported implementation. Social Impact Insights Africa carried out the external evaluation.
More information on the Yizani Sifunde project can be found on https://bookdash.org/yizani-sifunde/
This Learning Brief was written for the Yizani Sifunde project by Dr Magali von Blottnitz, with input from other project partners. It draws extensively on an external evaluation conducted by Social Impact Insights Africa. Liberty Community Trust holds the intellectual property rights to the evaluation results and gave permission for them to be shared subject to specific acknowledgements.This is the fourth in a series of learning briefs that explore the design, implementation and impact of Yizani Sifunde, a collaborative multi-pronged intervention designed to boost early
literacy outcomes in 4- and 5-year-olds.
This brief focuses on:
• the changes the project made possible in early childhood development (ECD) centres, related to resources, practitioner attitudes and teaching practices, centre management, and overall ECD quality;
• how durable these shifts were; and
• how these shifts contributed to young children’s development.
It finds that, for the participating ECD centres, the Yizani Sifunde intervention led to radically improved access to learning materials, better equipped book corners, improved confidence of practitioners with story-based literacy activities. The brief also reveals improvements in the ECD practitioners' experience of parental engagement. Areas where there was still room for improvement include emerging writing and the children's independent use of book corners remain.
The brief further provides multiple sources of data revealing that the practices of the intervention have been largely sustained after project exit.Liberty Community Trus
Agriculteur avec une herse à dents à ressort sur un tracteur, proche de Skalba, Tunisie
No full textThe image features a farmer operating a tractor equipped with a spring-tooth cultivator on a gently sloping agricultural field near Skalba, Menzel Temime, in the Gouvernorat de Nabeul, Tunisia. The field is covered with a green crop at an early growth stage, most probably of a winter cereal (e.g., wheat or barley). The spring-tooth cultivator, mounted to the rear of the tractor, is a tillage implement with flexible curved tines designed to aerate the soil, break up clods, and manage weeds with minimal disturbance to soil structure. This scene illustrates a fall farming practice in a semi-arid rainfed farming system
Microbial Biofilms in the African Plastisphere Implications for Freshwater Ecosystems and Contaminant Degradation
No full textMicrobial biofilms on plastic debris, collectively known as the plastisphere, play a dual role in Africa’s freshwater ecosystems. These biofilms contribute to nutrient cycling and contaminant degradation, yet they also serve as potential vectors for pathogens and antibiotic resistance genes. Plastic waste in aquatic systems disrupts microbial communities, raising concerns over water quality and ecosystem health. Biofilm adaptability enhances pollutant breakdown, particularly for heavy metals and organic contaminants, while simultaneously increasing environmental contamination risks. This study emphasizes the need for further research to manage biofilm interactions with plastic pollution, addressing critical ecological challenges in Africa's freshwater environments
The UNESCO Open Science Recommendation & Toolkit - A Focus on Africa
Full text linkDr Ana Persic is Programme Specialist for Science Technology and Innovation Policies and Open Science at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. An ecologist by training with a Ph.D. in Ecotoxicology, Dr Ana Persic joined UNESCO in April 2006 in the framework of UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere program within the Division of Ecological and Earth Sciences in Paris. She then served as a Science Specialist at the UNESCO Liaison Office in New York from 2011-2018. Her work relates to strengthening the science-policy interface and promoting science, technology, and innovation in implementing the United Nations 2030 agenda for sustainable development and sustainable development goals (SDGs). She coordinated the development of the UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science and is currently working towards its implementation.
Questions that were addressed during the session
1. What specific features of the UNESCO Open Science Recommendation make it particularly relevant and beneficial for the African research community, and how can they leverage it effectively?
2. Could you highlight a successful case or example where the UNESCO Open Science Recommendation has played a significant role in advancing open science practices within the African context?
3. In what ways does UNESCO collaborate with local stakeholders, including governments, institutions, and researchers, to promote the adoption and implementation of the Open Science Recommendation in Africa?
4. For those new to the concept of open science, what key resources or tools does the UNESCO Open Science Recommendation offer to guide African researchers in adopting more transparent and collaborative research practices
Landscape and meteorological determinants of malaria vectors’ presence and abundance in the rural health district of Korhogo, Côte d’Ivoire, 2016- 2018, and comparison with the less anthropized area of Diébougou, Burkina Faso
Full text linkSupplemental Materials: https://osf.io/y6382/Background: Understanding how weather and landscape shape the fine-scale distribution and diversity of malaria vectors is crucial for efficient and locally tailored vector control. This study examines the meteorological and landscape determinants of (i) the spatiotemporal distribution (presence and abundance) of the major malaria vectors in the rural region of Korhogo (northern Côte d'Ivoire) and (ii) the differences in vector probability of presence, abundance, and diversity observed between that area and another rural West African region located 300 km away in Diébougou, Burkina Faso.
Methods: We monitored Anopheles human-biting activity in 28 villages of the Korhogo health district for 18 months (2016 to 2018), and extracted fine-scale environmental variables (meteorological and landscape) from high-resolution satellite imagery. We used a state-of-the-art statistical modeling framework to associate these data and identify environmental determinants of the presence and abundance of malaria vectors in the area. We then compared the results of this analysis with those of a similar, previously published study conducted in the Diébougou area.
Results: The spatiotemporal distribution of malaria vectors in the Korhogo area was highly heterogeneous and appeared to be strongly determined and constrained by meteorological conditions. Rice paddies, temporary sites filled by rainfall, rivers and riparian forests appeared to be the larval habitats of Anopheles mosquitoes. As in Diébougou, meteorological conditions (temperatures, rainfall) appeared to significantly affect all developmental stages of the mosquitoes. Additionally, ligneous savannas were associated with lower abundance of malaria vectors. Anopheles species diversity was lower in Korhogo compared to Diébougou, while biting rates were much higher. Our results suggest that these differences may be due to the more anthropized nature of the Korhogo region in comparison to Diébougou (less forested areas, more agricultural land), supporting the hypothesis of higher malaria vector densities and lower mosquito diversity in more anthropized landscapes in rural West Africa.
Conclusion: The study offers valuable insights into the landscape and meteorological determinants of the spatiotemporal distribution of malaria vectors in the Korhogo region and, more broadly, in rural west-Africa. The results emphasize the adverse effects of the ongoing landscape anthropization process in the sub-region, including deforestation and agricultural development, on malaria vector control
