African House Research Articles

Simultaneously Occurring Elevated Metabolic States Expose Constraints in Maximal Levels of Oxygen Consumption in the Oviparous SnakeLamprophis fuliginosus

African house snakes (Lamprophis fuliginosus) were used to compare the metabolic increments associated with reproduction, digestion, and activity both individually and when combined simultaneously. Rates of oxygen consumption ([Formula: see text]) and carbon dioxide production ([Formula: see text]) were measured in adult female (nonreproductive and reproductive) and adult male snakes during rest, digestion, activity while fasting, and postprandial activity. We also compared the endurance time (i.e., time to exhaustion) during activity while fasting and postprandial activity in males and females. For nonreproductive females and males, our results indicate that the metabolic increments of digestion (∼3-6-fold) and activity while fasting (∼6-10-fold) did not interact in an additive fashion; instead, the aerobic scope associated with postprandial activity was 40%-50% lower, and animals reached exhaustion up to 11 min sooner. During reproduction, there was no change in digestive [Formula: see text], but aerobic scope for activity while fasting was 30% lower than nonreproductive values. The prioritization pattern of oxygen delivery exhibited by L. fuliginosus during postprandial activity (in both males and females) and for activity while fasting (in reproductive females) was more constrained than predicted (i.e., instead of unchanged [Formula: see text], peak values were 30%-40% lower). Overall, our results indicate that L. fuliginosus's cardiopulmonary system's capacity for oxygen delivery was not sufficient to maintain the metabolic increments associated with reproduction, digestion, and activity simultaneously without limiting aerobic scope and/or activity performance.

The value of financial advice: An analysis of the investment performance of advised and non-advised individual investors

ABSTRACTThis study investigates the value added by financial advisors on the investment performance of advised versus non-advised individuals. A sample of 4 142 individual investors from a large South African investment house were analysed over a period of 10 years from 1 January 2005 to 31 December 2014. The data was analysed to draw conclusions on the return and trading behaviour of investors. The results indicate no statistical difference between the returns generated between advised and non-advised investors. However, advised investors make statistically significantly more trades than non-advised investors. The results indicate that there is no significant additional benefit of utilising a financial advisor, after the initial fund selection decision has been made.

The Role of a Network of Human Resources for Health Managers in Supporting Leadership for Health Systems Strengthening in Francophone African Countries

This article presents the Vision Tokyo 2010 Network, a unique model of peer learning and information sharing among human resources for health (HRH) managers in Francophone African countries. It describes the network's origins, achievements, and factors underlying its success.The network's origins lie in an overseas training program in Tokyo between 2010 and 2014. Participants included directors and heads of HRH management departments at federal and provincial levels across nine Francophone African countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Niger, Mali, Senegal, and Togo. The network itself was established in 2012 based on the common strategic vision (Vision Tokyo 2010) developed during the training program, with an objective of tackling major problems to improve the performance of human resource development systems in the health systems of participants' countries. Some of the main outcomes of the network, demonstrated during the Ebola outbreak include: improved use of human resource information systems in Senegal established as a result of peer learning within the network and technical cooperation between the Democratic Republic of Congo and Côte d'Ivoire to develop standard operational procedures and to train health workers in the management of Ebola.Having a common strategic vision and contextualized framework—African house of solidarity—as a symbol for HRH system development, strong ownership by core members, participatory processes, a positive peer learning environment, and coaching-style support by partners were key elements of success in this initiative. The biggest challenge for this network thus far has been financial sustainability. However, steps are being taken to demonstrate the cost-effectiveness of networks such as these in order to garner further support from partners to invest in networked approaches rather than siloed, country-specific programs.

Cutaneous and Subcutaneous Soft Tissue Tumours in Snakes: A Retrospective Study of 33 Cases

Cutaneous and subcutaneous soft tissue tumours have been rarely described in detail in snakes. Several malignant entities show strikingly similar histological patterns and therefore the term soft tissue sarcoma (STS) has become a standard histopathological diagnosis. The present study characterizes soft tissue tumours in 33 snakes. Samples included 29 surgically excised masses and four carcasses. Additionally, six animals were humanely destroyed and submitted for necropsy examination following tumour recurrence. Benign neoplasms (n=8) were described as lipomas of varying differentiation. Recurrence was observed in two of five snakes in which the clinical course was recorded. Malignant neoplasms (n=25) were diagnosed as STS and graded according to a three-point system previously applied to canine STS. Five (20%) of the primary tumours were classified as grade 1, eleven (44%) as grade 2 and nine (36%) as grade 3 sarcomas. Clinically, recurrence of STS was observed in 11 of 17 cases with available follow-up information. Pathologically, multiple cutaneous metastases were found in one grass snake (Natrix natrix), while visceral metastases were observed in one carpet python (Morelia spilota) and two corn snakes (Pantherophis guttatus). Metastatic risk appears to increase with histological grade. Surgical excision generally represents the current therapy of choice for STS. This study includes the first reports of conventional lipomas in a ribbon snake (Thamnophis radix), angiolipomas in a black-headed python (Aspidites melanocephalus) and a corn snake as well as of STS in a Jamaican boa (Epicrates subflavus), emerald tree boa (Corallus caninus), grass snake (N. natrix), African house snake (Lamprophis fuliginosus), California kingsnake (Lampropeltis getula californiae) and common garter snake (Thamnophis sirtalis).

Relações e narrativas: o enredo no candomblé da Bahia

Resumo O objetivo deste artigo é apresentar o conceito de “enredo” e alguns dos sentidos em que a noção se desdobra nas religiões de matriz africana, especificamente no candomblé. A pesquisa de campo que deu origem a esta reflexão foi feita no terreiro Ilê Iyá Omi Axé Iyamasé (mais conhecido como Gantois), em Salvador, Bahia. O argumento central aqui contido é de que o uso frequente do termo “enredo” no cotidiano é reflexo de um modo de existência múltiplo, um modelo de relacionamento intrinsecamente ligado ao candomblé, e que a sua análise enquanto conceito pode indicar uma via de acesso para a compreensão de um aspecto fundamental das religiões de matriz africana no Brasil.

The Relationship Between Employment Equity Perceptions and Psychological Ownership in a South African Mining House: The Role of Ethnicity.

Psychological ownership is a cognitive–affective construct based on individuals’ feelings of possessiveness towards and of being psychologically tied/attached to objects that are material (e.g. tools or work) and immaterial (e.g. ideas or workspace) in nature. Research suggests that psychological ownership could be influenced by various individual, organisational and contextual factors. The South African Employment Equity Act, which was implemented to grant equitable opportunities to previously disadvantaged employees, could be a significant contextual factor affecting psychological ownership, due to perceptions associated with inequality. Ethnicity may also act as a moderator for the relationship between perceptions of employment equity and psychological ownership. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between employment equity perceptions and psychological ownership and to explore whether ethnicity plays a moderating role in the relationship. A cross-sectional survey design was employed with a purposeful sample of 202 respondents employed in a large South African mining house. Pearson product–moment correlations and structural equation modelling confirmed that employment equity perceptions could predict the five components of psychological ownership. However, the results revealed that ethnicity has no moderating effect on the relationship between perceptions of employment equity and the emergence of psychological ownership. By implication, organisations that seek to retain employees targeted through equity initiatives need to find ways to enhance and develop the psychological ownership of these employees. The research contributes new insights into and knowledge of how contextual factors could influence employees’ psychological ownership.

Pheromone trailing behavior of captive juvenile African house snakes,Boaedon fuliginosus

African brown house snakes (Boaedon fuliginosus) provide a unique opportunity to observe juvenile pheromone trailing behavior in a species of snake that does not use overwintering hibernacula or exhibit aggregation behavior. Using a standard Y-maze as a trailing behavioral assay, the presence and likelihood of captive juvenile B. fuliginosus to trail conspecifics was measured. Juveniles were assessed for trailing juvenile conspecifics as well as non-related adult female conspecifics. A binomial statistic determined if trailing behavior is significantly different than random probability. Juvenile B. fuliginosus did not exhibit significant trailing behavior in regards to other juvenile conspecifics (n = 15). However, trailing behavior was observed for juveniles trailing non-related adult females in 80% of trials (n = 15). Presence of juvenile pheromone trailing in this species may have other functions beyond hibernacula searching and/or conspecific aggregation.

Differential Investment Performance In South Africa Based On Gender And Age

Behavioral finance shows us that individuals do not always behave rationally, owing to certain behavioural biases. A certain bias known as overconfidence has been found to incite increased trading frequency which in turn, reduces the overall return earned. Behavioral biases manifest differently amongst men and women of different ages. Men and more overconfident and women are more risk averse, whilst the young hold more volatile portfolios and the more experienced display fewer of these biases. A sample of 19,021 individual investors from a South African investment house was analysed over five years in order to draw conclusions on the trading behaviour, returns earned and variances in these returns earned by men and women of different ages. The results showed women over the age of 60 years earning statistically significantly higher returns than men and older investors having lower variances in return. For investors of younger ages, no statistically significant difference in the returns earned by men and women are noted, however men were found to have higher variances of returns. Whilst the trading frequency of men is statistically significantly higher than women for the total sample of investors; this result is not consistent amongst the different age-groupings analysed.

Media and mobility in South African House music

Abstract This article addresses the process of cultural globalization by examining local variations of a global music genre. It provides a case study of a South African House music scene, located in Johannesburg’s eastern outskirts and examines the role of mobility, digital media and technology as key factors for the development of this local scene. The article argues that various aspects of cultural production and performance within this scene are shaped by its transnational background and continuous remediation. It therefore focuses on the mobility of some particular agents and the digitalization of music production technology, showing their impact on the development of South African House music.

A phylogeny of Central African Boaedon (Serpentes: Lamprophiidae), with the description of a new cryptic species from the Albertine Rift

The Central African house snake Boaedon olivaceus has a large distribution from the forests of West Africa to Mabira Forest in Uganda. We sequenced two mitochondrial (cyt b and ND4) and two nuclear (c-mos and RAG1) genes from several populations of B. olivaceus in Central Africa and recovered two highly divergent lineages (Congo Basin and Albertine Rift) attributable to this species. Dating analyses with BEAST suggest the two lineages last shared a common ancestor during the mid-Miocene approximately 12 million years ago, and data from RAG1 showed consistent differences in two amino acids for topotypic Congo Basin B. olivaceus compared to the Albertine Rift lineage and all other examined species of Boaedon. Based on these striking molecular differences and significant differences in ventral scale counts and the number of supralabials contacting the eye, we describe the Albertine Rift lineage as a new species. The recognition of this new species bolsters the importance of the Albertine Rift as an important region for endemism and conservation in continental Africa. Based on the results of our phylogenetic analyses, the poorly known taxon Lycodonomorphus subtaeniatus upembae is elevated to full species status and transferred to the genus Boaedon. http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:D0C0E5B5-DBE9-4D21-B5FE-86221DDF60BA

Differential Investment Performance In South Africa Based On Gender

Research has shown that, as a result of certain behavioural biases, individuals do not always make investment decisions in such a way as to maximise their expected utility. These biases have also been observed to manifest differently within gender: men are more overconfident, they display higher risk tolerances and they exhibit stronger self-efficacy and self-attribution biases. The trading behavior and resultant returns of 19,021 individual investors from a South African investment house were analysed over a five-year period (1 January 2007 31 December 2011). The results showed a statistically significant negative correlation between trading frequency and investor return. While there is no statistically significant difference in the returns earned by men and women; men trade more and have higher variances of returns than women. The data suggests that, on a risk-adjusted basis, women are better investors than men.

Validation of a shed skin corticosterone enzyme immunoassay in the African House Snake (Lamprophis fuliginosus) and its evaluation in the Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus catenatus)

This study investigates the use of an enzyme immunoassay to measure keratin glucocorticoid concentrations in reptilian shed skins. Keratin glucocorticoid concentrations were compared to fecal glucocorticoid concentrations during the period of keratin growth in the African House Snake (Lamprophis fuliginosus) and the Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake (Sistrurus catenatus catenatus). Biochemical validation was performed for the shed skin and fecal corticosterone enzyme immunoassays in the African House Snake. Biological and physiological validations were attempted in the African House Snake. A statistically significant positive association was detected between shed skin corticosterone and the mean fecal corticosterone metabolites from 3weeks before to 1week after the previous ecdysis in the African House Snake. A statistically significant difference was not detected between the shed skin corticosterone concentrations of the minimally handled control and the weekly handled (or experimentally stressed) African House Snakes. Adrenocorticotropic hormone stimulation did not result in the physiological validation anticipated for shed skin corticosterone concentrations in the African House Snake.

Theistic Humanism and the Hermeneutic Appraisal of the Doctrine of Salvation

This essay uses theistic humanism as a super structure to do a hermeneutic appraisal of the doctrine of salvation in a pluralistic world. It operates on the assumption that reality is multidimensional, just as human belief systems and cultural perspectives are diverse. More importantly, is the point that most countries on the African continent house a potpourri of belief systems, prominent among which are Christianity, Islam and Traditional African Religion (ATR). Thus, theistic humanism offers us the opportunity to do a pluralistic assessment of salvation, thereby making myriad interpretations of the notion of salvation possible.Again, the essay neither intends to examine the meaning of God nor is it interested in analyzing how God gets manifested in human existence. Rather, the basic objective is to consider the various ways in which salvation has been conceived in relation to the human condition. In the process of our delineation, it shall be shown that salvation as a doctrine can be conceived from two principal angles which are:1) the perspective of religion and2) the non-religious or secularist perspective. Whereas the first presents other-worldly account of salvation, the second presents a this-worldly account of salvation. The import here is that since in the most ordinary sense, God is all about perfection and human goodness, it implies that the quest for salvation in whatever dimension, deliberately or inadvertently, amounts to the search for the ultimate essence or the most perfect state of reality which religions call God. Consequently, the burden of this essay is to show that salvation is an ideal state of reality which humankind is striving to attain. Bearing in mind that humans as free beings that have the capacity to interpret salvation either anthropocentrically or theocentrically, thereby, making the myriad presentations of salvation possible; one is of the view that metaphysical notions of reality are also contagious of salvation. Hence, for monists and reductionists the way to salvation is narrow and single, while for the pluralists the way to salvation may be narrow but diverse. Thus, since the hermeneutic appraisal of salvation is hinged on the assumption that belief systems are diverse and multi-faceted, the essay privileges the pluralistic presentation of salvation over and above the monistic presentation of salvation.

Testing for Persistence in South African House Prices

This study examines the time series behavior of South African house prices within a fractional integration modeling framework while identifying potential breaks and outliers. We used quarterly data on the six house price indexes, namely affordable, luxury, middle-segment (all sizes, large, medium, and small sizes), covering 1966: Q1-2012:Q1 for the different middle-segments, 1966:Q3-2012:Q1 for the luxury segment, and 1969:Q4-2012:Q1 for the affordable segment. In general, there is persistence in South African house prices with breaks identified. Our results show that in the cases of affordable and luxury, shocks will be transitory, disappearing in the long run, while for the remaining four series of the middle-segment, shocks will be permanent. Hence, for the middle-segment series, strong policy measures must be adopted in the event of negative shocks, in order to recover the original trends.

‘Ripple’ Effects in South African House Prices

This paper analyses the ‘ripple’ effect of house prices in large-, medium- and small-sized houses of five major metropolitan areas of South Africa—namely, Cape Town, Durban Unicity, Greater Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth/Uitenhage and Pretoria—based on available quarterly data covering the period of 1966:Q1 to 2010:Q1. Following the extant literature, the issue is contextualised as a unit root problem, with one expecting the ratios of metropolitan house price to national house price to exhibit stationarity to an underlying trend value, if there is diffusion in house prices. Using Bayesian and non-linear unit root tests, besides the standard linear tests of stationarity with and without structural break, overwhelming support is found for the existence of robust ripple effects. Also factor analysis conducted suggested that ripple effects originate in Cape Town for the large housing segment and in Durban for the medium- and small-sized houses.

Conspecific pheromone trailing and pheromone trail longevity in the African Colubrid Boaedon fuliginosus

In snakes, pheromone trailing is a strategy used for long-distance location of conspecifics. The two existing hypotheses for this behaviour are: a) to locate individuals for reproductive purposes; and b) to form aggregations during the winter/dry season. Pheromone trailing for reproductive purposes has been observed in over 20 snake species representing four different families. The ability of adult male African brown house snakes (Boaedon fuliginosus) to track a sexually attractive female (assumed to be producing pheromones), as well as a conspecific male, was tested using a standard Y-maze. The length of time a female's pheromone remained distinguishable to a male was also tested using the same methodology. Male B. fuliginosus showed a strong ability to trail females both immediately after the trail was left by a female (100%; n=14) and seven days after a female left a trail (100%; n=14). After 14 days, however, only 71.4% (n=14) of males chose the same arm as the female, demonstrating that the pheromone trail degraded over time. Males also trailed other males in 77.8% (n=18) of trials, which suggests that males may use other male trails to locate females, or navigate through unfamiliar territories.

Effects of feeding on luminal pH and morphology of the gastroesophageal junction of snakes

At the gastroesophageal junction, most vertebrates possess a functional lower esophageal sphincter (LES) which may serve to regulate the passage of liquids and food into the stomach and prevent the reflux of gastric contents into the esophagus. Snakes seemingly lack an LES and consume meals large enough to extend anteriorly from the stomach into the esophagus thereby providing the opportunity for the reflux of gastric juices. To explore whether snakes experience or can prevent gastric reflux, we examined post-feeding changes of luminal pH of the distal esophagus and stomach, the fine scale luminal pH profile at the gastroesophageal junction, and the morphology of the gastroesophageal junction for the Burmese python (Python molurus), the African brown house snake (Lamprophis fuliginosus), and the diamondback water snake (Nerodia rhombifer). For each species fasted, there was no distension of the gastroesophageal junction and only modest changes in luminal pH from the distal esophagus into the stomach. Feeding resulted in marked distension and changes in tissue morphology of the gastroesophageal junction. Simultaneously, there was a significant decrease in luminal pH of the distal esophagus for pythons and house snakes, and for all three species a steep gradient in luminal pH decreasing across a 3-cm span from the distal edge of the esophagus into the proximal edge of the stomach. The moderate acidification of the distalmost portion of the esophagus for pythons and house snakes suggests that there is some anterior movement of gastric juices across the gastroesophageal junction. Given that this modest reflux of gastric fluid is localized to the most distal region of the esophagus, snakes are apparently able to prevent and protect against acid reflux in the absence of a functional LES.

Conflicting mitochondrial and nuclear paraphyly in small‐sized West African house bats (Vespertilionidae)

Vallo, P., Benda, P., Červený, J. & Koubek, P. (2012). Conflicting mitochondrial and nuclear paraphyly in small‐sized West African house bats (Vespertilionidae). —Zoologica Scripta, 42, 1–12.Hybridization between species may result in introgression of mitochondrial DNA from one species to another. Phylogenetic inference, therefore, may not recover true evolutionary relationships. In bats, there are only a few reported cases of introgressive hybridization. House bats are a genus with obscure phylogeny and taxonomy, caused mainly by morphological similarity. We undertook a detailed analysis of small‐sized West African house bats (Scotophilus), tentatively identified as S. nigritellus, to clarify relationships between two sympatric colour forms. These forms were recovered in paraphyletic position to each other in both mitochondrial and nuclear phylogenies, signifying that they are two distinct species. While the yellow‐bellied form could be assigned beyond doubt to S. nigritellus s. str., the white‐bellied form may be an as yet undescribed species. Moreover, the white‐bellied form clustered as a sister mitochondrial lineage to another species, Scotophilus leucogaster. These sister lineages differed by only 2.6–2.8% sequence divergence, which lies within the intraspecific range for this genus. Two nuclear markers, however, contradicted the sister relationship, showing them instead to be distantly related. The apparent conflict between the mitochondrial and nuclear signals suggests that past hybridization may have occurred between these morphologically distinct species.

The House as a Stepping Stone to the Senate: Why Do So Few African American House Members Run?

Although a commonly recognized pathway to the U.S. Senate is through the U.S. House of Representatives, only four African American House members have run for the Senate since the passage of the 17th Amendment, and none have been elected. We examine why so few African American House members run for the Senate. Using an original dataset that includes all House members in the 102nd through the 110th Congresses, we explore the decision of House members, particularly African American House members, to run for the Senate. Despite the fact that so few African American House members have run for the Senate, our results raise doubts about the existence of direct race‐based explanations. Instead, we demonstrate with mediation analysis that contextual factors linked to race, such as state population, ability to raise campaign funds, and ideological extremity, play an intervening role in the strategic decision to run. These findings have normative implications for descriptive representation.

A developmental staging series for the African house snake, Boaedon (Lamprophis) fuliginosus

Embryonic staging series are important tools in the study of morphological evolution as they establish a common standard for future studies. In this study, we describe the in ovo embryological development of the African house snake (Boaedon fuliginosus), a non-venomous, egg-laying species within the superfamily Elapoidea. We develop our staging series based on external morphology of the embryo including the head, eye, facial prominences, pharyngeal slits, heart, scales, and endolymphatic ducts. An analysis of embryonic growth in length and mass is presented, as well as preliminary data on craniofacial skeletal development. Our results indicate that B. fuliginosus embryos are well into organogenesis but lack well-defined facial prominences at the time of oviposition. Mandibular and maxillary processes extend rostrally within 8 days (stage 3), corresponding to the first appearance of Meckel's cartilages. Overall, the development of the craniofacial skeleton in B. fuliginosus appears similar to that of other snake species with intramembraneous bones (e.g., dentary and compound bones) ossifying before most of the endochondral bones, the first of which to ossify are the quadrate and the otic capsule. Our staging series is the first to describe the post-ovipositional development of a non-venomous elapoid based on external morphology. This species is an extremely tractable captive that can produce large clutches of eggs every 45 days throughout the year. As such, B. fuliginosus should be a good model for evolutionary developmental biologists focusing on the craniofacial skeleton, loss of limbs, generational teeth, and venom delivery systems.