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ABSTRACTHIV-related stigma and discrimination are counterproductive to addressing the HIV epidemic in Malawi. Yet, there are dearth of studies interrogating the predictors of HIV-related stigma and discrimination in Malawi. Using the 2015-2016 Malawi DHS and applying complementary log-log model, we found that 19% of women and 15% of men endorsed HIV-related stigma and discrimination. In addition, HIV-related stigma and discrimination was associated with a set of psychosocial, demographic, and socioeconomic factors. For example, having never been tested for HIV was associated with stigma and discrimination among women (OR=1.51, p<0.001) and men (OR=1.45, p<0.001). We discuss policy implications of our findings.                        .

ABSTRACTThis paper examines the highly contested and ongoing biotechnology (Bt) policy-making process in Ghana. We analyse media content on how Bt is viewed in the context of Ghana’s parliamentary debate on the Plant Breeders Bill and within the broader public policy-making literature. This paper does not seek to take a position on Bt or the Bill, but to understand how policy actors influence the debate with political and scientific rhetoric in Ghana. The study reveals that in the midst of scientific uncertainties of Bt’s potential for sustainable agriculture production and food security, policy decisions that encourage its future adoption are heavily influenced by health, scientific, economic, environmental and political factors dictated by different ideologies, values and norms. While locally pioneered plant breeding is visible and common in the Ghanaian food chain, plant breeding/GMOs/Bt from international corporations is strongly resisted by anti-GMO coalitions. Understanding the complex and messy nature of Bt policy-making is critical for future development of agricultural technology in Ghana and elsewhere.

The archipelago of Cape Verde consists of nine main islands of oceanic origin situated 500 km west of the African mainland. The present study aims at increasing our knowledge of the endemic vascular flora and its origin and evolution, and at providing a scientific basis for its protection. One endemic genus (Tornabenea)and 82 endemic species and subspecies were accepted, including one new species in Tornabenea (T. humilis)and three new combinations in Campylanthusand Kickxia.Morphological descriptions, illustrations, typifications, chromosome numbers, phyto- and ecogeographic information, and conservation status, based on field-, herbarium-, garden-, and literary studies, are provided. The degree of endemism was 10.5% at the species level. The endemic flora had a mixture of holarctic (65%, including I 5% in a NW-Moroccan element) and tropic (35%) affinities. Thirty-three Capeverdean endemics ( 40%) were most closely related to taxa with a Canaro-Madeiran distribution. The endemic flora was divided into five distributional elements (northern, western, southern, eastern, and ubiquitous; with 26, 21, I 5, 3, and 17 taxa. respectively) and three ecological elements (hygrophytic, mesophytic, and xerophytic; with 31, 34, and I 7 taxa, respectively). Although distributional patterns corresponded closely to geographic positions of island groups, the patterns could be sufficiently explained by ecological factors. Endemic species richness was strongly correlated with humidity and maximum island altitude. The tropic proportion decreased with increasing altitude and humidity. More than half of the endemic flora is presently threatened (Red List taxa), and 16 single-island extinctions were recorded.