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Asthenospheric and lithospheric sources for Mesozoic dolerites from Liberia (Africa): trace element and isotopic evidence

  • Authors: Dupuy, C , Marsh, J , Dostal, J , Michard, A , Testa, S
  • Date: 2002
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/140422 , vital:37887 , https://doi.org/10.1016/0012-821X(88)90067-2
  • Description: Combined elemental, and Sr and Nd isotopic data are presented for Mesozoic dolerite dikes of Liberia (Africa) which are related to the initial stage of opening of the Atlantic Ocean.
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  • Date Issued: 2002

Mandendende vanachiambela

The role of quality of life surveys in managing change in democratic transitions: the South African case

  • Authors: Moller, Valerie , Dickow, H
  • Date: 2002
  • Language: English
  • Type: Article
  • Identifier: vital:7115 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1010748
  • Description: The South African Quality of Life Project has tracked subjective well-being, life satisfaction and happiness, since the early eighties at the national level. In most democratic countries around the globe, the average citizen says he or she is satisfied with life in general. In South Africa this is not the case. Since the early 1980s, the trend study shows up disparities between one sector of the South African population that is satisfied with life in general and various aspects of life and another sector that is very dissatisfied. Generally, the better-off report higher levels of satisfaction and happiness than the worse-off. The most plausible explanation for the South African quality-of-life constellation is the huge gap in living standards between rich and poor, a legacy of the apartheid era, which discriminated against blacks and to a lesser extent against Indian and coloured people. Euphoria following on the first democratic elections in April 1994, which registered equally high aggregate levels of happiness and life satisfaction among all sectors of the population, was short-lived. Under democracy, expectations “for a better life for all”, the election slogans for the 1994 and 1999 general elections, has risen. South Africa has one of the most enlightened constitutions, which guarantees basic human rights and supports advancement of the previously disadvantaged. As long as South Africans perceive barriers to accessing the material rewards of democracy, they do not see justice has been done. South Africa is currently grappling with problems common to other societies in transition to democracy. Since 1994, government programmes and policies have been devised to address the critical twin problems of poverty and inequality in society. The latest round of research for the South African Quality of Life Trends Project probes popular assessments of the policies and programmes aimed at improving the quality of life of ordinary South Africans. Interviews with a panel of 25 opinion leaders in the run-up to the June 1999 general elections were followed by a nationally representative opinion survey in October 1999. The paper outlines the role of social indicators in monitoring quality of life in South Africa and reports findings from the elite and rank-and-file surveys. Generally, the winners and losers in the new political dispensation see changes from a different perspective. The disadvantaged are more likely to have seen material gains and recommend increased delivery of services and opportunities for social mobility. The advantaged, who have mainly experienced non-material or no gains since 1994, are more likely to be pessimistic about the future. It is concluded that the groundswell of optimism will sustain the majority of South Africans who are still dissatisfied with life until their dreams of the good life are fulfilled.
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  • Date Issued: 2002

Growth and fruit production of Sclerocarya birrea in the South African lowveld

  • Authors: Shackleton, Charlie M
  • Date: 2002
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/181618 , vital:43752 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1020579213024"
  • Description: Sclerocarya birrea (A.Rich.) Hochst. subsp. caffra (Sond.) Kokwaro. is a common species throughout the semiarid, deciduous savannas of much of sub-Saharan Africa. It is a favoured species and is frequently maintained in homestead plots and arable fields in an agroforestry situation. Although the abundance and popularity of this species has led to several initiatives to commercialise a number of marula products, the sustainability of the resource base with respect to fruit production has not been considered. This paper reports on a field experiment that monitored growth rates and fruit production of a sample of adult trees from several wild populations. Mean fruit production was 36.8 kg per tree in the first year, and negligible in the second. This was considerably less than previous estimates, which were based largely on small samples or anecdotal reports. The maximum recorded yield was 416.6 kg per tree. Fruit production was positively related to the size of the tree. Growth rates of adult trees were slow. There was a strong positive relationship between mean annual diameter increment and stem diameter. The slow growth rates and low fruit yields indicate that more attention is required regarding the sustainability of there source and its ability to provide sufficient fruit for the growing subsistence and commercial demand at both local and national scales.
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  • Date Issued: 2002

"The wife of Lucifer" : women and evil in Charles Dickens

  • Authors: Ebelthite, Candice Axell
  • Date: 2002
  • Subjects: Dickens, Charles, 1812-1870 -- Characters -- Women Evil in literature Women in literature
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: vital:2189 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002231
  • Description: This thesis examines Dickens's presentation of evil women. In the course of my reading I discovered that most of the evil women in his novels are mothers, or mother-figures, a finding which altered the nature of my interpretation and led to closer examination of these characters, rather than the prostitutes and criminals who may have been viewed negatively by Nineteenth century society and thereby condemned as evil. Among the many unsympathetically portrayed mothers and mother-figures in Dickens's works, the three that are most interesting are Lady Dedlock, Miss Havisham, and Mrs Skewton. Madame Defarge initiates the discussion, however, as a seminal figure among the many evil women in the novels. Psychoanalytical and socio-historic readings grounded in Nineteenth century conceptions of womanhood provide background material for this thesis. Though useful and informative, however, these areas of study are not sufficient in themselves. The theory that shapes the arguments of this thesis is defined by Steven Cohan, who argues strongly that the demand for psychological coherence as a requisite of character obscures the imaginative power of character as textual construct, and who both refutes and develops character theory as it is argued by Baruch Hochman. Cohan's theory is also finally closer to that outlined by Thomas Docherty, who provides a complex reading of character as ultimately "unknowable".
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  • Date Issued: 2002

Policy and practice : an activity systems' analysis of a further diploma in education (technology)

  • Authors: Thomen, Eva Christine Salzmann
  • Date: 2002
  • Subjects: Action theory Teachers -- Training of -- South Africa Technology -- Study and teaching -- South Africa
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
  • Identifier: vital:1854 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004525
  • Description: This research examines, within the interpretive paradigm, how emerging educational policy in an in-service educator education programme, namely, a Further Diploma in Education (Technology), is implemented and practiced by educators in the classroom. Technology is a new learning area in the South African curriculum that aims to develop learners' technological skills and promote the practical application of Science and Mathematics. Technology is seen as a way of developing a productive workforce that can design, realise and evaluate technological problems in a global economy. Engestrom's version of Activity Theory was used as the conceptual framework. Activity Theory focuses on 'activity' as a unit of analysis that captures the individual in context. This research focuses on the lecturers' and the students' actions in the programme, and the educators' and the learners' actions in the classroom. The research design was an eclectic case study consisting of two embedded cases within a single larger case namely, in-service educator education. Multiple single cases were selected within the two embedded cases. Trustworthiness and authenticity were addressed through the triangulation of data using mUltiple sources and methods of data collection. Data were analysed and interpreted in a hermeneutic-like process that emerged through gradual induction over time. The findings of the research suggest that the in-service educator education programme did not promote the effective implementation of educational policy. Major challenges to the effective implementation of educational policy include: the formulation and implementation of an INSET programme during rapid educational policy change, the under-preparedness and language difficulties of the participating educators that constrained policy implementation in the INSET programme and the classroom, the role of organisational rules in shaping the activities in the INSET programme and the classroom, and the broader community'S contribution to resource constraints in the classroom. This research suggests that the participating educators are not likely to be major change agents in the transformation of education in South Africa. This concurs with other research findings that suggest that educator education is a weak intervention incapable of overcoming the shortcomings of the educators' own personal schooling or the impact of work experience.
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  • Date Issued: 2002

Reporting indigenous knowledge: the choices they deserve the local is the global

  • Authors: Boshoff, Priscilla A
  • Date: 2002
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/71176 , vital:29804 , http://doi:10.1006/jmbi.1995.0238
  • Description: A few days ago, an interesting article dealing with community development and education came close to being published in a national newspaper. But the editor tossed it back at the surprised journalist, and told him to write it again. Here are some excerpts: Researchers here have recently been facilitating local people to rediscover traditional practices that have been lost through the processes of colonisation and changes in lifestyles. “We are very excited about the ways in which things are being discovered,” said Samuel Mann, research facilitator at the project. “People are beginning to reclaim some of the ways of knowing that still have meaning and relevance to modern everyday life. People are rediscovering the importance of Indigenous Knowledge.” Mba Ngcobo, one of the participants in the project, showed how he and other members of his community had built a grain pit using old traditional knowledge. “It works really well,” he said, “it is amazing how these old ways really work. Our ancestors had marvellous ways of doing things. We can really appreciate the skills that are slowly being lost to us.” Mann explained how the traditional pit storage method produced carbon dioxide that keeps the grain fresh and insect-free for months. “Carbon dioxide storage is now the preferred way of many milling and storage companies to keep grain. It keeps grain fresh without having to resort to insecticides.”
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  • Date Issued: 2002

The political ecology of wildlife conservation in Kenya, 1895-1975

  • Authors: Matheka, Reuben M
  • Date: 2002
  • Subjects: Wildlife conservation -- Kenya Environmental policy -- Kenya Wildlife conservation -- Political aspects -- Kenya
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
  • Identifier: vital:2595 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007530
  • Description: The study examines the development of wildlife conservation policy and practice in Kenya from 1895 to 1975. Started by the colonial state as part of its resource control programme, wildlife conservation in Kenya gradually became an important aspect of the country's economy chiefly because of its significance as the basis of a vibrant tourist industry. The conservation programme was also important to conservationists who viewed Kenya's wildlife as a heritage to humanity. Similarly, local communities, which were affected in various ways by wildlife conservation policies, had their own perceptions of the programme. All this led to the proliferation of groups whose interests were potentially conflicting. Wildlife conservation in Kenya during the period under examination was thus characterised by various struggles between interest groups such as conservationists, the state, and local communities. The struggles centred around such issues as the costs and benefits of conservation and were manifested through anti-conservation activities like the poaching of wild animals by dissatisfied groups. These struggles changed over time in line with social, economic, political, and ecological developments. International events/processes (such as the two world wars, economic booms/depressions, and decolonisation) triggered local processes which influenced conservationism either positively or negatively. Wildlife conservation in Kenya during the period under study was dynamic. The thesis challenges the myth of a monolithic 'colonial' wildlife policy often implied in many studies on the subject. The thesis also lays emphasis on the ecological basis of wildlife conservation while recognising the impact of social, political, and economic developments on the evolution of wildlife conservation policy and practice in Kenya. The country's 'geography' not only provided the foundation for conservation but also influenced the programme over time. Droughts, floods, army worm infestations, and other 'natural' occurrences interacted with social and economic changes, such as population growth and the development of capitalism, to shape conservation policy. The conservation programme was thus influenced by a complex interaction of a variety of factors.
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  • Date Issued: 2002

Exploring the suitability of the evaluation criteria used in the MPT projects, by looking at hard and soft components of development programmes

  • Authors: Ncapai, Wandile
  • Date: 2002
  • Subjects: Community development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Community development , Economic development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Economic development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
  • Identifier: vital:3397 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1018255
  • Description: The study explores the suitability of the evaluation criteria used in Microprojects Programme Trust (MPT), by looking at hard and soft components of the development programme. In this sense hard components of development refer to those components of projects that are tangible and can be physically observed and can bring material changes to the life of the community. Soft components of development refer to those components of projects that bring qualitative transformation to the life of the community, i.e. increased levels of awareness, human well-being and the empowerment process that addresses the community's abstract needs, these are not tangible and often cannot be physically observed. Midway through its contract periods MPT evaluate all projects. The purpose of these mid term evaluations is to make recommendations to MPT on future approaches and methodology for community development and operations. The mid-term evaluation also influences the distribution and allocation of resources and funding. It was therefore vital that the criteria used are subject to tests and critical analysis so as to assess their validity. The assessment of the mid-term evaluation criteria used in MPT projects has been to further determine the appropriateness or suitability of the evaluation criteria as an instrument to measure and guide the MPT community development approach in the Eastern Cape. The method used was to conduct focus group discussions so as to get an insight into the local community situation as well as to assess non-tangible improvements and changes that have occurred in the life of the community as a result of the project. The information generated was used to compare what the community believe they achieved with what the official mid-term evaluation reports indicate was assessed and achieved and that was contrasted with what the literature recommends should have been assessed. The study found that the mid-term evaluations conducted on MPT projects have no social context in which the evaluations themselves were conducted. The terms of reference and criteria were based on the programme design which was formulated and compiled by the European Union without the participation of the local South African community. The findings also indicated that projects become unsuccessful or partly successful if the "soft" components which have a bearing on social and economic realities are neglected. The thesis ends with recommendations on how the mid-term evaluations as well as MPT programme can be developed to be more responsive to the needs as identified by the communities themselves. It is strongly believed that this study will provide a valuable contribution towards increasing the ability of MPT programme to bring about both material and qualitative transformation to the I ives of the disadvantaged community of the Eastern Cape whilst ensuring that the mid-term evaluations are developed and shaped to become an appropriate instrument to measure and guide MPT programme approach to community development.
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  • Date Issued: 2002

Reproductive conflicts in honeybee colonies

  • Authors: Pirk, Christian Walter Werner
  • Date: 2002
  • Subjects: Honeybee -- Reproduction
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
  • Identifier: vital:5755 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005443
  • Description: In advanced eusocial hymenopteran societies workers have ovaries and can lay eggs, but are unable to mate. Workers are more related to their own offspring than to every other member of the colony. So worker reproduction contains both worker-worker and worker-queen conflict. The queen- worker conflict is discussed elsewhere, but if the queen mates with more than two males, worker policing should be selected to lower potential conflicts. However in the Cape honeybee it was predicted that worker policing is absent or less expressed than in other honeybee subspecies, because workers produce female offspring thelytokously. So laying workers and their offspring are nearly genetically identical, which results in the fact that other workers are as related to workers derived from eggs laid by the queen as laid by a worker. However, worker reproduction may be costly and therefore worker policing could be an evolutionary adaptation in the Cape honeybee to lower the costs derived from laying worker activity. Indeed, Cape honeybee colonies show efficient egg removal behaviour, suggesting that other factors like colony efficiency could favour egg removal behaviour. Since egg removal behaviour is a colony phenomenon, factors that affect colony performance could also affect egg removal behaviour. Egg removal behaviour was considerably affected by environmental changes, indicating that other tasks have a higher priority than egg removal behaviour. Thousands of queenright colonies of the neighbouring subspecies (A. m. scutellata) were taken over by laying A. m. capensis workers, showing that A. m. capensis workers are facultative social parasites. These observations strongly indicate that laying workers of A. m. capensis are able to evade worker policing and the inhibitory effects of the queen pheromones, but what potential strategies could these laying workers use to increase the survival of their eggs and evade the queen? On the one hand, egg removal behaviour is variable. One behavioural strategy of laying workers to achieve successful reproduction could be that they lay during periods with low egg removal behaviour. On the other hand, the inhibitory effect of the queen’s pheromones diminishes with distance. Maybe the level of egg removal also depends, like the inhibitory effect of the queen pheromones, on the distance from the queen. Indeed, further away from the queen the effect of the queen pheromone and the level of egg removal is reduced, making successful worker reproduction possible. In both subspecies, A. m. capensis and A. m. scutellata, egg removal behaviour is reduced further away from the queen. In the case of A. m. scutellata egg removal is lacking further away from the queen. This explains why colonies of scutellata are so prone to takeovers by laying Cape honeybee workers. One question in the context of parasitic Cape honeybees is how they manage to get into the host colony. One way could be that they get into the colonies during a natural colony merger which is common in African bees. Two unrelated colonies merged and it took them only 24 hours to show effective integration. Because both colonies are unrelated, the potential reproductive conflict among workers should be more strongly expressed than in a normal colony, which is not the result of a merger. Therefore, the effect of nestmate recognition for eggs on the egg removal behaviour was investigated. The results suggest that workers recognise the origin of an egg and that the standard policing experiments overestimate the level of egg removal and only represent relative values. Moreover, the results show that colony specific components on the eggs are more important than a postulated queen egg marking pheromone. Finally, for the first time empirical evidence from a population of the parasitic laying Cape honeybee workers, invading thousands of colonies of A. m. scutellata in northern South Africa, for a short-sighted selection theory is presented.
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  • Date Issued: 2002

The determination of a strategy for the implementation of learnerships in the catalytic converter canning industry in the Eastern Cape

  • Authors: Heather, Keith Buxmann
  • Date: 2002
  • Subjects: Automobiles -- Catalytic converters , Automobile industry and trade -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Apprenticeship programs -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
  • Identifier: vital:10851 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/117 , Automobiles -- Catalytic converters , Automobile industry and trade -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Apprenticeship programs -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
  • Description: The Eastern Cape Region, once had sufficient job seekers with automotive component manufacturing skills and experience. Indications are that this pool has been desiccated. The draining of skills out of the area is starting to affect growth potential and competitiveness in the industry in the area. In 1998, the Skills Development Act was passed to implement the National Skills Development Plan, and to encourage employers to train personnel. The strategy promotes a three faceted approach to encourage the development of skills; Workplace Skills Development Plans, Learnerships and Sector Specific Initiatives. This study will focus on the implementation of learnerships in the Catalytic Converter Canning Industry. The aim of this research is to verify the skills shortages; identify which skills are required by the Catalytic Converter Canning Industry in the Eastern Cape and propose a strategy of addressing these needs by means of learnerships. By studying the Legislation supporting the National Skills Development Plan, conducting a literature study, and interviewing knowledgeable people in the industry, the skills requirements of the industry were identified. Thereafter, a questionnaire was drawn up and completed together with representatives from Eberspächer South Africa, Faurecia Exhaust Systems South Africa, Precision Exhaust Systems and Tenneco Automotive South Africa, the active manufacturers of catalytic converters, for OEM’s worldwide, who are based in the Eastern Cape Region. The empirical study confirmed the findings of the research and skills deficiencies were identified. In conclusion, a strategy is proposed whereby the Catalytic Converter Canning Industry could address the skills shortage by the implementation and development of learnerships.
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  • Date Issued: 2002

Open source in South African schools : two case studies

  • Authors: Halse, Guy A , Terzoli, Alfredo
  • Date: 2002
  • Subjects: Open source
  • Language: English
  • Type: Conference paper
  • Identifier: vital:6601 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1009321
  • Description: One of the major problems facing schools in South Africa is the difficulty in obtaining modern, up-to-date computer facilities. This paper looks at the use of open source solutions in two government schools in South Africa to demonstrate that it is possible for schools to utilise almost any existing computer to provide effective network solutions.
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  • Date Issued: 2002

Broken vessels : the im-possibility of the art of remembrance and re-collection in the work of Anselm Kiefer, Christian Boltanski, William Kentridge and Santu Mofokeng

  • Authors: Belluigi, Dina Zoe
  • Date: 2002
  • Subjects: History in art Kiefer, Anselm, 1945- Boltanski, Christian, 1944- Kentridge, William, 1955- Mofokeng, Santu, 1956-
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MFA
  • Identifier: vital:2395 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002191
  • Description: This thesis is structured around investigating the philosophical and aesthetic problematics, politics, and possibilities of representing the past for the purposes of demythifying the present as well as commemorating the losses of history, as explored in the artworks of Anselm Kiefer, Christian Boltanski, William Kentridge and Santu Mofokeng. The first chapter begins with Theodor Adorno’s philosophical understanding of myth and history: how he is influenced by and then develops Karl Marx’s critique of society, Sigmund Freud’s critique of reason and its subject, and particularly Walter Benjamin’s ideas of history as catastrophe, the role of the historian and his messianic materialism. The second section looks at Theodor Adorno’s dialectic of art and society: immanent criticism in aesthetic practice, mimesis, and the shift in conceptions of allegory from Walter Benjamin’s understanding to that of Jacques Derrida. The last section of the chapter looks at Jacques Derrida’s poststructuralist theories against boundary-fixing, within that the ethical relation to the ‘other’ and the theorist/artist as psychic exile. The second chapter deals with the politics of remembrance and representation — beginning with Theodor Adorno’s historic interpretation of the Mosaic law against the making of images and Jean-Francois Lyotard on the im-possibility of representing the unrepresentable. The chapter is divided in two parts between the post-Holocaust European artists Anselm Kiefer and Christian Boltanski, and the post-apartheid South African artists William Kentridge and Santu Mofokeng. It explores, within these artists’ specific contexts, their formal and philosophical approaches to myth and history, and the problematics of image-making, representing the unrepresentable, and commemorating the immemorial. The thesis concludes by considering different conceptions of melancholia as they relate to these artists: the Freudian psychoanalytic approach, Benjamin’s notions of the artist-genius, and Julia Kristeva’s Lacanian reading of the humanist melancholic, concluding with the mythic-historical Kaballist notion of melancholia as the historical burden or responsibility to commemorate loss.
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  • Date Issued: 2002

Science for all - myth or reality?: a research project

  • Authors: Valiathazhel, James Daniel
  • Date: 2002
  • Subjects: Science -- Study and teaching -- South Africa Motion -- Study and teaching -- South Africa Physics -- Study and teaching -- South Africa Competency-based education -- South Africa Educational change -- South Africa Technical institutes -- South Africa Technical education -- South Africa
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
  • Identifier: vital:1847 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004391
  • Description: Abstract: Transformation at a historically disadvantaged technikon in South Africa : a research project: South Africa is in the seventh year of democracy. During the first term of office, the ANC government proposed radical shift from the system(s) of education that was/were in existence in this country. A change in the education system in South Africa was inevitable. The ANC government have realised the need and proposed plans for a change in the education system in this country. We might be able to overcome the inequalities of the past and have an education system relevant for all South Africans that promote an equal opportunity for success as envisaged by Outcomes Based Education (OBE). This research project, using a qualitative case study methodology, reports on the readiness of Border Technikon in implementing Outcomes Based Education (OBE) as a teaching/lecturing strategy. Since 1998 Border Technikon organised a series of staff training workshops to empower the academic staff in Outcomes Based Education. A preliminary study on the topic was conducted during 1999, in which questionnaires (to 16 academic staff) and semi-structured interviews (with three academic staff) were used to collect data. During 2000, when the second and final round of this study was conducted semistructured interviews were employed with 4 staff members to gather data. Literature review and document analysis was also part of the research. The analysis of data indicated that the very nature of most of the Technikon Programmes demands an OBE approach in teaching/lecturing and hence OBE based teaching/lecturing is largely practised at Border Technikon. However a few areas of concerns were identified. Some of these concerns were: (i) Technikon employed academic staff (from industry, etc...) with no professional qualification in teaching and it was difficult to provide OBE training to such people and (ii) lack of sufficient support from the Technikon Management might be a cause for the poor attendance of academic staff during the training programme. Another aspect emerged from the data analysis was that all academic staff participated in this study expressed the need for further training in OBE and related topics. Abstract: Science for all - myth or reality?: Different educational projects around the world have made Scientific Literacy a world-wide concern. This study through a literature review shows that Scientific Literacy is a term that has many definitions and interpretations. This literature review reveals that, in the present system Science for All is a myth for various reasons. Governments around the world in general, and South Africa in particular, are in the process of introducing different projects such as the Year of Science and Technology (YEAST), science week and science exhibitions for the purpose of popularising science and technology. The Department of Education in Thailand has modified its education system to accommodate Science for All. In this literature review among other issues the status quo in South African science education and the Thailand model were examined. A few recommendations to achieve Science for All are also included in this project. Abstract: Developing and evaluating the use of learning material in science - a constructivist approach towards learning Newton's laws : a research project: The Government of National Unity in 1994 introduced a new educational policy for South Africa. This represented a shift in paradigm from a transmission mode of teaching and learning to a learner-centred education. The shift marks a transformation from a content-based curriculum to an Outcomes Based Education (OBE). Various authors found that different sections in the Physical Science syllabus in South Africa are often misunderstood by students for different reasons. One of the reasons was that students had their own ideas about laws of nature and these (mis)conceptions were resistant to change. From the literature and from the author's personal experience it was found that Bodies in Motion is a topic that is difficult to conceptualise by students of different age groups. The challenge facing educators is how to tackle this issue. In this research project a diagnostic test is developed and used to identify the topics where students have conceptual problems. To address these problem areas further, concept sheets/work sheets where developed and implemented. The different challenges and tasks given in the work sheets/learning material are organised in such a way as to make the students aware of their own ideas about Bodies in Motion in general and the key-concepts in particular and also to make them aware of the ideas of their peers (group members). It was also aimed at offering the learners the scientific alternative to their own beliefs. At the end, it was discovered that, even though the general understanding of the learners has improved in this topic (namely, Bodies in Motion), their original beliefs were largely unaffected. It is the hope of the researcher that the project would be the basis for further research on the development of learning material in science.
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  • Date Issued: 2002

Rumours of war : de-constructing media discourses of HIV/AIDS in South Africa

  • Authors: Connelly, Mark
  • Date: 2002
  • Subjects: AIDS (Disease) -- South Africa AIDS (Disease) in mass media
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: vital:3177 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007844
  • Description: This paper explores discourses of HIV/AIDS evident in a South African daily newspaper from 1985 to 2000, and discusses the implications of these in terms of the way in which HIV/AIDS is constructed in society. In this paper I utilize a Foucauldian analysis of the relationship between power and knowledge. The discursive framework of the war against HIV/AIDS is used to show how different groups of subjects are positioned in relations of power. Within this the power of western science and medicine is influential and supports and informs other discourses of HIV/AIDS. I argue that the discursive framework constructing HIV/AIDS as a war does far more than provide a useful vehicle within which HIV/AIDS can be understood as it supports certain institutions and groups of people above others. The paper concludes by identifying the silenced voices of women and dissidents, and calling for greater reflection concerning the critical analysis of current issues surrounding HIV/AIDS.
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  • Date Issued: 2002

The ecophysiology of selected coastal dune pioneer plants of the Eastern Cape

  • Authors: Ripley, B S
  • Date: 2002
  • Subjects: Sand dune plants -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Sand dune ecology -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Sand dune plants -- Ecophysiology
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
  • Identifier: vital:4222 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003791
  • Description: Understanding the mechanisms and adaptations that allow only certain species to thrive in the potentially stressful foredune environment requires a knowledge of the basic ecophysiology of foredune species. Ecophysiological measurements were conducted on the foredune pioneer species Arctotheca populifolia (Berg.) Norl., Ipomoea pes-caprae(L.) R. Br. and Scaevola plumieri (L.) Vahl. and showed significant differences among species with respect to the physiology associated with biomass production, water and nutrient relations. Differences related to CO₂ assimilation included differences in photosynthetic and respiratory rates, susceptibility to light stress and leaf and stem non-structural carbohydrate concentrations. These resulted in differences in primary production rates of shoots. Mechanisms leading to the differences in CO₂ assimilation among species included differences in stomatal behaviour, carboxylation efficiencies, efficiencies of utilisation of incident photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) and rates of ribulose-1,6-bisphosphate (RuBP) regeneration. Correlated with differences in photosynthetic capacity were differences in chlorophyll contents but not differences in leaf nitrogen content. Differences in interspecific stomatal behaviour resulted in significantly different transpiration rates which in combination with differences in assimilation rates resulted in differences in water-use efficiency. The absolute amounts of water transpired, although significantly different among species, were moderate to high in comparison with species from other ecosystems and were typical of mesophytes. Transpiration rates in combination with plant hydraulic conductances and soil water availability resulted in leaf water potentials that were not very negative and none of the investigated species showed evidence of osmotic adjustment. The volume of water transpired by each of the species per unit land surface area was estimated from the relationship between abiotic factors and plant water loss. These relationships varied among species and had varying degrees of predictability as a result of differences in stomatal behaviour between the three species. The water requirements of A. populifolia and S. plumieri were adequately met by the water supplied by rainfall and the water stored in the dune sands. It was therefore not necessary to invoke the utilisation of ground water or the process of internal dew formation to supply sufficient water to meet the requirements. However, I. pes-caprae despite its lower transpiration rates and due to its higher biomass, lost greater volumes of water per unit dune surface area than either A. populifolia or S. plumieri. This resulted in periods of potential water limitation for I. pes-caprae. Incident light was the most important determinant of leaf photosynthetic CO₂ assimilation and transpiration, particularly as a linear relationship between incident PPFD and atmospheric vapour pressure deficit (VPD) could be demonstrated. Whole plant photosynthetic production by S. plumieri was shown to be light limited as a result of mutual shading despite high incident and reflected PPFD occurring in the foredune environment. The leaf hair-layer of A. populifolia was shown to be important in reducing transmitted UV and hence reducing photoinhibition but it also caused reduced transpiration rates because of the thicker boundary layer and thus increased leaf temperatures. The nutrient content of above-ground plant parts of the investigated species were typical of higher plants despite the low nutrient content measured for the dune soils. With the possible exception of nitrogen the nutrient demand created by above-ground production was adequately met by the supply of nutrients either from sand-water or from aquifer-water transpired by the plants. Differences in the volumes of water transpired, and hence the quantity of nutrients potentially taken up via the transpiration stream, resulted in interspecific differences in above-ground plant macronutrient content. The reallocation patterns of nutrients differed both between the various nutrients measured and interspecifically. Standing biomass and the density of plants per unit land area was low in comparison to that of other ecosystems and was different among investigated species. This may be important in maintaining the adequate supply of resources (water, nutrients and light). As a result of the interspecific differences in biomass when production was expressed per unit land surface area the resultant productivity was not dissimilar among species. Productivity was high when comparisons were made with species from other ecosystems. No single resource (water, nutrients or light) could be identified as the controlling factor in the foredune environment and a combination of both resource stress and environmental disturbance are likely to be involved. Physiology, production, growth and growth characteristics conveyed certain adaptive advantages to these species in respect to both resource stress and environmental disturbance. Interspecific differences in these adaptations can be used to offer explanations for the observed microhabitat preferences of the three investigated species. Furthermore features common to all three species offer some explanations as to why these species and not others are able to inhabit the foredunes.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2002

Study South Africa

  • Authors: International Education Association of South Africa (IEASA) , Mason, Andy
  • Date: 2002
  • Subjects: Education, Higher -- South Africa , Education and globalization -- South Africa Student mobility -- Africa International education -- South Africa Education, Higher -- International cooperation , Universities and colleges -- South Africa , Technical Institutes -- South Africa , Vocational guidance -- South Africa
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , book
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/65310 , vital:28744 , ISBN 0620247290
  • Description: [Message from the Honorable Minister of Education, Prof. Kader Asmal]: Once again I am pleased to provide a message of support for the Guide to South African Universities and Technikons, particularly at a time when we are embarking on a new era with our plans for Higher Education in South Africa. Increasingly we have become aware of the need for higher education graduates who can make a significant contribution to the reconstruction and development of our country and, in this period of globalisation, the rest the world. With the dawn of a new century we need also to ensure that our system of higher education is relevant to the challenges we face in the years ahead. The onset of the 21st century has brought Minister of Education changes in the social, cultural and economic relations spawned by the revolution in information and communications technology. At the centre of these changes is the notion that in the 21st century, knowledge and the processing of information will be the key driving forces for wealth creation and social and economic development. Therefore we are driven by government policy that recognises the importance of human resource development. This involves the mobilisation of human talent and potential through lifelong learning, to contribute to the social, economic, cultural and intellectual life of a rapidly changing society. We need high-level skills training to provide the human resources to strengthen our region's enterprises, services and infrastructure. This requires the development of professionals and knowledge workers with globally equivalent skills, but who are socially responsible and conscious of their role in contributing to development efforts and social transformation. Finally we need to ensure the production, acquisition and application of new knowledge. This is essential for growth and competitiveness, and in turn is dependent on continuous technological improvement and innovation driven by a well-organised, vibrant research and development system which integrates the research and training capacity of higher education with the needs of industry and social reconstruction. Graduates from our higher education institutions have consistently shown that the quality of the education they receive is of a world class standard. Indeed, many developed countries try to lure our graduates away to work in their countries. Increasingly international students have recognised the value of our education system and are choosing to study in South Africa. We welcome them not only to our educational institutions but also to our beautiful country and the vibrant society that South Africa is today. , 2nd Edition
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2002

Improving job performance by using non-monetary reward systems to motivate low-skilled workers in the automotive component industry

  • Authors: Taljaard, Jacob Johannes
  • Date: 2002
  • Subjects: Employee motivation -- South Africa , Performance awards
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
  • Identifier: vital:10910 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/131 , Employee motivation -- South Africa , Performance awards
  • Description: Automotive component manufacturing companies where the labour is low skilled and the processes are labour intensive, are being challenged on a more regular basis to find methods to satisfy needs to motivate employees to improve performance. Automotive companies are becoming more under pressure to motivate employees through non-monetary rewards, due to collective bargaining which has made pay for performance very inflexible. It is because of this fact that employers have to assess non-monetary reward methods to motivate employees to improve performance. To be motivators, rewards must be aligned with the needs of people and the things that they value. If these rewards are aligned with employees needs, this could lead to increase in employee motivation, which will in turn lead to improvement in performance, and therefore lead to companies becoming more competitive. This research paper aims to assess what would be the motivators when establishing a non-monetary reward system. To this end the various motivational theories are presented which clearly identifies what needs people have and how they can be satisfied to change behaviour and therefore improve performance. Secondly, reward systems are discussed with various types of rewards being considered and more specifically non-monetary rewards. Applied research was undertaken to determine non-monetary rewards that will motivate low-skilled employees to improve performance. A survey, with the aid of a structured questionnaire, was used to gain information from 60 employees. The research was conducted in three companies that manufacture components for the auto industry. The majority of the respondents indicated that: 1. basic needs must be satisfied with monetary rewards; 2. non-monetary rewards, if linked to higher hierarchical needs, will then motivate employees; 3. non-monetary rewards should preferably be of a physical nature such as certificates, caps and t-shirts; 4. satisfaction of these higher level needs motivate employees and improve their performance; 5. employees prefer feedback and recognition as a non-monetary reward on a regular basis, and 6. the needs of employees should be identified through a survey to establish which rewards will satisfy these needs.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2002

The new moral order and racism in South Africa post 11 September 2001

  • Authors: Painter, D , Macleod, Catriona I
  • Date: 2002
  • Language: English
  • Type: Article
  • Identifier: vital:6215 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006266
  • Description: In this paper we argue that globalisation imposes on ‘developing’ countries more than an economic order; they find themselves with the moral imperative to align themselves with the West against its Others, increasingly portrayed as Islamic fundamentalists. The 11 September terror attacks in the United States of America have pushed this process to a new level, with the attacks represented as no less than a barbaric attack on ‘civilisation’. Through an analysis of a newspaper article reporting on the disciplining of a Muslim woman in for wearing an Osama Bin Laden t-shirt to work in South Africa, we indicate how this moral representation of the 11 September events and the Islamic Other have unique local effects. In South Africa it creates yet more possibilities for racialising practices to continue without being framed in explicitly racial terms. We further reflect on the implications of these events, and the complex interplay of the global and the local they demonstrate, for critical psychology in South Africa.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2002

Heterologous expression of the helicoverpa armigera stunt virus in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

  • Authors: Venter, Philip Arno
  • Date: 2002
  • Subjects: Helicoverpa armigera Saccharomyces cerevisiae
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
  • Identifier: vital:3895 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003811
  • Description: Lepidopteran insects like Helicoverpa armigera, more commonly known as the cotton bollworm, are economically important pests of a wide variety of crops throughout the world. The Helicoverpa armigera stunt virus (HaSV), a tetravirus with a bipartite single-stranded positive-sense RNA genome, has great potential as a biological pesticide against H. armigera. The larger genomic strand of this virus (RNA1) encodes the viral replicase, while the other (RNA2) encodes the 71 kDa capsid protein precursor (p71). 240 copies of p71 assemble into a procapsid with the concomitant encapsidation of the viral RNA. This is followed by a complex maturation event that is characterized by the autoproteolytic cleavage of p71 into the 64 kDa capsid protein (P64) and a 7 kDa peptide (p7). The rearrangements that occur during maturation results in the formation of mature HaSV capsids that can thereupon deliver RNA to other susceptible host cells. The principal objective of the research described in this study was to demonstrate that this virus could be assembled in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. S. cerevisiae expression vectors were constructed for the production of p71. This protein was detected in cell lysates from two different strains of S. cerevisiae, both containing either chromosomal or episomal copies of an expression cassette for P71. A number of factors relating to the expression of P71 (e.g. strains used, expression loci and expression rate) and the preparation of protein extracts from S. cerevisiae (e.g. the presence of various protease inhibitors and salt concentrations) were examined to attain optimal levels of soluble p71. A small fraction of the optimized soluble p71 was shown to be in the form of virus-like particles (VLPs), with a yield of ≤10⁷ VLPs from a 1.5l culture of P71⁺ cells. These particles were exclusively in the procapsid form, had a similar buoyant density to that of wild-type HaSV and could undergo maturation when the pH was reduced to 5. S. cerevisiae vectors were constructed for the episomal expression of the HaSV genomic RNAs. These vectors directed the transcription of RNA1 and RNA2 transcripts, which had similar sizes to those of the HaSV genomic RNAs. Mature HaSV particles were purified from cells, transgenic for P71, RNA1 and RNA2, by way of two different virus purification protocols that were developed during this study. RT-PCR analyses on RNA-extracts from these particles demonstrated that RNA transcripts, which were produced in trans with p71, could be encapsidated by HaSV capsids in S. cerevisiae. A droplet-feed bioassay on H. armigera larvae demonstrated that the S. cerevisiae-derived HaSV particles caused impaired larval development. This response was correlated with the detection of HaSV RNA2 in RNA extractions from larvae that were used in this bioassay. The results that were generated through the course of this study, provided proof for the concept of the non-host production of infectious HaSV particles from S. cerevisiae. This work could serve as a foundation for future research on the development of an expression system for the large-scale production of this virus as a biopesticide.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2002
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