Characterizing early drug resistance-related events using geometric ensembles from HIV protease dynamics:
- Amamuddy, Olivier S, Bishop, Nigel T, Tastan Bishop, Özlem
- Authors: Amamuddy, Olivier S , Bishop, Nigel T , Tastan Bishop, Özlem
- Date: 2018
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/148126 , vital:38712 , DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-36041-8
- Description: The use of antiretrovirals (ARVs) has drastically improved the life quality and expectancy of HIV patients since their introduction in health care. Several millions are still afflicted worldwide by HIV and ARV resistance is a constant concern for both healthcare practitioners and patients, as while treatment options are finite, the virus constantly adapts via complex mutation patterns to select for resistant strains under the pressure of drug treatment. The HIV protease is a crucial enzyme for viral maturation and has been a game changing drug target since the first application. Due to similarities in protease inhibitor designs, drug cross-resistance is not uncommon across ARVs of the same class.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Amamuddy, Olivier S , Bishop, Nigel T , Tastan Bishop, Özlem
- Date: 2018
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/148126 , vital:38712 , DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-36041-8
- Description: The use of antiretrovirals (ARVs) has drastically improved the life quality and expectancy of HIV patients since their introduction in health care. Several millions are still afflicted worldwide by HIV and ARV resistance is a constant concern for both healthcare practitioners and patients, as while treatment options are finite, the virus constantly adapts via complex mutation patterns to select for resistant strains under the pressure of drug treatment. The HIV protease is a crucial enzyme for viral maturation and has been a game changing drug target since the first application. Due to similarities in protease inhibitor designs, drug cross-resistance is not uncommon across ARVs of the same class.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
Ethics in critical research: Stories from the field
- Macleod, Catriona I, Marx, Jacqueline, Mnyaka, Phindezwa, Treharne, Gareth J
- Authors: Macleod, Catriona I , Marx, Jacqueline , Mnyaka, Phindezwa , Treharne, Gareth J
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , book chapter
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/434223 , vital:73040 , ISBN 978-3-319-74720-0 , https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-74721-7_1
- Description: In this chapter we introduce the approaches to ethics in critical research applied throughout this handbook. Critical research questions who benefits from research and offers critiques rooted in postmodern and liberatory theories, including feminism, Marxism, and postcolonialism. Authors of chapters in the handbook explore ethical issues faced when conducting critical research through stories from the field across a range of methodologies, disciplines, and locations. The chapter overviews the four sections of the handbook and the ethical challenges associated with conducting critical research within the bureaucracy of ethics committees and other systems of governance, blurring the boundaries between researchers and participants/co-researchers, giving voice through research whilst applying anonymity or naming participants/co-researchers, and conducting research with various configurations of power between researchers and participants/co-researchers.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Macleod, Catriona I , Marx, Jacqueline , Mnyaka, Phindezwa , Treharne, Gareth J
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , book chapter
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/434223 , vital:73040 , ISBN 978-3-319-74720-0 , https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-74721-7_1
- Description: In this chapter we introduce the approaches to ethics in critical research applied throughout this handbook. Critical research questions who benefits from research and offers critiques rooted in postmodern and liberatory theories, including feminism, Marxism, and postcolonialism. Authors of chapters in the handbook explore ethical issues faced when conducting critical research through stories from the field across a range of methodologies, disciplines, and locations. The chapter overviews the four sections of the handbook and the ethical challenges associated with conducting critical research within the bureaucracy of ethics committees and other systems of governance, blurring the boundaries between researchers and participants/co-researchers, giving voice through research whilst applying anonymity or naming participants/co-researchers, and conducting research with various configurations of power between researchers and participants/co-researchers.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
Factors enabling and constraining research in a small, research-intensive South African University
- Snowball, Jeanette D, Shackleton, Charlie M
- Authors: Snowball, Jeanette D , Shackleton, Charlie M
- Date: 2018
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/65044 , vital:28659 , http://www.doi: 10.1093/reseval/rvy002
- Description: preprint , Research is increasingly regarded a core facet of university endeavours globally, and research profiles of universities, institutes, and colleges are commonly used as one measure for ranking them. University administrations and funders would be better able to stimulate research if they had insights into context-specific, institutional constraints, and enablers. Yet, there is surprisingly little research on the determinants of research productivity amongst academics employed in the higher education sector, particularly in the global south. Barriers and enablers of research at the individual level may differ, and experience of such may vary across career stage. The objective of the research reported here was to determine what enables and motivates some academics at Rhodes University (South Africa) to do research, what problems and constraints may be making it difficult for those who may wish to do more, and how do these vary in relation to research career stage. An anonymous online survey, with follow-up focus group discussions was used to collect the data. Results show similarities to studies in developed countries, but also reveal disciplinary and career stage differences, which suggest that institutional policies need to take these factors into account when designing support or incentives.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Snowball, Jeanette D , Shackleton, Charlie M
- Date: 2018
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/65044 , vital:28659 , http://www.doi: 10.1093/reseval/rvy002
- Description: preprint , Research is increasingly regarded a core facet of university endeavours globally, and research profiles of universities, institutes, and colleges are commonly used as one measure for ranking them. University administrations and funders would be better able to stimulate research if they had insights into context-specific, institutional constraints, and enablers. Yet, there is surprisingly little research on the determinants of research productivity amongst academics employed in the higher education sector, particularly in the global south. Barriers and enablers of research at the individual level may differ, and experience of such may vary across career stage. The objective of the research reported here was to determine what enables and motivates some academics at Rhodes University (South Africa) to do research, what problems and constraints may be making it difficult for those who may wish to do more, and how do these vary in relation to research career stage. An anonymous online survey, with follow-up focus group discussions was used to collect the data. Results show similarities to studies in developed countries, but also reveal disciplinary and career stage differences, which suggest that institutional policies need to take these factors into account when designing support or incentives.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
Gully erosion as a mechanism for wetland formation: an examination of two contrasting landscapes
- Pulley, Simon, Ellery, William F N, Lagesse, Juliette V, Schlegel, P Philippa, McNamara, Shaun J
- Authors: Pulley, Simon , Ellery, William F N , Lagesse, Juliette V , Schlegel, P Philippa , McNamara, Shaun J
- Date: 2018
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/144410 , vital:38343 , DOI: 10.1002/ldr.2972
- Description: Wetlands occupy broad, gently sloping valleys characterised by net deposition. Consequently, gully incision is viewed as an agent of wetland destruction. However, little attention has been given to the role of gullies in natural wetland formation. This paper determines if gully cutting and filling cycles have led to wetland formation in both an extant eroding wetland and a semi‐arid environment that once supported wetlands. At both sites, the valley fill was investigated to identify infilled gullies, and a 14C date was obtained from the gully fill.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Pulley, Simon , Ellery, William F N , Lagesse, Juliette V , Schlegel, P Philippa , McNamara, Shaun J
- Date: 2018
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/144410 , vital:38343 , DOI: 10.1002/ldr.2972
- Description: Wetlands occupy broad, gently sloping valleys characterised by net deposition. Consequently, gully incision is viewed as an agent of wetland destruction. However, little attention has been given to the role of gullies in natural wetland formation. This paper determines if gully cutting and filling cycles have led to wetland formation in both an extant eroding wetland and a semi‐arid environment that once supported wetlands. At both sites, the valley fill was investigated to identify infilled gullies, and a 14C date was obtained from the gully fill.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
HUMA: A platform for the analysis of genetic variation in humans
- Brown, David K, Tastan Bishop, Özlem
- Authors: Brown, David K , Tastan Bishop, Özlem
- Date: 2018
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/124653 , vital:35642 , https://doi.10.1002/humu.23334
- Description: The completion of the human genome project at the beginning of the 21st century, along with the rapid advancement of sequencing technologies thereafter, has resulted in exponential growth of biological data. In genetics, this has given rise to numerous variation databases, created to store and annotate the ever-expanding dataset of known mutations. Usually, these databases focus on variation at the sequence level. Few databases focus on the analysis of variation at the 3D level, that is, mapping, visualizing, and determining the effects of variation in protein structures. Additionally, these Web servers seldom incorporate tools to help analyze these data. Here, we present the Human Mutation Analysis (HUMA) Web server and database. HUMA integrates sequence, structure, variation, and disease data into a single, connected database. A user-friendly interface provides click-based data access and visualization, whereas a RESTfulWebAPI provides programmatic access to the data. Tools have been integrated into HUMA to allow initial analyses to be carried out on the server. Furthermore, users can upload their private variation datasets, which are automatically mapped to public data and can be analyzed using the integrated tools. HUMA is freely accessible at https://huma.rubi.ru.ac.za.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Brown, David K , Tastan Bishop, Özlem
- Date: 2018
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/124653 , vital:35642 , https://doi.10.1002/humu.23334
- Description: The completion of the human genome project at the beginning of the 21st century, along with the rapid advancement of sequencing technologies thereafter, has resulted in exponential growth of biological data. In genetics, this has given rise to numerous variation databases, created to store and annotate the ever-expanding dataset of known mutations. Usually, these databases focus on variation at the sequence level. Few databases focus on the analysis of variation at the 3D level, that is, mapping, visualizing, and determining the effects of variation in protein structures. Additionally, these Web servers seldom incorporate tools to help analyze these data. Here, we present the Human Mutation Analysis (HUMA) Web server and database. HUMA integrates sequence, structure, variation, and disease data into a single, connected database. A user-friendly interface provides click-based data access and visualization, whereas a RESTfulWebAPI provides programmatic access to the data. Tools have been integrated into HUMA to allow initial analyses to be carried out on the server. Furthermore, users can upload their private variation datasets, which are automatically mapped to public data and can be analyzed using the integrated tools. HUMA is freely accessible at https://huma.rubi.ru.ac.za.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
In vitro analysis of putative cancer stem cell populations and chemosensitivity in the SW480 and SW620 colon cancer metastasis model:
- Slater, Cindy, de la Mare, Jo-Anne, Edkins, Adrienne L
- Authors: Slater, Cindy , de la Mare, Jo-Anne , Edkins, Adrienne L
- Date: 2018
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/164401 , vital:41115 , DOI: 10.3892/ol.2018.8431
- Description: The cancer stem cell (CSC) theory implicates a small subpopulation of cells with stem like properties, which is responsible for tumour initiation, development and metastasis. The unique biological and functional characteristics of CSCs, widely associated with treatment resistance, indicate an association between metastasis and stemness. It was hypothesised that metastatic cell lines may be enriched in CSCs and that this would correlate with a more resistant tumour. In the present study, the SW480 and SW620 paired cell lines derived from a colon adenocarcinoma and its lymph node metastasis, respectively were compared as an in vitro model of cancer progression. Their chemosensitivity and CSC properties were investigated. A range of in vitro assays were performed, including the side population assay, ALDEFLUOR assay, tumoursphere assay and assessment of CSC associated surface phenotypes.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Slater, Cindy , de la Mare, Jo-Anne , Edkins, Adrienne L
- Date: 2018
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/164401 , vital:41115 , DOI: 10.3892/ol.2018.8431
- Description: The cancer stem cell (CSC) theory implicates a small subpopulation of cells with stem like properties, which is responsible for tumour initiation, development and metastasis. The unique biological and functional characteristics of CSCs, widely associated with treatment resistance, indicate an association between metastasis and stemness. It was hypothesised that metastatic cell lines may be enriched in CSCs and that this would correlate with a more resistant tumour. In the present study, the SW480 and SW620 paired cell lines derived from a colon adenocarcinoma and its lymph node metastasis, respectively were compared as an in vitro model of cancer progression. Their chemosensitivity and CSC properties were investigated. A range of in vitro assays were performed, including the side population assay, ALDEFLUOR assay, tumoursphere assay and assessment of CSC associated surface phenotypes.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
Investigating a new wealth tax in South Africa: Lessons from international experience
- Arendse, Jacqueline A, Stack, Elizabeth M
- Authors: Arendse, Jacqueline A , Stack, Elizabeth M
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/69434 , vital:29536 , https://jefjournal.org.za/index.php/jef/article/view/175/193
- Description: In recent years, there has been an increasing focus on new sources of taxation, including wealth tax. In South Africa, two phenomena have driven the focus on wealth tax. Firstly, the need for additional tax revenue to fund an ongoing and growing budget deficit, exacerbated by a prolonged period of low economic growth, rising government debt and a very small base of individual taxpayers. Secondly, the fact that South Africa has one of the most unequal societies in the world. The dual demands of increased tax revenue and economic inequality have converged around wealth tax as a possible panacea to both problems. Although South Africa has a long history of wealth transfer tax in the form of estate duty and donations tax, there has never been a tax on the net wealth holdings of individuals during their lifetime. Internationally, numerous countries have used wealth tax in various forms, including inheritance tax, gift tax, recurrent wealth tax and non-recurrent wealth tax. This study examines some of the international experiences with these three categories of wealth tax, seeking lessons and experiences that can inform the debate around the viability of a new wealth tax in South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Arendse, Jacqueline A , Stack, Elizabeth M
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/69434 , vital:29536 , https://jefjournal.org.za/index.php/jef/article/view/175/193
- Description: In recent years, there has been an increasing focus on new sources of taxation, including wealth tax. In South Africa, two phenomena have driven the focus on wealth tax. Firstly, the need for additional tax revenue to fund an ongoing and growing budget deficit, exacerbated by a prolonged period of low economic growth, rising government debt and a very small base of individual taxpayers. Secondly, the fact that South Africa has one of the most unequal societies in the world. The dual demands of increased tax revenue and economic inequality have converged around wealth tax as a possible panacea to both problems. Although South Africa has a long history of wealth transfer tax in the form of estate duty and donations tax, there has never been a tax on the net wealth holdings of individuals during their lifetime. Internationally, numerous countries have used wealth tax in various forms, including inheritance tax, gift tax, recurrent wealth tax and non-recurrent wealth tax. This study examines some of the international experiences with these three categories of wealth tax, seeking lessons and experiences that can inform the debate around the viability of a new wealth tax in South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
Living in a rural community and researching HIV and AIDS: Positionality and ethics
- Akhurst, Jacqueline E, van der Riet, Mary, Sofika, Dumisa
- Authors: Akhurst, Jacqueline E , van der Riet, Mary , Sofika, Dumisa
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , book chapter
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/436907 , vital:73315 , ISBN 978-3-319-74721-7 , https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74721-7_14
- Description: The emotional impact of researching sensitive topics is under-reported. This chapter explores researcher positionality in a study of people’s management of risk in sexual activity where there is a high prevalence of HIV infection. Living in a rural community raised insider/outsider issues as the researchers participated in broader social life, adding relational and emo-tional dimensions to the process. Exploring the sensitive topic of HIV and AIDS in a resource-constrained context led to blurred boundaries as researchers also became confidante, counsellor or development worker. They were challenged by the emotional intensity of the research and related responsibili-ties, illustrating the need for enhanced ethical awareness that could not be pre-determined and highlighting the need for on-going risk assessment for both participants and researchers.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Akhurst, Jacqueline E , van der Riet, Mary , Sofika, Dumisa
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , book chapter
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/436907 , vital:73315 , ISBN 978-3-319-74721-7 , https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-74721-7_14
- Description: The emotional impact of researching sensitive topics is under-reported. This chapter explores researcher positionality in a study of people’s management of risk in sexual activity where there is a high prevalence of HIV infection. Living in a rural community raised insider/outsider issues as the researchers participated in broader social life, adding relational and emo-tional dimensions to the process. Exploring the sensitive topic of HIV and AIDS in a resource-constrained context led to blurred boundaries as researchers also became confidante, counsellor or development worker. They were challenged by the emotional intensity of the research and related responsibili-ties, illustrating the need for enhanced ethical awareness that could not be pre-determined and highlighting the need for on-going risk assessment for both participants and researchers.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
Orí (Head) as an xxpression of Yorùbá aesthetic philosophy:
- Ajíbóyè, Olusegun, Fọlárànmí, Stephen, Umoru-Ọkẹ, Nanashaitu
- Authors: Ajíbóyè, Olusegun , Fọlárànmí, Stephen , Umoru-Ọkẹ, Nanashaitu
- Date: 2018
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/146145 , vital:38499 , DOI https://doi.org/10.2478/mjss-2018-0115
- Description: Aesthetics was never a subject or a separate philosophy in the traditional philosophies of black Africa. This is however not a justification to conclude that it is nonexistent. Indeed, aesthetics is a day to day affair among Africans. There are criteria for aesthetic judgment among African societies which vary from one society to the other. The Yorùbá of Southwestern Nigeria are not different. This study sets out to examine how the Yorùbá make their aesthetic judgments and demonstrate their aesthetic philosophy in decorating their orí, which means head among the Yorùbá. The head receives special aesthetic attention because of its spiritual and biological importance. It is an expression of the practicalities of Yorùbá aesthetic values. Literature and field work has been of paramount aid to this study. The study uses photographs, works of art and visual illustrations to show the various ways the head is adorned and cared for among the Yoruba. It relied on Yoruba art and language as a tool of investigating the concept of ori and aesthetics. Yorùbá aesthetic values are practically demonstrable and deeply located in the Yorùbá societal, moral and ethical idealisms. It concludes that the spiritual importance of orí or its aesthetics has a connection which has been demonstratively established by the Yorùbá as epressed in the images and illustrations used in this paper.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Ajíbóyè, Olusegun , Fọlárànmí, Stephen , Umoru-Ọkẹ, Nanashaitu
- Date: 2018
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/146145 , vital:38499 , DOI https://doi.org/10.2478/mjss-2018-0115
- Description: Aesthetics was never a subject or a separate philosophy in the traditional philosophies of black Africa. This is however not a justification to conclude that it is nonexistent. Indeed, aesthetics is a day to day affair among Africans. There are criteria for aesthetic judgment among African societies which vary from one society to the other. The Yorùbá of Southwestern Nigeria are not different. This study sets out to examine how the Yorùbá make their aesthetic judgments and demonstrate their aesthetic philosophy in decorating their orí, which means head among the Yorùbá. The head receives special aesthetic attention because of its spiritual and biological importance. It is an expression of the practicalities of Yorùbá aesthetic values. Literature and field work has been of paramount aid to this study. The study uses photographs, works of art and visual illustrations to show the various ways the head is adorned and cared for among the Yoruba. It relied on Yoruba art and language as a tool of investigating the concept of ori and aesthetics. Yorùbá aesthetic values are practically demonstrable and deeply located in the Yorùbá societal, moral and ethical idealisms. It concludes that the spiritual importance of orí or its aesthetics has a connection which has been demonstratively established by the Yorùbá as epressed in the images and illustrations used in this paper.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
Plant–herbivore–parasitoid interactions in an experimental freshwater tritrophic system: higher trophic levels modify competitive interactions between invasive macrophytes
- Martin, Grant D, Coetzee, Julie A, Compton, Stephen G
- Authors: Martin, Grant D , Coetzee, Julie A , Compton, Stephen G
- Date: 2018
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/125686 , vital:35808 , https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-017-341
- Description: Natural enemies are known to modify competitive hierarchies among terrestrial plants. Here we examine whether the same applies to freshwatersystems. Lagarosiphon major (Hydrocharitaceae) is a submerged aquatic macrophyte, indigenous to South Africa. Outside its native range, it outcompetes with indigenous submerged species and degrades aquatic habitats. Hydrellia lagarosiphon (Diptera: Ephydridae) is the most abundant and ubiquitous herbivore associated with L. major in South Africa and is a potential biological control agent elsewhere. Chaenusa anervata (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Alysiinae) is its main parasitoid. We generated an experimental system involving one, two or three trophic levels to monitor variation in the competitive ability of L. major relative to that of Myriophyllum spicatum (Haloragaceae), a second submerged macrophyte that can also be invasive. Using inverse linear models to monitor competition, we found that herbivory by H. lagarosiphon greatly reduced the competitive ability of L. major. Addition of the wasp at typical field densities halved the impact of herbivory and reestablished the competitive advantage of L. major. Our results demonstrate how multitrophic interactions modify relative competitive abilities among aquatic plants, emphasize the significance of higher tropic levels in these systems and illustrate how parasitoids can reduce the effectiveness of insects released as biocontrol agents.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Martin, Grant D , Coetzee, Julie A , Compton, Stephen G
- Date: 2018
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/125686 , vital:35808 , https://doi.org/10.1007/s10750-017-341
- Description: Natural enemies are known to modify competitive hierarchies among terrestrial plants. Here we examine whether the same applies to freshwatersystems. Lagarosiphon major (Hydrocharitaceae) is a submerged aquatic macrophyte, indigenous to South Africa. Outside its native range, it outcompetes with indigenous submerged species and degrades aquatic habitats. Hydrellia lagarosiphon (Diptera: Ephydridae) is the most abundant and ubiquitous herbivore associated with L. major in South Africa and is a potential biological control agent elsewhere. Chaenusa anervata (Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Alysiinae) is its main parasitoid. We generated an experimental system involving one, two or three trophic levels to monitor variation in the competitive ability of L. major relative to that of Myriophyllum spicatum (Haloragaceae), a second submerged macrophyte that can also be invasive. Using inverse linear models to monitor competition, we found that herbivory by H. lagarosiphon greatly reduced the competitive ability of L. major. Addition of the wasp at typical field densities halved the impact of herbivory and reestablished the competitive advantage of L. major. Our results demonstrate how multitrophic interactions modify relative competitive abilities among aquatic plants, emphasize the significance of higher tropic levels in these systems and illustrate how parasitoids can reduce the effectiveness of insects released as biocontrol agents.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
The contributions of biological control to reduced plant size and biomass of water hyacinth populations
- Jones, Roy W, Hill, Jaclyn M, Coetzee, Julie A, Hill, Martin P
- Authors: Jones, Roy W , Hill, Jaclyn M , Coetzee, Julie A , Hill, Martin P
- Date: 2018
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/68803 , vital:29326 , https://0-doi.org.wam.seals.ac.za/10.1007/s10750-017-3413-y
- Description: Water hyacinth is invasive in many countries, where it reduces aquatic biodiversity and limits water resource utilisation. Biological control of water hyacinth has been successful in South Africa, but has suffered from a lack of empirical data to prove causation. Insect exclusion trials were conducted to quantify the contribution of Neochetina eichhorniae and N. bruchi to the integrated control of water hyacinth on the Nseleni River, South Africa. Insecticide was not expected to induce phytotoxicity, but would prevent weevil damage in water hyacinth plants; and weevil herbivory was predicted to reduce plant petiole length, and above/below surface biomass. Results showed that insecticide had no phytotoxic effects and excluded weevils for 3 weeks, providing a baseline for field applications. Biological control on the Nseleni River directly affected water hyacinth biomass and petiole length, but did not affect plant cover. Plants subject to weevil herbivory demonstrated reductions in above and below surface biomass and had shorter petioles compared to insect-free plants. Dead biomass was also higher in biological control treatments. Biological control strongly affects plant size, biomass and vigour; however, further integrated control is required to facilitate reduction in mat cover, which is the goalpost for successful control of floating aquatic plants.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Jones, Roy W , Hill, Jaclyn M , Coetzee, Julie A , Hill, Martin P
- Date: 2018
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/68803 , vital:29326 , https://0-doi.org.wam.seals.ac.za/10.1007/s10750-017-3413-y
- Description: Water hyacinth is invasive in many countries, where it reduces aquatic biodiversity and limits water resource utilisation. Biological control of water hyacinth has been successful in South Africa, but has suffered from a lack of empirical data to prove causation. Insect exclusion trials were conducted to quantify the contribution of Neochetina eichhorniae and N. bruchi to the integrated control of water hyacinth on the Nseleni River, South Africa. Insecticide was not expected to induce phytotoxicity, but would prevent weevil damage in water hyacinth plants; and weevil herbivory was predicted to reduce plant petiole length, and above/below surface biomass. Results showed that insecticide had no phytotoxic effects and excluded weevils for 3 weeks, providing a baseline for field applications. Biological control on the Nseleni River directly affected water hyacinth biomass and petiole length, but did not affect plant cover. Plants subject to weevil herbivory demonstrated reductions in above and below surface biomass and had shorter petioles compared to insect-free plants. Dead biomass was also higher in biological control treatments. Biological control strongly affects plant size, biomass and vigour; however, further integrated control is required to facilitate reduction in mat cover, which is the goalpost for successful control of floating aquatic plants.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2018
Three Decades of the Shakespeare Society of Southern Africa: 1986–2016
- Authors: Wright, Laurence
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/457895 , vital:75688 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC-12040bb834
- Description: Under the title “‘In states unborn and accents yet unknown’: Shakespeare and the ISEA”, this essay first appeared as a chapter in ISEA, 1964-2014: A South African Research Institute Serving People, edited by Monica Hendricks (Grahamstown: NISC, 2016). The Institute for the Study of English in Africa (ISEA) was founded by Guy Butler at Rhodes University, Grahamstown, in 1964. Among its many undertakings were several development projects for the Shakespeare Society of Southern Africa, established in 1986. The article describes the context in which the Society was formed and provides an overview of key activities undertaken in collaboration with the Institute during the course of its first three decades. The piece also reflects more generally on the social, cultural, educational and political history of Shakespeare in South Africa, asking: “Will Shakespeare continue to thrive in South Africa?”.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Wright, Laurence
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/457895 , vital:75688 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC-12040bb834
- Description: Under the title “‘In states unborn and accents yet unknown’: Shakespeare and the ISEA”, this essay first appeared as a chapter in ISEA, 1964-2014: A South African Research Institute Serving People, edited by Monica Hendricks (Grahamstown: NISC, 2016). The Institute for the Study of English in Africa (ISEA) was founded by Guy Butler at Rhodes University, Grahamstown, in 1964. Among its many undertakings were several development projects for the Shakespeare Society of Southern Africa, established in 1986. The article describes the context in which the Society was formed and provides an overview of key activities undertaken in collaboration with the Institute during the course of its first three decades. The piece also reflects more generally on the social, cultural, educational and political history of Shakespeare in South Africa, asking: “Will Shakespeare continue to thrive in South Africa?”.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
‘I don’t belong nowhere really’: the figure of the London migrant in Dan Jacobson’s ‘A Long Way from London’ and Jean Rhys’s ‘Let Them Call It Jazz’
- Naidu, Samantha, Thorpe, Andrea
- Authors: Naidu, Samantha , Thorpe, Andrea
- Date: 2018
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/68422 , vital:29254 , https://doi.org/10.1080/10131752.2018.1461477
- Description: Publisher version , In this article we compare and contrast the figure of the migrant, central to Dan Jacobson’s short story ‘A Long Way from London’ ([1953] 1958. A Long Way from London and other stories. London: Weidenfeld & Nicholson), and to Jean Rhys’s short story ‘Let Them Call It Jazz’ ([1962] 1987. The Collected Stories. New York: Norton), both of which are set in London in the early to mid-twentieth century. The main argument is that these figures, as migrants in London from South Africa and the Caribbean respectively, similarly occupy a liminal space despite stark differences in class, race and gender. In both stories this liminal space is described through evocations of London as a hostile diasporic space, lacking in hospitality, and experienced by the migrant figure as a place of confinement and incarceration. Also, both stories utilize the technique of silence or lacunae when it comes to issues of specific discrimination and abuse, such as racism or sexual exploitation. For the purposes of comparison, the character Manwera from ‘A Long Way from London’ and, Selina, the protagonist of ‘Let Them Call It Jazz’, are selected for analysis. Particularly, their respective responses (Manwera’s pride and dignity, and Selina’s recovery after a breakdown, and her musical talent) to the exigencies of migration are suggestive of ‘adaptive strength’ (Steve Vertovec and Robin Cohen [1999] 2001. Migration, Diasporas and Transnationalism. Cheltenham and Northampton MA: Elgar Reference Collection, xviii), a common feature in transnational literature which attempts to celebrate liminality and multiplicity as key characteristics of a transnational subjectivity. In addition, the protagonist of ‘A Long Way from London’, Arthur, offers a contrast to Manwera and Selina, not only because of race and class, but because he is depicted as having adapted to and assimilated into British culture, while being strangely detached from and ambivalent about both homeland and diasporic home. Varying forms of adaptive strength are portrayed in both stories, but they close with intimations of bleak futures for the migrant figures. The essay thus concludes with the observation that in these two stories, the figure of the London migrant is rendered as facing further grave challenges, and that all three figures ‘belong nowhere’ (Rhys [1962] 1987 Rhys, Jean. [1962] 1987. The Collected Stories. New York: Norton. [Google Scholar] , 175).
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Naidu, Samantha , Thorpe, Andrea
- Date: 2018
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/68422 , vital:29254 , https://doi.org/10.1080/10131752.2018.1461477
- Description: Publisher version , In this article we compare and contrast the figure of the migrant, central to Dan Jacobson’s short story ‘A Long Way from London’ ([1953] 1958. A Long Way from London and other stories. London: Weidenfeld & Nicholson), and to Jean Rhys’s short story ‘Let Them Call It Jazz’ ([1962] 1987. The Collected Stories. New York: Norton), both of which are set in London in the early to mid-twentieth century. The main argument is that these figures, as migrants in London from South Africa and the Caribbean respectively, similarly occupy a liminal space despite stark differences in class, race and gender. In both stories this liminal space is described through evocations of London as a hostile diasporic space, lacking in hospitality, and experienced by the migrant figure as a place of confinement and incarceration. Also, both stories utilize the technique of silence or lacunae when it comes to issues of specific discrimination and abuse, such as racism or sexual exploitation. For the purposes of comparison, the character Manwera from ‘A Long Way from London’ and, Selina, the protagonist of ‘Let Them Call It Jazz’, are selected for analysis. Particularly, their respective responses (Manwera’s pride and dignity, and Selina’s recovery after a breakdown, and her musical talent) to the exigencies of migration are suggestive of ‘adaptive strength’ (Steve Vertovec and Robin Cohen [1999] 2001. Migration, Diasporas and Transnationalism. Cheltenham and Northampton MA: Elgar Reference Collection, xviii), a common feature in transnational literature which attempts to celebrate liminality and multiplicity as key characteristics of a transnational subjectivity. In addition, the protagonist of ‘A Long Way from London’, Arthur, offers a contrast to Manwera and Selina, not only because of race and class, but because he is depicted as having adapted to and assimilated into British culture, while being strangely detached from and ambivalent about both homeland and diasporic home. Varying forms of adaptive strength are portrayed in both stories, but they close with intimations of bleak futures for the migrant figures. The essay thus concludes with the observation that in these two stories, the figure of the London migrant is rendered as facing further grave challenges, and that all three figures ‘belong nowhere’ (Rhys [1962] 1987 Rhys, Jean. [1962] 1987. The Collected Stories. New York: Norton. [Google Scholar] , 175).
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2018
An update on the management of breast cancer in Africa
- Vanderpuye, V, Grover, S, Hammad, N, Prabhakar, Pooja, Simonds, H, Olopade, F, Stefan, D C
- Authors: Vanderpuye, V , Grover, S , Hammad, N , Prabhakar, Pooja , Simonds, H , Olopade, F , Stefan, D C
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Africa Cancer--Treatment
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/11260/6048 , vital:45108 , DOI 10.1186/s13027-017-0124-y
- Description: There is limited information about the challenges of cancer management and attempts at improving outcomes in Africa. Even though South and North Africa are better resourceds to tackle the burden of breast cancer, similar poor prognostic factors are common to all countries. The five-year overall Survival rate for breast cancer patients does not exceed 60% for any low and middle-income country (LMIC) in Africa. In spite of the gains achieved over the past decade, certain characteristics remain the same such as limited availability of breast conservation therapies, inadequate access to drugs, few oncology specialists and adherence to harmful socio-cultural practices. This review on managing breast cancer in Africa is authored by African oncologists who practice or collaborate in Africa and with hands-on experience with the realities. A search was performed via electronic databases from 1999 to 2016. (PubMed/Medline, African Journals Online) for all literature in English or translated into English, covering the terms "breast cancer in Africa and developing countries". One hundred ninety were deemed appropriate. Breast tumors are diagnosed at earlier ages and later stages than in highincome countries. There is a higher prevalence of triple-negative cancers. The limitations of poor nursing care and surgery, inadequate access to radiotherapy, poor availability of basic and modern systemic therapies translate into lower survival rate. Positive strides in breast cancer management in Africa include increased adaptation of treatment guidelines, improved pathology services including immuno-histochemistry, expansion and upgrading of radiotherapy equipment across the continent in addition to more research opportunities. This review is an update of the management of breast cancer in Africa, taking a look at the epidemiology, pathology, management resources, outcomes, research and limitations in Africa from the perspective of oncologists with local experience.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Vanderpuye, V , Grover, S , Hammad, N , Prabhakar, Pooja , Simonds, H , Olopade, F , Stefan, D C
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Africa Cancer--Treatment
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/11260/6048 , vital:45108 , DOI 10.1186/s13027-017-0124-y
- Description: There is limited information about the challenges of cancer management and attempts at improving outcomes in Africa. Even though South and North Africa are better resourceds to tackle the burden of breast cancer, similar poor prognostic factors are common to all countries. The five-year overall Survival rate for breast cancer patients does not exceed 60% for any low and middle-income country (LMIC) in Africa. In spite of the gains achieved over the past decade, certain characteristics remain the same such as limited availability of breast conservation therapies, inadequate access to drugs, few oncology specialists and adherence to harmful socio-cultural practices. This review on managing breast cancer in Africa is authored by African oncologists who practice or collaborate in Africa and with hands-on experience with the realities. A search was performed via electronic databases from 1999 to 2016. (PubMed/Medline, African Journals Online) for all literature in English or translated into English, covering the terms "breast cancer in Africa and developing countries". One hundred ninety were deemed appropriate. Breast tumors are diagnosed at earlier ages and later stages than in highincome countries. There is a higher prevalence of triple-negative cancers. The limitations of poor nursing care and surgery, inadequate access to radiotherapy, poor availability of basic and modern systemic therapies translate into lower survival rate. Positive strides in breast cancer management in Africa include increased adaptation of treatment guidelines, improved pathology services including immuno-histochemistry, expansion and upgrading of radiotherapy equipment across the continent in addition to more research opportunities. This review is an update of the management of breast cancer in Africa, taking a look at the epidemiology, pathology, management resources, outcomes, research and limitations in Africa from the perspective of oncologists with local experience.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Beyond health care providers’recommendations: understandinginfluences on infant feeding choices ofwomen with HIV in the Eastern Cape,South Africa
- Adeniyi, Oladele Vincent, Ajayi, Anthony Idowu, Issah, Moshood, Owolabi, Eyitayo Omolara, Ter Goon, Daniel, Avramovic, Gordana, Lambert, John
- Authors: Adeniyi, Oladele Vincent , Ajayi, Anthony Idowu , Issah, Moshood , Owolabi, Eyitayo Omolara , Ter Goon, Daniel , Avramovic, Gordana , Lambert, John
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Africa Infant Feeding Sub-sahara
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/11260/6063 , vital:45109 , https://doi.org/10.1186/s13006-019-0201-5
- Description: Background: Despite the array of studies on infant feeding practices of HIV-infected women, gaps still exist in the understanding of the underlying reasons for their infant feeding choices. Potential for behavioural change exists, especially in the light of the 2016 updated World Health Organization guideline on HIV and infant feeding. The aim of this paper is to determine the rate of adoption of exclusive breastfeeding in this cohort, examine the determinants of infant feeding choices of HIV-infected women and assess the underlying reasons for these choices. Methods: This was a mixed methods study conducted between September 2015 and May 2016. It analyses the quantitative and qualitative data of 1662 peripartum women enrolled in the East London Prospective Cohort Study across three large maternity services in the Eastern Cape. Women with HIV reported their preferred choices of infant feeding. In addition, participants explained the underlying reasons for their choices. Descriptive and inferential statistics summarised the quantitative data, while thematic content analysis was performed on qualitative data. Results: Of the 1662 women with complete responses, 80.3% opted to exclusively breastfeed their babies. In the adjusted model, up to grade 12 education level (AOR: 1.81; 95% CI: 1.14, 2.86), rural/peri-urban residence (AOR:1.44; 95% CI: 1.05, 1.96), alcohol use (AOR: 1.65; 95% CI: 1.25, 2.18), negative or unknown HIV status at booking (AOR:1.85; 95% CI:1.27, 2.70), currently married (AOR:1.43; 95% CI:1.01, 2.02) and WHO Clinical Stage 2–4 (AOR:1.77; 95% CI: 1.15, 2.72) were significantly associated with the decision to exclusively breastfeed. Health care providers’ recommendations, perceived benefits of breastfeeding, unaffordability of formula feeding, and coercion were the underlying reasons for wanting to breastfeed; while work/school-related demands, breast-related issues, and fear of infecting the baby influenced their decision to formula feed. Conclusion: The majority of HIV-infected women chose to breastfeed their babies in the Eastern Cape. Following up on these women to ensure they breastfeed exclusively, while also addressing their possible concerns, could be an important policy intervention. Future studies should focus on how early infant feeding decisions change over time, as well as the health outcomes for mother and child. Keywords: Exclusive breastfeeding, Infant feeding practice, infant formula feeding, HIV-infected peripartum women, South Africa, WHO guideline
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Adeniyi, Oladele Vincent , Ajayi, Anthony Idowu , Issah, Moshood , Owolabi, Eyitayo Omolara , Ter Goon, Daniel , Avramovic, Gordana , Lambert, John
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Africa Infant Feeding Sub-sahara
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/11260/6063 , vital:45109 , https://doi.org/10.1186/s13006-019-0201-5
- Description: Background: Despite the array of studies on infant feeding practices of HIV-infected women, gaps still exist in the understanding of the underlying reasons for their infant feeding choices. Potential for behavioural change exists, especially in the light of the 2016 updated World Health Organization guideline on HIV and infant feeding. The aim of this paper is to determine the rate of adoption of exclusive breastfeeding in this cohort, examine the determinants of infant feeding choices of HIV-infected women and assess the underlying reasons for these choices. Methods: This was a mixed methods study conducted between September 2015 and May 2016. It analyses the quantitative and qualitative data of 1662 peripartum women enrolled in the East London Prospective Cohort Study across three large maternity services in the Eastern Cape. Women with HIV reported their preferred choices of infant feeding. In addition, participants explained the underlying reasons for their choices. Descriptive and inferential statistics summarised the quantitative data, while thematic content analysis was performed on qualitative data. Results: Of the 1662 women with complete responses, 80.3% opted to exclusively breastfeed their babies. In the adjusted model, up to grade 12 education level (AOR: 1.81; 95% CI: 1.14, 2.86), rural/peri-urban residence (AOR:1.44; 95% CI: 1.05, 1.96), alcohol use (AOR: 1.65; 95% CI: 1.25, 2.18), negative or unknown HIV status at booking (AOR:1.85; 95% CI:1.27, 2.70), currently married (AOR:1.43; 95% CI:1.01, 2.02) and WHO Clinical Stage 2–4 (AOR:1.77; 95% CI: 1.15, 2.72) were significantly associated with the decision to exclusively breastfeed. Health care providers’ recommendations, perceived benefits of breastfeeding, unaffordability of formula feeding, and coercion were the underlying reasons for wanting to breastfeed; while work/school-related demands, breast-related issues, and fear of infecting the baby influenced their decision to formula feed. Conclusion: The majority of HIV-infected women chose to breastfeed their babies in the Eastern Cape. Following up on these women to ensure they breastfeed exclusively, while also addressing their possible concerns, could be an important policy intervention. Future studies should focus on how early infant feeding decisions change over time, as well as the health outcomes for mother and child. Keywords: Exclusive breastfeeding, Infant feeding practice, infant formula feeding, HIV-infected peripartum women, South Africa, WHO guideline
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Changes in forest cover and carbon stocks of the coastal scarp forests of the Wild Coast, South Africa
- Mangwale, Kagiso, Shackleton, Charlie M, Sigwela, Ayanda
- Authors: Mangwale, Kagiso , Shackleton, Charlie M , Sigwela, Ayanda
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: article , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/60903 , vital:27887 , https://doi.org/10.2989/20702620.2016.1255480
- Description: Land-use intensification and declines in vegetative cover are considered pervasive threats to forests and biodiversity globally. The small extent and high biodiversity of indigenous forests in South Africa make them particularly important. Yet, relatively little is known about their rates of use and change. From analysis of past aerial photos we quantified rates of forest cover change in the Matiwane forests of the Wild Coast, South Africa, between 1942 and 2007, as well as quantified above- and belowground (to 0.5 m depth) carbon stocks based on a composite allometric equation derived for the area. Rates of forest conversion were spatially variable, with some areas showing no change and others more noticeable changes. Overall, the net reduction was 5.2% (0.08% p.a.) over the 65-year period. However, the rate of reduction has accelerated with time. Some of the reduction was balanced by natural reforestation into formerly cleared areas, but basal area, biomass and carbon stocks are still low in the reforested areas. The total carbon stock was highest in intact forests (311.7 ± 23.7 Mg C ha−1), followed by degraded forests (73.5 ± 12.3 Mg C ha−1) and least in regrowth forests (51.2 ± 6.2 Mg C ha−1). The greatest contribution to total carbon stocks was soil carbon, contributing 54% in intact forests, and 78% and 68% in degraded and regrowth forests, respectively. The Matiwane forests store 4.78 Tg C, with 4.7 Tg C in intact forests, 0.06 Tg C in degraded forests and 0.02 Tg C in regrowth forests. The decrease in carbon stocks within the forests as a result of the conversion of the forest area to agricultural fields was 0.19 Tg C and approximately 0.0003 Tg C was released through harvesting of firewood and building timber.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Mangwale, Kagiso , Shackleton, Charlie M , Sigwela, Ayanda
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: article , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/60903 , vital:27887 , https://doi.org/10.2989/20702620.2016.1255480
- Description: Land-use intensification and declines in vegetative cover are considered pervasive threats to forests and biodiversity globally. The small extent and high biodiversity of indigenous forests in South Africa make them particularly important. Yet, relatively little is known about their rates of use and change. From analysis of past aerial photos we quantified rates of forest cover change in the Matiwane forests of the Wild Coast, South Africa, between 1942 and 2007, as well as quantified above- and belowground (to 0.5 m depth) carbon stocks based on a composite allometric equation derived for the area. Rates of forest conversion were spatially variable, with some areas showing no change and others more noticeable changes. Overall, the net reduction was 5.2% (0.08% p.a.) over the 65-year period. However, the rate of reduction has accelerated with time. Some of the reduction was balanced by natural reforestation into formerly cleared areas, but basal area, biomass and carbon stocks are still low in the reforested areas. The total carbon stock was highest in intact forests (311.7 ± 23.7 Mg C ha−1), followed by degraded forests (73.5 ± 12.3 Mg C ha−1) and least in regrowth forests (51.2 ± 6.2 Mg C ha−1). The greatest contribution to total carbon stocks was soil carbon, contributing 54% in intact forests, and 78% and 68% in degraded and regrowth forests, respectively. The Matiwane forests store 4.78 Tg C, with 4.7 Tg C in intact forests, 0.06 Tg C in degraded forests and 0.02 Tg C in regrowth forests. The decrease in carbon stocks within the forests as a result of the conversion of the forest area to agricultural fields was 0.19 Tg C and approximately 0.0003 Tg C was released through harvesting of firewood and building timber.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Developing academic literacies through understanding the nature of disciplinary knowledge
- Clarence, Sherran, McKenna, Sioux
- Authors: Clarence, Sherran , McKenna, Sioux
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: article , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/61062 , vital:27942 , https://doi.org/10.18546/LRE.15.1.04
- Description: Much academic development work that is framed by academic literacies, especially that focused on writing, is concerned with disciplinary conventions and knowledges: conceptual, practical, and procedural. This paper argues, however, that academic literacies work tends to conflate literacy practices with disciplinary knowledge structures, thus obscuring the structures from which these practices emanate. This paper demonstrates how theoretical and analytical tools for conceptualizing disciplinary knowledge structures can connect these with academic literacies development work. Using recent studies that combine academic literacies and theories of knowledge in novel ways, this paper will show that understanding the knowledge structures of different disciplines can enable academic developers to build a stronger body of practice. This will enable academic developers working within disciplinary contexts to more ably speak to the nature of coming to know in higher education.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Clarence, Sherran , McKenna, Sioux
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: article , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/61062 , vital:27942 , https://doi.org/10.18546/LRE.15.1.04
- Description: Much academic development work that is framed by academic literacies, especially that focused on writing, is concerned with disciplinary conventions and knowledges: conceptual, practical, and procedural. This paper argues, however, that academic literacies work tends to conflate literacy practices with disciplinary knowledge structures, thus obscuring the structures from which these practices emanate. This paper demonstrates how theoretical and analytical tools for conceptualizing disciplinary knowledge structures can connect these with academic literacies development work. Using recent studies that combine academic literacies and theories of knowledge in novel ways, this paper will show that understanding the knowledge structures of different disciplines can enable academic developers to build a stronger body of practice. This will enable academic developers working within disciplinary contexts to more ably speak to the nature of coming to know in higher education.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Development of an item bank of health literacy questions appropriate for limited literacy public sector patients in South Africa:
- Marimwe, Chipiwa, Dowse, Roslind
- Authors: Marimwe, Chipiwa , Dowse, Roslind
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/156618 , vital:40031 , https://doi.org/10.1080/17538068.2017.1380577
- Description: The majority of current health literacy measures emanate from high-income countries. In South Africa, there is no appropriate measure available for use by the diverse public sector population, many of whom have some literacy limitations. The objective was to develop a bank of questions for this population informed by a broader definition of health literacy, which acknowledges both traditional cognitive skills and explores the influence of the collective social environment on health literacy. Thirty questions for the Item Bank were developed to ensure cultural, contextual and educational appropriateness, and were continuously subjected to critical review by an expert consultant panel. Patients (n = 120) were recruited from a local primary care clinic and individually interviewed with the assistance of an interpreter to collect data on the Item Bank, Multidimensional Screener of Functional Health Literacy (MSFHL) and sociodemographics.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Marimwe, Chipiwa , Dowse, Roslind
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/156618 , vital:40031 , https://doi.org/10.1080/17538068.2017.1380577
- Description: The majority of current health literacy measures emanate from high-income countries. In South Africa, there is no appropriate measure available for use by the diverse public sector population, many of whom have some literacy limitations. The objective was to develop a bank of questions for this population informed by a broader definition of health literacy, which acknowledges both traditional cognitive skills and explores the influence of the collective social environment on health literacy. Thirty questions for the Item Bank were developed to ensure cultural, contextual and educational appropriateness, and were continuously subjected to critical review by an expert consultant panel. Patients (n = 120) were recruited from a local primary care clinic and individually interviewed with the assistance of an interpreter to collect data on the Item Bank, Multidimensional Screener of Functional Health Literacy (MSFHL) and sociodemographics.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Enhancing agency and action in teacher education in Zimbabwe
- Mandikonza, Caleb, Mukundu, Cecilia
- Authors: Mandikonza, Caleb , Mukundu, Cecilia
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , book chapter
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/436235 , vital:73251 , ISBN 978-3-319-45989-9 , https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-45989-9_18
- Description: In this chapter we use a case study of teacher education in Zimbabwe to review a professional development model for mainstreaming environment and sustainability education (ESE). The process is driven by a collaborative and practice-based course design where participants work towards a change project in their professional work context. An institu-tional change project approach was developed within a work-together/work-away process in a Rhodes University teacher education course undertaken in partnership with the Southern African Development Community Regional Environmental Ed-ucation Programme (SADC REEP).
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Mandikonza, Caleb , Mukundu, Cecilia
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , book chapter
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/436235 , vital:73251 , ISBN 978-3-319-45989-9 , https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-45989-9_18
- Description: In this chapter we use a case study of teacher education in Zimbabwe to review a professional development model for mainstreaming environment and sustainability education (ESE). The process is driven by a collaborative and practice-based course design where participants work towards a change project in their professional work context. An institu-tional change project approach was developed within a work-together/work-away process in a Rhodes University teacher education course undertaken in partnership with the Southern African Development Community Regional Environmental Ed-ucation Programme (SADC REEP).
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Examining the nature of learning within an afterschool mathematics club : a case study of four learners
- Pohamba, Penehafo K, Graven, Mellony, Stott, Deborah A, Ashipala, Daniel O
- Authors: Pohamba, Penehafo K , Graven, Mellony , Stott, Deborah A , Ashipala, Daniel O
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/70121 , vital:29623 , http://dx.doi.org/10.5430/irhe.v2n1p21
- Description: This study examined the nature of learning within an afterschool mathematics club established by the South African Numeracy Chair project. This study sought to establish what sort of progress in mathematical learning occurred in a grade 3 afterschool maths club, using assessment instruments associated with the Learning Framework in Number. The study also sought to understand the nature and effects of mentor mediation in the maths club, using Vygotsky’s notion of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) together with the notion and practice of scaffolding. This study was interpretive in nature drawing on qualitative methods with some elements of quantification in relation to learners’ progression. The club consists of 10 learners of mixed ability (5 girls and 5 boys) at a township school in Graham’s town, South Africa. Learners in this case study were selected through purposive sampling. As part of the data collection strategies, the learners were interviewed twice in terms of their numeracy proficiency. The assessment interview results revealed that, in terms of proficiency in early arithmetical learning, all four learners showed progress after spending four months in an afterschool maths club. This study also recommended Wright et al.’s (2006) LFIN framework to be used in assessing learners’ progress in mathematics, as it could inform the refinement of instructional design within the school curriculum and teachers’ education in the Namibian context.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Pohamba, Penehafo K , Graven, Mellony , Stott, Deborah A , Ashipala, Daniel O
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/70121 , vital:29623 , http://dx.doi.org/10.5430/irhe.v2n1p21
- Description: This study examined the nature of learning within an afterschool mathematics club established by the South African Numeracy Chair project. This study sought to establish what sort of progress in mathematical learning occurred in a grade 3 afterschool maths club, using assessment instruments associated with the Learning Framework in Number. The study also sought to understand the nature and effects of mentor mediation in the maths club, using Vygotsky’s notion of the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) together with the notion and practice of scaffolding. This study was interpretive in nature drawing on qualitative methods with some elements of quantification in relation to learners’ progression. The club consists of 10 learners of mixed ability (5 girls and 5 boys) at a township school in Graham’s town, South Africa. Learners in this case study were selected through purposive sampling. As part of the data collection strategies, the learners were interviewed twice in terms of their numeracy proficiency. The assessment interview results revealed that, in terms of proficiency in early arithmetical learning, all four learners showed progress after spending four months in an afterschool maths club. This study also recommended Wright et al.’s (2006) LFIN framework to be used in assessing learners’ progress in mathematics, as it could inform the refinement of instructional design within the school curriculum and teachers’ education in the Namibian context.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017