"Let loose in the unthinkable unspeakable": waiting and alterity in Samuel Beckett's trilogy
- Authors: Marais, Jessica
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/3917 , vital:20557
- Description: In this thesis, I examine the interrelated roles of waiting and alterity in Samuel Beckett's trilogy of novels: Molloy, Malone Dies and The Unnamable. The conventional understanding of waiting is as an intentional relationship between a waiting subject and an awaited object. This kind of waiting is end-directed, and, in order for it to be worthwhile, the awaited must, at some point, arrive. In the trilogy, however, the awaited never does arrive, and it is my contention that the novels are concerned with an unconventional kind of waiting, which, being without object or end, takes the form of a non-intentional relationship between waiter and awaited. Significantly, through the non-intentional wait, the subject awaits the unawaited. She or he thereby encounters the radically other, or that which cannot be rendered familiar or assimilated in any way – an unthinkable, unspeakable, ungraspable excess that overflows the limits of thought and language. The texts foreground the vexed question of response to such alterity: how can one approach the ungraspable as ungraspable, when it is in the nature of any approach to attempt to grasp? I argue that the texts explore a paradoxical form of "incurious seeking" as an avenue to accommodate the absolutely other.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Marais, Jessica
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/3917 , vital:20557
- Description: In this thesis, I examine the interrelated roles of waiting and alterity in Samuel Beckett's trilogy of novels: Molloy, Malone Dies and The Unnamable. The conventional understanding of waiting is as an intentional relationship between a waiting subject and an awaited object. This kind of waiting is end-directed, and, in order for it to be worthwhile, the awaited must, at some point, arrive. In the trilogy, however, the awaited never does arrive, and it is my contention that the novels are concerned with an unconventional kind of waiting, which, being without object or end, takes the form of a non-intentional relationship between waiter and awaited. Significantly, through the non-intentional wait, the subject awaits the unawaited. She or he thereby encounters the radically other, or that which cannot be rendered familiar or assimilated in any way – an unthinkable, unspeakable, ungraspable excess that overflows the limits of thought and language. The texts foreground the vexed question of response to such alterity: how can one approach the ungraspable as ungraspable, when it is in the nature of any approach to attempt to grasp? I argue that the texts explore a paradoxical form of "incurious seeking" as an avenue to accommodate the absolutely other.
- Full Text:
2OS
- Authors: Machanick, Philip
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/439214 , vital:73556 , https://homes.cs.ru.ac.za/philip/Courses/CS2-OS/Cs2ToOS.pdf
- Description: In this book I approach the problem of understanding an OS from the point of view of a C programmer who needs to understand enough of how an OS works to program efficiently and avoid traps and pitfalls arising from not understanding what is happening underneath you. If you have a deep understanding of the memory system, you will not program in a style that loses significant performance by breaking the assumptions of the OS designer. If you have an understanding of how IO works, you can make good use of OS services. As you work through this book you will see other examples.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Machanick, Philip
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/439214 , vital:73556 , https://homes.cs.ru.ac.za/philip/Courses/CS2-OS/Cs2ToOS.pdf
- Description: In this book I approach the problem of understanding an OS from the point of view of a C programmer who needs to understand enough of how an OS works to program efficiently and avoid traps and pitfalls arising from not understanding what is happening underneath you. If you have a deep understanding of the memory system, you will not program in a style that loses significant performance by breaking the assumptions of the OS designer. If you have an understanding of how IO works, you can make good use of OS services. As you work through this book you will see other examples.
- Full Text:
A case for contemporary third literature: the black experience in the postmillennial fiction of three Kwela authors
- Authors: Mthembu, Lumumba
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/3322 , vital:20480
- Description: This study seeks to uncover the manner in which the young black experience is constructed in three novels by Sifiso Mzobe, Kgebetli Moele and K. Sello Duiker. Young Blood, Untitled and Thirteen Cents all feature teenage narrators navigating the social milieu of South Africa in the twenty-first century. My analysis is informed by Frantz Fanon’s postcolonial theory because South Africa’s socio-economic landscape conforms to the divisions laid out in The Wretched of the Earth. I contend that post-apartheid South Africa is developing in a manner that is symptomatic of the Fanonian post-independence African state. My close reading of the novels teases out the conditions under which young black subjects must survive and express themselves. I look into the roles of the community, the government, the family, and the school in shaping this experience. Naturally, my discussion segues into questions of sexuality and gender as they intersect with race. I demonstrate how these texts fail and succeed as works of Third Literature, a genre derived from Third Cinema, which I have adapted due to its Fanonian ideological underpinning. Third Literature is a fundamentally revolutionary and activistic genre which seeks to pave the way for social change. In this regard, I concern myself with the recommendations these three authors may have for the readers of their texts. In conclusion, these texts demonstrate that racialized identities are social constructs with measurable experiential effects. However, there are ways of actively resisting or even
- Full Text:
- Authors: Mthembu, Lumumba
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/3322 , vital:20480
- Description: This study seeks to uncover the manner in which the young black experience is constructed in three novels by Sifiso Mzobe, Kgebetli Moele and K. Sello Duiker. Young Blood, Untitled and Thirteen Cents all feature teenage narrators navigating the social milieu of South Africa in the twenty-first century. My analysis is informed by Frantz Fanon’s postcolonial theory because South Africa’s socio-economic landscape conforms to the divisions laid out in The Wretched of the Earth. I contend that post-apartheid South Africa is developing in a manner that is symptomatic of the Fanonian post-independence African state. My close reading of the novels teases out the conditions under which young black subjects must survive and express themselves. I look into the roles of the community, the government, the family, and the school in shaping this experience. Naturally, my discussion segues into questions of sexuality and gender as they intersect with race. I demonstrate how these texts fail and succeed as works of Third Literature, a genre derived from Third Cinema, which I have adapted due to its Fanonian ideological underpinning. Third Literature is a fundamentally revolutionary and activistic genre which seeks to pave the way for social change. In this regard, I concern myself with the recommendations these three authors may have for the readers of their texts. In conclusion, these texts demonstrate that racialized identities are social constructs with measurable experiential effects. However, there are ways of actively resisting or even
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A case study of the opportunities and trade-offs associated with deproclamation of a protected area following a land claim in South Africa
- Krüger, Ruth, Cundill, Georgina, Thondhlana, Gladman
- Authors: Krüger, Ruth , Cundill, Georgina , Thondhlana, Gladman
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/67791 , vital:29145 , https://doi.org/10.1080/13549839.2015.1065804
- Description: Publisher version , Reconciling conservation and social justice imperatives is a major challenge facing many postcolonial states worldwide. Where historically disenfranchised communities have laid legal claim to protected areas, the typical resolution has been collaborative management agreements between the state and claimant communities. The real outcomes of such strategies for people and ecosystems have been seriously questioned, although alternative approaches are seldom explored. Here, we reflect on one such alternative that was pursued in a case in South Africa, where the land was handed back to the community and a replacement protected area created. Our objective was to explore the opportunities and trade-offs associated with this approach for communities and conservation agencies alike, and to compare these to typical collaborative management outcomes. Methods included key informant interviews, focus group discussions and household surveys. We find that, surprisingly, this approach created more benefits for the conservation agency than for claimant communities. Indeed, the community experiences bore a striking resemblance to those experienced in collaborative management settings: intra-community conflict, confusion over leadership and serious questions about the boundaries of the “community”. Processes aimed at redressing past injustice in disputes over conservation land, regardless of the approach adopted, must bring with them a strong commitment to building institutional and leadership capacities within communities, and pay serious attention to the ways in which equity and social justice can be fostered after the settlement of a land claim. Settlement agreements are frequently treated as the final step towards social justice, but are in fact just the beginning.
- Full Text: false
- Authors: Krüger, Ruth , Cundill, Georgina , Thondhlana, Gladman
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/67791 , vital:29145 , https://doi.org/10.1080/13549839.2015.1065804
- Description: Publisher version , Reconciling conservation and social justice imperatives is a major challenge facing many postcolonial states worldwide. Where historically disenfranchised communities have laid legal claim to protected areas, the typical resolution has been collaborative management agreements between the state and claimant communities. The real outcomes of such strategies for people and ecosystems have been seriously questioned, although alternative approaches are seldom explored. Here, we reflect on one such alternative that was pursued in a case in South Africa, where the land was handed back to the community and a replacement protected area created. Our objective was to explore the opportunities and trade-offs associated with this approach for communities and conservation agencies alike, and to compare these to typical collaborative management outcomes. Methods included key informant interviews, focus group discussions and household surveys. We find that, surprisingly, this approach created more benefits for the conservation agency than for claimant communities. Indeed, the community experiences bore a striking resemblance to those experienced in collaborative management settings: intra-community conflict, confusion over leadership and serious questions about the boundaries of the “community”. Processes aimed at redressing past injustice in disputes over conservation land, regardless of the approach adopted, must bring with them a strong commitment to building institutional and leadership capacities within communities, and pay serious attention to the ways in which equity and social justice can be fostered after the settlement of a land claim. Settlement agreements are frequently treated as the final step towards social justice, but are in fact just the beginning.
- Full Text: false
A case study on the health risks related to flood disasters in South Africa
- Tandlich, Roman, Ncube, Mbonisi, Khamanga, Sandile M, Zuma, Bongumusa M
- Authors: Tandlich, Roman , Ncube, Mbonisi , Khamanga, Sandile M , Zuma, Bongumusa M
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/75917 , vital:30482 , DOI: 10.20965/jdr.2016.p0732
- Description: Floods occurred in the Ndlambe Local Municipality in South Africa in October 2012. During various stages of the post-disaster recovery, bacterial concentrations were measured in water and soil samples from the flood zone. All drinking water concentrations of E. coli were below 1–3 colony forming units per 100 millilitres (CFUs/100 mL). The flood waters contained between 46500 to more than 100000 CFUs/100 mL of E. coli. {The concentrations of Salmonella spp. in the flood waters varied from 5000 to 250000 CFUs/100 mL. The presumptive Vibrio spp. concentrations in flood waters ranged from 1000 to over 150000 CFUs/100 mL. {The soil concentrations for E. coli ranged from 1 to above 330 colony-forming units per 1 g of soil dry weight (CFUs/g). The soil concentrations of Salmonella spp. varied from below 1 to 22 CFUs/g. The estimated airborne fungal concentrations ranged from 16820 to 28540 colony-forming units per 1 cubic meter. An outbreak of an infectious disease was recorded among the volunteers who assisted with the post-disaster recovery. The likely bacterial causative agents included strains of Aeromonas spp. and Vibrio cholerae. Any human contact with either the contaminated flood waters or of flooded dwellings should only occur, if the individuals in questions are equipped with the full-body personal protective gear. Non-governmental stakeholders performed majority of the post-disaster recovery operations, as the local government could only cover 11% of the required costs. Applying sanitation funds to disaster recovery and increased use of the low-cost flood defence products in high risk areas could provide a solution for the future.
- Full Text: false
- Authors: Tandlich, Roman , Ncube, Mbonisi , Khamanga, Sandile M , Zuma, Bongumusa M
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/75917 , vital:30482 , DOI: 10.20965/jdr.2016.p0732
- Description: Floods occurred in the Ndlambe Local Municipality in South Africa in October 2012. During various stages of the post-disaster recovery, bacterial concentrations were measured in water and soil samples from the flood zone. All drinking water concentrations of E. coli were below 1–3 colony forming units per 100 millilitres (CFUs/100 mL). The flood waters contained between 46500 to more than 100000 CFUs/100 mL of E. coli. {The concentrations of Salmonella spp. in the flood waters varied from 5000 to 250000 CFUs/100 mL. The presumptive Vibrio spp. concentrations in flood waters ranged from 1000 to over 150000 CFUs/100 mL. {The soil concentrations for E. coli ranged from 1 to above 330 colony-forming units per 1 g of soil dry weight (CFUs/g). The soil concentrations of Salmonella spp. varied from below 1 to 22 CFUs/g. The estimated airborne fungal concentrations ranged from 16820 to 28540 colony-forming units per 1 cubic meter. An outbreak of an infectious disease was recorded among the volunteers who assisted with the post-disaster recovery. The likely bacterial causative agents included strains of Aeromonas spp. and Vibrio cholerae. Any human contact with either the contaminated flood waters or of flooded dwellings should only occur, if the individuals in questions are equipped with the full-body personal protective gear. Non-governmental stakeholders performed majority of the post-disaster recovery operations, as the local government could only cover 11% of the required costs. Applying sanitation funds to disaster recovery and increased use of the low-cost flood defence products in high risk areas could provide a solution for the future.
- Full Text: false
A chiral hemiporphyrazine derivative
- Wu, Yanping, Gai, Lizhi, Xiao, Xuqiong, Lu, Hua, Li, Zhifang, Mack, John, Harris, Jessica, Nyokong, Tebello, Shen, Zhen
- Authors: Wu, Yanping , Gai, Lizhi , Xiao, Xuqiong , Lu, Hua , Li, Zhifang , Mack, John , Harris, Jessica , Nyokong, Tebello , Shen, Zhen
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/240404 , vital:50831 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1002/asia.201600754"
- Description: The synthesis of an optically active hemiporphyrazine with chiral binaphthyl substituents (1) is reported, providing the first example of the incorporation of an intrinsically chiral moiety into the macrocyclic core of a hemiporphyrazine analogue. A negative circular dichroism (CD) signal is observed in the 325–450 nm region of the CD spectrum of (S,S)-1, while mainly positive bands are observed in the 220–325 nm region. Mirror symmetry is observed across the entire wavelength range of the CD spectra of (R,R)-1 and (S,S)-1. An irreversible one-electron oxidation wave with an onset potential at 1.07 V is observed by cyclic voltammetry, along with a reversible one-electron reduction wave at −0.85 V. Density functional calculations reproduce the experimentally observed data and trends, and provide further insight into the nature of the electronic transitions.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Wu, Yanping , Gai, Lizhi , Xiao, Xuqiong , Lu, Hua , Li, Zhifang , Mack, John , Harris, Jessica , Nyokong, Tebello , Shen, Zhen
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/240404 , vital:50831 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1002/asia.201600754"
- Description: The synthesis of an optically active hemiporphyrazine with chiral binaphthyl substituents (1) is reported, providing the first example of the incorporation of an intrinsically chiral moiety into the macrocyclic core of a hemiporphyrazine analogue. A negative circular dichroism (CD) signal is observed in the 325–450 nm region of the CD spectrum of (S,S)-1, while mainly positive bands are observed in the 220–325 nm region. Mirror symmetry is observed across the entire wavelength range of the CD spectra of (R,R)-1 and (S,S)-1. An irreversible one-electron oxidation wave with an onset potential at 1.07 V is observed by cyclic voltammetry, along with a reversible one-electron reduction wave at −0.85 V. Density functional calculations reproduce the experimentally observed data and trends, and provide further insight into the nature of the electronic transitions.
- Full Text:
A combinatorial analysis of barred preferential arrangements
- Authors: Nkonkobe, Sithembele
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/36228 , vital:24530
- Description: For a non-negative integer n an ordered partition of a set Xn with n distinct elements is called a preferential arrangement (PA). A barred preferential arrangement (BPA) is a preferential arrangement with bars in between the blocks of the partition. An integer sequence an associated with the counting PA's of Xn has been intensely studied over a century and a half in many different contexts. In this thesis we develop a unified combinatorial framework to study the enumeration of BPAs and a special subclass of BPAs. The results of the study lead to a positive settlement of an open problem and a conjecture by Nelsen. We derive few important identities pertaining to the number of BPAs and restricted BPAs of an n element set using generating- functionology. Later we show that the number of restricted BPAs of Xn are intricately related to well-known numbers such as Eulerian numbers, Bell numbers, Poly-Bernoulli numbers and the number of equivalence classes of fuzzy subsets of Xn under some equivalent relation.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Nkonkobe, Sithembele
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/36228 , vital:24530
- Description: For a non-negative integer n an ordered partition of a set Xn with n distinct elements is called a preferential arrangement (PA). A barred preferential arrangement (BPA) is a preferential arrangement with bars in between the blocks of the partition. An integer sequence an associated with the counting PA's of Xn has been intensely studied over a century and a half in many different contexts. In this thesis we develop a unified combinatorial framework to study the enumeration of BPAs and a special subclass of BPAs. The results of the study lead to a positive settlement of an open problem and a conjecture by Nelsen. We derive few important identities pertaining to the number of BPAs and restricted BPAs of an n element set using generating- functionology. Later we show that the number of restricted BPAs of Xn are intricately related to well-known numbers such as Eulerian numbers, Bell numbers, Poly-Bernoulli numbers and the number of equivalence classes of fuzzy subsets of Xn under some equivalent relation.
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A comparative physicochemical study of unsymmetrical indium phthalocyanines in the presence of magnetic nanoparticles or quantum dots
- Osifeko, Olawale L, Nyokong, Tebello
- Authors: Osifeko, Olawale L , Nyokong, Tebello
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/188743 , vital:44781 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1080/00958972.2016.1152628"
- Description: Asymmetric indium phthalocyanine (3, containing an NH2 group) was conjugated (via an amide bond) to magnetic nanoparticle (MNP) functionalized with carboxylic acid or glutathione-capped CdTe/ZnSe/ZnO quantum dots to form 3-MNPs or 3-QDs. Techniques such as time-resolved fluorescence measurements, transmission electron microscopy, XPS, elemental analysis, FTIR, NMR (1H, 13C, and cozy), electronic spectroscopy, as well as mass spectroscopy were employed to characterize 3 and its nanoconjugates. The phthalocyanine conjugated to quantum dot (3-QDs) possesses the lowest Фpd higher Ф∆ and ФT as well as longer triplet lifetimes compares to 3-MNPs and free phthalocyanine.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Osifeko, Olawale L , Nyokong, Tebello
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/188743 , vital:44781 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1080/00958972.2016.1152628"
- Description: Asymmetric indium phthalocyanine (3, containing an NH2 group) was conjugated (via an amide bond) to magnetic nanoparticle (MNP) functionalized with carboxylic acid or glutathione-capped CdTe/ZnSe/ZnO quantum dots to form 3-MNPs or 3-QDs. Techniques such as time-resolved fluorescence measurements, transmission electron microscopy, XPS, elemental analysis, FTIR, NMR (1H, 13C, and cozy), electronic spectroscopy, as well as mass spectroscopy were employed to characterize 3 and its nanoconjugates. The phthalocyanine conjugated to quantum dot (3-QDs) possesses the lowest Фpd higher Ф∆ and ФT as well as longer triplet lifetimes compares to 3-MNPs and free phthalocyanine.
- Full Text:
A comparative study of syllables and morphemes as literacy processing units in word recognition: IsiXhosa and SeTswana
- Authors: Probert, Tracy Nicole
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/3266 , vital:20415
- Description: Word recognition is a core foundation of reading (Invenizzi and Hayes 2010) and involves interactions of language skills, metalinguistic skills and orthography. The extent of the interaction with one another in reading has yet to be fully explored, especially in the Southern-Bantu languages. This comparative study of isiXhosa and Setswana explores this three-way interaction between language skills (effect of Language of Learning and Teaching (LoLT)), metalinguistic skills (Phonological and Morphological Awareness) and orthography (conjunctivism vs. disjunctivism). This thesis is novel in three respects, (a) a set of linguistic-informed reading measures were developed in isiXhosa and Setswana for the first-time, (b) to my knowledge, the comparisons made and study of Morphological Awareness in the Southern-Bantu languages have never been done, and (c) the use of d-prime as a way of testing for grain size in reading is an innovative approach. Grade 3 and Grade 4 learners were tested on four independent linguistic tasks: an open-ended decomposition task, a Phonological Awareness task, a Morphological Awareness task and an independent reading measure. These tasks were administered to determine the grain size unit (Ziegler and Goswami 2005, Ziegler et al. 2001) which learners use in word recognition, with the grain sizes of syllables and morphemes being studied. Results showed that syllables were the dominant grain size in both isiXhosa and Setswana, with morphemes as secondary grains in isiXhosa. Grain size differed slightly between the two orthographies. These results are reflected in the scores on the metalinguistic tasks. LoLT was not shown to have a significant impact on word recognition in first-language reading. The Psycholinguistic Grain Size Theory (PGST) was found to be the most applicable model of word recognition to the Southern- Bantu languages, as opposed to the Dual-Route Cascade Model and Orthographic Depth Hypothesis. This thesis concludes with suggested adaptations to this theory in order to allow for morpheme grain size to be included. This study has implications for teaching practice and curriculum design, and contributes to a broader understanding of literacy in the foundation phase in the Southern-Bantu languages.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Probert, Tracy Nicole
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/3266 , vital:20415
- Description: Word recognition is a core foundation of reading (Invenizzi and Hayes 2010) and involves interactions of language skills, metalinguistic skills and orthography. The extent of the interaction with one another in reading has yet to be fully explored, especially in the Southern-Bantu languages. This comparative study of isiXhosa and Setswana explores this three-way interaction between language skills (effect of Language of Learning and Teaching (LoLT)), metalinguistic skills (Phonological and Morphological Awareness) and orthography (conjunctivism vs. disjunctivism). This thesis is novel in three respects, (a) a set of linguistic-informed reading measures were developed in isiXhosa and Setswana for the first-time, (b) to my knowledge, the comparisons made and study of Morphological Awareness in the Southern-Bantu languages have never been done, and (c) the use of d-prime as a way of testing for grain size in reading is an innovative approach. Grade 3 and Grade 4 learners were tested on four independent linguistic tasks: an open-ended decomposition task, a Phonological Awareness task, a Morphological Awareness task and an independent reading measure. These tasks were administered to determine the grain size unit (Ziegler and Goswami 2005, Ziegler et al. 2001) which learners use in word recognition, with the grain sizes of syllables and morphemes being studied. Results showed that syllables were the dominant grain size in both isiXhosa and Setswana, with morphemes as secondary grains in isiXhosa. Grain size differed slightly between the two orthographies. These results are reflected in the scores on the metalinguistic tasks. LoLT was not shown to have a significant impact on word recognition in first-language reading. The Psycholinguistic Grain Size Theory (PGST) was found to be the most applicable model of word recognition to the Southern- Bantu languages, as opposed to the Dual-Route Cascade Model and Orthographic Depth Hypothesis. This thesis concludes with suggested adaptations to this theory in order to allow for morpheme grain size to be included. This study has implications for teaching practice and curriculum design, and contributes to a broader understanding of literacy in the foundation phase in the Southern-Bantu languages.
- Full Text:
A comparison of muscle fatigue responses between static and quasi-static exertions
- Authors: Nel, Conrad
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/3475 , vital:20502
- Description: Background: This study examined localized muscle fatigue responses from sub-maximal quasi-static work protocols and additionally how it compares to purely static work. The goal was to produce research that enhances the understanding of the demands on muscles during manual work to aid in preventing injuries stemming from localized muscle fatigue. Injury rates remain a problem in manual labour sectors, particularly for the lower back and shoulder regions for the manufacturing, service and construction sectors, and for knee and elbow flexors in the sports sector. Few studies have looked at quasi-static work and what the resulting fatigue characteristics are, especially when compared to purely static or purely dynamic work. This comparison is particularly important due to the fact that risk assessment tools that are currently utilized to assess risk in the working environment are based on fatigue studies that focus on purely static or purely dynamic work. This requires attention as many working situations are neither static nor dynamic, but rather quasi-static in nature, with aspects of both dynamic and static muscle components. The scope of this study only encompasses the comparison between purely static and quasi-static work. Objectives: This study had two objectives, firstly, to determine what the fatigue characteristics of quasi-static work are and how it compares to fully static work. Secondly, to determine whether an underlying static component within an otherwise dynamic muscle force affects localized muscle fatigue compared to quasi-static work that has equal amounts of effort but with no underlying static component. Methods: Four experimental conditions were tested, each on four muscles, namely the medial deltoid, bicep brachii, bicep femoris and erector spinae muscles. To test the two objectives of this study, 16 volunteers performed a five minute fatigue protocol, that either entailed a fully static condition which involved: 1) producing a steady force at 25 percent of maximum voluntary force, 2) a quasi-static condition with fully dynamic muscle force that alternates the required force level between zero and 50 percent of maximum force, 3) a quasi-static condition with an underlying static component of five percent of maximum force, or 4) a quasi-static condition with a large underlying static component of 15 percent of maximum force. All the experimental conditions in this study had the same average workload of 25 percent of maximum voluntary force over time and thus total workload. The dependant variables of interest were ratings of perceived exertion, changes in muscle fibre recruitment (% of maximum EMG activity), maximum force and center frequency from a spectral analysis of the surface electromyography. These were measured throughout the protocols at one minute intervals to determine how muscle fatigue progressed, and how the fatigue responses differed between conditions. Results: The data from comparing fully static and quasi-static work showed that of the variables measured, the rating of perceived exertion (RPE) and maximum force data indicated that for bicep brachii and bicep femoris muscles, fully static work is more fatiguing than work that alternates between zero and 50 percent of maximum force. The results for the medial deltoid and erector spinae muscles were inconclusive. The findings regarding the comparison between quasi-static conditions with and without an underlying static component revealed that an underlying static component results in greater fatigue when compared to a quasi-static condition with no static component. The results may also suggest that a larger static component coupled with a smaller peak force results in less fatigue than a condition with a small underlying static component coupled with a higher peak force in some scenarios, provided total work is kept constant. All conditions had to have the same workload in order to be validly compared and thus the condition with a larger underlying static component had a lower peak force compared to the condition with no underlying static component or the condition with a small underlying static component. Conclusions: This study presented evidence that quasi-static work does not induce fatigue when measured by RPE and drop in maximum force in the same way as static work. Additionally, the results indicate that a larger underlying static component does not necessarily fatigue a muscle faster if the overall workload is kept constant. However, the results do suggest that any underlying static component will increase the demand on a muscle when compared to a muscle exertion with no static component. When considering the available literature on how muscles fatigue during low level static contractions, the current understanding is that the larger the force during a static contraction, the faster the onset of fatigue and decrements in performance occur. The results of this study suggest that this same relationship cannot be applied to quasi-static work where an underlying static component is part of an otherwise dynamic muscle force. Thus total workload or peak force may play a larger role than the static muscle exertion in some scenarios.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Nel, Conrad
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/3475 , vital:20502
- Description: Background: This study examined localized muscle fatigue responses from sub-maximal quasi-static work protocols and additionally how it compares to purely static work. The goal was to produce research that enhances the understanding of the demands on muscles during manual work to aid in preventing injuries stemming from localized muscle fatigue. Injury rates remain a problem in manual labour sectors, particularly for the lower back and shoulder regions for the manufacturing, service and construction sectors, and for knee and elbow flexors in the sports sector. Few studies have looked at quasi-static work and what the resulting fatigue characteristics are, especially when compared to purely static or purely dynamic work. This comparison is particularly important due to the fact that risk assessment tools that are currently utilized to assess risk in the working environment are based on fatigue studies that focus on purely static or purely dynamic work. This requires attention as many working situations are neither static nor dynamic, but rather quasi-static in nature, with aspects of both dynamic and static muscle components. The scope of this study only encompasses the comparison between purely static and quasi-static work. Objectives: This study had two objectives, firstly, to determine what the fatigue characteristics of quasi-static work are and how it compares to fully static work. Secondly, to determine whether an underlying static component within an otherwise dynamic muscle force affects localized muscle fatigue compared to quasi-static work that has equal amounts of effort but with no underlying static component. Methods: Four experimental conditions were tested, each on four muscles, namely the medial deltoid, bicep brachii, bicep femoris and erector spinae muscles. To test the two objectives of this study, 16 volunteers performed a five minute fatigue protocol, that either entailed a fully static condition which involved: 1) producing a steady force at 25 percent of maximum voluntary force, 2) a quasi-static condition with fully dynamic muscle force that alternates the required force level between zero and 50 percent of maximum force, 3) a quasi-static condition with an underlying static component of five percent of maximum force, or 4) a quasi-static condition with a large underlying static component of 15 percent of maximum force. All the experimental conditions in this study had the same average workload of 25 percent of maximum voluntary force over time and thus total workload. The dependant variables of interest were ratings of perceived exertion, changes in muscle fibre recruitment (% of maximum EMG activity), maximum force and center frequency from a spectral analysis of the surface electromyography. These were measured throughout the protocols at one minute intervals to determine how muscle fatigue progressed, and how the fatigue responses differed between conditions. Results: The data from comparing fully static and quasi-static work showed that of the variables measured, the rating of perceived exertion (RPE) and maximum force data indicated that for bicep brachii and bicep femoris muscles, fully static work is more fatiguing than work that alternates between zero and 50 percent of maximum force. The results for the medial deltoid and erector spinae muscles were inconclusive. The findings regarding the comparison between quasi-static conditions with and without an underlying static component revealed that an underlying static component results in greater fatigue when compared to a quasi-static condition with no static component. The results may also suggest that a larger static component coupled with a smaller peak force results in less fatigue than a condition with a small underlying static component coupled with a higher peak force in some scenarios, provided total work is kept constant. All conditions had to have the same workload in order to be validly compared and thus the condition with a larger underlying static component had a lower peak force compared to the condition with no underlying static component or the condition with a small underlying static component. Conclusions: This study presented evidence that quasi-static work does not induce fatigue when measured by RPE and drop in maximum force in the same way as static work. Additionally, the results indicate that a larger underlying static component does not necessarily fatigue a muscle faster if the overall workload is kept constant. However, the results do suggest that any underlying static component will increase the demand on a muscle when compared to a muscle exertion with no static component. When considering the available literature on how muscles fatigue during low level static contractions, the current understanding is that the larger the force during a static contraction, the faster the onset of fatigue and decrements in performance occur. The results of this study suggest that this same relationship cannot be applied to quasi-static work where an underlying static component is part of an otherwise dynamic muscle force. Thus total workload or peak force may play a larger role than the static muscle exertion in some scenarios.
- Full Text:
A corpus-based approach to writing in German as a foreign language in the South African tertiary context
- Authors: Ortner, Gwyndolen Jeanie
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3660 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1021256
- Description: German Studies students at Rhodes University have normally never studied the German language before enrolling for the first-year course and face the challenge of a fairly rapid linguistic advancement in order to engage meaningfully with the literatures and cultures of German-speaking countries. This thesis investigates the process of teaching and learning to write in a more academic way in German as a foreign language at Rhodes University, using corpus linguistic tools for both analysis and instruction. The past 20 years have shown a shift from traditional teaching methods resting on notions of an underlying prescriptive grammar, to teaching based on insights from real-life language data (Gabrielatos, 2005; Krummes & Ensslin, 2012; Sinclair, 1997) and applications of corpora to teaching and learning have shown to be highly successful in many European contexts (Aijmer, 2010; Johns, 1991; Granger, et al., 2002; Varley, 2009). In the South African context however, this is a relatively new concept with few publications on the application of corpus linguistics to language teaching (Van Rooy, 2008), and one which does not seem to have reached its full potential. A writing course was instituted whose aim was two-fold: 1. to teach learners “every-day academic” German words (TAG words) and phrases (collocations) based on German mother-tongue corpus evidence; 2. to have learners write short assignments in German at regular intervals (Homstad & Thorson, 1996; Estes, et al., 1998); both aims with the overarching objective to improve the students’ academic register in German. After the writing course, 80% of the participants perceived that their writing had improved and specifically attributed this to the corpus-based instruction received during the writing course, and regular writing in German. Quantitative data (from the learner corpus created) shows a marked improvement in the use of the collocations taught. Moreover, participants (weaker students in particular) also found that their writing in English had improved as a result of the various exercises they had to complete as part of our German writing course.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Ortner, Gwyndolen Jeanie
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3660 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1021256
- Description: German Studies students at Rhodes University have normally never studied the German language before enrolling for the first-year course and face the challenge of a fairly rapid linguistic advancement in order to engage meaningfully with the literatures and cultures of German-speaking countries. This thesis investigates the process of teaching and learning to write in a more academic way in German as a foreign language at Rhodes University, using corpus linguistic tools for both analysis and instruction. The past 20 years have shown a shift from traditional teaching methods resting on notions of an underlying prescriptive grammar, to teaching based on insights from real-life language data (Gabrielatos, 2005; Krummes & Ensslin, 2012; Sinclair, 1997) and applications of corpora to teaching and learning have shown to be highly successful in many European contexts (Aijmer, 2010; Johns, 1991; Granger, et al., 2002; Varley, 2009). In the South African context however, this is a relatively new concept with few publications on the application of corpus linguistics to language teaching (Van Rooy, 2008), and one which does not seem to have reached its full potential. A writing course was instituted whose aim was two-fold: 1. to teach learners “every-day academic” German words (TAG words) and phrases (collocations) based on German mother-tongue corpus evidence; 2. to have learners write short assignments in German at regular intervals (Homstad & Thorson, 1996; Estes, et al., 1998); both aims with the overarching objective to improve the students’ academic register in German. After the writing course, 80% of the participants perceived that their writing had improved and specifically attributed this to the corpus-based instruction received during the writing course, and regular writing in German. Quantitative data (from the learner corpus created) shows a marked improvement in the use of the collocations taught. Moreover, participants (weaker students in particular) also found that their writing in English had improved as a result of the various exercises they had to complete as part of our German writing course.
- Full Text:
A critical analysis of agricultural innovation platforms among small-scale farmers in Hwedza communal area, Zimbabwe
- Authors: Mahiya, Innocent Tonderai
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/596 , vital:19973
- Description: Agricultural research has existed for many decades at national and global levels and research-based agricultural interventions, often driven by the state, have taken place across Africa over an extended period. But, overall, these interventions have not generated the high potential and kinds of outcomes expected of them in terms of enhancing agricultural productivity amongst small-scale farmers and improving the quality of their agrarian lives. In the context of neoliberal restructuring globally, new forms of agricultural interventions have arisen which highlight the significance of more participatory methodologies in which non-governmental organisations become central. One such methodology rests on the notion of an agricultural innovation platform which involves bringing on board a diverse range of actors (or stakeholders) which function together to generate agricultural knowledge and practices suitable to the needs of a particular small-scale farming community, with the small-scale farmers expected to be key actors in the platform. Such platforms are now being implemented in specific rural sites in Zimbabwe, including in communal areas in the district of Hwedza where farming activities have for many years now being in large survivalist in character. The objective of this thesis is to critically analyse the agricultural innovation platforms in Hwedza, but not in the sense of assessing the impact of the platforms on agricultural productivity. Rather, the thesis examines the multi-faceted social interactions and relationships embodied in the innovation platform process. In pursuing this, I rely heavily – but in a critical manner – on interface analysis as set out by Norman Long. The fieldwork for the Hwedza involved an interpretative-qualitative methodology based on methods such as in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, questionnaires and observations. The major finding of the thesis is that the agricultural innovation platforms, at least as implemented in Hwedza, do challenge top-down approaches to agricultural interventions by unlocking the possibility of multiple pathways of inclusion and particularly for small-scale farmers but that, simultaneously, they also involve processes marked by divergences, exclusions, tensions and conflicts which may undermine the legitimacy and effectiveness of the platforms.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Mahiya, Innocent Tonderai
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/596 , vital:19973
- Description: Agricultural research has existed for many decades at national and global levels and research-based agricultural interventions, often driven by the state, have taken place across Africa over an extended period. But, overall, these interventions have not generated the high potential and kinds of outcomes expected of them in terms of enhancing agricultural productivity amongst small-scale farmers and improving the quality of their agrarian lives. In the context of neoliberal restructuring globally, new forms of agricultural interventions have arisen which highlight the significance of more participatory methodologies in which non-governmental organisations become central. One such methodology rests on the notion of an agricultural innovation platform which involves bringing on board a diverse range of actors (or stakeholders) which function together to generate agricultural knowledge and practices suitable to the needs of a particular small-scale farming community, with the small-scale farmers expected to be key actors in the platform. Such platforms are now being implemented in specific rural sites in Zimbabwe, including in communal areas in the district of Hwedza where farming activities have for many years now being in large survivalist in character. The objective of this thesis is to critically analyse the agricultural innovation platforms in Hwedza, but not in the sense of assessing the impact of the platforms on agricultural productivity. Rather, the thesis examines the multi-faceted social interactions and relationships embodied in the innovation platform process. In pursuing this, I rely heavily – but in a critical manner – on interface analysis as set out by Norman Long. The fieldwork for the Hwedza involved an interpretative-qualitative methodology based on methods such as in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, questionnaires and observations. The major finding of the thesis is that the agricultural innovation platforms, at least as implemented in Hwedza, do challenge top-down approaches to agricultural interventions by unlocking the possibility of multiple pathways of inclusion and particularly for small-scale farmers but that, simultaneously, they also involve processes marked by divergences, exclusions, tensions and conflicts which may undermine the legitimacy and effectiveness of the platforms.
- Full Text:
A critical analysis of community participation at the primary level of the health system in Goromonzi District, Zimbabwe
- Authors: Gondo, Rachel
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/1454 , vital:20059
- Description: The adoption of the primary health care approach by Zimbabwe in 1980 signalled the government’s intention to consolidate the gains of the liberation struggle by providing equitable health for all citizens regardless of race and class. This approach frames community participation as central to the design and implementation of responsive health systems. Having earned international recognition for its pro-poor policies in the social sectors after independence in 1980, the Zimbabwean government over the last three decades has overseen a progressive decline in the provision of health services and near collapse of the health sector. Participation of communities, whether in the form of organised groups or as unorganised members of the public, is argued to be an important pillar in the effective performance of a health system. There has been extensive research conducted on Zimbabwe’s implementation of primary health care in light of health status, accessibility and health services uptake. A few studies have been undertaken to demonstrate that the participation of communities in the health system is an important factor in improving the effectiveness of the health system in Zimbabwe. This thesis analyses the existing mechanisms for community participation in the health system in Zimbabwe and brings out multiple perspectives on the underlying contradictions, tensions and processes at play between policy and practice. This thesis makes a contribution to the growing number of studies on participation in health by offering an empirically rich critical analysis of community participation in the health system in one ward located in Goromonzi District in Zimbabwe. In examining the structural and procedural forms of the health system, insights concerning the nature and form of community participation in primary health care are brought to the fore. The thesis concludes that the ways in which community participation takes place in the health system in Zimbabwe is influenced by a number of socio-economic, political and societal factors and this in turn has a bearing on how health policy expresses itself in practice.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Gondo, Rachel
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/1454 , vital:20059
- Description: The adoption of the primary health care approach by Zimbabwe in 1980 signalled the government’s intention to consolidate the gains of the liberation struggle by providing equitable health for all citizens regardless of race and class. This approach frames community participation as central to the design and implementation of responsive health systems. Having earned international recognition for its pro-poor policies in the social sectors after independence in 1980, the Zimbabwean government over the last three decades has overseen a progressive decline in the provision of health services and near collapse of the health sector. Participation of communities, whether in the form of organised groups or as unorganised members of the public, is argued to be an important pillar in the effective performance of a health system. There has been extensive research conducted on Zimbabwe’s implementation of primary health care in light of health status, accessibility and health services uptake. A few studies have been undertaken to demonstrate that the participation of communities in the health system is an important factor in improving the effectiveness of the health system in Zimbabwe. This thesis analyses the existing mechanisms for community participation in the health system in Zimbabwe and brings out multiple perspectives on the underlying contradictions, tensions and processes at play between policy and practice. This thesis makes a contribution to the growing number of studies on participation in health by offering an empirically rich critical analysis of community participation in the health system in one ward located in Goromonzi District in Zimbabwe. In examining the structural and procedural forms of the health system, insights concerning the nature and form of community participation in primary health care are brought to the fore. The thesis concludes that the ways in which community participation takes place in the health system in Zimbabwe is influenced by a number of socio-economic, political and societal factors and this in turn has a bearing on how health policy expresses itself in practice.
- Full Text:
A critical analysis of the concept and extent of base erosion and profit shifting, and its impact on South Africa versus Australia
- Authors: Basnett, Robyn
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/4037 , vital:20592
- Description: Tax avoidance by multinational enterprises is the focus of much media and political scrutiny. It is also the subject of a major Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) project called Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS). The objective of this thesis was to gain a greater understanding of BEPS, particularly in a South African and Australian context, and to determine whether BEPS is as great a problem as the OECD portrays. A detailed analysis of the OECD BEPS Report and Action Plan was undertaken to understand what the term BEPS means. A review of current BEPS literature was then performed toassess the extent of BEPS. This was followed by a comparative analysis of South Africa and Australia, including a comparison of their tax systems and various economic indicators. It was found that there is no simple definition of BEPS. It encompasses the spectrum of international tax planning strategies used by multinational enterprises. Furthermore, these tax strategies are usually legal, which makes measuring the extent of BEPS conceptually difficult. Despite being legal, many observers believe that BEPS behaviour by multinational enterprises is ethically unacceptable. This thesis also discussed the ethics of tax avoidance, and argued that countries should assess BEPS with reference to the many benefits which multinationals bring to a country. The benefits of multinational enterprise activity are especially important to developing countries like South Africa. Despite similar tax systems, South Africa and Australia vary greatly in terms of their economic and social position. This thesis concluded that South Africa, as a developing country, is more likely than Australia to tolerate BEPS behaviour in order to maintain or even attract foreign investment. The OECD Action Plan calls for urgent internationally coordinated actions against BEPS. It appears, however, that much more research is needed on the nature and extent of BEPS before countries formulate their response. This thesis acknowledges that aggressive tax planning by multinational enterprises does exist, but suggests that countries approach BEPS, and any estimates of its extent, with a degree of caution.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Basnett, Robyn
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/4037 , vital:20592
- Description: Tax avoidance by multinational enterprises is the focus of much media and political scrutiny. It is also the subject of a major Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) project called Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS). The objective of this thesis was to gain a greater understanding of BEPS, particularly in a South African and Australian context, and to determine whether BEPS is as great a problem as the OECD portrays. A detailed analysis of the OECD BEPS Report and Action Plan was undertaken to understand what the term BEPS means. A review of current BEPS literature was then performed toassess the extent of BEPS. This was followed by a comparative analysis of South Africa and Australia, including a comparison of their tax systems and various economic indicators. It was found that there is no simple definition of BEPS. It encompasses the spectrum of international tax planning strategies used by multinational enterprises. Furthermore, these tax strategies are usually legal, which makes measuring the extent of BEPS conceptually difficult. Despite being legal, many observers believe that BEPS behaviour by multinational enterprises is ethically unacceptable. This thesis also discussed the ethics of tax avoidance, and argued that countries should assess BEPS with reference to the many benefits which multinationals bring to a country. The benefits of multinational enterprise activity are especially important to developing countries like South Africa. Despite similar tax systems, South Africa and Australia vary greatly in terms of their economic and social position. This thesis concluded that South Africa, as a developing country, is more likely than Australia to tolerate BEPS behaviour in order to maintain or even attract foreign investment. The OECD Action Plan calls for urgent internationally coordinated actions against BEPS. It appears, however, that much more research is needed on the nature and extent of BEPS before countries formulate their response. This thesis acknowledges that aggressive tax planning by multinational enterprises does exist, but suggests that countries approach BEPS, and any estimates of its extent, with a degree of caution.
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A critical analysis of the deductibility for income tax purposes of dual-purpose expenditure
- Authors: Pickup, Richard Kenneth
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/4155 , vital:20628
- Description: This thesis critically analysed the apportionment of dual-purpose expenditure. In doing so, two categories of dual-expenditure were examined: expenditure that has been incurred for both trade and non-trade purposes, and expenditure that has been incurred to produce both taxable and exempt income. In conducting this analysis, this thesis set out to answer three questions: has the apportionment of dual-purpose expenditure been officially sanctioned in South Africa, when does the need for apportionment arise, and on what basis should a taxpayer apportion expenditure that has been incurred for a dual purpose? A doctrinal methodology was applied to the documentary data which consisted of relevant tax legislation; South African, Australian and English case law; and commentary of experts in the field of tax law. From the analysis performed, it was revealed that the apportionment of dual-purpose expenditure has been officially sanctioned in South Africa. In addition, it was concluded that the applicable legal principles for determining the need for apportionment and for performing the apportionment calculation are clear and well-established. The difficulty which taxpayers, the courts and the South African Revenue Service face, however, is applying these principles in practice. This research therefore concluded that there is a need for further guidance in this complex area of tax law. In addition, this research proposed some recommendations which could provide more certainty and clarity.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Pickup, Richard Kenneth
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/4155 , vital:20628
- Description: This thesis critically analysed the apportionment of dual-purpose expenditure. In doing so, two categories of dual-expenditure were examined: expenditure that has been incurred for both trade and non-trade purposes, and expenditure that has been incurred to produce both taxable and exempt income. In conducting this analysis, this thesis set out to answer three questions: has the apportionment of dual-purpose expenditure been officially sanctioned in South Africa, when does the need for apportionment arise, and on what basis should a taxpayer apportion expenditure that has been incurred for a dual purpose? A doctrinal methodology was applied to the documentary data which consisted of relevant tax legislation; South African, Australian and English case law; and commentary of experts in the field of tax law. From the analysis performed, it was revealed that the apportionment of dual-purpose expenditure has been officially sanctioned in South Africa. In addition, it was concluded that the applicable legal principles for determining the need for apportionment and for performing the apportionment calculation are clear and well-established. The difficulty which taxpayers, the courts and the South African Revenue Service face, however, is applying these principles in practice. This research therefore concluded that there is a need for further guidance in this complex area of tax law. In addition, this research proposed some recommendations which could provide more certainty and clarity.
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A critical analysis of the relationship between the South African Defence Force and the South African media from 1975-83
- Authors: Kirsten, Frederik Fouche
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: South Africa -- South African Defence Force , Mass media -- Political aspects -- South Africa , Freedom of information -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2626 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020841
- Description: The main focus of this thesis is to show the nature of the relationship between the South African Defence Force and the local media from 1975-83. The thesis will analyse issues specifically relating to the nature of the relationship and show how and why they are relevant to understanding the authoritarianism of the apartheid state. The nature of the relationship will be conceptualised by way of the analogy of a marriage. The thesis will show that for the SADF the relationship was “a marriage of convenience” whereas for the media it was a “marriage of necessity”. This relationship operated within the context of a highly militarised society that has been termed a “Garrison State”. The apartheid government introduced legislation governing reporting of defence matters and the media (namely the South African Defence Act 1957 including amendments made up until 1980) that imposed legal constraints within which defence correspondents had to operate. Moreover, the MID’s secret monitoring of the local media reveals the extent to which the military distrusted the media. A sampling of the coverage of defence matters in a selection of newspapers will reveal how their editorial staffs and reporters operated in a situation where the flow of information was controlled by the military. This will also show that certain defence correspondents cultivated close relations with SADF personnel to ensure that they were kept informed. The thesis will also show how the SADF reacted to the international media exposure of Operation Savannah and Operation Reindeer and how the SADF sought to limit the damage to its reputation by clamping down on the local media. The creation of two media commissions both headed by Justice MT Steyn, set out to investigate the manner in which local media reported on security issues in an environment in which the media and the public were confronted by the “Total Strategy” discourse of the apartheid government. The working relationship between the SADF and the media encapsulated in the thesis can be described as highly complex and the use of the “marriage” analogy assists in understanding this relationship.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Kirsten, Frederik Fouche
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: South Africa -- South African Defence Force , Mass media -- Political aspects -- South Africa , Freedom of information -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2626 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020841
- Description: The main focus of this thesis is to show the nature of the relationship between the South African Defence Force and the local media from 1975-83. The thesis will analyse issues specifically relating to the nature of the relationship and show how and why they are relevant to understanding the authoritarianism of the apartheid state. The nature of the relationship will be conceptualised by way of the analogy of a marriage. The thesis will show that for the SADF the relationship was “a marriage of convenience” whereas for the media it was a “marriage of necessity”. This relationship operated within the context of a highly militarised society that has been termed a “Garrison State”. The apartheid government introduced legislation governing reporting of defence matters and the media (namely the South African Defence Act 1957 including amendments made up until 1980) that imposed legal constraints within which defence correspondents had to operate. Moreover, the MID’s secret monitoring of the local media reveals the extent to which the military distrusted the media. A sampling of the coverage of defence matters in a selection of newspapers will reveal how their editorial staffs and reporters operated in a situation where the flow of information was controlled by the military. This will also show that certain defence correspondents cultivated close relations with SADF personnel to ensure that they were kept informed. The thesis will also show how the SADF reacted to the international media exposure of Operation Savannah and Operation Reindeer and how the SADF sought to limit the damage to its reputation by clamping down on the local media. The creation of two media commissions both headed by Justice MT Steyn, set out to investigate the manner in which local media reported on security issues in an environment in which the media and the public were confronted by the “Total Strategy” discourse of the apartheid government. The working relationship between the SADF and the media encapsulated in the thesis can be described as highly complex and the use of the “marriage” analogy assists in understanding this relationship.
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A critical analysis of the tax concessions relating to medical expenses, with particular emphasis on persons with a physical impairment or disability
- Authors: Rogers, Richard
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/4144 , vital:20623
- Description: This thesis provides a critical analysis of the tax concessions granted in respect of medical costs, with particular reference to persons with a physical impairment or “disability” in the South African context. The primary method of collecting information for this research was through an extensive analysis of the South African legislation that is specifically applicable to a person who has a physical impairment or a “disability”. The analysis placed particular emphasis on the qualifying diagnosis criteria for a “disability” as defined for tax purposes as well as on the qualifying expenditure incurred in consequence of a person’s physical impairment or “disability”. A further goal of the research was to analyse the specific provisions of the Income Tax Act that are applicable to a special trust created for the benefit of a person with a physical impairment or “disability”. This research also includes a brief evaluation of the extent to which medical schemes provide coverage for non-discretionary expenditure items incurred in consequence of a person’s “disability” and whether this differs from the qualifying expenditure in terms of the Income Tax Act. It is important to conduct research of this nature in order to identify areas where the legislation could be improved. Accordingly, the thesis also recommends possible amendments to the current provisions of the legislation that are specifically applicable to persons with a physical impairment or “disability”.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Rogers, Richard
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/4144 , vital:20623
- Description: This thesis provides a critical analysis of the tax concessions granted in respect of medical costs, with particular reference to persons with a physical impairment or “disability” in the South African context. The primary method of collecting information for this research was through an extensive analysis of the South African legislation that is specifically applicable to a person who has a physical impairment or a “disability”. The analysis placed particular emphasis on the qualifying diagnosis criteria for a “disability” as defined for tax purposes as well as on the qualifying expenditure incurred in consequence of a person’s physical impairment or “disability”. A further goal of the research was to analyse the specific provisions of the Income Tax Act that are applicable to a special trust created for the benefit of a person with a physical impairment or “disability”. This research also includes a brief evaluation of the extent to which medical schemes provide coverage for non-discretionary expenditure items incurred in consequence of a person’s “disability” and whether this differs from the qualifying expenditure in terms of the Income Tax Act. It is important to conduct research of this nature in order to identify areas where the legislation could be improved. Accordingly, the thesis also recommends possible amendments to the current provisions of the legislation that are specifically applicable to persons with a physical impairment or “disability”.
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A critical analysis of the taxation of financial assets and financial liabilities in terms of section 24JB of the South African Income Tax Act
- Authors: Snyman, S L
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/4178 , vital:20630
- Description: Section 24JB of the Income Tax Act No. 58 of 1962 was introduced with effect from 1 January 2014 in order to govern the taxation of financial instruments of a covered person as defined. Section 24JB represents a significant departure from the standard tax principles for financial instruments and will therefore directly affect the timing of the imposition of tax on gains and losses on these financial instruments, resulting in a significant adverse cash flow effect for the taxpayer. The main purpose of the research is to investigate the meaning of the wording in section 24JB through a critical analysis of the domestic tax legislation in the context of practical examples of specific financial assets and liabilities. The research includes an analysis of the scope of section 24JB by examining the definition of a “covered person” as well as the specific financial instruments to which the section applies, with reference to the International Financial Reporting Standards classifications and terms. The interaction of section 24JB with the rest of the Act is examined and whether this section overrides all the other provisions, specifically with reference to the taxation of dividends and the general and specific anti-avoidance provisions contained elsewhere in the Act. The study aims to highlight anomalies and possible unintended tax consequences arising from the current drafting of section 24JB using practical examples, highlighting the major areas of concern and issues of interpretation of section 24JB. Recommendations are made for amendments to the Act or the provision of guidance in the form of an Explanatory Memorandum or Interpretation Note to be issued by SARS.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Snyman, S L
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/4178 , vital:20630
- Description: Section 24JB of the Income Tax Act No. 58 of 1962 was introduced with effect from 1 January 2014 in order to govern the taxation of financial instruments of a covered person as defined. Section 24JB represents a significant departure from the standard tax principles for financial instruments and will therefore directly affect the timing of the imposition of tax on gains and losses on these financial instruments, resulting in a significant adverse cash flow effect for the taxpayer. The main purpose of the research is to investigate the meaning of the wording in section 24JB through a critical analysis of the domestic tax legislation in the context of practical examples of specific financial assets and liabilities. The research includes an analysis of the scope of section 24JB by examining the definition of a “covered person” as well as the specific financial instruments to which the section applies, with reference to the International Financial Reporting Standards classifications and terms. The interaction of section 24JB with the rest of the Act is examined and whether this section overrides all the other provisions, specifically with reference to the taxation of dividends and the general and specific anti-avoidance provisions contained elsewhere in the Act. The study aims to highlight anomalies and possible unintended tax consequences arising from the current drafting of section 24JB using practical examples, highlighting the major areas of concern and issues of interpretation of section 24JB. Recommendations are made for amendments to the Act or the provision of guidance in the form of an Explanatory Memorandum or Interpretation Note to be issued by SARS.
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A critical appraisal of the ideology of monogamys influence on HIV epidemiology
- Kenyon, Chris R, Colebunders, Robert, Dlamini, Sipho S, Meulemans, Herman, Zondo, Sizwe
- Authors: Kenyon, Chris R , Colebunders, Robert , Dlamini, Sipho S , Meulemans, Herman , Zondo, Sizwe
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/450541 , vital:74959 , xlink:href="10.12688/f1000research.14951.2"
- Description: The linked ideas that all members of society should only engage in monogamous relationships and that these should all be based on romantic love are decided outliers from a historical perspective. Despite this, there is a widespread contemporary belief that monogamy based on love is the most ethical and natural form of partnering for humans mononormativism. It has long been accepted that our values influence how we frame and interpret scientific questions. In the article we ask, using the example of mononormativism, how does an individual s sexual ethics influence how they pursue HIV epidemiology? Using a Social Intuitionalist theoretical framework, we argue that a be-lief in monogamy-as-normative has contributed to certain researchers dismissing the evidence that the generalized HIV epidemics in parts of Africa are due to higher rates of non-monogamy.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Kenyon, Chris R , Colebunders, Robert , Dlamini, Sipho S , Meulemans, Herman , Zondo, Sizwe
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/450541 , vital:74959 , xlink:href="10.12688/f1000research.14951.2"
- Description: The linked ideas that all members of society should only engage in monogamous relationships and that these should all be based on romantic love are decided outliers from a historical perspective. Despite this, there is a widespread contemporary belief that monogamy based on love is the most ethical and natural form of partnering for humans mononormativism. It has long been accepted that our values influence how we frame and interpret scientific questions. In the article we ask, using the example of mononormativism, how does an individual s sexual ethics influence how they pursue HIV epidemiology? Using a Social Intuitionalist theoretical framework, we argue that a be-lief in monogamy-as-normative has contributed to certain researchers dismissing the evidence that the generalized HIV epidemics in parts of Africa are due to higher rates of non-monogamy.
- Full Text:
A cytotoxic pentadecapeptide from a South African Didemnid tunicate
- Gallegos, D, Serrill, J, Parker-Nance, Shirley, Dorrington, Rosemary A, Ishmael, J, McPhail, Kerry L
- Authors: Gallegos, D , Serrill, J , Parker-Nance, Shirley , Dorrington, Rosemary A , Ishmael, J , McPhail, Kerry L
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/65935 , vital:28863 , https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0036-1596683
- Description: publisher version , The rate of discovery of new natural product chemical entities has plateaued, and unique populations of endemic, biologically diverse sessile marine organisms represent increasingly critical opportunities to discover new chemistry. Discovery of the mandelalides [1] as potent inhibitors of cancer cell growth from the new South African tunicate Lissoclinum mandelai is an example of the diverse suites of metabolites with potent biological activities that have been isolated from tunicates and other filter-feeding sessile marine organisms that house complex microbial consortia. Further investigation of archived and new tunicate collections from Algoa Bay, South Africa, has revealed a group of didemnid tunicates with an unusual gelatinous morphology similar to Lissoclinum mandelai. Using a bioassay-guided isolation approach, a new “gelatinous” species of the genus Didemnum has yielded a cytotoxic pentadecapeptide with a molecular mass of 1603.7688 Da, comprising fifteen residues including both proteinogenic and non-proteinogenic amino acids. The pure compound inhibited both HeLa cervical cancer and NCI-H460 non-small cell lung cancer cell lines when tested at 30 nM in preliminary assays against cells seeded at low densities. Inhibition of cancer cells at low starting density may be indicative of an anti-proliferative mechanism of action. The compound did not show antibacterial activity against Vibrio cholera. Didemnin B and its clinically approved analogue dehydrodidemnin B (plitidepsin, Aplidin®) [2, 3] are important macrocyclic depsipeptides from a didemnid tunicate. The pentadecapeptide reported here provides justification for our continued investigation of unique, endemic didemnid tunicates from South Africa as a source of new macrocyclic natural products with cytotoxic, anti-viral or antimicrobial activity. , We acknowledge the South African government for permission to collect the subject tunicate (Collection Permit No. 278 RES2013/43)
- Full Text: false
- Authors: Gallegos, D , Serrill, J , Parker-Nance, Shirley , Dorrington, Rosemary A , Ishmael, J , McPhail, Kerry L
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/65935 , vital:28863 , https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0036-1596683
- Description: publisher version , The rate of discovery of new natural product chemical entities has plateaued, and unique populations of endemic, biologically diverse sessile marine organisms represent increasingly critical opportunities to discover new chemistry. Discovery of the mandelalides [1] as potent inhibitors of cancer cell growth from the new South African tunicate Lissoclinum mandelai is an example of the diverse suites of metabolites with potent biological activities that have been isolated from tunicates and other filter-feeding sessile marine organisms that house complex microbial consortia. Further investigation of archived and new tunicate collections from Algoa Bay, South Africa, has revealed a group of didemnid tunicates with an unusual gelatinous morphology similar to Lissoclinum mandelai. Using a bioassay-guided isolation approach, a new “gelatinous” species of the genus Didemnum has yielded a cytotoxic pentadecapeptide with a molecular mass of 1603.7688 Da, comprising fifteen residues including both proteinogenic and non-proteinogenic amino acids. The pure compound inhibited both HeLa cervical cancer and NCI-H460 non-small cell lung cancer cell lines when tested at 30 nM in preliminary assays against cells seeded at low densities. Inhibition of cancer cells at low starting density may be indicative of an anti-proliferative mechanism of action. The compound did not show antibacterial activity against Vibrio cholera. Didemnin B and its clinically approved analogue dehydrodidemnin B (plitidepsin, Aplidin®) [2, 3] are important macrocyclic depsipeptides from a didemnid tunicate. The pentadecapeptide reported here provides justification for our continued investigation of unique, endemic didemnid tunicates from South Africa as a source of new macrocyclic natural products with cytotoxic, anti-viral or antimicrobial activity. , We acknowledge the South African government for permission to collect the subject tunicate (Collection Permit No. 278 RES2013/43)
- Full Text: false