Seasonal physiological responses to heat in an alpine range-restricted bird: the Cape Rockjumper (Chaetops frenatus)
- Oswald, Krista N, Lee, Alan T K, Smit, Ben
- Authors: Oswald, Krista N , Lee, Alan T K , Smit, Ben
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/441655 , vital:73904 , https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-018-1582-8
- Description: Hot, dry summer conditions impose physiological stress on endotherms, yet we have a poor understanding of how endotherms seasonally adjust their costs of thermoregulation under hot conditions. We determined whether seasonal phenotypic plasticity in evaporative cooling capacity at high temperatures explained how the range-restricted Cape Rockjumper (Chaetops frenatus; hereafter ‘Rockjumper’), copes with hot and dry summer temperatures of the temperate mountain peaks of southwest South Africa. We measured evaporative water loss (EWL), resting metabolic rate (RMR), and body temperature at high air temperatures (30–42 °C) of individuals from a wild population of Rockjumpers during winter and summer (n = 11 winter, 4 females, 7 males; n = 10 summer, 6 females, 4 males). We found Rockjumper evaporative cooling in summer imposes higher EWL (i.e. greater water costs) compared to winter, although an accompanying lack of change in RMR resulted in increased summer cooling efficiency. These patterns are similar to those observed in species that inhabit regions where summer temperatures are routinely high but the species are not water stressed. Our findings indicate that avian seasonal physiological adjustments to heat can be diverse. Further seasonal studies on thermoregulation in response to heat will greatly improve our knowledge of the functional value of traits such as evaporative cooling efficiency and heat tolerance and how they contribute to the physiological stress organisms experience in heterogenous environments.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Oswald, Krista N , Lee, Alan T K , Smit, Ben
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/441655 , vital:73904 , https://doi.org/10.1007/s10336-018-1582-8
- Description: Hot, dry summer conditions impose physiological stress on endotherms, yet we have a poor understanding of how endotherms seasonally adjust their costs of thermoregulation under hot conditions. We determined whether seasonal phenotypic plasticity in evaporative cooling capacity at high temperatures explained how the range-restricted Cape Rockjumper (Chaetops frenatus; hereafter ‘Rockjumper’), copes with hot and dry summer temperatures of the temperate mountain peaks of southwest South Africa. We measured evaporative water loss (EWL), resting metabolic rate (RMR), and body temperature at high air temperatures (30–42 °C) of individuals from a wild population of Rockjumpers during winter and summer (n = 11 winter, 4 females, 7 males; n = 10 summer, 6 females, 4 males). We found Rockjumper evaporative cooling in summer imposes higher EWL (i.e. greater water costs) compared to winter, although an accompanying lack of change in RMR resulted in increased summer cooling efficiency. These patterns are similar to those observed in species that inhabit regions where summer temperatures are routinely high but the species are not water stressed. Our findings indicate that avian seasonal physiological adjustments to heat can be diverse. Further seasonal studies on thermoregulation in response to heat will greatly improve our knowledge of the functional value of traits such as evaporative cooling efficiency and heat tolerance and how they contribute to the physiological stress organisms experience in heterogenous environments.
- Full Text:
Seed extract of Psoralea corylifolia and its constituent bakuchiol impairs AHL-based quorum sensing and biofilm formation in food-and human-related pathogens
- Husain, Fohad M, Ahmad, Iqbal, Khan, Faez I, Al-Shabib, Nasser A, Baig, Mohammad H, Hussain, Afzal, Rehman, Md T, Alajmi, Mohamed F, Lobb, Kevin A
- Authors: Husain, Fohad M , Ahmad, Iqbal , Khan, Faez I , Al-Shabib, Nasser A , Baig, Mohammad H , Hussain, Afzal , Rehman, Md T , Alajmi, Mohamed F , Lobb, Kevin A
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/447182 , vital:74590 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2018.00351"
- Description: The emergence of multi-drug resistance in pathogenic bacteria in clinical settings as well as food-borne infections has become a serious health concern. The problem of drug resistance necessitates the need for alternative novel therapeutic strategies to combat this menace. One such approach is targeting the quorum-sensing (QS) controlled virulence and biofilm formation. In this study, we first screened different fractions of Psoralea corylifolia (seed) for their anti-QS property in the Chromobacterium violaceum 12472 strain.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Husain, Fohad M , Ahmad, Iqbal , Khan, Faez I , Al-Shabib, Nasser A , Baig, Mohammad H , Hussain, Afzal , Rehman, Md T , Alajmi, Mohamed F , Lobb, Kevin A
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/447182 , vital:74590 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2018.00351"
- Description: The emergence of multi-drug resistance in pathogenic bacteria in clinical settings as well as food-borne infections has become a serious health concern. The problem of drug resistance necessitates the need for alternative novel therapeutic strategies to combat this menace. One such approach is targeting the quorum-sensing (QS) controlled virulence and biofilm formation. In this study, we first screened different fractions of Psoralea corylifolia (seed) for their anti-QS property in the Chromobacterium violaceum 12472 strain.
- Full Text:
Sepedi oral poetry with reference to kiba traditional dance of South Africa
- Authors: Maahlamela, Tebogo David
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Northern Sotho poetry , Northern Sotho poetry -- History and criticism , Folk songs, Northern Sotho , Sound poetry -- South Africa , Archival materials -- Conservation and restoration , Spiritualism in literature , Cultural appropriation , Folk poetry, Northern Sotho , Kiba traditional dance , Kiba poetry
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/63209 , vital:28381
- Description: Previous studies show that contrary to other African languages of fewer speakers, written poetry in Sepedi/Sesotho sa Leboa’s transition from oral to written did not only lag behind, its development was also slow, with less intense treatment. However, this scarcity is not of the actual oral material, but rather its documented version. Vast untreated material at various repositories such as the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) library and the International Library of African Music (ILAM) are facing a risk of being lost due to limited resources and resourcefulness to digitalise them. Investigation of written poetry from 1906 to 2006 attests to the fact that in its written form, Sepedi/Sesotho sa Leboa poetry is still underdeveloped, dominated by “microwaved” collections aiming at nothing beyond meeting school prescription criteria. Calls have been made from the dominant South African poetry narrative that there are no innovative studies in the field of African languages, especially Sepedi/Sesotho sa Leboa. Musicological studies show that contemporary jazz artists have adopted and adapted kiba poetry into jazz music, which resulted into classics of all times. Intensive studies were conducted on such poetic kiba-influenced jazz, but the primary source remains a grey area. The analysis of selected kiba poems shows that kiba poetry is the richest poetic form in the Sepedi/Sesotho sa Leboa with its creative and artistic merit exceeds all other genres. The study further reveals that kiba poetry is the heart of Bapedi/Basotho ba Leboa spirituality, a heart without which some faith institutions will remain incomplete. Furthermore, kiba poetry embodies, among others, poetic genres rarely explored in the South African poetry milieu such as “sound poetry” and poetry of special metrical schemes, of dramatic and devotional essence. Scholarly attention is, therefore, recommended on this repertoire to explore the field beyond this preliminary study, so as to save as many kiba poems as possible, which will enrich the dwindling written poetry milieu. Literary excellence of the treated poems attests to the fact that the artistic wealth of kiba poetry is worthy of attention, and it has potential to transform not only the face of poetry in Sepedi/Sesotho sa Leboa, but of the entire South African poetry landscape.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Maahlamela, Tebogo David
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Northern Sotho poetry , Northern Sotho poetry -- History and criticism , Folk songs, Northern Sotho , Sound poetry -- South Africa , Archival materials -- Conservation and restoration , Spiritualism in literature , Cultural appropriation , Folk poetry, Northern Sotho , Kiba traditional dance , Kiba poetry
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/63209 , vital:28381
- Description: Previous studies show that contrary to other African languages of fewer speakers, written poetry in Sepedi/Sesotho sa Leboa’s transition from oral to written did not only lag behind, its development was also slow, with less intense treatment. However, this scarcity is not of the actual oral material, but rather its documented version. Vast untreated material at various repositories such as the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) library and the International Library of African Music (ILAM) are facing a risk of being lost due to limited resources and resourcefulness to digitalise them. Investigation of written poetry from 1906 to 2006 attests to the fact that in its written form, Sepedi/Sesotho sa Leboa poetry is still underdeveloped, dominated by “microwaved” collections aiming at nothing beyond meeting school prescription criteria. Calls have been made from the dominant South African poetry narrative that there are no innovative studies in the field of African languages, especially Sepedi/Sesotho sa Leboa. Musicological studies show that contemporary jazz artists have adopted and adapted kiba poetry into jazz music, which resulted into classics of all times. Intensive studies were conducted on such poetic kiba-influenced jazz, but the primary source remains a grey area. The analysis of selected kiba poems shows that kiba poetry is the richest poetic form in the Sepedi/Sesotho sa Leboa with its creative and artistic merit exceeds all other genres. The study further reveals that kiba poetry is the heart of Bapedi/Basotho ba Leboa spirituality, a heart without which some faith institutions will remain incomplete. Furthermore, kiba poetry embodies, among others, poetic genres rarely explored in the South African poetry milieu such as “sound poetry” and poetry of special metrical schemes, of dramatic and devotional essence. Scholarly attention is, therefore, recommended on this repertoire to explore the field beyond this preliminary study, so as to save as many kiba poems as possible, which will enrich the dwindling written poetry milieu. Literary excellence of the treated poems attests to the fact that the artistic wealth of kiba poetry is worthy of attention, and it has potential to transform not only the face of poetry in Sepedi/Sesotho sa Leboa, but of the entire South African poetry landscape.
- Full Text:
Servant leadership: antecedent to Quality of Worklife of customer service frontline employees
- Authors: Bedser, Mark Bernard
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Call center agents Servant leadership Customer Service -- Quality control Employee morale Job satisfaction Quality of work life
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/62144 , vital:28132
- Description: Contact Centre agents operate in closely monitored and highly controlled environments and their work consists of solving service requests or assisting customers with information on products or services. Consequently their work involves a great deal of emotional labour and stress. It is not surprising then, that the working environment of the Contact Centre is reported to have a negative impact on the levels of Quality of Worklife of Contact Centre agents, and that in the Contact Centre context, it is likely that low levels of Quality of Worklife exist. It is argued that it is important for organisations to be particularly aware of the Quality of Worklife perceptions of their employees should they want to address Quality of Worklife levels and benefit from the positive consequences of higher levels of the construct. Numerous variables are reported to play either an antecedent, moderating, mediating, or consequential role in relation to the Quality of Worklife construct. A systems model of Quality of Worklife is developed, which illustrates the inter-relationships of these variables and how they affect and are affected by the Quality of Worklife construct. It is argued that leadership is an important antecedent to Quality of Worklife, and this is the antecedent of interest in this study. It is proposed that it is not just any leadership that will contribute to an improved Quality of Worklife, particularly within a challenging context such as the Contact Centre environment. Rather, it is suggested that certain qualities of leaders will have a greater influence on Quality of Worklife. For example, leaders who focus on relationships and are caring - characteristics associated with servant leaders - are deemed more suitable for the Contact Centre context. The research also proposes that there are close associations between Servant Leadership and Trust, which in turn has the potential to affect Quality of Worklife positively. It is argued, therefore, that Trust mediates the relationship between Servant Leadership and Quality of Worklife in the customer service frontline context. While there is a broad base of literature available on servant leadership that focuses on the senior or executive level of leadership, Van Dierendonck and Nuijten (2011) have argued that it is also relevant at the middle level of management and have validated an eight dimensional measure of servant leadership that is suitable for this management level. The Van Laar, Edwards and Easton (2007) Quality of Worklife model is also argued to be an appropriate model and measure of the Quality of Worklife construct, due to the robustness of the instrument design and the appropriateness of its underlying theory to the context of this research. Research has shown that leadership can have a significant relationship with Quality of Worklife. Moreover, a review of the literature on servant leadership reveals that trust, satisfaction, general well-being, and commitment to their jobs increases when employees are exposed to leadership behaviours associated with servant leadership. There is however, no evidence in the literature of any investigation of the relationship between Servant Leadership and Quality of Worklife, or of research investigating the partial mediating effects of Trust between these two constructs. Research was conducted to test this relationship. A survey questionnaire was administered amongst a sample of 555 Contact Centre agents, who were employed in eight different organisations. Confirmatory factor analysis procedures were conducted in STATA (V15.0), to test and validate the factor structure of Servant Leadership and Quality of Worklife models. The research also produced a Servant Leadership, Trust and Quality of Worklife structural equation model that supported the hypotheses of the relationships between the constructs. Mediation analysis confirmed Trust’s role as a mediator between Servant Leadership and Quality of Worklife. The structural equation model confirmed that synergies between Servant Leadership, Trust and Quality of Worklife exist, and that Trust partially mediates the relationship between Servant Leadership and Quality of Worklife. It is therefore argued that an increase in Servant Leadership behaviour by the manager or supervisor of frontline staff has a positive association with increases of Trust, as well as positive associations with Quality of Worklife experienced by employees in the frontline context. Moreover, it is also posited that the relationship between Servant Leadership and Quality of Worklife is partially mediated by Trust of the supervisor. The implications of these results are discussed, and recommendations made for management practice and further research.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Bedser, Mark Bernard
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Call center agents Servant leadership Customer Service -- Quality control Employee morale Job satisfaction Quality of work life
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/62144 , vital:28132
- Description: Contact Centre agents operate in closely monitored and highly controlled environments and their work consists of solving service requests or assisting customers with information on products or services. Consequently their work involves a great deal of emotional labour and stress. It is not surprising then, that the working environment of the Contact Centre is reported to have a negative impact on the levels of Quality of Worklife of Contact Centre agents, and that in the Contact Centre context, it is likely that low levels of Quality of Worklife exist. It is argued that it is important for organisations to be particularly aware of the Quality of Worklife perceptions of their employees should they want to address Quality of Worklife levels and benefit from the positive consequences of higher levels of the construct. Numerous variables are reported to play either an antecedent, moderating, mediating, or consequential role in relation to the Quality of Worklife construct. A systems model of Quality of Worklife is developed, which illustrates the inter-relationships of these variables and how they affect and are affected by the Quality of Worklife construct. It is argued that leadership is an important antecedent to Quality of Worklife, and this is the antecedent of interest in this study. It is proposed that it is not just any leadership that will contribute to an improved Quality of Worklife, particularly within a challenging context such as the Contact Centre environment. Rather, it is suggested that certain qualities of leaders will have a greater influence on Quality of Worklife. For example, leaders who focus on relationships and are caring - characteristics associated with servant leaders - are deemed more suitable for the Contact Centre context. The research also proposes that there are close associations between Servant Leadership and Trust, which in turn has the potential to affect Quality of Worklife positively. It is argued, therefore, that Trust mediates the relationship between Servant Leadership and Quality of Worklife in the customer service frontline context. While there is a broad base of literature available on servant leadership that focuses on the senior or executive level of leadership, Van Dierendonck and Nuijten (2011) have argued that it is also relevant at the middle level of management and have validated an eight dimensional measure of servant leadership that is suitable for this management level. The Van Laar, Edwards and Easton (2007) Quality of Worklife model is also argued to be an appropriate model and measure of the Quality of Worklife construct, due to the robustness of the instrument design and the appropriateness of its underlying theory to the context of this research. Research has shown that leadership can have a significant relationship with Quality of Worklife. Moreover, a review of the literature on servant leadership reveals that trust, satisfaction, general well-being, and commitment to their jobs increases when employees are exposed to leadership behaviours associated with servant leadership. There is however, no evidence in the literature of any investigation of the relationship between Servant Leadership and Quality of Worklife, or of research investigating the partial mediating effects of Trust between these two constructs. Research was conducted to test this relationship. A survey questionnaire was administered amongst a sample of 555 Contact Centre agents, who were employed in eight different organisations. Confirmatory factor analysis procedures were conducted in STATA (V15.0), to test and validate the factor structure of Servant Leadership and Quality of Worklife models. The research also produced a Servant Leadership, Trust and Quality of Worklife structural equation model that supported the hypotheses of the relationships between the constructs. Mediation analysis confirmed Trust’s role as a mediator between Servant Leadership and Quality of Worklife. The structural equation model confirmed that synergies between Servant Leadership, Trust and Quality of Worklife exist, and that Trust partially mediates the relationship between Servant Leadership and Quality of Worklife. It is therefore argued that an increase in Servant Leadership behaviour by the manager or supervisor of frontline staff has a positive association with increases of Trust, as well as positive associations with Quality of Worklife experienced by employees in the frontline context. Moreover, it is also posited that the relationship between Servant Leadership and Quality of Worklife is partially mediated by Trust of the supervisor. The implications of these results are discussed, and recommendations made for management practice and further research.
- Full Text:
Silent and Complex Histories: in conversation with Buhlebezwe Siwani
- Authors: Makandula, Sikhumbuzo
- Date: 2018
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/147236 , vital:38607 , https://artthrob.co.za/2018/11/05/silent-and-complex-histories-in-conversation-with-buhlebezwe-siwani/
- Description: A feature by Sikhumbuzo Makandula on the 5th of November 2018
- Full Text:
- Authors: Makandula, Sikhumbuzo
- Date: 2018
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/147236 , vital:38607 , https://artthrob.co.za/2018/11/05/silent-and-complex-histories-in-conversation-with-buhlebezwe-siwani/
- Description: A feature by Sikhumbuzo Makandula on the 5th of November 2018
- Full Text:
Singlet oxygen generating properties of different sizes of charged Graphene quantum dot Nanoconjugates with a positively charged Phthalocyanine
- Matshitse, Refilwe, Nyokong, Tebello
- Authors: Matshitse, Refilwe , Nyokong, Tebello
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/187614 , vital:44680 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10895-018-2247-y"
- Description: Various sizes of graphene quantum dots (GQDs) denoted as GQD2, GQD6 and GQD10 (increasing in size) were non-covalently attached to 2,9,16,23-tetrakis[4-(N-methylpyridyloxy)]-phthalocyanine (ZnTPPcQ) to form GQDs-ZnTPPcQ nanoconjugates. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) showed that increasing sizes of GQDs decreases the atomic concentrations of oxygen, which leads to blue shift in spectra of the GQDs. Relative to Pcs alone (0.03), the presence of GQDs improved the singlet oxygen quantum yields with the following values: GQD2-ZnTPPcQ (0.17), GQD6-ZnTPPcQ (0.27) and GQD10-ZnTPPcQ (0.11). GQD2-ZnTPPcQ nanoconjugate system had the most ZnTPPcQ loading, but did not generate the most singlet oxygen species due to aggregation. This study shows that, the quantity of oxygen, size and quality of GQDs as well as amount of Pc loading are amongst the vital properties to consider when constructing GQD-nanoconjugate systems with optimal singlet oxygen quantum yields.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Matshitse, Refilwe , Nyokong, Tebello
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/187614 , vital:44680 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10895-018-2247-y"
- Description: Various sizes of graphene quantum dots (GQDs) denoted as GQD2, GQD6 and GQD10 (increasing in size) were non-covalently attached to 2,9,16,23-tetrakis[4-(N-methylpyridyloxy)]-phthalocyanine (ZnTPPcQ) to form GQDs-ZnTPPcQ nanoconjugates. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) showed that increasing sizes of GQDs decreases the atomic concentrations of oxygen, which leads to blue shift in spectra of the GQDs. Relative to Pcs alone (0.03), the presence of GQDs improved the singlet oxygen quantum yields with the following values: GQD2-ZnTPPcQ (0.17), GQD6-ZnTPPcQ (0.27) and GQD10-ZnTPPcQ (0.11). GQD2-ZnTPPcQ nanoconjugate system had the most ZnTPPcQ loading, but did not generate the most singlet oxygen species due to aggregation. This study shows that, the quantity of oxygen, size and quality of GQDs as well as amount of Pc loading are amongst the vital properties to consider when constructing GQD-nanoconjugate systems with optimal singlet oxygen quantum yields.
- Full Text:
Slanting the light
- Authors: Marais, Shirley
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: South African poetry (English) -- 21st century , Creative writing (Higher education) -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/63558 , vital:28440
- Description: Through my poetry I attempt to make sense of my encounters with myself by bringing to creative expression my experiences of and felt responses to people, places and situations. Among the poets who have had a significant influence on my work are Robert Berold, for his quiet assertion of intense, dramatic images; Frank O’Hara for his disciplined sense of mischief; Joan Metelerkamp for her meticulous attention to form and the way she makes a poem breathe; Robert Creeley for his ability to create free-floating meaning; and Mangaliso Buzani, for his fierce, honest poetics.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Marais, Shirley
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: South African poetry (English) -- 21st century , Creative writing (Higher education) -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/63558 , vital:28440
- Description: Through my poetry I attempt to make sense of my encounters with myself by bringing to creative expression my experiences of and felt responses to people, places and situations. Among the poets who have had a significant influence on my work are Robert Berold, for his quiet assertion of intense, dramatic images; Frank O’Hara for his disciplined sense of mischief; Joan Metelerkamp for her meticulous attention to form and the way she makes a poem breathe; Robert Creeley for his ability to create free-floating meaning; and Mangaliso Buzani, for his fierce, honest poetics.
- Full Text:
Social-ecological systems as complex adaptive systems
- Preiser, Rika, Biggs, Reinette, de Vos, Alta, Folke, Carl
- Authors: Preiser, Rika , Biggs, Reinette , de Vos, Alta , Folke, Carl
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/416410 , vital:71346 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-10558-230446"
- Description: The study of social-ecological systems (SES) has been significantly shaped by insights from research on complex adaptive systems (CAS). We offer a brief overview of the conceptual integration of CAS research and its implications for the advancement of SES studies and methods. We propose a conceptual typology of six organizing principles of CAS based on a comparison of leading scholars’ classifications of CAS features and properties. This typology clusters together similar underlying organizing principles of the features and attributes of CAS, and serves as a heuristic framework for identifying methods and approaches that account for the key features of SES. These principles can help identify appropriate methods and approaches for studying SES. We discuss three main implications of studying and engaging with SES as CAS. First, there needs to be a shift in focus when studying the dynamics and interactions in SES, to better capture the nature of the organizing principles that characterize SES behavior. Second, realizing that the nature of the intertwined social-ecological relations is complex has real consequences for how we choose methods and practical approaches for observing and studying SES interactions. Third, engagement with SES as CAS poses normative challenges for problemoriented researchers and practitioners taking on real-world challenges.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Preiser, Rika , Biggs, Reinette , de Vos, Alta , Folke, Carl
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/416410 , vital:71346 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-10558-230446"
- Description: The study of social-ecological systems (SES) has been significantly shaped by insights from research on complex adaptive systems (CAS). We offer a brief overview of the conceptual integration of CAS research and its implications for the advancement of SES studies and methods. We propose a conceptual typology of six organizing principles of CAS based on a comparison of leading scholars’ classifications of CAS features and properties. This typology clusters together similar underlying organizing principles of the features and attributes of CAS, and serves as a heuristic framework for identifying methods and approaches that account for the key features of SES. These principles can help identify appropriate methods and approaches for studying SES. We discuss three main implications of studying and engaging with SES as CAS. First, there needs to be a shift in focus when studying the dynamics and interactions in SES, to better capture the nature of the organizing principles that characterize SES behavior. Second, realizing that the nature of the intertwined social-ecological relations is complex has real consequences for how we choose methods and practical approaches for observing and studying SES interactions. Third, engagement with SES as CAS poses normative challenges for problemoriented researchers and practitioners taking on real-world challenges.
- Full Text:
Sociocultural and sociomaterial mediation of children’s connectedness-with-nature: a case study of Hobbiton
- Authors: Ward-Smith, Chesney Fenella
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Environmental psychology South Africa Eastern Cape , Experiential learning South Africa Eastern Cape , Environmental education Activity programs South Africa Eastern Cape , Nature study Activity programs South Africa Eastern Cape , Outdoor education South Africa Eastern Cape , Ethnoecology
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/61918 , vital:28083
- Description: An increasingly large body of literature sees disconnection from nature as central to the convergent social-ecological crisis, rooted in anthropocentric ontologies. This study explored the potential for embodied, sociomaterial nature-based activities to engender shifts in children’s perceptions of, and sense of connectedness with, nature. Equally it explored how children’s socio-cultural-historical value positionings (SCHVP) mediated their perceptions of, and connectedness with, nature. The nature-based activities, spread over five-day camps, were located at Hobbiton-on-Hogsback, a centre that has existed for decades to provide experiential learning and graded exposure to natural spaces, aiming to increase environmental knowledge and nature-connection. The experiences of two groups of children from wide-ranging socioeconomic and socio-cultural backgrounds in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa were explored using interpretive case study methodology. Through semi-structured interviews and focus groups with selected children (aged 10-14) and the Hobbiton staff members who worked with them, as well as participant observation, data were collected and analysed thematically. This study was guided by a layered theoretical framework that included Deep Ecology as an under-labourer, and Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) as a substantive, analytical framework. Interactions between participants’ SCHVP and the sociomateriality of the nature- based activities were analysed in relation to the children’s nature-perceptions and sense of Connectedness-With-Nature. The findings highlight both the importance of the children’s SCHVP and the sociomateriality of the nature-based activities in mediating their prior perceptions of, and connectedness with nature. The nature-based activities acted as a primary stimulus for developing environmental empathy, awareness and pro-environmental intentions. In essence, Hobbiton acted as a primary ‘seed planter’ towards greater feelings of Connectedness-With-Nature. However, recommendations are put forward for more decolonised, ethics-oriented and sociomaterial design of Hobbiton’s nature-based activities, with an emphasis on integrating children’s SCHVP into the pedagogical-design process in relation to the sociomaterial elements of the nature-based activities. Emically integrating the children’s multiplicities of knowing, doing, valuing and being into the pedagogical-design process could contribute to the decolonisation of nature-based experiences in such contexts cultural, socio and political diversity.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Ward-Smith, Chesney Fenella
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Environmental psychology South Africa Eastern Cape , Experiential learning South Africa Eastern Cape , Environmental education Activity programs South Africa Eastern Cape , Nature study Activity programs South Africa Eastern Cape , Outdoor education South Africa Eastern Cape , Ethnoecology
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/61918 , vital:28083
- Description: An increasingly large body of literature sees disconnection from nature as central to the convergent social-ecological crisis, rooted in anthropocentric ontologies. This study explored the potential for embodied, sociomaterial nature-based activities to engender shifts in children’s perceptions of, and sense of connectedness with, nature. Equally it explored how children’s socio-cultural-historical value positionings (SCHVP) mediated their perceptions of, and connectedness with, nature. The nature-based activities, spread over five-day camps, were located at Hobbiton-on-Hogsback, a centre that has existed for decades to provide experiential learning and graded exposure to natural spaces, aiming to increase environmental knowledge and nature-connection. The experiences of two groups of children from wide-ranging socioeconomic and socio-cultural backgrounds in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa were explored using interpretive case study methodology. Through semi-structured interviews and focus groups with selected children (aged 10-14) and the Hobbiton staff members who worked with them, as well as participant observation, data were collected and analysed thematically. This study was guided by a layered theoretical framework that included Deep Ecology as an under-labourer, and Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) as a substantive, analytical framework. Interactions between participants’ SCHVP and the sociomateriality of the nature- based activities were analysed in relation to the children’s nature-perceptions and sense of Connectedness-With-Nature. The findings highlight both the importance of the children’s SCHVP and the sociomateriality of the nature-based activities in mediating their prior perceptions of, and connectedness with nature. The nature-based activities acted as a primary stimulus for developing environmental empathy, awareness and pro-environmental intentions. In essence, Hobbiton acted as a primary ‘seed planter’ towards greater feelings of Connectedness-With-Nature. However, recommendations are put forward for more decolonised, ethics-oriented and sociomaterial design of Hobbiton’s nature-based activities, with an emphasis on integrating children’s SCHVP into the pedagogical-design process in relation to the sociomaterial elements of the nature-based activities. Emically integrating the children’s multiplicities of knowing, doing, valuing and being into the pedagogical-design process could contribute to the decolonisation of nature-based experiences in such contexts cultural, socio and political diversity.
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South African national reconciliation discourse and isiXhosa written poetry: 1994–2004
- Mona, Godfrey Vulindela, Kaschula, Russell H
- Authors: Mona, Godfrey Vulindela , Kaschula, Russell H
- Date: 2018
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/174690 , vital:42501 , DOI: 10.1080/02572117.2018.1429867
- Description: The main thesis put forward in this article is that during the first ten years of democracy in South Africa, 1994–2004, isiXhosa poetry contributed thematically to the goal of reconciliation. Furthermore, this poetry demonstrates how an aspect of culture can be employed to advance the sociopolitical process of reconciliation. IsiXhosa writers, through their poetry, exposed the on-the-ground endeavours that contributed to the broader and deepening reconciliation process, thereby making a meaningful contribution towards the interpretation and building of a fair, democratic and inclusive South African society. The article analyses a number of poems against the backdrop of the post-1994 reconciliation process in South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Mona, Godfrey Vulindela , Kaschula, Russell H
- Date: 2018
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/174690 , vital:42501 , DOI: 10.1080/02572117.2018.1429867
- Description: The main thesis put forward in this article is that during the first ten years of democracy in South Africa, 1994–2004, isiXhosa poetry contributed thematically to the goal of reconciliation. Furthermore, this poetry demonstrates how an aspect of culture can be employed to advance the sociopolitical process of reconciliation. IsiXhosa writers, through their poetry, exposed the on-the-ground endeavours that contributed to the broader and deepening reconciliation process, thereby making a meaningful contribution towards the interpretation and building of a fair, democratic and inclusive South African society. The article analyses a number of poems against the backdrop of the post-1994 reconciliation process in South Africa.
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Spatial variation in modelled hydrodynamic characteristics associated with valley confinement in the Krom River wetland: implications for the initiation of erosional gullies
- Authors: Schlegel, Philippa Kirsten
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Soil erosion South Africa Eastern Cape , Wetland management South Africa Kromme River (Eastern Cape) , Wetland conservation South Africa Kromme River (Eastern Cape)
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/58684 , vital:27356
- Description: Gully erosion is a significant and widespread feature of southern African wetlands, including the wetlands of the Krom River, Eastern Cape. Gully erosion in wetlands is consistently being viewed as a major contributing factor to wetland degradation and eventual collapse. Many gullies exist in the Krom River and Working for Wetlands has spent large sums of money to stabilise head-cuts with the expectation that further erosion would be halted and possibly avoided altogether. Observations in the Krom River wetlands have revealed that most gullies in the wetland are initiated where the width of the trunk valley has been reduced as a consequence of deposition by tributary alluvial fans that impinge on the trunk valley and reduce its width. The aim of this study was to examine variation in hydrodynamic characteristics for a range of discharges, as flow in the broad Kompanjiesdrif basin (~250 meters wide) is confined in a downstream direction to a width of less than 50 meters by a combination of a large impinging left bank tributary alluvial fan that coincides with a resistant bedrock lithology. The study was done by collecting topographical survey data using a Differential Global Positioning System in order to create a Digital Terrain Model with a suitable resolution. Flow was recorded using a Marsh-McBirney Model 2000 Flo-Mate as well as recording the flood extent for each flow condition; this was used in the calibration process of the model. Vegetation measurements were conducted in order to calculate a roughness value across the valley floor. A two-dimensional raster based flood inundation model, CAESAR-Lisflood and a one-dimensional hydraulic analysis model, HEC-RAS, were then used to simulate different parameters associated with variation in discharge, including flow velocity, water depth and stream power, thereby creating a better understanding of the hydraulic characteristics that may promote the formation of gullies in the wetland. Based on these hydraulic analyses it is evident that the effect of impinging alluvial fans on hydraulic characteristics such as flow velocity, water depth and stream power, may lead to the initiation of gullies within the Krom River wetland. This work improves understanding of the collapse of palmiet wetlands in steep-sided valleys within the Cape Fold Mountains of South Africa, and can aid in wetland management.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Schlegel, Philippa Kirsten
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Soil erosion South Africa Eastern Cape , Wetland management South Africa Kromme River (Eastern Cape) , Wetland conservation South Africa Kromme River (Eastern Cape)
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/58684 , vital:27356
- Description: Gully erosion is a significant and widespread feature of southern African wetlands, including the wetlands of the Krom River, Eastern Cape. Gully erosion in wetlands is consistently being viewed as a major contributing factor to wetland degradation and eventual collapse. Many gullies exist in the Krom River and Working for Wetlands has spent large sums of money to stabilise head-cuts with the expectation that further erosion would be halted and possibly avoided altogether. Observations in the Krom River wetlands have revealed that most gullies in the wetland are initiated where the width of the trunk valley has been reduced as a consequence of deposition by tributary alluvial fans that impinge on the trunk valley and reduce its width. The aim of this study was to examine variation in hydrodynamic characteristics for a range of discharges, as flow in the broad Kompanjiesdrif basin (~250 meters wide) is confined in a downstream direction to a width of less than 50 meters by a combination of a large impinging left bank tributary alluvial fan that coincides with a resistant bedrock lithology. The study was done by collecting topographical survey data using a Differential Global Positioning System in order to create a Digital Terrain Model with a suitable resolution. Flow was recorded using a Marsh-McBirney Model 2000 Flo-Mate as well as recording the flood extent for each flow condition; this was used in the calibration process of the model. Vegetation measurements were conducted in order to calculate a roughness value across the valley floor. A two-dimensional raster based flood inundation model, CAESAR-Lisflood and a one-dimensional hydraulic analysis model, HEC-RAS, were then used to simulate different parameters associated with variation in discharge, including flow velocity, water depth and stream power, thereby creating a better understanding of the hydraulic characteristics that may promote the formation of gullies in the wetland. Based on these hydraulic analyses it is evident that the effect of impinging alluvial fans on hydraulic characteristics such as flow velocity, water depth and stream power, may lead to the initiation of gullies within the Krom River wetland. This work improves understanding of the collapse of palmiet wetlands in steep-sided valleys within the Cape Fold Mountains of South Africa, and can aid in wetland management.
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Special section on urbanisation and ecosystem services in sub-Saharan Africa: Current status and scenarios
- Pauleit, Stephan, Lindley, Sarah, Lotz-Sisitka, Heila, Shackleton, Charlie M
- Authors: Pauleit, Stephan , Lindley, Sarah , Lotz-Sisitka, Heila , Shackleton, Charlie M
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/183082 , vital:43910 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2018.09.008"
- Description: The African continent is facing unprecedented population growth in the 21st century. Most of this growth will be absorbed by urban areas where the overall population is projected to triple from presently appr. 400 people to 1.3 billion people in 2050 (UN-Habitat, 2014). In sub-Saharan Africa, which is the focus of this Special Issue, not only the number of megacities with more than 10 million such as Lagos will rise, but smaller or medium sized cities will attract most of this growth (UN-Habitat, 2014). The majority of this increase is taking place in the form of informal settlements where people are living in poverty and where basic facilities and services such as a secure supply of clean drinking water and safe waste water disposal are missing.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Pauleit, Stephan , Lindley, Sarah , Lotz-Sisitka, Heila , Shackleton, Charlie M
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/183082 , vital:43910 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2018.09.008"
- Description: The African continent is facing unprecedented population growth in the 21st century. Most of this growth will be absorbed by urban areas where the overall population is projected to triple from presently appr. 400 people to 1.3 billion people in 2050 (UN-Habitat, 2014). In sub-Saharan Africa, which is the focus of this Special Issue, not only the number of megacities with more than 10 million such as Lagos will rise, but smaller or medium sized cities will attract most of this growth (UN-Habitat, 2014). The majority of this increase is taking place in the form of informal settlements where people are living in poverty and where basic facilities and services such as a secure supply of clean drinking water and safe waste water disposal are missing.
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Spermatophore dimorphism in the chokka squid Loligo reynaudii associated with alternative mating tactics
- Sato, Noriyosi, Iwata, Yoko, Shaw, Paul W, Sauer, Warwick H H
- Authors: Sato, Noriyosi , Iwata, Yoko , Shaw, Paul W , Sauer, Warwick H H
- Date: 2018
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/127070 , vital:35952 , https://doi.10.1093/mollus/eyy002
- Description: Chokka squid (Loligo reynaudii) have characteristic alternative mating tactics: ‘consort’ males temporarily pair with and guard a female and transfer spermatophores onto her oviduct opening inside the mantle cavity, whereas ‘sneaker’ males rush towards a mating pair and transfer spermatophores onto the female’s buccal membrane near her sperm storage organ. Differences in mating behaviours and their related sperm-storage sites clearly constrain the fertilization process and can drive dimorphism between consort and sneaker males. The presence and character of male dimorphism has not yet been fully examined in this species, but consort males are commonly much larger than sneaker males. We observed clear dimorphism in spermatangia (the sperm mass ejaculated from the spermatophore), consistently associated with the two alternative sperm storage sites on the female’s body. Observations of spermatophores stored in the Needham’s sac of mature males confirmed that small males produce ‘sneaker-type’ spermatangia whereas larger males produce ‘consort-type’ spermatangia, and no individuals possessed both types. Therefore, by association, the mating tactic adopted (including the sperm deposition site used) by individual males can be determined from observation of their spermatangial type, without requiring direct behavioural observation of mating. This ability to infer information about mating tactic will improve our understanding of the reproductive system and mating dynamics in this species.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Sato, Noriyosi , Iwata, Yoko , Shaw, Paul W , Sauer, Warwick H H
- Date: 2018
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/127070 , vital:35952 , https://doi.10.1093/mollus/eyy002
- Description: Chokka squid (Loligo reynaudii) have characteristic alternative mating tactics: ‘consort’ males temporarily pair with and guard a female and transfer spermatophores onto her oviduct opening inside the mantle cavity, whereas ‘sneaker’ males rush towards a mating pair and transfer spermatophores onto the female’s buccal membrane near her sperm storage organ. Differences in mating behaviours and their related sperm-storage sites clearly constrain the fertilization process and can drive dimorphism between consort and sneaker males. The presence and character of male dimorphism has not yet been fully examined in this species, but consort males are commonly much larger than sneaker males. We observed clear dimorphism in spermatangia (the sperm mass ejaculated from the spermatophore), consistently associated with the two alternative sperm storage sites on the female’s body. Observations of spermatophores stored in the Needham’s sac of mature males confirmed that small males produce ‘sneaker-type’ spermatangia whereas larger males produce ‘consort-type’ spermatangia, and no individuals possessed both types. Therefore, by association, the mating tactic adopted (including the sperm deposition site used) by individual males can be determined from observation of their spermatangial type, without requiring direct behavioural observation of mating. This ability to infer information about mating tactic will improve our understanding of the reproductive system and mating dynamics in this species.
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Stewardship and collaboration in multifunctional landscapes: a transdisciplinary enquiry
- Authors: Cockburn, Jessica Jane
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Environmental management -- South Africa , Sustainable development -- South Africa , Ecosystem management -- South Africa , Social ecology -- South Africa , Interdisciplinary research
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/61267 , vital:27998
- Description: Social-ecological sustainability challenges, from the local to the global level, are of increasing concern. Stewardship has been proposed as a means of dealing with these challenges, but how can it be achieved in practice? In South Africa, the concept is put into practice by practitioners working with local stewards to facilitate more sustainable and equitable management of ecosystem services across landscapes. This landscape approach requires collaboration between multiple stakeholders, as social-ecological processes function beyond the boundaries of individual farms or villages. The aim of this research was to investigate the practice of stewardship and collaboration in multifunctional landscapes in South Africa through a transdisciplinary enquiry. This was achieved using a methodological framework based on critical complexity, transdisciplinarity, and critical realism. This framework was applied through an inductive, mixed methods research design which involved stewardship practitioners, stewards, and other stakeholders in the research. Practitioners' understandings of the stewardship concept vary, yet they coalesce around the idea of responsible use and care of nature. Accordingly, the primary role of stewards is to interact with nature responsibly and carefully, balancing the use of ecosystem services for their own benefit with broader social- ecological interests and needs. Although the biodiversity stewardship tool dominates stewardship practice in South Africa, more integrated social-ecological initiatives are also emerging, often hand-in-hand with this approach. Practitioners working in these initiatives face multiple interacting and mutually reinforcing enablers and barriers that facilitate or hinder collaboration for stewardship. Individual and social-relational enablers are pivotal to long-term sustainability of initiatives, whilst deep-seated inequalities and mistrust are significant barriers to collaboration. Despite such challenges, practitioners are succeeding in fostering collaboration by operating as hubs in the landscape. They are actively building new relationships and networks among diverse stakeholders to address shared sustainability challenges. This results in a patchwork of collaborative stewardship activity across the landscape, suggesting that stewardship and collaboration are fundamentally relational processes and that pluralistic approaches to sustainability are needed in multifunctional landscapes. Moreover, by re-focusing stewardship on stewards, practitioners are finding innovative ways to enable farmers to appreciate and practice stewardship, addressing the conflict between agriculture and conservation. Drawing on these findings, a critical realist analysis revealed underlying generative mechanisms that help to explain the challenges encountered in collaborative efforts toward stewardship. These mechanisms included, amongst others: individual stewards' values, societal constraints on the ability of stewards to express care, conflict between agriculture and conservation due to dominant agricultural approaches and neoliberal economic policies, and the divided and unequal nature of South African society. Operationalising transdisciplinary research enabled meaningful engagement with practitioner partners, allowing for novel insights and unexpected findings to emerge from practice-based knowledge. Putting transdisciplinarity into practice revealed the dynamic and multi-faceted role that researchers can play in transdisciplinary research, highlighting the importance of relational knowledge and competencies. Existing support systems and incentives within universities need to be re-configured to enable postgraduate students to conduct engaged science in service of society. , Kuyanda ukuxhalatyiswa yimiceli mngeni yobudlewlane obuhlala buhleli bezentlalo nendalo, ekuhlaleni nakwihlabathi. Kuphakanyiswe umbono wobugosa-bumeli (ubuphathi bendalo, stewardship) ukuze kuhlangatyezwane nale miceli mngeni, kodwa iza kwenziwa njani le nto? EMzantsi Afrika le ngcamango iye yabekwa entsebenzweni ngabo banezakhono no bugcisa besebenza namagosa-bameli asekuhlaleni, benceda ekulawulweni ngendlela ehlala ihleli nelinganayo iinkonzo zobudlelwane nendalo kuyo yonke imihlaba. Le ndlela yokusebenzisa le mihlaba ifuna intsebenziswano phakathi kwabo bonke ababandakanyekayo, njengoko ubudlelwane bentlalo nendalo busebenza ngaphaya kwemida yomfama ngamnye okanye iilali. Injongo yoluhlolisiso ibikukuphanda ngoqheliselo lobugosa-bumeli nentsebenziswano yeemihlaba esebenza ngendlela ezininzi eMzantsi Afrika kubuzwa kumasebe olwazi ohlukeneyo olwazi(transdisciplinarity). Oku kwathi kwaphunyezwa ngenkqubo ehlola izinto ezahlukahlukeneyo kwimigangatho eyahlukeneyo, isekelwe kwingcamango enzulu kunoko kubonakala kuqondakalayo, kumasebe olwazi ohlukeneyo, nakulwazi lwesayensi nentlalo. Le nkqubo yenziwa kusetyenziswa inkqubo yokuqokelela ulwazi luze luhlalutywe, iintlobo ezahlukeneyo zokwenza uhlolisiso, ezazibandakandakanya abanezakhono zobugosa-bumeli, amagosa-bameli nabanye ababandakanyekileyo kolu hlolisiso. Ingcamango zabanezakhono zobubugosa-bumeli ziyohluka, kanti iingcamango zinye ngokuphathelele ukusetyenziswa nokukhathelela indalo yemvelo. Phofu ke, indima esisiseko yamagosa-bameli kukuphembelelana ngokufanelekileyo nangenkathalo nendalo, bethelekisa ukusebenzisa iinkonzo zobudlelwane nendalo ukuze zincede bona, kunye nomdla neemfuno eziphangaleleyo zobudlelwane bendalo nentlalo. Nakubeni isixhobo Sobugosa-Bumeli Bendalo Eyahlukeneyo Yezityalo Nezilwanyana (Biodiversity Stewardship) isesona sitshotsha phambili kuqheliselo lobugosa-bumeli eMzantsi Afrika, zikhona nezinye izixhobo ezivelayo eziqukwayo kwiphulo lobudlelwane bendalo nentlalo, ezisoloko zisebenza kakuhle neli lokuqala. Abanezakhono nabasebenza kula maphulo bajamelene neendidi zokuphembelelana, iingxaki ezahlukeneyo, izisombululo nezithinteli ezinceda okanye zonakalise intebenziswano yobugosa-bumeli. Isisombululo ngasinye nezo zayanyaniswa nentlalo zibaluleke gqitha kumaphulo azakuhlala ehleli, nakubeni ukungalingani okuzinze nzulu nokungathembani iyimiqobo ebelulekileyo kwintsebenziswano. Nangona ikhona le micelimngeni, abanezakhono bayaphumelela ekukhuliseni intsebenziswano ngokuthi basebenze kwiindawo ezithile kwimihlaba. Bakha unxulumano olutsha noqhagamishelwano nababandakanyekileyo ngokwahluka kwabo ukuze kusingathwe nemiceli mngeni yokugcina ubudlelwane bendalo nentlalo buhlale buhleli. Oku kuye kwaphumela kwintsebenziswano yobugosa-bumeli ethe yakho pha na pha kule mihlaba, nto leyo ebonisa ukuba ubugosa- bumeli nentsebenziswano ngokusisiseko yinkqubo enxulumeneyo, kwaye iindlela ezininzi zokwenza ubudlelwane bendalo nentlalo buhlale buhleli ziyimfuneko kwimihlaba ekwenziwa izinto ezininzi kuyo. Ngapha koko, ngokuthi kuphindwe kunikelwe ingqalelo kubugosa-bumeli isiya kumagosa bameli, abanezakhono bafumana iindlela ezintsha zokunceda amafama axabise aze aqhelisele ubugosa-bumeli, ngolu hlobo kusingathwa ingxabano phakathi kwezolimo nolondolozo lwendalo. Xa sifunda koku, ukucamngca nzulu ngako kutyhile enye indlela eye yanceda ekucaciseni imiceli mngeni ekuhlangatyezwane nayo kwimigudu yentsebenziswano yobugosa-bumeli. Ezi ndlela zibandakanya, phakathi kwezinye: indlela aziphatha ngayo amagosa-bameli, iingcinezelo yabahlali ekubeni amagosa-bameli abonakalise inkathalo, ukungavisisani phakathi kwezolimo nolondolozo lwendalo ngenxa yendlela ezongamelayo nezisetyenziswayo zolimo, nemigaqo-nkqubo yezoqoqosho elawulwa bucala, nokwahlukana, ukungalingani kwabantu baseMzantsi Afrika. Ukusebenzisa uhlolisiso lwamasebe olwazi ohlukeneyo kubangele ukufuthelana okunentsingiselo namaqabane abo banezakhono, oku kuvulele iingcamango ezinzulu nokufumana izinto ebezingalindelekanga kulwazi olusekelwe kuqheliselo. Ukubeka ulwazi lwamasebe ahlukeneyo entsebenzweni kutyhile iindima ezahlukeneyo okanye ezininzi ezidlalwa ngabahlolisisi kuhlolisiso lolwazi lwamasebe ohlukeneyo, kubalaseliswa ukubaluleka kolwazi olunxulunyaniswayo nozimiselo. Iinkqubo zenkxaso nezinye izinto ezincedayo ezikhoyo kwiyunivesiti kufuneka ziphinde zakhiwe ukuze zincede abafundi abenza uhlolisiso balwenze benomfutho wesayensi enceda abahlali.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Cockburn, Jessica Jane
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Environmental management -- South Africa , Sustainable development -- South Africa , Ecosystem management -- South Africa , Social ecology -- South Africa , Interdisciplinary research
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/61267 , vital:27998
- Description: Social-ecological sustainability challenges, from the local to the global level, are of increasing concern. Stewardship has been proposed as a means of dealing with these challenges, but how can it be achieved in practice? In South Africa, the concept is put into practice by practitioners working with local stewards to facilitate more sustainable and equitable management of ecosystem services across landscapes. This landscape approach requires collaboration between multiple stakeholders, as social-ecological processes function beyond the boundaries of individual farms or villages. The aim of this research was to investigate the practice of stewardship and collaboration in multifunctional landscapes in South Africa through a transdisciplinary enquiry. This was achieved using a methodological framework based on critical complexity, transdisciplinarity, and critical realism. This framework was applied through an inductive, mixed methods research design which involved stewardship practitioners, stewards, and other stakeholders in the research. Practitioners' understandings of the stewardship concept vary, yet they coalesce around the idea of responsible use and care of nature. Accordingly, the primary role of stewards is to interact with nature responsibly and carefully, balancing the use of ecosystem services for their own benefit with broader social- ecological interests and needs. Although the biodiversity stewardship tool dominates stewardship practice in South Africa, more integrated social-ecological initiatives are also emerging, often hand-in-hand with this approach. Practitioners working in these initiatives face multiple interacting and mutually reinforcing enablers and barriers that facilitate or hinder collaboration for stewardship. Individual and social-relational enablers are pivotal to long-term sustainability of initiatives, whilst deep-seated inequalities and mistrust are significant barriers to collaboration. Despite such challenges, practitioners are succeeding in fostering collaboration by operating as hubs in the landscape. They are actively building new relationships and networks among diverse stakeholders to address shared sustainability challenges. This results in a patchwork of collaborative stewardship activity across the landscape, suggesting that stewardship and collaboration are fundamentally relational processes and that pluralistic approaches to sustainability are needed in multifunctional landscapes. Moreover, by re-focusing stewardship on stewards, practitioners are finding innovative ways to enable farmers to appreciate and practice stewardship, addressing the conflict between agriculture and conservation. Drawing on these findings, a critical realist analysis revealed underlying generative mechanisms that help to explain the challenges encountered in collaborative efforts toward stewardship. These mechanisms included, amongst others: individual stewards' values, societal constraints on the ability of stewards to express care, conflict between agriculture and conservation due to dominant agricultural approaches and neoliberal economic policies, and the divided and unequal nature of South African society. Operationalising transdisciplinary research enabled meaningful engagement with practitioner partners, allowing for novel insights and unexpected findings to emerge from practice-based knowledge. Putting transdisciplinarity into practice revealed the dynamic and multi-faceted role that researchers can play in transdisciplinary research, highlighting the importance of relational knowledge and competencies. Existing support systems and incentives within universities need to be re-configured to enable postgraduate students to conduct engaged science in service of society. , Kuyanda ukuxhalatyiswa yimiceli mngeni yobudlewlane obuhlala buhleli bezentlalo nendalo, ekuhlaleni nakwihlabathi. Kuphakanyiswe umbono wobugosa-bumeli (ubuphathi bendalo, stewardship) ukuze kuhlangatyezwane nale miceli mngeni, kodwa iza kwenziwa njani le nto? EMzantsi Afrika le ngcamango iye yabekwa entsebenzweni ngabo banezakhono no bugcisa besebenza namagosa-bameli asekuhlaleni, benceda ekulawulweni ngendlela ehlala ihleli nelinganayo iinkonzo zobudlelwane nendalo kuyo yonke imihlaba. Le ndlela yokusebenzisa le mihlaba ifuna intsebenziswano phakathi kwabo bonke ababandakanyekayo, njengoko ubudlelwane bentlalo nendalo busebenza ngaphaya kwemida yomfama ngamnye okanye iilali. Injongo yoluhlolisiso ibikukuphanda ngoqheliselo lobugosa-bumeli nentsebenziswano yeemihlaba esebenza ngendlela ezininzi eMzantsi Afrika kubuzwa kumasebe olwazi ohlukeneyo olwazi(transdisciplinarity). Oku kwathi kwaphunyezwa ngenkqubo ehlola izinto ezahlukahlukeneyo kwimigangatho eyahlukeneyo, isekelwe kwingcamango enzulu kunoko kubonakala kuqondakalayo, kumasebe olwazi ohlukeneyo, nakulwazi lwesayensi nentlalo. Le nkqubo yenziwa kusetyenziswa inkqubo yokuqokelela ulwazi luze luhlalutywe, iintlobo ezahlukeneyo zokwenza uhlolisiso, ezazibandakandakanya abanezakhono zobugosa-bumeli, amagosa-bameli nabanye ababandakanyekileyo kolu hlolisiso. Ingcamango zabanezakhono zobubugosa-bumeli ziyohluka, kanti iingcamango zinye ngokuphathelele ukusetyenziswa nokukhathelela indalo yemvelo. Phofu ke, indima esisiseko yamagosa-bameli kukuphembelelana ngokufanelekileyo nangenkathalo nendalo, bethelekisa ukusebenzisa iinkonzo zobudlelwane nendalo ukuze zincede bona, kunye nomdla neemfuno eziphangaleleyo zobudlelwane bendalo nentlalo. Nakubeni isixhobo Sobugosa-Bumeli Bendalo Eyahlukeneyo Yezityalo Nezilwanyana (Biodiversity Stewardship) isesona sitshotsha phambili kuqheliselo lobugosa-bumeli eMzantsi Afrika, zikhona nezinye izixhobo ezivelayo eziqukwayo kwiphulo lobudlelwane bendalo nentlalo, ezisoloko zisebenza kakuhle neli lokuqala. Abanezakhono nabasebenza kula maphulo bajamelene neendidi zokuphembelelana, iingxaki ezahlukeneyo, izisombululo nezithinteli ezinceda okanye zonakalise intebenziswano yobugosa-bumeli. Isisombululo ngasinye nezo zayanyaniswa nentlalo zibaluleke gqitha kumaphulo azakuhlala ehleli, nakubeni ukungalingani okuzinze nzulu nokungathembani iyimiqobo ebelulekileyo kwintsebenziswano. Nangona ikhona le micelimngeni, abanezakhono bayaphumelela ekukhuliseni intsebenziswano ngokuthi basebenze kwiindawo ezithile kwimihlaba. Bakha unxulumano olutsha noqhagamishelwano nababandakanyekileyo ngokwahluka kwabo ukuze kusingathwe nemiceli mngeni yokugcina ubudlelwane bendalo nentlalo buhlale buhleli. Oku kuye kwaphumela kwintsebenziswano yobugosa-bumeli ethe yakho pha na pha kule mihlaba, nto leyo ebonisa ukuba ubugosa- bumeli nentsebenziswano ngokusisiseko yinkqubo enxulumeneyo, kwaye iindlela ezininzi zokwenza ubudlelwane bendalo nentlalo buhlale buhleli ziyimfuneko kwimihlaba ekwenziwa izinto ezininzi kuyo. Ngapha koko, ngokuthi kuphindwe kunikelwe ingqalelo kubugosa-bumeli isiya kumagosa bameli, abanezakhono bafumana iindlela ezintsha zokunceda amafama axabise aze aqhelisele ubugosa-bumeli, ngolu hlobo kusingathwa ingxabano phakathi kwezolimo nolondolozo lwendalo. Xa sifunda koku, ukucamngca nzulu ngako kutyhile enye indlela eye yanceda ekucaciseni imiceli mngeni ekuhlangatyezwane nayo kwimigudu yentsebenziswano yobugosa-bumeli. Ezi ndlela zibandakanya, phakathi kwezinye: indlela aziphatha ngayo amagosa-bameli, iingcinezelo yabahlali ekubeni amagosa-bameli abonakalise inkathalo, ukungavisisani phakathi kwezolimo nolondolozo lwendalo ngenxa yendlela ezongamelayo nezisetyenziswayo zolimo, nemigaqo-nkqubo yezoqoqosho elawulwa bucala, nokwahlukana, ukungalingani kwabantu baseMzantsi Afrika. Ukusebenzisa uhlolisiso lwamasebe olwazi ohlukeneyo kubangele ukufuthelana okunentsingiselo namaqabane abo banezakhono, oku kuvulele iingcamango ezinzulu nokufumana izinto ebezingalindelekanga kulwazi olusekelwe kuqheliselo. Ukubeka ulwazi lwamasebe ahlukeneyo entsebenzweni kutyhile iindima ezahlukeneyo okanye ezininzi ezidlalwa ngabahlolisisi kuhlolisiso lolwazi lwamasebe ohlukeneyo, kubalaseliswa ukubaluleka kolwazi olunxulunyaniswayo nozimiselo. Iinkqubo zenkxaso nezinye izinto ezincedayo ezikhoyo kwiyunivesiti kufuneka ziphinde zakhiwe ukuze zincede abafundi abenza uhlolisiso balwenze benomfutho wesayensi enceda abahlali.
- Full Text:
Still
- Authors: Hall, Leila
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: South African fiction (English) -- 21st century , Short stories, South African (English) -- 21st century
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/63638 , vital:28450
- Description: This thesis is a novella in fragments set in contemporary Lesotho. It tells the story of a Mosotho woman in her 30s who has spent a long time living out of the country. She returns to search for a former lover who she hasn’t seen for 15 years. The nonlinear narrative follows her journey, exploring a range of themes, including sexuality, gender and class relations, memory and time, relationship to place, non-conformity and defiance in the face of societal pressure and conformism. The style of writing is inspired by a diverse range of writers, including Sonallah Ibrahim for his understated, sparse and minimalist prose, Tina May Hall for her ability to tell a story in fragmented vignettes, Noy Holland for her understanding of time as synchronous and non-linear, and Ayi Kwei Armah for his skill in evoking the feelings, textures and specificities of a place.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Hall, Leila
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: South African fiction (English) -- 21st century , Short stories, South African (English) -- 21st century
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/63638 , vital:28450
- Description: This thesis is a novella in fragments set in contemporary Lesotho. It tells the story of a Mosotho woman in her 30s who has spent a long time living out of the country. She returns to search for a former lover who she hasn’t seen for 15 years. The nonlinear narrative follows her journey, exploring a range of themes, including sexuality, gender and class relations, memory and time, relationship to place, non-conformity and defiance in the face of societal pressure and conformism. The style of writing is inspired by a diverse range of writers, including Sonallah Ibrahim for his understated, sparse and minimalist prose, Tina May Hall for her ability to tell a story in fragmented vignettes, Noy Holland for her understanding of time as synchronous and non-linear, and Ayi Kwei Armah for his skill in evoking the feelings, textures and specificities of a place.
- Full Text:
Stories in watercolour
- Authors: Molefhe, Wame Miriam
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/63552 , vital:28436
- Description: Expected release date-April 2020
- Full Text:
- Authors: Molefhe, Wame Miriam
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/63552 , vital:28436
- Description: Expected release date-April 2020
- Full Text:
Strangers “at home”: gay, lesbian and bisexual students’ strategies for resisting heteronormativity in university residence life
- Authors: Munyuki, C , Vincent, Louise
- Date: 2018
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/141680 , vital:37996 , DOI: 10.20853/32-3-2521
- Description: Higher education in post-apartheid South Africa has been concerned with the establishment of non-discriminatory institutions. However, research continues to highlight various experiences of exclusionary practices across universities in South Africa. In this article, we demonstrate the various coping mechanisms that some students who self-identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual in the university residences adopt to deal with the exclusionary practices that the dominant heteronormative culture of the institution (re)produces which positions them as “sexual strangers” within the institutional “home”. We adopt Vangelisti and Crumley’s (1998) three categories of behaviour namely “acquiescence” which we term here as endeavours to “fit in”, “invulnerability” which we identify as “keeping one’s distance”, “verbal active” as “voicing” and a fourth category we identify as “turning the tables on heteronormativity” in our discussion. We also highlight the various forms of responses that the institution adopts in its attempts to create a conducive environment for all.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Munyuki, C , Vincent, Louise
- Date: 2018
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/141680 , vital:37996 , DOI: 10.20853/32-3-2521
- Description: Higher education in post-apartheid South Africa has been concerned with the establishment of non-discriminatory institutions. However, research continues to highlight various experiences of exclusionary practices across universities in South Africa. In this article, we demonstrate the various coping mechanisms that some students who self-identify as gay, lesbian or bisexual in the university residences adopt to deal with the exclusionary practices that the dominant heteronormative culture of the institution (re)produces which positions them as “sexual strangers” within the institutional “home”. We adopt Vangelisti and Crumley’s (1998) three categories of behaviour namely “acquiescence” which we term here as endeavours to “fit in”, “invulnerability” which we identify as “keeping one’s distance”, “verbal active” as “voicing” and a fourth category we identify as “turning the tables on heteronormativity” in our discussion. We also highlight the various forms of responses that the institution adopts in its attempts to create a conducive environment for all.
- Full Text:
Strategy implementation at the Rand Water Board
- Authors: Leaver, Brian Jeffrey
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/62118 , vital:28129
- Description: Expected release date-April 2019
- Full Text:
- Authors: Leaver, Brian Jeffrey
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Uncatalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/62118 , vital:28129
- Description: Expected release date-April 2019
- Full Text:
Strength and conditioning of adolescent male cricket players
- Authors: Pote, Lee
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Cricket South Africa , Cricket injuries South Africa , Cricket Physiological aspects , Cricket Coaching South Africa , Physical fitness for youth South Africa , CricFit
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/63933 , vital:28508
- Description: Background: Modern day cricketers are faced with longer, more strenuous seasons which are more physically demanding than the traditional forms of the game. Due to these increased physical demands, players are more prone to both overuse injuries, particularly of the lower back (bowlers) and lower limbs (batsmen), as well as acute, impact injuries (fielders/wicket keepers). The increase in injury risk is of particular concern at younger levels as research has shown that adolescents are at a higher risk for injury than their adult counterparts. Therefore, there is a need for strength and conditioning programs that reduce the risk of injury and improve performance at this level. However, of the programs that are available, most are not multi-factorial in nature and are aimed at elite cricketers. This is of concern in low-to-middle income countries such as South Africa, where players often do not have access to facilities or equipment and thus need to be exposed to low-cost, no-cost training programs. Furthermore, most information is anecdotal and there is a distinct lack of injury prevention programs at an adolescent level. Objective: The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the strength and conditioning practices of adolescent cricket players, particularly from a South African context, where there is a distinct lack of resources. This was through the completion of three phases; firstly, a literature review was completed to determine the information currently available on injury prevention strategies in cricket. The review also examined the injury statistics of five major playing cricket nations. Secondly, a survey was conducted to determine the current strength and conditioning practices of schoolboy and university coaches in South Africa. Lastly, a novel intervention program (CricFit) was designed and implemented within an adolescent population. The main purpose of the intervention was to determine whether players’ physical fitness parameters improved over time and whether the risk of injury was reduced. Methods: For phase one of the thesis (review paper), a search of the different scientific databases was undertaken to determine the nature and incidence of injuries in cricket activity as well as well as current strength and conditioning practices in place to reduce these injuries. These injury statistics and prevention programs where then reviewed. For the survey based research, an online questionnaire, adapted from previous strength and conditioning studies, was sent to 38 school boy and 12 university teams that participated in the top competitions in South Africa. In addition to the previous questionnaires, cricket specific practices and injury statistic questions were added to the survey. The survey consisted of three sections: a general, cricket specific and injury and injury prevention section. The survey also allowed coaches at both university and school levels to describe their practices and ideas in order to understand their basic knowledge of scientifically-based principles of strength and conditioning. Thus coaches were encouraged to explain what conditioning practices they implemented through a number of open ended questions which were then analysed for minor and major themes. The focus of the intervention program was to improve general physical fitness for cricket players. The study was a pre- and post-test design where twenty eight schoolboy cricketers (aged 15-19 years) were allocated to a control (n=14) or experimental (n=14) group during the cricket pre-season period. Both groups performed traditional net and field based training over a four week period (one net and one field based session), with the experimental group performing an additional two, 35-45 minute, conditioning sessions per week (“CricFit” intervention program). The intervention consisted of exercises that centred on the movement demands associated with the sport of cricket as well as injury prevention exercises (specifically Nordic lowers and core strength). Prior to and post the four week intervention period, responses were measured using a test battery that was designed to replicate the demands of cricket activity. Results: The results indicate on overall thesis summary. The literature view showed that there is a limited amount of injury prevention programs available for adolescent cricket players. It was also confirmed that for both adolescent and adult players, fast bowlers (lower back), followed by batsmen (lower limbs) and then fielders (impact) are the most prone to injuries. The survey showed that schools and universities in South Africa do conduct some form of conditioning, workload monitoring and injury prevention exercises; however the incorrect practices are being administered when considering the movement demands and most common injuries in cricket. It was also shown that most coaches did not have the adequate qualifications and experience to implement acceptable strength and conditioning programs. For the intervention study, both the control and experimental groups showed significant (p<0.05) improvements in most responses, but the changes for the experimental group were greater than those shown in the control group. Furthermore, significant (p<0.05) changes were shown between the two groups (control vs. experimental) for percentage body fat (12 vs. 11%), sit and reach flexibility (40.79 vs. 80.50mm), plank time (105.36 vs. 185.29s), 20 m sprint time (3.27 vs. 2.84s), push ups (34 vs. 41) and 25 m shuttle distance (699.18 vs. 746.79m). Conclusion: Coaches need to be educated and trained to implement the correct strength and conditioning practices at an adolescent level as well as to better understand the link between the movement demands and principles of testing and training. An improved education process may be needed to improve the quality as well as the qualifications of strength and conditioning coaches. If coaches and trainers are educated properly, then the “CricFit” intervention program may be used to improve cricket specific fitness throughout the pre-season period. The “CricFit” programme is useful in countries such as South Africa, where often players do not have access to coaches and facilities and thus can be implemented easily with minimal cost.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Pote, Lee
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Cricket South Africa , Cricket injuries South Africa , Cricket Physiological aspects , Cricket Coaching South Africa , Physical fitness for youth South Africa , CricFit
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/63933 , vital:28508
- Description: Background: Modern day cricketers are faced with longer, more strenuous seasons which are more physically demanding than the traditional forms of the game. Due to these increased physical demands, players are more prone to both overuse injuries, particularly of the lower back (bowlers) and lower limbs (batsmen), as well as acute, impact injuries (fielders/wicket keepers). The increase in injury risk is of particular concern at younger levels as research has shown that adolescents are at a higher risk for injury than their adult counterparts. Therefore, there is a need for strength and conditioning programs that reduce the risk of injury and improve performance at this level. However, of the programs that are available, most are not multi-factorial in nature and are aimed at elite cricketers. This is of concern in low-to-middle income countries such as South Africa, where players often do not have access to facilities or equipment and thus need to be exposed to low-cost, no-cost training programs. Furthermore, most information is anecdotal and there is a distinct lack of injury prevention programs at an adolescent level. Objective: The purpose of this thesis was to investigate the strength and conditioning practices of adolescent cricket players, particularly from a South African context, where there is a distinct lack of resources. This was through the completion of three phases; firstly, a literature review was completed to determine the information currently available on injury prevention strategies in cricket. The review also examined the injury statistics of five major playing cricket nations. Secondly, a survey was conducted to determine the current strength and conditioning practices of schoolboy and university coaches in South Africa. Lastly, a novel intervention program (CricFit) was designed and implemented within an adolescent population. The main purpose of the intervention was to determine whether players’ physical fitness parameters improved over time and whether the risk of injury was reduced. Methods: For phase one of the thesis (review paper), a search of the different scientific databases was undertaken to determine the nature and incidence of injuries in cricket activity as well as well as current strength and conditioning practices in place to reduce these injuries. These injury statistics and prevention programs where then reviewed. For the survey based research, an online questionnaire, adapted from previous strength and conditioning studies, was sent to 38 school boy and 12 university teams that participated in the top competitions in South Africa. In addition to the previous questionnaires, cricket specific practices and injury statistic questions were added to the survey. The survey consisted of three sections: a general, cricket specific and injury and injury prevention section. The survey also allowed coaches at both university and school levels to describe their practices and ideas in order to understand their basic knowledge of scientifically-based principles of strength and conditioning. Thus coaches were encouraged to explain what conditioning practices they implemented through a number of open ended questions which were then analysed for minor and major themes. The focus of the intervention program was to improve general physical fitness for cricket players. The study was a pre- and post-test design where twenty eight schoolboy cricketers (aged 15-19 years) were allocated to a control (n=14) or experimental (n=14) group during the cricket pre-season period. Both groups performed traditional net and field based training over a four week period (one net and one field based session), with the experimental group performing an additional two, 35-45 minute, conditioning sessions per week (“CricFit” intervention program). The intervention consisted of exercises that centred on the movement demands associated with the sport of cricket as well as injury prevention exercises (specifically Nordic lowers and core strength). Prior to and post the four week intervention period, responses were measured using a test battery that was designed to replicate the demands of cricket activity. Results: The results indicate on overall thesis summary. The literature view showed that there is a limited amount of injury prevention programs available for adolescent cricket players. It was also confirmed that for both adolescent and adult players, fast bowlers (lower back), followed by batsmen (lower limbs) and then fielders (impact) are the most prone to injuries. The survey showed that schools and universities in South Africa do conduct some form of conditioning, workload monitoring and injury prevention exercises; however the incorrect practices are being administered when considering the movement demands and most common injuries in cricket. It was also shown that most coaches did not have the adequate qualifications and experience to implement acceptable strength and conditioning programs. For the intervention study, both the control and experimental groups showed significant (p<0.05) improvements in most responses, but the changes for the experimental group were greater than those shown in the control group. Furthermore, significant (p<0.05) changes were shown between the two groups (control vs. experimental) for percentage body fat (12 vs. 11%), sit and reach flexibility (40.79 vs. 80.50mm), plank time (105.36 vs. 185.29s), 20 m sprint time (3.27 vs. 2.84s), push ups (34 vs. 41) and 25 m shuttle distance (699.18 vs. 746.79m). Conclusion: Coaches need to be educated and trained to implement the correct strength and conditioning practices at an adolescent level as well as to better understand the link between the movement demands and principles of testing and training. An improved education process may be needed to improve the quality as well as the qualifications of strength and conditioning coaches. If coaches and trainers are educated properly, then the “CricFit” intervention program may be used to improve cricket specific fitness throughout the pre-season period. The “CricFit” programme is useful in countries such as South Africa, where often players do not have access to coaches and facilities and thus can be implemented easily with minimal cost.
- Full Text:
Strength and conditioning practices of high school rugby coaches: a South African context
- Authors: Robinson, Bradley Charles
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Rugby football coaches South Africa , Rugby football Coaching , Rugby football Physiological aspects , Rugby football Training , High school students Social conditions
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/63459 , vital:28413
- Description: Although the sport of rugby union is well established, the strength and conditioning practices of high school level players are not well known. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the current strength and conditioning practices that coaches implement at South African high school level rugby. A secondary purpose was to compare practices between different types of schooling systems available in South Africa. An online survey or in person interview (depending on the school), adapted from previous strength and conditioning questionnaires, was conducted with 43 responses; including 28 schools among the top 100 rugby schools in South Africa for 2016 and 15 no-fee paying public schools in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Results indicated that the top 100 rugby schools implement conditioning practices similar to the best-known international practices compared to no-fee paying schools who lacked the knowledge and skills in various strength and conditioning principles. It was found that all no-fee paying school coaches had insufficient qualifications to administer the correct training techniques. Coaches at all schools lacked the appropriate knowledge on injury prevention and scientifically based training programmes. It was concluded that education and skills around the best strength and conditioning practices for school level coaches needs to be improved and particularly in less privileged schools. The main goal being to reduce the risk of injury and improve performance across all sectors of the rugby playing population within the country. This was deemed crucial to the transformation goals set out by the South African Rugby Union, which would benefit from player development in lower socioeconomic schools.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Robinson, Bradley Charles
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Rugby football coaches South Africa , Rugby football Coaching , Rugby football Physiological aspects , Rugby football Training , High school students Social conditions
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/63459 , vital:28413
- Description: Although the sport of rugby union is well established, the strength and conditioning practices of high school level players are not well known. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the current strength and conditioning practices that coaches implement at South African high school level rugby. A secondary purpose was to compare practices between different types of schooling systems available in South Africa. An online survey or in person interview (depending on the school), adapted from previous strength and conditioning questionnaires, was conducted with 43 responses; including 28 schools among the top 100 rugby schools in South Africa for 2016 and 15 no-fee paying public schools in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Results indicated that the top 100 rugby schools implement conditioning practices similar to the best-known international practices compared to no-fee paying schools who lacked the knowledge and skills in various strength and conditioning principles. It was found that all no-fee paying school coaches had insufficient qualifications to administer the correct training techniques. Coaches at all schools lacked the appropriate knowledge on injury prevention and scientifically based training programmes. It was concluded that education and skills around the best strength and conditioning practices for school level coaches needs to be improved and particularly in less privileged schools. The main goal being to reduce the risk of injury and improve performance across all sectors of the rugby playing population within the country. This was deemed crucial to the transformation goals set out by the South African Rugby Union, which would benefit from player development in lower socioeconomic schools.
- Full Text: