"From digital to darkroom"
- Authors: Meintjes, Anthony Arthur
- Date: 2001
- Subjects: Photography Image processing Photography -- Digital techniques Computer art
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MFA
- Identifier: vital:2451 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007418
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[Research projects]
- Authors: Muluse, Lungile J
- Date: 2001
- Subjects: History -- Study and teaching -- South Africa -- Textbooks -- Evaluation History -- Study and teaching South Africa -- History -- Textbooks Toise Senior Secondary School High schools -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1739 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003623
- Description: This study is a situational analysis of a school located at Nonkcampa village, just ten kilometres from King William’s Town, west of the national road between Peddie and King William’s Town. Toise Senior Secondary School is in the former Ciskei region. The Bulembu / Bisho airport is just next to our school. My focus on Toise Senior Secondary School, provides me as the principal of the school with a golden opportunity to find out more about the school. As a relative newcomer to the school this study also enables me to look at the school community, from this particular focal point. As this is a situational analysis, my focus will be on the history, the biophysical and socio-political aspects that influenced the development of the school to the present. In this way I will be able to analyse the school’s readiness to implement the new Out-Comes-Based Education (OBE) Curriculum soon to be implemented at secondary school level.
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A history of land tenure in the Herschel district, Transkei
- Authors: Viedge, Bronwen Elizabeth
- Date: 2001
- Subjects: Land tenure -- South Africa -- Transkei Land tenure -- Herschel -- South Africa -- Transkei Land tenure -- History -- Herschel -- South Africa -- Transkei
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3338 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003808
- Description: A historical review of land tenure systems implemented in the Herschel district, Eastern Cape, South Africa and an analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of each system in conjunction with international experience of land tenure provide guidelines as to what elements could be incorporated in the formulation of a new integrated land tenure system. These guidelines together with the information obtained from a questionnaire survey amongst the Herschel population provide the government of South Africa with a broad outline of an integrated land tenure system that could serve to link the former homelands to the land tenure system that currently operates in the rest of the country thereby removing one of the obstacles to rural development and land redistribution.
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A phenomenological study of leadership in the Rhodes Unversity Mathematics Education Project (RUMEP)
- Authors: Michael, Vanessa Jane
- Date: 2001
- Subjects: Rhodes University -- Mathematics education project Educational leadership
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1701 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003584
- Description: Few terms in organisational studies inspire less agreement than leadership. It is a slippery concept and much that is written on the subject is confusing and contradictory. Early theories of leadership have, generally, reduced leadership behaviour to a concern for task balanced against a concern for the well-being of employees. This two-dimensional approach has proved to be a limited conceptualisation of leadership. In response, over the past thirty years, researchers have tried to highlight the less rationalistic, more intangible, aspects of leadership. However, there is still very little in leadership research that conveys a sense of the leader as a person. I have argued, in this study, that the reason for this lies in the fact that most leadership research has been conducted along positivistic lines and, therefore, cannot take into account the values, feelings, morals and life experiences of the human beings being studied. Thus, for the human being to take centre-stage in leadership enquiry, a different research paradigm needs to be explored. I have chosen to use phenomenological enquiry as an avenue for examining how John Stoker, the leader of the Rhodes University Mathematics Education Project (RUMEP), experiences being a leader. This is because phenomenology, in both theory and practice, privileges the nature of the meanings that people construct in their lives and that guide their actions. In adopting such a methodology my research findings have examined a number of issues that are of interest to current leadership researchers, however they have also highlighted a number of concerns that have not been explored thoroughly in the leadership literature. These include the importance of the individual leader’s action, intention and will in shaping an organisation, the complex nature of a leader’s creativity within the organisation and possible differences between educational leaders and business leaders. In adopting a phenomenological perspective the eccentricity and fulness of an individual leader’s action is expressed through the research, however, the research also focusses on how the researcher translates and evolving philosophical understanding into sound methodology. Therefore, interwoven into the discussions on leadership there are reflections on how I applied phenomenological theory. The purpose of these reflections is to deliberate on the appropriateness of applying such a methodology to the eclectic field of leadership and to show how my own developing philosophical attitude has transformed into practice.
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A qualitative study of intimate femicide : the perpetrator's perspective
- Authors: Macdougall, Lorraine
- Date: 2001
- Subjects: Family violence -- South Africa , Violence -- Prevention -- Study and teaching , Family violence -- Prevention , Family violence -- Treatment , Criminals -- Counseling of , Murder -- South Africa , Murderers -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: vital:700 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006451 , Family violence -- South Africa , Violence -- Prevention -- Study and teaching , Family violence -- Prevention , Family violence -- Treatment , Criminals -- Counseling of , Murder -- South Africa , Murderers -- South Africa
- Description: This research study focused on five perpetrators’ experience and understanding of intimate femicide with the hope to develop insight into their experience and view of the crime. A secondary objective of the study was to assess the suitability of a community-based sentence for the crime committed. This study is believed to be a valuable contribution to the limited literature and research currently available on intimate femicide in South Africa. It appears to be the only South African study which focuses on the perpetrator’s experience and understanding of the crime. A major finding of this study is the perpetrator’s inability or unwillingness to take responsibility for the crime he committed and the projection of blame for the crime onto the victim. The perpetrators justified and/or rationalized the crime and appeared not to feel any remorse for the death of their intimate partner. The perpetrators were also unable to acknowledge or identify the negative effects of the crime on their children. Regarding the suitability of correctional supervision as a sentence option for perpetrators of intimate femicide this study questions the punitive and rehabilitative aspects of correctional supervision, as their was a lack of compliance with the sentence conditions (house arrest, community service, monitoring). Counselling appeared to only be offered on request or not at all. There are no anger management programmes offered or any reconstructive services for the child survivors of intimate femicide. This study ends with recommendations for counselling and groupwork programmes in the prevention and treatment of intimate femicide, strategies for the Criminal Jusice System and Department of Correctional Services, and with suggestions of areas for further research.
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A study of carbonate-rich brines from Sua Pan to characterize organic contaminants in the soda ash process
- Authors: Joseph, Manjusha
- Date: 2001
- Subjects: Sua Pan Soda Ash Project -- Botswana , Sodium carbonate -- Research , Biotic communities , Organic compounds
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:4031 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004091 , Sua Pan Soda Ash Project -- Botswana , Sodium carbonate -- Research , Biotic communities , Organic compounds
- Description: Botswana Ash (Pty) Ltd which is situated in Sua Pan, north east Bostwana, is one of Africa's largest suppliers of salt and soda ash. For a number of years, the company has been experiencing problems which have resulted in the final soda ash product being contaminated and discoloured. The problems experienced at Sua Pan have been reported also to occur in other salt works all over the world. It has been suggested that contamination in many salt works could be possibly be due to the microbial activity by halophilic algae and bacteria that grow in the solar ponds. This study was undertaken to investigate the nature of the contaminating organic compounds present in the brine, to identify the compounds, and to establish how these components vary during the various stages of the soda ash processing. For this study, two sets of brine samples were used; the first set was collected before the summer rains and the second set was collected after the summer rains. Solid bicarbonate and soda ash samples were also used. Extractions, desalting, UV and HPLC analysis and oxidative biotransformations using four enzymes, were used for developing profiles and characterizing the brine components. From these studies, we were able to confirm that the components of the brine are organic in nature. A thorough study of one of the compounds isolated,from solid bicarbonate and soda ash was conducted using UV, HPLC, IR, NMR, HPLC-MS, GC-MS and TLC. The results of these analyses, show that the. isolated compound was benzyl butyl phthalate which is generally regarded to be humic in nature. This compound was found to be present in all the brine samples collected after the summer rains including the well brine, suggesting this compound occurs naturally and is not formed during the processing.
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A Zulu martyr? What are the factors that led to the sparse and irregular public commemoration of Maqbamusela Kbanyile in the Lutheran church to which he belonged?
- Authors: Nürnberger, Margarete Paula Luise
- Date: 2001
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:21087 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/6301
- Description: From Foreword: About a fortnight after I had submitted the thesis on factors that lead to the sparse and irregular public commemoration of Maqhamusela Khanyile in the Lutheran church to which he belonged when the archivist of the Norwegian Mission Society in Stavanger sent an e-mail that new material had been found. It consisted of a miscellany of various documents connected with the erection of the first cross, dating from 1926-1940, to be found in Misjonskapets archiv SA, boks nr. 2A legg nr. 8. The new material falsified two hypotheses on which the thesis had worked. The first of these hypotheses states that the initiative for the erection of the first monument to Maqhamusela had come from the Anglican interest in and research on him in 1935. Source 1a in the new material proves that in 1926 there were already appeals for contributions towards such a monument among the Lutheran congregations that grew out of the Norwegian work. The second hypothesis falsified by the new material had issued from memories of interviewees (e.g. Dean Shobete in interview 33) which stated that a stone with the Zulu inscription had been placed in the saddle of the hill where the execution had taken place before the erection of the first cross. The new material proves that the suggestion for a marble plate dates from 1927 (source 2a) and that the slab was eventually ordered in October 1939. A receipt (document 10) for "making the Maqhamusela monument" is dated 11.5.1940. Altogether, then, there was earlier commemoration of Maqhamusela in the church of which he was a member than the thesis had found, and the impetus to erect a monument had come from White and some black Norwegian Lutherans themselves.
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Ambivalence and paradox : the battered woman's interactions with the law and other helping resources
- Authors: Labe, Dana
- Date: 2001
- Subjects: Family violence -- Law and legislation , Abused women , Wife abuse , Women -- Crimes against , Women -- Counseling of , Family violence -- Prevention
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: vital:699 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006424 , Family violence -- Law and legislation , Abused women , Wife abuse , Women -- Crimes against , Women -- Counseling of , Family violence -- Prevention
- Description: This thesis explores how the battered woman attachment to her abusive partner impacts on her interactions with the legal system and non-legal resources. This qualitative research project is based on in-depth interviews conducted with seven abused women who procured interdicts in terms of the Prevention of Family Violence Act 133 of 1993 to restrain their husbands from assaulting them. The research reviews the nature of abuse suffered by the participants, their psychological attachments to their husbands, and their patterns of help-seeking in relation to the law and non-legal resources. Two main theoretical frameworks, psychoanalysis and feminism inform this study. The study found that the participants retained unrealistic hopes that their husbands would reform and become loving, caring partners, and that they treated their husbands with care and sympathy despite their husbands’ often brutal behaviour towards them. The findings suggest that the women’s behaviour towards their husbands was the product of two reality distorting psychological defences, splitting and the moral defence which they used to preserve their attachments to their abusive partners. These defences intersected with rigid patriarchal prescriptions of femininity which dictate that women should be stoically caring towards their husbands, and should hold relationships together no matter what the cost to themselves. The participants interactions with the legal system and with non-legal sources of help were structured by their reliance on splitting and the moral defence, and by the dictates of patriarchal ideology. Whilst it is undoubtedly true that at one level the participants sought help to get protection from abuse, the study shows that their help-seeking was motivated by their conflicting desires to punish and reform their husbands. The participants sought help in ways which enabled them to strike a compromise between expressing their anger at their husbands, whilst simultaneously preserving their psychological attachments to them. The study concludes that the women’s interactions with the law and with other helping resource reflect their attempts to preserve their paradoxical attachments to their husbands, and to stabilise their own fragile sense of self and gender identity
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Ambivalence and paradox: the battered woman's interactions with the law and other helping resources
- Authors: Labe, Dana
- Date: 2001
- Subjects: Family violence -- Law and legislation , Abused women , Family violence , Wife abuse , Women -- Crimes against , Women -- Counseling of , Family violence -- Prevention
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: vital:3333 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003127 , Family violence -- Law and legislation , Abused women , Family violence , Wife abuse , Women -- Crimes against , Women -- Counseling of , Family violence -- Prevention
- Description: This thesis explores how the battered woman attachment to her abusive partner impacts on her interactions with the legal system and non-legal resources. This qualitative research project is based on in-depth interviews conducted with seven abused women who procured interdicts in terms of the Prevention of Family Violence Act 133 of 1993 to restrain their husbands from assaulting them. The research reviews the nature of abuse suffered by the participants, their psychological attachments to their husbands, and their patterns of help-seeking in relation to the law and non-legal resources. Two main theoretical frameworks, psychoanalysis and feminism inform this study. The study found that the participants retained unrealistic hopes that their husbands would reform and become loving, caring partners, and that they treated their husbands with care and sympathy despite their husbands’ often brutal behaviour towards them. The findings suggest that the women’s behaviour towards their husbands was the product of two reality distorting psychological defences, splitting and the moral defence which they used to preserve their attachments to their abusive partners. These defences intersected with rigid patriarchal prescriptions of femininity which dictate that women should be stoically caring towards their husbands, and should hold relationships together no matter what the cost to themselves. The participants interactions with the legal system and with non-legal sources of help were structured by their reliance on splitting and the moral defence, and by the dictates of patriarchal ideology. Whilst it is undoubtedly true that at one level the participants sought help to get protection from abuse, the study shows that their help-seeking was motivated by their conflicting desires to punish and reform their husbands. The participants sought help in ways which enabled them to strike a compromise between expressing their anger at their husbands, whilst simultaneously preserving their psychological attachments to them. The study concludes that the women’s interactions with the law and with other helping resource reflect their attempts to preserve their paradoxical attachments to their husbands, and to stabilise their own fragile sense of self and gender identity.
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An analysis of the contribution of four painters to the development of contemporary Zambian painting from 1950-1997
- Authors: Setti, Godfrey
- Date: 2001
- Subjects: Painting -- Zambia , Art, Zambian -- 20th Century , Painting -- 20th century -- Zambia
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2422 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002218 , Painting -- Zambia , Art, Zambian -- 20th Century , Painting -- 20th century -- Zambia
- Description: This study presents an analysis of the contribution of four painters to the development of contemporary Zambian painting, from 1950 to 1997. This is preceded by a brief history of Zambian painting, including Bushmen rock painting and early Bantu art, which is followed by an account of the way western influence, introduced by the white man, started changing the style of painting in the country as it began to affect indigenous artists. In the work of artists who began painting from about 1900 to 1950, both western and traditional stylistic influences can be seen. While the painters whose work is analysed in this thesis had some knowledge of Zambian art before 1950, they were mainly influenced by western ideas of painting. From a list of more than ten painters ofthis period from 1950 to 1997, I selected: Gabriel Ellison, Cynthia Zukas, Hemy Tayali and Stephen Kappata because I know them personally and therefore had access to them and their work, which facilitated my analysis of their work and its contribution to Zambian painting. This analysis takes the form of four chapters, one for each artist, in which relevant biographical and educational background is outlined, followed by an analysis of examples of\vork. Finally, ways in which each painter, through exposure to the Zambian public and artistic community, contributed to further development in Zambian painting, are emphasised.
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An evaluative case study of curriculum development and implementation in PELUM College
- Authors: Mukute, Mutizwa
- Date: 2001
- Subjects: Curriculum planning -- PELUM College (Zimbabwe) Curriculum planning -- Zimbabwe
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1922 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007423
- Description: This evaluative study examined the development and implementation of a multi-disciplinary agroecology and community development curriculum by PELUM College Zimbabwe, The college, which emerged to implement the curriculum, comprises of non-govemmental organisations, university departments and government agencies coordinated by PELUM Association, PELUM supports participalory ecological land-use management and the curriculum was aimed at community development workers, The curriculum's four pillars were: community development facilitation; natural resources management; sustainable crop and animal production; and organisational management. The study explored the conceptual integrity of the socially-critical oriented curriculum, focusing on the written curriculum; resource material development; participation; praxis; assessment and accreditation; as well as project planning and implementation by trainees, The methodology was essentially interpretive, with a participatory and praxiological orientation inspired by the socially critical framework of the curriculum, I gathered data over two years, analysing documents covering a period of nine years, and involving about 75 participants in the research through questionnaires, in-depth semi-slructured interviews and focus group discussions, My key findings were that the curriculum and the participatory process in which it had been developed and implemented had potential to address pedagogical and developmental shortcomings of more conventional curricula, The major weaknesses in the curriculum and its development arose from the under-utilisation of the curriculum framework that should have guided participation and decision-making, I examined tensions in the curriculum implementation, finding them similar to those experienced in other environmental education programmes in the reg ion, In keeping with the praxiological and formative orientation to the evaluation, I conclude with recommendations specific to the case under study,
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An exploratory study of the experiences of black teenage mothers
- Authors: Mpetshwa, Nomonde
- Date: 2001 , 2012-06-20
- Subjects: Teenage pregnancy , Teenage pregnancy -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Black teenage mothers -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: vital:704 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006470 , Teenage pregnancy , Teenage pregnancy -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Black teenage mothers -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Description: An exploratory descriptive design was used to explore the experiences of a sample of black teenage mothers of Libode, Ngqeleni and Port St Johns. A St Barnabas Hospital birth record register was used to select seven Xhosa speaking black teenage mothers, with children under a year old who have kept their children and are staying with their extended families. Qualitative interview was used to collect data from the abovementioned respondents. The data one want to use may not feasibly be available in any other form, so that asking people for their accounts, talking and listening to them, may be the only way to get at what you are interested in (Mason 1998:39). Qualitative interview was therefore used to collect data from the abovementioned respondents. Qualitative interview according to Mason (1998:38) involve one to one interaction as in this study, or a larger group, and it carries more advantages in data collection compared to other research tools. Some interesting information, which drew the researcher's attention, was gathered. Information such as the reaction by family members, community and its structures, and peers including teenage fathers, made the research more challenging. The anger showed by brothers of one of respondents raised the researcher's curiosity. Another interesting piece of information that was gathered was the negative reaction by the church. The researcher had no idea that the church can negatively involve itself in community affairs, but one of the respondents reported to have been encouraged by one of the church members to go on with her studies despite her pregnancy. The same applied to some schools, where pregnant teenagers were not allowed to continue schooling, while in other schools the same situation was allowed. The major findings were that, respondents have forfeited some of their favorite hobbies such as extra mural school activities, teenage activities and their lives have been negatively affected by their teenage motherhood in areas such as education, family relations, peer relations including their boyfriends and community. Again lack of support by people close to these young mothers including different professionals has also been identified. It has also transpired during this study that, teenagers can indeed be good mothers, but socioeconomic stress and lack of social support often prevent them from giving their babies a reasonable start in life. Amongst the recommendations made undertaking a bigger study has been suggested
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An investigation into the possible neuroprotective role of melatonin in copper-loading
- Authors: Parmar, Paresh H
- Date: 2001
- Subjects: Melatonin , Copper , Nervous system -- Degeneration -- Treatment
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:3783 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003261
- Description: Copper is an extremely toxic metal in biological systems and thus, its availability to the system, must be effectively and efficiently controlled. Copper is vital for life, as it is essential for critical enzymes in biological systems. It is free copper in the biological systems that is toxic, as free copper induces free radical generation, which disrupts lipid membranes, interacts with DNA causing mutations, and eventually leads to cell death. Wilson’s disease is a inherited copper disease, which results in hepatolenticular disease. Copper is unable to be excreted, and thus accumulates, eventually spilling over into the bloodstream from the liver, and “poisons” the patient. The Wilson’s disease patient leads a short life, due to neurological and hepatological problems. There is no cure for Wilson’s disease, only chelation therapy using potent chelators such as penicillamine and EDTA. Zinc, in high doses, can be used to compete with copper absorption. This has proved to be the only successful therapy at present. This study investigates the possible use of melatonin as a copper binder/chelator. Melatonin has been shown to interact with copper in vitro. By binding/chelating to copper, melatonin may inhibit copper-induced free radical generation, and thus prevent copper from interacting with DNA to cause mutations and act as a cytotoxin. In vivo studies on copper (2mg/kg) administered for 2-weeks and 6-weeks were carried out on Wistar rats. The potential of melatonin (12mg/kg) to prevent copper-induced cellular damage was investigated. The results indicate that melatonin does not protect the lipid membranes from copper-induced lipid peroxidation. In vitro investigations using 1mM, 5mM and 10mM copper and 5mM melatonin, show that melatonin prevents copper-induced lipid peroxidation at a copper concentration of 1mM (p<0.001). The 5mM and 10mM copper induces less lipid peroxidation, compared to the 1mM copper. It has been reported that metal ions, antioxidants and chelating agents can influence peroxide decomposition during the assay. Melatonin (5mM) administration does not significantly prevent copper-induced lipid peroxidation at 5mM and 10mM copper. It is possible that due to melatonin’s relatively low concentration, it is unable to inhibit lipid peroxidation induced by the copper. The chemical nature of the interaction between melatonin and copper was also investigated, using NMR, IR and electrochemistry techniques. The NMR and IR techniques show that melatonin coordinates with Cu²⁺ and not Cu¹⁺, at the carbonyl group of melatonin. The electrochemistry experiments using cyclic voltammetry and adsorptive stripping voltammetry, show that melatonin forms a strong bond with Cu¹⁺. Cu²⁺ prefers binding to oxygen, and that is clearly seen in the NMR and IR. Cu¹⁺ prefers binding to nitrogen and then oxygen, and this is seen in the electrochemistry, as Cu¹⁺ is forced to bind through one of the nitrogens on the melatonin. Previously, it has been shown that melatonin binds/chelates with Cu²⁺. Histochemical investigations show that copper administration for 2-weeks and 6-weeks, causes extensive mitochondrial damage in liver and kidney’s proximal convoluted tubule epithelium cells. Melatonin (12mg/kg) co-administration with copper for 2-weeks and 6-weeks did not significantly protect the mitochondria from copper-induced damage. Copper-specific stains (rhodanine, silver sulphide and rubeanic acid) were used to stain liver, brain and kidney tissue samples. Rhodanine and silver sulphide were equally sensitive in staining copper in the 2-week samples, but not at all in the 6-week samples. This could not be explained. Rubeanic acid was ineffective in all samples tested. Thus, it appears that specific copper stains cannot be used in making a definitive diagnosis in cases of copper overload, and that specific copper stains do not always correlate with a high concentration of copper present in tissues. Pineal organ culture was used to determine the effect of copper administration on pineal indole synthesis. Exogenous (³H) tryptophan was administered to the pineal organ cultures, and the level of (³H) pineal indoles synthesised, were measured. Pineals from 2-week and 6-week copper/melatonin treated animals exhibited paradoxical 5- methoxytryptophol (ML) levels, as compared to the 2-week and 6-week copper treated animals. The 2-week copper/melatonin administered animals, showed a decrease in the ML level (p<0.01), and the copper/melatonin administered for 6-weeks, showed an increase in the ML levels (p<0.01). This indicates that melatonin interacts with the HIOMT enzyme. Pineals from 6-week copper/melatonin treated animals, as compared to the 6-week copper treated animals, showed an increase in N-acetylserotonin levels. This indicates that melatonin prevents the inhibition of the NAT enzyme. The final experiment was to determine in vitro, the effect of Cu²⁺ and Cu¹⁺ administration, on mitochondrial electron transport chain. Rat liver homogenate was incubated with and solutions of Cu²⁺ (10mM) and Cu¹⁺ (10mM) and melatonin (10mM). Cu²⁺ administration caused an inhibition of the electron transport at t=0 and t=60, whereas Cu¹⁺ administration at t=0 caused an inhibition of electron transport, but at t=60, Cu¹⁺ administration stimulated electron transport. Melatonin administered with Cu²⁺, resulted in an inhibition of the electron transport chain at t=0 and t=60. The findings of this study indicate that melatonin might have a potentially beneficial effect in copper overloading, by binding/chelating copper.
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An investigation of factors which influence integrating indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants into the learning programme for Grade 9 General Science
- Authors: Kimbugwe, Francis Kambugu
- Date: 2001
- Subjects: Ethnoscience Ethnoscience -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Medicinal plants -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Curriculum planning -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1624 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003506
- Description: This study explores knowledge of some medicinal plants amongst the sub-urban community of and around a township in the Eastern Cape province. This qualitative interpretivist case study presents the prior knowledge of medicinal plants possessed by Grade 9 learners, which is used as a springboard toward interviewing traditional healers, herbal practitioners and lecturers at a university in the departments of Botany and Pharmacy. The data obtained from the informants reveals the factors that can influence integration of indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants in the learning programme for grade 9 General Science. These factors include: prior knowledge and enthusiasm of Grade 9 learners and teachers, support of the community which include parents, traditional healers, herbal practitioners and professionals who could introduce indigenous knowledge of medicinal plants into formal education, availability of resource materials and complexity of identifying pharmacologically tested plants from other indigenous medicinal plants. The analysis and discussion of the findings, have led me to conclude that the enthusiasm of learners who have a rich background of indigenous knowledge on medicinal plants is likely to be hampered by the unenthusiastic teachers as well as the reluctance of herbal practitioners in their communities to part with this knowledge. Hence I recommend that teachers be motivated through workshops and in-service training, conducted by goverr\ment paid herbal practitioners using the prior knowledge of learners as a stepping-stone.
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Applicability of a health literacy test from the U.S. in a South African population
- Authors: Lecoko, Motlalepule Lebogang Elizabeth
- Date: 2001 , 2013-04-29
- Subjects: Literacy , Literacy -- South Africa , Literacy -- Ability testing , Reading -- Ability testing
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:3824 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005931 , Literacy , Literacy -- South Africa , Literacy -- Ability testing , Reading -- Ability testing
- Description: This thesis investigates the suitability and applicability of a health literacy test from the U.S. in a black, Xhosa-speaking, South African population. The concept of literacy is a controversial one which has been much debated, as it is not easy to classifY people as simply either literate or illiterate. As a result there are a number of definitions of literacy that vary with purpose and culture, but the most common one is that a person is literate if he/she can read and write. Estimating literacy from years of schooling is an inexpensive method but is also unreliable, since people generally read 3 to 5 grades below their stated educational level. This method affords little insight into the ability of patients to adequately function in a health care enviromnent, an ability which is referred to as functional health literacy. A number of health literacy tests such as the REALM (Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine) test have been developed to assess this skill. The REALM test is a word recognition test which places people into a relevant grade range estimate according to the number of words pronounced correctly. It appears to assume understanding of the word if the person is able to read that word correctly. In this project 125 black Xhosa-speaking respondents of varying educational levels who were literate in English were interviewed with the aid of an interpreter. Comprehensive demographic data were collected. Respondents were first asked to read all 66 words aloud during which time pronunciation was checked, and thereafter they were asked to explain each word. It was found that the ability to automatically decode and read the words did not necessarily guarantee comprehension of these words. Many of the words proved to be unfamiliar to the majority of the Xhosa respondents who were able to pronounce them correctly, but could not explain them. These tended to be phonetically transparent words which were therefore more accessible to the unfamiliar reader. This research has proven to be of great value in helping identify such words which should be substituted with simpler words for use in health information materials. A number of words could neither be pronounced nor understood by the population majority and, interestingly, a small group of words could not be pronounced but were satisfactorily explained by some respondents. The results showed an extremely poor correlation between the stated educational level and the REALM grade range estimate. This emphasizes the inappropriateness of years of formal schooling as an indicator of functional health literacy. The criteria were established for deciding cases in which the REALM test could be applied (or succeeds) and when it is inapplicable (or fails). It was found to be inapplicable in 41% of cases which clearly indicates that, in its current form, it is not a valid, reliable test to use in determining health literacy in this English second language population. It can, however, be used as a basis fur the development of a more appropriate test. Recommendations for future research direction are presented and an alternative structure for a health literacy test is suggested. , KMBT_363 , Adobe Acrobat 9.53 Paper Capture Plug-in
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Aspects of imagery in Catherine of Siena from a Jungian perspective
- Authors: Munro, Alison Mary
- Date: 2001
- Subjects: Catherine of Siena, Saint, 1347-1380 , Christian Saints -- Italy , Jung, C G (Carl Gustav), 1875-1961
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTh
- Identifier: vital:1308 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1018216
- Description: This study investigates whether or nor not the imagery of Catherine of Siena can be interpreted from a Jungian perspective. It takes a lead from other studies, notably one on Teresa of Avila and Jung. Reading of medieval literature suggests that medievals applied the use of symbols and imagery in ways that are at times baffling to people of our time. Carl Jung was no stranger to imagery and symbol. In our current age with its renewed emphasis on the insights of spirituality, and to some extent its disenchantment with aspects of traditional psychology, there is room for a dialogue between the two disciplines of mysticism and psychology across a six-hundred year divide. The use of imagery, as a window to the soul, in the Christian tradition is examined. Catherine of Siena is situated within her own medieval context, one of upheaval in the church, but also an age of mysticism and spiritual/religious phenomena strange to our own time. Catherine is introduced against the background of her world and against the backdrop of the Dominican tradition. A discussion of some of her major imagery demonstrates her aim of union with God. An understanding of conscious aspects and of unconscious aspects of the self is shown as key to Jung ' s view of the psyche. Elucidation of some archetypes and a discussion of Jung's dream analysis demonstrates how Jung believed the unconscious becomes conscious, and how individuation becomes a possibility. Key Catherinian images are examined from a Jungian perspective. Catherine has relevance for the twenty first century, and we are invited to be challenged by the mysteries and truths to which her images point us.
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Aspects of the cosmic Christ in the spirituality of Dom Bede Griffiths
- Authors: Forster, Dion Angus
- Date: 2001
- Subjects: Griffiths, Bede, 1906-1993 , Catholic Church -- India -- Clergy -- Biography
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTh
- Identifier: vital:1305 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1018212
- Description: Alan Griffiths was born at Walton-on Thames, England in 1906. He was educated at Christ's Hospital and later at Oxford (under the tutelage of C.S. Lewis). At Oxford he read English literature and philosophy. After considerable inner turmoil he was converted to Christianity in 1931 and entered the Roman Catholic Church in 1933. As a novice Benedictine he was given the name Bede, and was finally ordained as a priest 1940. In 1955 Fr Bede went to India to start a Benedictine community with Dom Benedict Alapatt. He later moved to Kurisumala Ashram in Kerala, and finally, in 1968, to Shantivanam Ashram in Tamil Nadu. He died at Shantivanarn in 1993. Fr Bede was, and still is, regarded by many as a spiritual pioneer. This high regard stems from an appreciation of his spirituality which was rooted in a mystical experience of God. This thesis investigates aspects of Fr Bede's cosmic christology as they arise from his spirituality. The aim of this research is to show that Fr Bede’s cosmic christology that stems from an expression of a real mystical experience of Christ, as the source, sustainer and goal of the whole cosmos, offers both value and insight to Christian spiritual practice and the formulation of doctrine. What makes Fr Bede's spirituality so valuable is the manner in which he integrated East and West in his spirituality and person, coupled with his ability to draw upon that integration in reflecting and articulating his experience - which ultimately shaped his cosmic christology. In order to share his knowledge and experience of the cosmic Christ, Fr Bede draws upon linguistic and philosophical concepts from the East (and Hinduism in particular) as well as the language and theory arising from discoveries in the areas of quantum physics, microbiology and transpersonal psychology in the West. It is the primacy of spiritual experience, coupled with Fr Bede's ability to integrate the religions, cultures and world-views of the East and West within himself, which makes his cosmic christology so compelling.
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Aspects of the new repurchase system of monetary control in South Africa
- Authors: Springfield, Samantha Claire
- Date: 2001
- Subjects: Monetary policy -- South Africa Credit control -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEcon
- Identifier: vital:940 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002673
- Description: The main objective of monetary policy is to protect the value of the currency, and in so doing, achieve the objectives of maximum economic growth, development, and the creation of employment opportunities. As from 1985, under the advice of the De Kock Commission, the South African Reserve Bank (SARB), implemented the classical cash reserve system of monetary control. Under this system, the SARB was willing to refinance the money market shortage fully, automatically, and on certain predetermined terms, conditions and costs. However, since the new political dispensation in 1994, South Africa’s financial markets have become more globalized, liberalised, and integrated. Thus, the classical cash reserve system had lost its usefulness, and was no longer effective. As from March 1998, the SARB implemented the new repurchase system of monetary control. In implementing the repurchase system of monetary control, South Africa was adopting a more eclectic approach. This system is aimed at making monetary policy more effective and more flexible in a financial environment filled with complexities. This study finds that the repurchase system has thus far been successful in meeting its objectives. Interest rates are more flexible and sensitive to developments in the domestic and external environment, the signalling mechanism of the SARB has proved to be successful, accommodation and interest rates are closely related and the interbank market has become more developed. Therefore, the repurchase system appears to be more efficient than the previous system of monetary control in South Africa.
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Assembly of full-length cDNA, and heterologous expression, of Nudaurelia B virus RNA
- Authors: Luke, Gary Joseph
- Date: 2001
- Subjects: Imbrasia cytherea , RNA , Viruses , DNA
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:3913 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003972 , Imbrasia cytherea , RNA , Viruses , DNA
- Description: Nudaurelia beta virus (NβV) is a monopartite genome virus belonging to the family Tetraviridae. Its host range has been found to be limited to a single insect order, the Lepidoptera (moths and butterflies). The single-stranded positive-sense RNA genome consists of 6625 nucleotides containing two open reading frames (ORFs). The 5' proximal ORF of 5778 nucleotides encodes a protein of 215 kDa containing three functional domains characteristic of RNA-dependent RNA polymerase. The 3' proximal ORF, of 1836 nucleotides, encodes the 66 kDa capsid precursor protein and overlaps the replicase gene by more than 99% and is in the +1 reading frame relative to the replicase reading frame. The full-length cDNA construct of the NβV genome was assembled using a homologous overlapping PCR linking method. The starting material consisted of seven overlapping pieces that were constructed for sequencing. Due to the degradation of the full-length RNA obtained from virus extracted from field-collected Nudaurelia cytherea capensis larvae other alternative methods needed to be applied. Sub-cloning using restriction enzyme sites also required an alternative method being used, due to the abundance of restriction sites of the same type in the NβV genome. This led to the use of a method similar to "DNA Shuffling" where overlapping pieces were connected using a modified PCR protocol. After the construction of the NβV genome, the full-length PCR product was cloned and checked for large insertion and deletions that could have resulted from the PCR amplification. The heterologous expression of the NβV capsid protein linked to a fusion protein (Glutathione S-transferase) in E.coli, confirmed the authenticity of the prescribed capsid gene ORF. The expression showed that the virus protein was subjected to protease digestion in DH5α E.coli, suggesting that the protein was insoluble in the cell cytoplasm. The capsid gene expression in a modified E.coli strain, Epicurian Coli BL21-CodonPlus (DE3)-RIL, resulted in high levels of the correct molecular weight protein with minimal degradation. The modified strain was designed for over-expression of eukaryotic protein with lowered protease activity. The above results have opened the way for further research that would yield valuable insight into the molecular biology and replication strategy of the NβV in cell cultures.
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Attitudes and perceptions of marriage and divorce among Indian Muslim students
- Authors: Naidoo, Suraya
- Date: 2001
- Subjects: Muslim families -- Social life and customs , Muslim students -- Attitudes
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: vital:3289 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003077 , Muslim families -- Social life and customs , Muslim students -- Attitudes
- Description: This study explores the question of religion and ethnicity as a source of family diversity and ideology. An ideal-typical "traditional Muslim family ideology" was developed and tested. Eight Indian Muslim students at Rhodes University were asked about their attitudes and perceptions of marriage and family life, to determine the particular type of family ideology that these students embraced. Family-related issues such as marriage; the division of labour; gender roles; the extended family system; divorce; and polygamy were addressed. On the basis of the research results, it was found that these students largely adopted the "traditional Muslim family ideology". Religion and ethnicity were found to play an important role, in the make-up of these students' perception of marriage and family life, and a strong preference for the extended family was shown.
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