Whole body vibration training and physical fitness of persons with diabetes melitus type II
- Authors: Bekker, Lindy
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Diabetes -- Exercise therapy , Vibration -- Physiological effect
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:10096 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/672 , Diabetes -- Exercise therapy , Vibration -- Physiological effect
- Description: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of whole body vibration training on selected health and fitness parameters, including: blood glucose levels, blood pressure, anthropometric profile, muscular flexibility, muscular strength, muscular endurance, and aerobic endurance of persons with diabetes mellitus type II. The study was conducted in a descriptive, explorative manner utilizing a quasiexperimental design with an equistatic approach, employing match-pair design to participant grouping. The experimental design was a non-randomized two-group pre- and post-test design, in which approximately 16 male and female participants, who were chosen through convenience and snowball sampling with diabetes mellitus type II, completed the study. Pre- and post-test analysis was performed at the Biokinetics and Sport Science Unit. The whole body vibration training (experimental) group, trained three times a week for a period of ten weeks, performing exercises on the vibration platform with progressive increments in the intensity, duration, and number of the exercises. The control group remained sedentary throughout the intervention period. The dependant variables were analyzed using descriptive statistics. ANOVA was done to determine pre- and post-test differences for both the experimental and control groups for all the variables. Post-Hoc analysis was done to determine and compare differences which may have existed between the experimental and control groups, with practical significance being determined by Cohen’s D analysis. The analysis of the results revealed significant improvements in systolic blood pressure, muscular strength, muscular endurance, and aerobic endurance.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
- Authors: Bekker, Lindy
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Diabetes -- Exercise therapy , Vibration -- Physiological effect
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:10096 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/672 , Diabetes -- Exercise therapy , Vibration -- Physiological effect
- Description: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of whole body vibration training on selected health and fitness parameters, including: blood glucose levels, blood pressure, anthropometric profile, muscular flexibility, muscular strength, muscular endurance, and aerobic endurance of persons with diabetes mellitus type II. The study was conducted in a descriptive, explorative manner utilizing a quasiexperimental design with an equistatic approach, employing match-pair design to participant grouping. The experimental design was a non-randomized two-group pre- and post-test design, in which approximately 16 male and female participants, who were chosen through convenience and snowball sampling with diabetes mellitus type II, completed the study. Pre- and post-test analysis was performed at the Biokinetics and Sport Science Unit. The whole body vibration training (experimental) group, trained three times a week for a period of ten weeks, performing exercises on the vibration platform with progressive increments in the intensity, duration, and number of the exercises. The control group remained sedentary throughout the intervention period. The dependant variables were analyzed using descriptive statistics. ANOVA was done to determine pre- and post-test differences for both the experimental and control groups for all the variables. Post-Hoc analysis was done to determine and compare differences which may have existed between the experimental and control groups, with practical significance being determined by Cohen’s D analysis. The analysis of the results revealed significant improvements in systolic blood pressure, muscular strength, muscular endurance, and aerobic endurance.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
Whole body vibration training effects on asthma specific pulmonary variables
- Authors: Mansell, Ingrid Joan
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Vibration -- Physiological effect , Asthma -- Exercise therapy , Asthma -- Treatment
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:10112 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020953
- Description: The aim of the study was to determine and document evidence of the comparative effect of a 12- week whole body vibration training programme, exercise training programme and sedentary control group on the anthropometric profile, aerobic capacity, lung volumes and hence, the pulmonary capacity in people with asthma. The study used a descriptive, exploratory, quasi-experimental research approach employing randomised pairing to classify participants into either the whole body vibration therapy or exercise training group. Accidental and snowball sampling was used to identify and obtain a base of volunteers. A three-group pre-test/post-test design was employed to gain insight into statistical differences that might be apparent between the whole body vibration therapy group, the exercise group and the control group, and which could potentially be attributed to participation in the whole body vibration exercise programme. Randomised pairing for participant selection was selected because of the potential effects varying pulmonary variables might have had on the reliability of the study. A Physical Activity Selection Criteria Questionnaire was completed by participants to ascertain baseline physical activity readiness and as a means of determining selection criteria for their allocation to the whole body vibration training group, the experimental exercise group or the true control group. The pre-test/post-test assessment made use of a combination evaluation that incorporated an anthropometric profile assessment of height, weight, biceps, triceps, subscapular and suprailliac skinfolds, waist and hip circumference and posture, an aerobic capacity evaluation that incorporated aspects of both the YMCA and Astrand and Rhyming Physical Work Capacity (PWC) evaluation on a cycle ergometer and, lastly, a pulmonary variable assessment that made use of both the Datospir Peak-10 peak flow meter and the Spirovit SP-100AT spirometry unit integrated into the Cardiovit AT-6 model for all spirometry measurements. Participants were required to complete either the whole-body vibration or the exercise training programme a minimum of twice a week and a maximum of four times over the same period. The duration of the intervention programmes was approximately 30 minutes and consisted of three sections including a warm-up comprising flexibility exercises, whole body strength training exercises, and a cool-down which, in turn, consisted of massage exercises or replicated flexibility exercises. The main difference between the whole body vibration and exercise training group thus lay in the exclusion of the use of vibration for those participants assigned to the exercise training programme. Analysis of data was performed using descriptive and inferential statistics with the help of a qualified statistician. The identified variables were tested at a 95 percent level of probability (p<0.05) as recommended by Thomas and Nelson (1996:117). Descriptive data, in the form of a statistical mean, standard deviation, minimum, median and maximum values, obtained during this study were reported in the form of a t-score for selected anthropometric and pulmonary variables. The 12-week intervention programme, on analysis of the results, produced statistically insignificant improvements in the variables of anthropometric profile, aerobic capacity and lung volumes identified as determinants of, and factors influencing, the cardiorespiratory fitness level of participants with asthma and hence, the subsequent severity of this chronic condition. However, slight mean increases for the whole body vibration training group were evident for certain variables identified in this study. Based on the results, the inference could be made that whole body vibration therapy and exercise were both effective modes of training to improve the cardiorespiratory fitness level of people with asthma, but the results of the study did not show sufficient practical or statistical significance to verify the assumption that whole body vibration training was a method superior to conventional exercise training. Hence, the significance of whole body vibration training on the pulmonary variables of people with asthma could not be determined. The researcher recommends that future studies be undertaken to verify whether whole body vibration training incorporating larger participant groups could produce significant improvements in pulmonary variables in people with asthma.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
- Authors: Mansell, Ingrid Joan
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Vibration -- Physiological effect , Asthma -- Exercise therapy , Asthma -- Treatment
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:10112 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1020953
- Description: The aim of the study was to determine and document evidence of the comparative effect of a 12- week whole body vibration training programme, exercise training programme and sedentary control group on the anthropometric profile, aerobic capacity, lung volumes and hence, the pulmonary capacity in people with asthma. The study used a descriptive, exploratory, quasi-experimental research approach employing randomised pairing to classify participants into either the whole body vibration therapy or exercise training group. Accidental and snowball sampling was used to identify and obtain a base of volunteers. A three-group pre-test/post-test design was employed to gain insight into statistical differences that might be apparent between the whole body vibration therapy group, the exercise group and the control group, and which could potentially be attributed to participation in the whole body vibration exercise programme. Randomised pairing for participant selection was selected because of the potential effects varying pulmonary variables might have had on the reliability of the study. A Physical Activity Selection Criteria Questionnaire was completed by participants to ascertain baseline physical activity readiness and as a means of determining selection criteria for their allocation to the whole body vibration training group, the experimental exercise group or the true control group. The pre-test/post-test assessment made use of a combination evaluation that incorporated an anthropometric profile assessment of height, weight, biceps, triceps, subscapular and suprailliac skinfolds, waist and hip circumference and posture, an aerobic capacity evaluation that incorporated aspects of both the YMCA and Astrand and Rhyming Physical Work Capacity (PWC) evaluation on a cycle ergometer and, lastly, a pulmonary variable assessment that made use of both the Datospir Peak-10 peak flow meter and the Spirovit SP-100AT spirometry unit integrated into the Cardiovit AT-6 model for all spirometry measurements. Participants were required to complete either the whole-body vibration or the exercise training programme a minimum of twice a week and a maximum of four times over the same period. The duration of the intervention programmes was approximately 30 minutes and consisted of three sections including a warm-up comprising flexibility exercises, whole body strength training exercises, and a cool-down which, in turn, consisted of massage exercises or replicated flexibility exercises. The main difference between the whole body vibration and exercise training group thus lay in the exclusion of the use of vibration for those participants assigned to the exercise training programme. Analysis of data was performed using descriptive and inferential statistics with the help of a qualified statistician. The identified variables were tested at a 95 percent level of probability (p<0.05) as recommended by Thomas and Nelson (1996:117). Descriptive data, in the form of a statistical mean, standard deviation, minimum, median and maximum values, obtained during this study were reported in the form of a t-score for selected anthropometric and pulmonary variables. The 12-week intervention programme, on analysis of the results, produced statistically insignificant improvements in the variables of anthropometric profile, aerobic capacity and lung volumes identified as determinants of, and factors influencing, the cardiorespiratory fitness level of participants with asthma and hence, the subsequent severity of this chronic condition. However, slight mean increases for the whole body vibration training group were evident for certain variables identified in this study. Based on the results, the inference could be made that whole body vibration therapy and exercise were both effective modes of training to improve the cardiorespiratory fitness level of people with asthma, but the results of the study did not show sufficient practical or statistical significance to verify the assumption that whole body vibration training was a method superior to conventional exercise training. Hence, the significance of whole body vibration training on the pulmonary variables of people with asthma could not be determined. The researcher recommends that future studies be undertaken to verify whether whole body vibration training incorporating larger participant groups could produce significant improvements in pulmonary variables in people with asthma.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
Widowhood and property inheritance in Zimbabwe: experiences of widows in Sikalenge ward, Binga District
- Authors: Dube, Misheck
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Widows -- Legal status, laws, etc. -- Zimbabwe , Women -- Legal status, laws, etc. -- Zimbabwe , Inheritance and succession -- Zimbabwe
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , M SW
- Identifier: vital:11755 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/200 , Widows -- Legal status, laws, etc. -- Zimbabwe , Women -- Legal status, laws, etc. -- Zimbabwe , Inheritance and succession -- Zimbabwe
- Description: Zimbabwean widows need to inherit property when their husbands die. Property, be it material or financial in nature, is a source of sustenance and wealth. Depriving women of property inheritance rights has untold consequences. This study focuses on the property inheritance rights of widows in Zimbabwe in the Sikalenge Ward of Binga District. The aim of the study is to understand how property grabbing affects widows and to find possible solutions and intervention strategies social workers may use. The literature reviewed in the study was drawn from both the legal field and social work to create a link between the fields. The study was shaped by radical feminism for conceptualising property grabbing while the formulated intervention strategies utilised the empowerment model. The study is qualitative in nature using interviews to collect data from ten widows and five social service providers who constitute the total of fifteen participants in the study. Data was analysed qualitatively using interpretive approaches and presentation is textual rather than statistical. The main finding of the study is that widows are still being denied their inheritance rights despite the provision of such rights by the Intestate Succession Laws promulgated in November 1997 by the government of Zimbabwe. Moreover, the widows are not aware of the inheritance laws of Zimbabwe and hence did not seek any professional intervention. The few who attempted the legal process for recourse were not successful. Even though it was minimally attempted, the study established that the main form of failed intervention tried by the women was legal in nature and suggests and emphasises an eminent need for Social Work intervention to supplement legal intervention.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
- Authors: Dube, Misheck
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Widows -- Legal status, laws, etc. -- Zimbabwe , Women -- Legal status, laws, etc. -- Zimbabwe , Inheritance and succession -- Zimbabwe
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , M SW
- Identifier: vital:11755 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/200 , Widows -- Legal status, laws, etc. -- Zimbabwe , Women -- Legal status, laws, etc. -- Zimbabwe , Inheritance and succession -- Zimbabwe
- Description: Zimbabwean widows need to inherit property when their husbands die. Property, be it material or financial in nature, is a source of sustenance and wealth. Depriving women of property inheritance rights has untold consequences. This study focuses on the property inheritance rights of widows in Zimbabwe in the Sikalenge Ward of Binga District. The aim of the study is to understand how property grabbing affects widows and to find possible solutions and intervention strategies social workers may use. The literature reviewed in the study was drawn from both the legal field and social work to create a link between the fields. The study was shaped by radical feminism for conceptualising property grabbing while the formulated intervention strategies utilised the empowerment model. The study is qualitative in nature using interviews to collect data from ten widows and five social service providers who constitute the total of fifteen participants in the study. Data was analysed qualitatively using interpretive approaches and presentation is textual rather than statistical. The main finding of the study is that widows are still being denied their inheritance rights despite the provision of such rights by the Intestate Succession Laws promulgated in November 1997 by the government of Zimbabwe. Moreover, the widows are not aware of the inheritance laws of Zimbabwe and hence did not seek any professional intervention. The few who attempted the legal process for recourse were not successful. Even though it was minimally attempted, the study established that the main form of failed intervention tried by the women was legal in nature and suggests and emphasises an eminent need for Social Work intervention to supplement legal intervention.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
Willingness to pay for the control of water hyacinth in an urban environment of South Africa
- Authors: Law, Matthew Charles
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Water hyacinth -- Control -- South Africa , Urban ecology (Sociology) -- South Africa , Biodiversity -- Economic aspects -- South Africa , Biodiversity conservation -- Economic aspects -- South Africa , Biological invasions -- Economic aspects -- South Africa , Biological invasions -- Environmental aspects -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:996 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002731 , Water hyacinth -- Control -- South Africa , Urban ecology (Sociology) -- South Africa , Biodiversity -- Economic aspects -- South Africa , Biodiversity conservation -- Economic aspects -- South Africa , Biological invasions -- Economic aspects -- South Africa , Biological invasions -- Environmental aspects -- South Africa
- Description: Water hyacinth is recognised as one of the most problematic invasive aquatic plant species in Africa. For this reason considerable funds are spent each year on itscontrol. As a consequence of the amount of money being spent on problems such as the invasion of water hyacinth, and because of the recognition of the ongoing and accelerated efforts that are required in the future, recent research has focused on accurately quantifying the costs and benefits of control of invasive species to aid policy decisions.A comprehensive cost-benefit analysis would be able to identify if the funds are justified and are being spent effectively. This thesis provides an example of a cost-benefit analysis of funds spent on the control of water hyacinth in an urban environment in South Africa. In order to develop a comprehensive assessment of the total economic value of the control of water hyacinth to an urban population, the Nahoon River in East London was selected as the study site to calculate the benefits of control. In addition to valuing the direct services provided by the resources that are traded in the market (in this case water provision), a contingent valuation study was undertaken in Abbottsford and Dorchester Heights (two suburbs in East London banking the Nahoon River). These were done in order to assess any non-use value a sample of 132 households of the population has for the control of water hyacinth, and any use values that are not traded in the market, for example recreational value. When the benefits of control of water hyacinth were compared to the costs of one of the least cost effective methods of control (herbicidal control), the benefits outweighed the costs by a ratio of more than 4:1, and for the most cost effective method of control the ratio was almost 6:1. These results provide a justification for the funds that are devoted to the control of water hyacinth, providing an argument for the continued expenditure for its control, and for further research into more cost effective methods of control, such as biological control.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
- Authors: Law, Matthew Charles
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Water hyacinth -- Control -- South Africa , Urban ecology (Sociology) -- South Africa , Biodiversity -- Economic aspects -- South Africa , Biodiversity conservation -- Economic aspects -- South Africa , Biological invasions -- Economic aspects -- South Africa , Biological invasions -- Environmental aspects -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:996 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002731 , Water hyacinth -- Control -- South Africa , Urban ecology (Sociology) -- South Africa , Biodiversity -- Economic aspects -- South Africa , Biodiversity conservation -- Economic aspects -- South Africa , Biological invasions -- Economic aspects -- South Africa , Biological invasions -- Environmental aspects -- South Africa
- Description: Water hyacinth is recognised as one of the most problematic invasive aquatic plant species in Africa. For this reason considerable funds are spent each year on itscontrol. As a consequence of the amount of money being spent on problems such as the invasion of water hyacinth, and because of the recognition of the ongoing and accelerated efforts that are required in the future, recent research has focused on accurately quantifying the costs and benefits of control of invasive species to aid policy decisions.A comprehensive cost-benefit analysis would be able to identify if the funds are justified and are being spent effectively. This thesis provides an example of a cost-benefit analysis of funds spent on the control of water hyacinth in an urban environment in South Africa. In order to develop a comprehensive assessment of the total economic value of the control of water hyacinth to an urban population, the Nahoon River in East London was selected as the study site to calculate the benefits of control. In addition to valuing the direct services provided by the resources that are traded in the market (in this case water provision), a contingent valuation study was undertaken in Abbottsford and Dorchester Heights (two suburbs in East London banking the Nahoon River). These were done in order to assess any non-use value a sample of 132 households of the population has for the control of water hyacinth, and any use values that are not traded in the market, for example recreational value. When the benefits of control of water hyacinth were compared to the costs of one of the least cost effective methods of control (herbicidal control), the benefits outweighed the costs by a ratio of more than 4:1, and for the most cost effective method of control the ratio was almost 6:1. These results provide a justification for the funds that are devoted to the control of water hyacinth, providing an argument for the continued expenditure for its control, and for further research into more cost effective methods of control, such as biological control.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
Winds of change in teachers’ classroom assessment practice: a self-critical reflection on the teaching and learning of visual literacy in a rural Eastern Cape High School
- Authors: Mbelani, Madeyandile
- Date: 2008
- Language: English
- Type: text , Article
- Identifier: vital:7021 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007201
- Description: The year 2006 saw the implementation of a new curriculum for teaching English First Additional Language (FAL) in grades 10-12 in South African high schools. The curriculum includes the teaching and assessment of visual literacy – a challenge for teachers whose apartheid-era teacher education did not address visual literacy at all. The article is a self-critical reflection on my attempts to teach and assess a unit on visual literacy in a Grade 10 class in a rural high school in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
- Authors: Mbelani, Madeyandile
- Date: 2008
- Language: English
- Type: text , Article
- Identifier: vital:7021 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007201
- Description: The year 2006 saw the implementation of a new curriculum for teaching English First Additional Language (FAL) in grades 10-12 in South African high schools. The curriculum includes the teaching and assessment of visual literacy – a challenge for teachers whose apartheid-era teacher education did not address visual literacy at all. The article is a self-critical reflection on my attempts to teach and assess a unit on visual literacy in a Grade 10 class in a rural high school in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
WISC-IV performance of South African grade 7 English and Xhosa speaking children with advantaged versus disadvantaged education
- Authors: Van Tonder, Phia
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children Intelligence tests -- South Africa Educational tests and measurements -- South Africa Psychological tests -- Cross-cultural studies Educational psychology -- South Africa Language and languages -- Ability testing Educational evaluation -- South Africa Education, Elementary -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3098 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003920
- Description: Research reveals that the level as well as the quality of education plays a role in the determination of an individual's intellectual capacity. Substantial differences in quality of education for black and white individuals were experienced in South Africa due to Apartheid. Compared to the traditionally white Private and Model C schools, Township/ DET schools had limited resources, as well as a separate syllabus and examination system, a situation that has not improved substantially since democratisation in 1994. Research on black South African adults with the WAIS-III has confirmed significant influences on IQ in association with exposure to either such advantaged (Private/Model C) schooling, or disadvantaged (Township/DET) schooling. However to date there has been no published research on the use of the Wechsler intelligence tests on a black South African child population similarly stratified for quality of education. Therefore, for the purposes of this study, the latest Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-IV) was administered to a sample of 36 Grade 7 learners between the ages of 12-13 (mean 13.01 years), stratified for quality of education to form three comparative groups. Data analyses revealed significant differences on the WISC-IV Factor Indices and Full Scale IQ with the English speaking Private/Model C school group performing the best, followed by the Xhosa speaking Private/ Model C school group, and the Xhosa speaking Township/ DET school group performing the worst. This continuum of lowering is understood to occur abreast of a continuum of decreased exposure to relatively advantaged education. These normative indications are considered to have vital implications for the use of the WISC-IV in the South African cross-cultural situation where vastly differential educational opportunities continue to exist.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
- Authors: Van Tonder, Phia
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children Intelligence tests -- South Africa Educational tests and measurements -- South Africa Psychological tests -- Cross-cultural studies Educational psychology -- South Africa Language and languages -- Ability testing Educational evaluation -- South Africa Education, Elementary -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3098 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003920
- Description: Research reveals that the level as well as the quality of education plays a role in the determination of an individual's intellectual capacity. Substantial differences in quality of education for black and white individuals were experienced in South Africa due to Apartheid. Compared to the traditionally white Private and Model C schools, Township/ DET schools had limited resources, as well as a separate syllabus and examination system, a situation that has not improved substantially since democratisation in 1994. Research on black South African adults with the WAIS-III has confirmed significant influences on IQ in association with exposure to either such advantaged (Private/Model C) schooling, or disadvantaged (Township/DET) schooling. However to date there has been no published research on the use of the Wechsler intelligence tests on a black South African child population similarly stratified for quality of education. Therefore, for the purposes of this study, the latest Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-IV) was administered to a sample of 36 Grade 7 learners between the ages of 12-13 (mean 13.01 years), stratified for quality of education to form three comparative groups. Data analyses revealed significant differences on the WISC-IV Factor Indices and Full Scale IQ with the English speaking Private/Model C school group performing the best, followed by the Xhosa speaking Private/ Model C school group, and the Xhosa speaking Township/ DET school group performing the worst. This continuum of lowering is understood to occur abreast of a continuum of decreased exposure to relatively advantaged education. These normative indications are considered to have vital implications for the use of the WISC-IV in the South African cross-cultural situation where vastly differential educational opportunities continue to exist.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
Within- and between-beach variation in intertidal macrofaunal communities inhabiting two Transkei sandy beaches
- Authors: Dreyer, Nicolaas Burger
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Intertidal animals -- Ecology -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:10700 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1070 , Intertidal animals -- Ecology -- South Africa
- Description: Until recently most sandy beach studies have made use of snapshot samples but the validity of this approach has been widely questioned. In this study we attempt to resolve this issue by repeatedly sampling two beaches using a stratified random design. Three sampling sessions took place, each approximately six months apart. The three sites on the first beach were selected according to the type of beach (reflective, intermediate and dissipative) with each morphological type duplicated on the second beach. Many of the physical variables measured had significant differences between the sampling sessions but only a few were significantly different between the Sites. Very few of the individual physical variables had significant relationships with the sandy beach macrofaunal abundance and density. However, composite indices had a greater number of significant relationships with the macrofaunal abundance and density. Also very few significant relationships were seen between the species richness and the physical variables of the beaches studied. Effluent line crossing frequency was the only physical variable that could predict species richness but it was considered a weak predictor. Changes in the zonation patterns within and between beaches were also investigated. The highest concentration of taxa and individuals was found near the low-water mark with a gradual reduction of both towards the high-water mark. Some of the sandy beach community variables (abundance, density and species richness) showed significant difference between the sampling sessions but no significant differences were seen between the two beaches. The presence of three zones was noted using MDS plots and Cluster diagrams. However, using a SIMPER analyses, four zones with the possibility of a fifth was noted.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
- Authors: Dreyer, Nicolaas Burger
- Date: 2008
- Subjects: Intertidal animals -- Ecology -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:10700 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/1070 , Intertidal animals -- Ecology -- South Africa
- Description: Until recently most sandy beach studies have made use of snapshot samples but the validity of this approach has been widely questioned. In this study we attempt to resolve this issue by repeatedly sampling two beaches using a stratified random design. Three sampling sessions took place, each approximately six months apart. The three sites on the first beach were selected according to the type of beach (reflective, intermediate and dissipative) with each morphological type duplicated on the second beach. Many of the physical variables measured had significant differences between the sampling sessions but only a few were significantly different between the Sites. Very few of the individual physical variables had significant relationships with the sandy beach macrofaunal abundance and density. However, composite indices had a greater number of significant relationships with the macrofaunal abundance and density. Also very few significant relationships were seen between the species richness and the physical variables of the beaches studied. Effluent line crossing frequency was the only physical variable that could predict species richness but it was considered a weak predictor. Changes in the zonation patterns within and between beaches were also investigated. The highest concentration of taxa and individuals was found near the low-water mark with a gradual reduction of both towards the high-water mark. Some of the sandy beach community variables (abundance, density and species richness) showed significant difference between the sampling sessions but no significant differences were seen between the two beaches. The presence of three zones was noted using MDS plots and Cluster diagrams. However, using a SIMPER analyses, four zones with the possibility of a fifth was noted.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
Women writers of the South Asian diaspora : towards a transnational feminist Aesthetic?
- Authors: Naidu, Samantha
- Date: 2008
- Language: English
- Type: Article , text
- Identifier: vital:26375 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/54027 , https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9456-8657
- Description: Women writers of the South Asian diaspora have, in recent decades, found prominence in the international literary arena. These writers may be new immigrants to their diasporic homes, migrants who divide their lives between far-flung homes (for example, Anita Desai, who lives in India, the United Kingdom [UK] and Germany), or descended from nineteenth-century immigrants, as is the case of South African authors like Farida Karodia and Agnes Sam.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2008
- Authors: Naidu, Samantha
- Date: 2008
- Language: English
- Type: Article , text
- Identifier: vital:26375 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/54027 , https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9456-8657
- Description: Women writers of the South Asian diaspora have, in recent decades, found prominence in the international literary arena. These writers may be new immigrants to their diasporic homes, migrants who divide their lives between far-flung homes (for example, Anita Desai, who lives in India, the United Kingdom [UK] and Germany), or descended from nineteenth-century immigrants, as is the case of South African authors like Farida Karodia and Agnes Sam.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2008
Women’s rights get a dressing down: mini skirt attacks in South Africa
- Authors: Vincent, Louise
- Date: 2008
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/141888 , vital:38013 , DOI: 10.18848/1447-9508/cgp/v06i06/42462
- Description: On Sunday the 17th of February 2008 25-year old Nwabisa Ngcukana was stripped, paraded naked while more than 100 onlookers jeered and laughed, doused in alcohol and sexually assaulted by taxi drivers and hawkers at the Noord Street taxi rank in Johannesburg1 (The Star 2008: 2). She was the fourth woman to be assaulted in this way at the rank on that evening. Three other women were stripped and sexually assaulted at the same taxi rank on the previous day. In each of these cases the fact that the women were wearing mini skirts was cited as the reason for the attack.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
- Authors: Vincent, Louise
- Date: 2008
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/141888 , vital:38013 , DOI: 10.18848/1447-9508/cgp/v06i06/42462
- Description: On Sunday the 17th of February 2008 25-year old Nwabisa Ngcukana was stripped, paraded naked while more than 100 onlookers jeered and laughed, doused in alcohol and sexually assaulted by taxi drivers and hawkers at the Noord Street taxi rank in Johannesburg1 (The Star 2008: 2). She was the fourth woman to be assaulted in this way at the rank on that evening. Three other women were stripped and sexually assaulted at the same taxi rank on the previous day. In each of these cases the fact that the women were wearing mini skirts was cited as the reason for the attack.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
Written out, writing in : orature in the South African literary canon
- Authors: Seddon, Deborah Ann
- Date: 2008
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:2263 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004695
- Description: As described by Duncan Brown, South African orature represents "our truly original contribution to world literature" (Brown, Voicing the Text 1). This paper explores how orature might be successfully 'written into' the South African literary canon whilst promoting recognition of its existence as an oral form. My recent experiences of the difficulties, challenges, and benefits of teaching South African orature within the Rhodes University English department, have alerted me to the urgent need for the creation of a student- and teacher-friendly anthology which would collect, re-voice, and adequately contextualise a selection of the seminal works of South African oral poets from the colonial to the post-apartheid periods. Much of this poetry already exists in print-form but, despite an increasing recognition of oral poetry through a number of endeavours such the Poetry Africa Festival, the Lentswe Poetry Project on SABC 2, the Timbila Poetry Project and others, South African orature remains marginal in the country's literary canon. It is largely absent from the curriculum in the literature departments of its universities. The need to redress this situation is crucial, but the process of setting up and teaching an undergraduate course in South African oral poetry, while possible, is complicated. The works of our most important oral poets are scattered in a variety of books, libraries, and collections. The usual process of drawing up a booklist of set texts is undermined by the stark reality that many of the books are out of print. Fully giving voice to these texts is even harder to achieve - CD and video recordings of performances (if they exist at all) are not easily accessed or disseminated.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
- Authors: Seddon, Deborah Ann
- Date: 2008
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:2263 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004695
- Description: As described by Duncan Brown, South African orature represents "our truly original contribution to world literature" (Brown, Voicing the Text 1). This paper explores how orature might be successfully 'written into' the South African literary canon whilst promoting recognition of its existence as an oral form. My recent experiences of the difficulties, challenges, and benefits of teaching South African orature within the Rhodes University English department, have alerted me to the urgent need for the creation of a student- and teacher-friendly anthology which would collect, re-voice, and adequately contextualise a selection of the seminal works of South African oral poets from the colonial to the post-apartheid periods. Much of this poetry already exists in print-form but, despite an increasing recognition of oral poetry through a number of endeavours such the Poetry Africa Festival, the Lentswe Poetry Project on SABC 2, the Timbila Poetry Project and others, South African orature remains marginal in the country's literary canon. It is largely absent from the curriculum in the literature departments of its universities. The need to redress this situation is crucial, but the process of setting up and teaching an undergraduate course in South African oral poetry, while possible, is complicated. The works of our most important oral poets are scattered in a variety of books, libraries, and collections. The usual process of drawing up a booklist of set texts is undermined by the stark reality that many of the books are out of print. Fully giving voice to these texts is even harder to achieve - CD and video recordings of performances (if they exist at all) are not easily accessed or disseminated.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
‘Boys will be boys’: traditional Xhosa male circumcision, HIV and sexual socialisation in contemporary South Africa
- Authors: Vincent, Louise
- Date: 2008
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/141500 , vital:37980 , DOI: 10.1080/13691050701861447
- Description: Ritual male circumcision is among the most secretive and sacred of rites practiced by the Xhosa of South Africa. Recently, the alarming rate of death and injury among initiates has led to the spotlight of media attention and government regulation being focused on traditional circumcision. While many of the physical components of the ritual have been little altered by the centuries, its cultural and social meanings have not remained unchanged. This paper attempts to understand how some of these cultural and social meanings have shifted, particularly with respect to attitudes towards sex and the role that circumcision schools traditionally played in the sexual.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
- Authors: Vincent, Louise
- Date: 2008
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/141500 , vital:37980 , DOI: 10.1080/13691050701861447
- Description: Ritual male circumcision is among the most secretive and sacred of rites practiced by the Xhosa of South Africa. Recently, the alarming rate of death and injury among initiates has led to the spotlight of media attention and government regulation being focused on traditional circumcision. While many of the physical components of the ritual have been little altered by the centuries, its cultural and social meanings have not remained unchanged. This paper attempts to understand how some of these cultural and social meanings have shifted, particularly with respect to attitudes towards sex and the role that circumcision schools traditionally played in the sexual.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
‘Who? what?’: an uninducted view of towards a new psychology of women from post-Apartheid South Africa
- Authors: Macleod, Catriona I
- Date: 2008
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6251 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007869 , http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0959353508092088
- Description: From the text: Towards a New Psychology of Women (TPNW) promises a new psychology of “women”. On the cover of the second edition, the Toronto Globe and Mail is cited as acclaiming the book as “nothing short of revolutionary” as it “set out to recognize, re-define and understand the day-to-day experience of women”. But when we take a closer look at these “women” we discover that they are in fact “white”, (for the most part) middle-class women living in heterosexual relationships in a liberal democracy. This kind of exclusionary inclusion, in which the use of the generic term “woman” disguises the normative assumptions made about the race, class, sexual orientation and location of women, replicates the phallocentrism evidenced in the normalising masculinist terms “mankind” or “Man”. By now, of course, these kinds of critiques of “white” Western feminism by African American writers (e.g. Collins, 1999) postcolonial feminists (e.g. Mohanty, 1991), African feminists (e.g. Ogundipe-Leslie, 1994; Mangena, 2003), and queer theorists (e.g. Jackson, 1999) are well known.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
- Authors: Macleod, Catriona I
- Date: 2008
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6251 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007869 , http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0959353508092088
- Description: From the text: Towards a New Psychology of Women (TPNW) promises a new psychology of “women”. On the cover of the second edition, the Toronto Globe and Mail is cited as acclaiming the book as “nothing short of revolutionary” as it “set out to recognize, re-define and understand the day-to-day experience of women”. But when we take a closer look at these “women” we discover that they are in fact “white”, (for the most part) middle-class women living in heterosexual relationships in a liberal democracy. This kind of exclusionary inclusion, in which the use of the generic term “woman” disguises the normative assumptions made about the race, class, sexual orientation and location of women, replicates the phallocentrism evidenced in the normalising masculinist terms “mankind” or “Man”. By now, of course, these kinds of critiques of “white” Western feminism by African American writers (e.g. Collins, 1999) postcolonial feminists (e.g. Mohanty, 1991), African feminists (e.g. Ogundipe-Leslie, 1994; Mangena, 2003), and queer theorists (e.g. Jackson, 1999) are well known.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2008
Evaluating parts-of-speech taggers for use in a text-to-scene conversion system
- Glass, Kevin R, Bangay, Shaun D
- Authors: Glass, Kevin R , Bangay, Shaun D
- Date: 2005
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/432654 , vital:72890 , https://www.cs.ru.ac.za/research/groups/vrsig/currentprojects/053texttoscene/paper01.pdf
- Description: This paper presents parts-of-speech tagging as a first step towards an autonomous text-to-scene conversion system. It categorizes some freely available taggers, according to the techniques used by each in order to automatically identify word-classes. In addition, the performance of each identified tagger is verified experimentally. The SUSANNE corpus is used for testing and reveals the complexity of working with different tagsets, resulting in substantially lower accuracies in our tests than in those reported by the developers of each tagger. The taggers are then grouped to form a voting system to attempt to raise accuracies, but in no cases do the combined results improve upon the individual accuracies. Additionally a new metric, agreement, is tentatively proposed as an indication of confidence in the output of a group of taggers where such output cannot be validated.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2005
- Authors: Glass, Kevin R , Bangay, Shaun D
- Date: 2005
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/432654 , vital:72890 , https://www.cs.ru.ac.za/research/groups/vrsig/currentprojects/053texttoscene/paper01.pdf
- Description: This paper presents parts-of-speech tagging as a first step towards an autonomous text-to-scene conversion system. It categorizes some freely available taggers, according to the techniques used by each in order to automatically identify word-classes. In addition, the performance of each identified tagger is verified experimentally. The SUSANNE corpus is used for testing and reveals the complexity of working with different tagsets, resulting in substantially lower accuracies in our tests than in those reported by the developers of each tagger. The taggers are then grouped to form a voting system to attempt to raise accuracies, but in no cases do the combined results improve upon the individual accuracies. Additionally a new metric, agreement, is tentatively proposed as an indication of confidence in the output of a group of taggers where such output cannot be validated.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2005
An ambassador of science in Africa
- Authors: Peter, Kerry
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:7191 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006355
- Description: Rhodes University's Professor Tebello Nyokong, has won the Africa-Arab State 2009 L'Oreal-Unesco Award for Women in Science for her pioneering research into photodynamic therapy which looks at harnessing light for cancer therapy and environmental cleanup. Prof Nyokong is the third South African Scientist to receive this award, and reaffirms Rhodes' place as one of the top research institutions in the country.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Peter, Kerry
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:7191 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006355
- Description: Rhodes University's Professor Tebello Nyokong, has won the Africa-Arab State 2009 L'Oreal-Unesco Award for Women in Science for her pioneering research into photodynamic therapy which looks at harnessing light for cancer therapy and environmental cleanup. Prof Nyokong is the third South African Scientist to receive this award, and reaffirms Rhodes' place as one of the top research institutions in the country.
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Applications of thermal spray technology for surface protection
- Authors: Gorlach, I A
- Subjects: Metal spraying , Surfaces (Technology)
- Language: English
- Type: text , Lectures
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/21866 , vital:29795
- Description: With the rapid development of modern industry, the quality of surfaces of structures, products and components is important in terms of many aspects such as efficiency, reliability, appearance, maintenance costs and economy. A local failure on the surface usually causes the entire component to be rejected or it may lead to a failure of a machine or structure. It is estimated that in developed countries, the loss caused by corrosion is up to 2-4% of gross national product [1]. Thus, many countries have made great efforts to improve the surface performance of parts in order to enhance the reliability of mechanical equipment and prolong their service life.
- Full Text: false
- Authors: Gorlach, I A
- Subjects: Metal spraying , Surfaces (Technology)
- Language: English
- Type: text , Lectures
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/21866 , vital:29795
- Description: With the rapid development of modern industry, the quality of surfaces of structures, products and components is important in terms of many aspects such as efficiency, reliability, appearance, maintenance costs and economy. A local failure on the surface usually causes the entire component to be rejected or it may lead to a failure of a machine or structure. It is estimated that in developed countries, the loss caused by corrosion is up to 2-4% of gross national product [1]. Thus, many countries have made great efforts to improve the surface performance of parts in order to enhance the reliability of mechanical equipment and prolong their service life.
- Full Text: false
City Press Rapport Prestige Award 2008
- Authors: Nyokong, Tebello
- Identifier: vital:7219 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005896
- Description: City Press/Rapport Prestige Award – in celebration of South Africa’s inspirational women achievers.
- Full Text: false
- Authors: Nyokong, Tebello
- Identifier: vital:7219 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005896
- Description: City Press/Rapport Prestige Award – in celebration of South Africa’s inspirational women achievers.
- Full Text: false
Nyokong wins Prestigious L'Oreal - Unesco Award for Woman in Science
- Authors: Peter, Kerry
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:7192 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006356
- Description: Rhodes University’s Professor Tebello Nyokong, has won the Africa-Arab State 2009 L’Oréal-Unesco Award for Women in Science for her pioneering research into photodynamic therapy which looks at harnessing light for cancer therapy and environmental clean-up. Nyokong is the third South African Scientist to receive this award, and reaffirms Rhodes’s place as one of the top research institutions in the country. University of Cape Town’s Professor Jennifer Thompson was previously recognised for her work on genetic engineering while Wits University’s Professor Valerie Mizrahi was recognised for her tuberculosis research.
- Full Text:
- Authors: Peter, Kerry
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:7192 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006356
- Description: Rhodes University’s Professor Tebello Nyokong, has won the Africa-Arab State 2009 L’Oréal-Unesco Award for Women in Science for her pioneering research into photodynamic therapy which looks at harnessing light for cancer therapy and environmental clean-up. Nyokong is the third South African Scientist to receive this award, and reaffirms Rhodes’s place as one of the top research institutions in the country. University of Cape Town’s Professor Jennifer Thompson was previously recognised for her work on genetic engineering while Wits University’s Professor Valerie Mizrahi was recognised for her tuberculosis research.
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Perspectives on leadership
- Authors: Arnolds, Cecil Ashleigh
- Subjects: Leadership , Industrial management , f-sa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Lectures
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/21857 , vital:29794
- Description: My fields of study are business management and organizational behaviour (OB). In business management we study how to manage businesses effectively by executing various functions (marketing, finance, human resources management, general and strategic management, purchasing and logistics, public relations management, production and opertaions, information technology management) and management tasks (planning, organising, leading and control) (Bosch, Tait and Venter, 2006).
- Full Text: false
- Authors: Arnolds, Cecil Ashleigh
- Subjects: Leadership , Industrial management , f-sa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Lectures
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/21857 , vital:29794
- Description: My fields of study are business management and organizational behaviour (OB). In business management we study how to manage businesses effectively by executing various functions (marketing, finance, human resources management, general and strategic management, purchasing and logistics, public relations management, production and opertaions, information technology management) and management tasks (planning, organising, leading and control) (Bosch, Tait and Venter, 2006).
- Full Text: false
Social cohesion: is it possible in a diverse society?
- Authors: Pauw, H C
- Subjects: Social interaction -- South Africa , South Africa -- Social conditions , f-sa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Lectures
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/21914 , vital:29801
- Description: The Faculty of Arts has been requested to drive one of the NMMU research themes, namely "Social cohesion". Being a memeber of the Faculty of Arts and from the School of Governance and Social Sciences I have decided to provide some input regarding this theme. South Africa experienced violent xenophobic attacks on non-South African Africans during May 2008. In a report in The Times (17 June 2008) under the title Mandela calls for 'Social cohesion', former president Nelson Mandela urged the youth of South Africa to work for social cohesion in the country. "The struggle for democracy has never been a matter pursued by one race, class, religious community or gender among South Africans. As future leaders of this country, your challenge is to foster a nation in which all people, irrespective of race, colour, sex, religion or creed, can ascertain a social cohesion fully," (http://www.TheTimes-Mandela calls for 'social cohesion'.htm). My perspective regarding humans is, to paraphrase the late Clyde Kluckhohn, that: Every human is like all other humans, some other humans and no other human.
- Full Text: false
- Authors: Pauw, H C
- Subjects: Social interaction -- South Africa , South Africa -- Social conditions , f-sa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Lectures
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/21914 , vital:29801
- Description: The Faculty of Arts has been requested to drive one of the NMMU research themes, namely "Social cohesion". Being a memeber of the Faculty of Arts and from the School of Governance and Social Sciences I have decided to provide some input regarding this theme. South Africa experienced violent xenophobic attacks on non-South African Africans during May 2008. In a report in The Times (17 June 2008) under the title Mandela calls for 'Social cohesion', former president Nelson Mandela urged the youth of South Africa to work for social cohesion in the country. "The struggle for democracy has never been a matter pursued by one race, class, religious community or gender among South Africans. As future leaders of this country, your challenge is to foster a nation in which all people, irrespective of race, colour, sex, religion or creed, can ascertain a social cohesion fully," (http://www.TheTimes-Mandela calls for 'social cohesion'.htm). My perspective regarding humans is, to paraphrase the late Clyde Kluckhohn, that: Every human is like all other humans, some other humans and no other human.
- Full Text: false
Tebello Nyokong
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:7213 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006423
- Description: For most people, coming up with a research project that will lead to the introduction of a new treatment for cancer is a romantic aspiration that never really gets off the ground. But for Professor Nyokong, it is a goal in the process of being realised. DST /NRF professor of medicinal chemistry and nanotechnology at Rhodes's Department of Chemistry she is at the forefront of the introduction of advanced cancer-fighting drugs into the country.
- Full Text:
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:7213 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006423
- Description: For most people, coming up with a research project that will lead to the introduction of a new treatment for cancer is a romantic aspiration that never really gets off the ground. But for Professor Nyokong, it is a goal in the process of being realised. DST /NRF professor of medicinal chemistry and nanotechnology at Rhodes's Department of Chemistry she is at the forefront of the introduction of advanced cancer-fighting drugs into the country.
- Full Text: