The law of divorce and dissolution of life partnerships in South Africa: book review
- Authors: Kruuse, Helen
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: Article , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/54129 , vital:26394 , http://scholar.ufs.ac.za:8080/xmlui/handle/11660/2454
- Description: Jackie Heaton’s latest contribution to the family law domain is formidable – 777 pages of carefully crafted opinions and discussions of the law affecting divorce and dissolution of life partnerships. Given the range, diversity and depth of issues in this area, it is no wonder that she calls on those being among the best in their field to assist her in writing up the book.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Kruuse, Helen
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: Article , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/54129 , vital:26394 , http://scholar.ufs.ac.za:8080/xmlui/handle/11660/2454
- Description: Jackie Heaton’s latest contribution to the family law domain is formidable – 777 pages of carefully crafted opinions and discussions of the law affecting divorce and dissolution of life partnerships. Given the range, diversity and depth of issues in this area, it is no wonder that she calls on those being among the best in their field to assist her in writing up the book.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
New possibilities for research on reef fish across the continental shelf of South Africa
- Bernard, Anthony T F, Gotz, A, Parker, Daniel M, Heyns, Elodie R, Halse, Sarah J, Riddin, N A, Smith, M K S, Paterson, Angus W, Winker, A Henning, Fullwood, L, Langlois, T J, Harvey, E S
- Authors: Bernard, Anthony T F , Gotz, A , Parker, Daniel M , Heyns, Elodie R , Halse, Sarah J , Riddin, N A , Smith, M K S , Paterson, Angus W , Winker, A Henning , Fullwood, L , Langlois, T J , Harvey, E S
- Date: 2014
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6971 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1014566
- Description: [From introduction] Subtidal research presents numerous challenges that restrict the ability to answer fundamental ecological questions related to reef systems. These challenges are closely associated with traditional monitoring methods and include depth restrictions (e.g. safe diving depths for underwater visual census), habitat destruction (e.g. trawling), mortality of target species (e.g. controlled angling and fish traps), and high operating costs (e.g. remotely operated vehicles and large research vessels. Whereas many of these challenges do not apply or are avoidable in the shallow subtidal environment, the difficulties grow as one attempts to sample deeper benthic habitats. This situation has resulted in a paucity of knowledge on the structure and ecology of deep water reef habitats around the coast of South Africa and in most marine areas around the world. Furthermore, the inability to effectively survey deep water benthic environments has limited the capacity of researchers to investigate connectivity between shallow and deep water habitats in a standardised and comparable fashion.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
- Authors: Bernard, Anthony T F , Gotz, A , Parker, Daniel M , Heyns, Elodie R , Halse, Sarah J , Riddin, N A , Smith, M K S , Paterson, Angus W , Winker, A Henning , Fullwood, L , Langlois, T J , Harvey, E S
- Date: 2014
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6971 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1014566
- Description: [From introduction] Subtidal research presents numerous challenges that restrict the ability to answer fundamental ecological questions related to reef systems. These challenges are closely associated with traditional monitoring methods and include depth restrictions (e.g. safe diving depths for underwater visual census), habitat destruction (e.g. trawling), mortality of target species (e.g. controlled angling and fish traps), and high operating costs (e.g. remotely operated vehicles and large research vessels. Whereas many of these challenges do not apply or are avoidable in the shallow subtidal environment, the difficulties grow as one attempts to sample deeper benthic habitats. This situation has resulted in a paucity of knowledge on the structure and ecology of deep water reef habitats around the coast of South Africa and in most marine areas around the world. Furthermore, the inability to effectively survey deep water benthic environments has limited the capacity of researchers to investigate connectivity between shallow and deep water habitats in a standardised and comparable fashion.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Swansea & Brecon Guild : prelude, the Bevan family, and the first and anniversary peals
- Authors: Lewis, Colin A
- Date: 2013
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6193 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013420 , http://www.ringingworld.co.uk
- Description: [From Conclusion] The Swansea & Brecon Guild owes its foundation largely to the interest of the first Bishop of the Diocese: Edward Bevan, in bells, ringers and ringing. The first peal for the Guild was rung at Talgarth by members of that tower, conducted by Louis Griffiths. The anniversary peal was also rung at Talgarth and consisted of the methods and variations that were probably rung in the original peal. , Colin Lewis was Professor of Geography at Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa from 1989 until his retirement at the end of 2007. In 1990, with the strong support of the incumbent Vice-Chancellor, Dr Derek Henderson, he instigated the Certificate in Change Ringing (Church Bell Ringing) in the Rhodes University Department of Music and Musicology - the first such course to be offered in Africa. Since that date he has lectured in the basic theory, and taught the practice of change ringing. He is the Ringing Master of the Cathedral of St Michael and St George, Grahamstown, South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2013
- Authors: Lewis, Colin A
- Date: 2013
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6193 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013420 , http://www.ringingworld.co.uk
- Description: [From Conclusion] The Swansea & Brecon Guild owes its foundation largely to the interest of the first Bishop of the Diocese: Edward Bevan, in bells, ringers and ringing. The first peal for the Guild was rung at Talgarth by members of that tower, conducted by Louis Griffiths. The anniversary peal was also rung at Talgarth and consisted of the methods and variations that were probably rung in the original peal. , Colin Lewis was Professor of Geography at Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa from 1989 until his retirement at the end of 2007. In 1990, with the strong support of the incumbent Vice-Chancellor, Dr Derek Henderson, he instigated the Certificate in Change Ringing (Church Bell Ringing) in the Rhodes University Department of Music and Musicology - the first such course to be offered in Africa. Since that date he has lectured in the basic theory, and taught the practice of change ringing. He is the Ringing Master of the Cathedral of St Michael and St George, Grahamstown, South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2013
Treating the psychological sequelae of proactive drug-facilitated sexual assault : knowledge building through systematic case based research
- Padmanabhanunni, A, Edwards, David J A
- Authors: Padmanabhanunni, A , Edwards, David J A
- Date: 2013
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6235 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007785
- Description: Background: Drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA) has emerged as a distinct category of sexual victimization and precipitates posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Few studies have examined the distinct psychological aspects of PTSD caused by DFSA. Gauntlett-Gilbert, Keegan and Petrak (2004) represent a notable exception and draw on cases, from their clinical experience, treated using Ehlers and Clarks’ (2000) cognitive therapy (CT). Aims: This paper aims to further develop and refine clinical knowledge on CT for PTSD arising from DFSA and advance the findings of Gauntlett-Gilbert et al. (2004). Method: Systematic case based research was used to investigate the applicability of CT for PTSD related to DFSA. Three survivors were treated with CT within the South African context. Results: The case series corroborated existing findings but also documented the presence of somatic and visual intrusions among survivors with partial or complete amnesia for rape and illustrated the utility of imagery interventions in targeting intrusions. The study highlighted the role of physical paralysis in DFSA in compounding helplessness/powerlessness and the necessity of enhancing physical agency and building social support. Conclusion: Distinctive aspects of PTSD related to DFSA can be effectively treated by adapting CT to suit this population group.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2013
- Authors: Padmanabhanunni, A , Edwards, David J A
- Date: 2013
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6235 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007785
- Description: Background: Drug-facilitated sexual assault (DFSA) has emerged as a distinct category of sexual victimization and precipitates posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Few studies have examined the distinct psychological aspects of PTSD caused by DFSA. Gauntlett-Gilbert, Keegan and Petrak (2004) represent a notable exception and draw on cases, from their clinical experience, treated using Ehlers and Clarks’ (2000) cognitive therapy (CT). Aims: This paper aims to further develop and refine clinical knowledge on CT for PTSD arising from DFSA and advance the findings of Gauntlett-Gilbert et al. (2004). Method: Systematic case based research was used to investigate the applicability of CT for PTSD related to DFSA. Three survivors were treated with CT within the South African context. Results: The case series corroborated existing findings but also documented the presence of somatic and visual intrusions among survivors with partial or complete amnesia for rape and illustrated the utility of imagery interventions in targeting intrusions. The study highlighted the role of physical paralysis in DFSA in compounding helplessness/powerlessness and the necessity of enhancing physical agency and building social support. Conclusion: Distinctive aspects of PTSD related to DFSA can be effectively treated by adapting CT to suit this population group.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2013
Evaluation of a service-learning elective as an approach to enhancing the pharmacist's role in health promotion in South Africa
- Srinivas, Sunitha C, Wrench, Wendy W
- Authors: Srinivas, Sunitha C , Wrench, Wendy W
- Date: 2012
- Language: English
- Type: text , Article
- Identifier: vital:6443 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006630
- Description: Background. A service-learning (SL) elective offered to final-year pharmacy students was introduced in 2007. The elective demonstrated a holistic approach to creating opportunities for future pharmacists to understand the current needs and future challenges of the burden of disease in developing countries such as South Africa and to foresee their key roles in health promotion. Methods. The 2007 Sasol National Festival of Science and Technology (SciFest) was chosen as the ideal platform to implement this elective. Evaluation of the elective was carried out in association with the Academic Development Centre using a web-based software tool known as the ADC evaluation assistant (ADCEA). The ADCEA consisted of a ‘question bank’ from which the course facilitators selected nine ranked closed questions as well as two open-ended questions. Results. SciFest participation, in the course of the service-learning elective, was acknowledged by students to have prepared them as responsible citizens to undertake health promotion in the public sector healthcare system. Conclusion. Students’ experiences of the learning opportunities provided in the SciFest elective highlight the strengths of this SL programme.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
- Authors: Srinivas, Sunitha C , Wrench, Wendy W
- Date: 2012
- Language: English
- Type: text , Article
- Identifier: vital:6443 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006630
- Description: Background. A service-learning (SL) elective offered to final-year pharmacy students was introduced in 2007. The elective demonstrated a holistic approach to creating opportunities for future pharmacists to understand the current needs and future challenges of the burden of disease in developing countries such as South Africa and to foresee their key roles in health promotion. Methods. The 2007 Sasol National Festival of Science and Technology (SciFest) was chosen as the ideal platform to implement this elective. Evaluation of the elective was carried out in association with the Academic Development Centre using a web-based software tool known as the ADC evaluation assistant (ADCEA). The ADCEA consisted of a ‘question bank’ from which the course facilitators selected nine ranked closed questions as well as two open-ended questions. Results. SciFest participation, in the course of the service-learning elective, was acknowledged by students to have prepared them as responsible citizens to undertake health promotion in the public sector healthcare system. Conclusion. Students’ experiences of the learning opportunities provided in the SciFest elective highlight the strengths of this SL programme.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
I love laser : it's my guiding light
- Authors: Nolan, Cathy
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Nyokong, Tebello
- Language: English
- Type: Article , text
- Identifier: vital:7184 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006274 , http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0019/001906/190645e.pdf#190680 , Nyokong, Tebello
- Description: What is the common thread that could possibly link denim jeans, cancer and pesticides? None is evident. Yet when South African chemist Tebello Nyokong describes her fascinating research, the link that emerges is light. Nyokong, a specialist in nanochemistry, loves laser, and is using it in ways that could have a revolutionary impact on medicine and the environment.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
- Authors: Nolan, Cathy
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Nyokong, Tebello
- Language: English
- Type: Article , text
- Identifier: vital:7184 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006274 , http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0019/001906/190645e.pdf#190680 , Nyokong, Tebello
- Description: What is the common thread that could possibly link denim jeans, cancer and pesticides? None is evident. Yet when South African chemist Tebello Nyokong describes her fascinating research, the link that emerges is light. Nyokong, a specialist in nanochemistry, loves laser, and is using it in ways that could have a revolutionary impact on medicine and the environment.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
Apis florea in Jordan: source of the founder population
- Haddad, N, Fuchs, S, Hepburn, H Randall, Radloff, Sarah E
- Authors: Haddad, N , Fuchs, S , Hepburn, H Randall , Radloff, Sarah E
- Date: 2009
- Language: English
- Type: text , Article
- Identifier: vital:6844 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011047
- Description: A recent isolated population of Apis florea has been reported from Aqaba in Jordan at the Red Sea, consisting of numerous colonies within a still limited range which apparently is expanding. This region is about 1500 km apart from its next occurrences in Sudan where it had been introduced and first detected in 1985 and about 2000 km apart from its next natural occurrences in Iran and Oman. These bees apparently have been imported by human transport, most likely by ship. This new location thus represents a major jump in the progression of the species still to fill a wide area of possible locations offering adequate living conditions. Here we attempt to track the possible origin of this new population by morphometric methods. This analysis indicated closest relation to A. florea from Oman, thus being the most likely source of this population.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
- Authors: Haddad, N , Fuchs, S , Hepburn, H Randall , Radloff, Sarah E
- Date: 2009
- Language: English
- Type: text , Article
- Identifier: vital:6844 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011047
- Description: A recent isolated population of Apis florea has been reported from Aqaba in Jordan at the Red Sea, consisting of numerous colonies within a still limited range which apparently is expanding. This region is about 1500 km apart from its next occurrences in Sudan where it had been introduced and first detected in 1985 and about 2000 km apart from its next natural occurrences in Iran and Oman. These bees apparently have been imported by human transport, most likely by ship. This new location thus represents a major jump in the progression of the species still to fill a wide area of possible locations offering adequate living conditions. Here we attempt to track the possible origin of this new population by morphometric methods. This analysis indicated closest relation to A. florea from Oman, thus being the most likely source of this population.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
Drought, change and resilience in South Africa's arid and semi-arid rangelands
- Authors: Vetter, Susan M
- Date: 2009
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6557 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006017
- Description: Droughts can have serious ecological and economic consequences and will pose an increasing challenge to rangeiand users as the global climate is changing. Finding ways to reduce ecological and economic impacts of drought should thus be a major research thrust. Resilience, defined as the amount of perturbation a social or ecological system can absorb without shifting to a qualitatively different state, has emerged as a prominent concept in ecosystem ecology and more recently as a conceptual framework for understanding and managing complex social-ecological systems. This paper discusses the application and relevance of resilience to understanding and managing ecosystem change, and enhancing the capacity of land users to adapt to droughts. Drought can trigger vegetation change and factors such as grazing management can influence the likelihood of such transitions. Drought can cause differential mortality of perennial plants and this could provide an opportunity for rangeland restoration by opening up establishment sites for desirable species. The capacity of land users to cope with drought is influenced by the resilience of their agro-ecosystems, the diversity of livelihood options, access to resources and institutional support. By these criteria, current agricultural development approaches in South Africa, particularly in communal rangelands and areas of land reform, are unlikely to enhance land users' resilience to drought and other perturbations.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
- Authors: Vetter, Susan M
- Date: 2009
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6557 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006017
- Description: Droughts can have serious ecological and economic consequences and will pose an increasing challenge to rangeiand users as the global climate is changing. Finding ways to reduce ecological and economic impacts of drought should thus be a major research thrust. Resilience, defined as the amount of perturbation a social or ecological system can absorb without shifting to a qualitatively different state, has emerged as a prominent concept in ecosystem ecology and more recently as a conceptual framework for understanding and managing complex social-ecological systems. This paper discusses the application and relevance of resilience to understanding and managing ecosystem change, and enhancing the capacity of land users to adapt to droughts. Drought can trigger vegetation change and factors such as grazing management can influence the likelihood of such transitions. Drought can cause differential mortality of perennial plants and this could provide an opportunity for rangeland restoration by opening up establishment sites for desirable species. The capacity of land users to cope with drought is influenced by the resilience of their agro-ecosystems, the diversity of livelihood options, access to resources and institutional support. By these criteria, current agricultural development approaches in South Africa, particularly in communal rangelands and areas of land reform, are unlikely to enhance land users' resilience to drought and other perturbations.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2009
AfrOBIS: a marine biogeographic information system for sub-Saharan Africa
- Grundlingh, M L, St Ange, U B, Bolton, John J
- Authors: Grundlingh, M L , St Ange, U B , Bolton, John J
- Date: 2007
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:7137 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011813
- Description: AfrOBIS is one of 11 global nodes of the Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS), a freely accessible network of databases collating marine data in support of the Census of Marine Life.Versatile graphic products, provided by OBIS, can be used to display the data. To date, AfrOBIS has loaded about 3.2 million records of more than 23 000 species located mainly in the seas around southern Africa. This forms part of the 13.2 million records of more than 80 000 species currently stored in OBIS. Scouting for South African data has been successful, whereas locating records in other African countries has been much less so.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
- Authors: Grundlingh, M L , St Ange, U B , Bolton, John J
- Date: 2007
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:7137 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011813
- Description: AfrOBIS is one of 11 global nodes of the Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS), a freely accessible network of databases collating marine data in support of the Census of Marine Life.Versatile graphic products, provided by OBIS, can be used to display the data. To date, AfrOBIS has loaded about 3.2 million records of more than 23 000 species located mainly in the seas around southern Africa. This forms part of the 13.2 million records of more than 80 000 species currently stored in OBIS. Scouting for South African data has been successful, whereas locating records in other African countries has been much less so.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
Bee-hawking by the wasp, Vespa velutina, on the honeybees Apis cerana and A. mellifera
- Tan, K, Radloff, Sarah E, Li, J J, Hepburn, H Randall, Yang, Ming-Xian, Zhang, L J, Neumann, Peter
- Authors: Tan, K , Radloff, Sarah E , Li, J J , Hepburn, H Randall , Yang, Ming-Xian , Zhang, L J , Neumann, Peter
- Date: 2007
- Language: English
- Type: text , Article
- Identifier: vital:6941 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011965
- Description: The vespine wasps, Vespa velutina, specialise in hawking honeybee foragers returning to their nests. We studied their behaviour in China using native Apis cerana and introduced A. mellifera colonies. When the wasps are hawking, A. cerana recruits threefold more guard bees to stave off predation than A. mellifera. The former also utilises wing shimmering as a visual pattern disruption mechanism, which is not shown by A. mellifera. A. cerana foragers halve the time of normal flight needed to dart into the nest entrance, while A. mellifera actually slows down in sashaying flight manoeuvres. V. velutina preferentially hawks A. mellifera foragers when both A. mellifera and A. cerana occur in the same apiary. The pace of wasp-hawking was highest in mid-summer but the frequency of hawking wasps was three times higher at A. mellifera colonies than at the A. cerana colonies. The wasps were taking A. mellifera foragers at a frequency eightfold greater than A. cerana foragers. The final hawking success rates of the wasps were about three times higher for A. mellifera foragers than for A. cerana. The relative success of native A. cerana over European A. mellifera in thwarting predation by the wasp V. velutina is interpreted as the result of co-evolution between the Asian wasp and honeybee, respectively.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
- Authors: Tan, K , Radloff, Sarah E , Li, J J , Hepburn, H Randall , Yang, Ming-Xian , Zhang, L J , Neumann, Peter
- Date: 2007
- Language: English
- Type: text , Article
- Identifier: vital:6941 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011965
- Description: The vespine wasps, Vespa velutina, specialise in hawking honeybee foragers returning to their nests. We studied their behaviour in China using native Apis cerana and introduced A. mellifera colonies. When the wasps are hawking, A. cerana recruits threefold more guard bees to stave off predation than A. mellifera. The former also utilises wing shimmering as a visual pattern disruption mechanism, which is not shown by A. mellifera. A. cerana foragers halve the time of normal flight needed to dart into the nest entrance, while A. mellifera actually slows down in sashaying flight manoeuvres. V. velutina preferentially hawks A. mellifera foragers when both A. mellifera and A. cerana occur in the same apiary. The pace of wasp-hawking was highest in mid-summer but the frequency of hawking wasps was three times higher at A. mellifera colonies than at the A. cerana colonies. The wasps were taking A. mellifera foragers at a frequency eightfold greater than A. cerana foragers. The final hawking success rates of the wasps were about three times higher for A. mellifera foragers than for A. cerana. The relative success of native A. cerana over European A. mellifera in thwarting predation by the wasp V. velutina is interpreted as the result of co-evolution between the Asian wasp and honeybee, respectively.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
Climate change, genetics or human choice: why were the shells of mankind’s earliest ornament larger in the Pleistocene than in the Holocene?
- Teske, Peter R, Papadopoulos, Isabelle, McQuaid, Christopher D, Newman, Brent K, Barker, Nigel P
- Authors: Teske, Peter R , Papadopoulos, Isabelle , McQuaid, Christopher D , Newman, Brent K , Barker, Nigel P
- Date: 2007
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6952 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011984
- Description: The southern African tick shell, Nassarius kraussianus (Dunker, 1846), has been identified as being the earliest known ornamental object used by human beings. Shell beads dated from ~75,000 years ago (Pleistocene era) were found in a cave located on South Africa's south coast. Beads made from N. kraussianus shells have also been found in deposits in this region dating from the beginning of the Holocene era (<10,000 years ago). These younger shells were significantly smaller, a phenomenon that has been attributed to a change in human preference. We investigated two alternative hypotheses explaining the difference in shell size: a) N. kraussianus comprises at least two genetic lineages that differ in size; b) the difference in shell size is due to phenotypic plasticity and is a function of environmental conditions. To test these hypotheses, we first reconstructed the species' phylogeographic history, and second, we measured the shell sizes of extant individuals throughout South Africa. Although two genetic lineages were identified, the sharing of haplotypes between these suggests that there is no genetic basis for the size differences. Extant individuals from the cool temperate west coast had significantly larger shells than populations in the remainder of the country, suggesting that N. kraussianus grows to a larger size in colder water. The decrease in fossil shell size from Pleistocene to Holocene was likely due to increased temperatures as a result of climate change at the beginning of the present interglacial period. We hypothesise that the sizes of N. kraussianus fossil shells can therefore serve as indicators of the climatic conditions that were prevalent in a particular region at the time when they were deposited. Moreover, N. kraussianus could serve as a biomonitor to study the impacts of future climate change on coastal biota in southern Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
- Authors: Teske, Peter R , Papadopoulos, Isabelle , McQuaid, Christopher D , Newman, Brent K , Barker, Nigel P
- Date: 2007
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6952 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011984
- Description: The southern African tick shell, Nassarius kraussianus (Dunker, 1846), has been identified as being the earliest known ornamental object used by human beings. Shell beads dated from ~75,000 years ago (Pleistocene era) were found in a cave located on South Africa's south coast. Beads made from N. kraussianus shells have also been found in deposits in this region dating from the beginning of the Holocene era (<10,000 years ago). These younger shells were significantly smaller, a phenomenon that has been attributed to a change in human preference. We investigated two alternative hypotheses explaining the difference in shell size: a) N. kraussianus comprises at least two genetic lineages that differ in size; b) the difference in shell size is due to phenotypic plasticity and is a function of environmental conditions. To test these hypotheses, we first reconstructed the species' phylogeographic history, and second, we measured the shell sizes of extant individuals throughout South Africa. Although two genetic lineages were identified, the sharing of haplotypes between these suggests that there is no genetic basis for the size differences. Extant individuals from the cool temperate west coast had significantly larger shells than populations in the remainder of the country, suggesting that N. kraussianus grows to a larger size in colder water. The decrease in fossil shell size from Pleistocene to Holocene was likely due to increased temperatures as a result of climate change at the beginning of the present interglacial period. We hypothesise that the sizes of N. kraussianus fossil shells can therefore serve as indicators of the climatic conditions that were prevalent in a particular region at the time when they were deposited. Moreover, N. kraussianus could serve as a biomonitor to study the impacts of future climate change on coastal biota in southern Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
The effects of buffer molarity, agitation rate and mesh size on verapamil release from modified release mini-tablets using USP Apparatus 3
- Khamanga, Sandile M, Walker, Roderick B
- Authors: Khamanga, Sandile M , Walker, Roderick B
- Date: 2007
- Language: English
- Type: text , Article
- Identifier: vital:6386 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006307
- Description: The effects of agitation rate, buffer molarity,and mesh size on the dissolution rate of verapamil hydrochloride from sustained release matrix tablets were studied using USP Apparatus 3. Eudragit® and Carbopol® were used as rate-retarding polymers in tablets prepared by wet granulation.The study was conducted to determine whether the drugs exhibit similar release characteristics when tested under the same dissolution conditions. It was found that the dissolution rate of verapamil hydrochloride was affected by the variables assessed in these studies.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
- Authors: Khamanga, Sandile M , Walker, Roderick B
- Date: 2007
- Language: English
- Type: text , Article
- Identifier: vital:6386 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006307
- Description: The effects of agitation rate, buffer molarity,and mesh size on the dissolution rate of verapamil hydrochloride from sustained release matrix tablets were studied using USP Apparatus 3. Eudragit® and Carbopol® were used as rate-retarding polymers in tablets prepared by wet granulation.The study was conducted to determine whether the drugs exhibit similar release characteristics when tested under the same dissolution conditions. It was found that the dissolution rate of verapamil hydrochloride was affected by the variables assessed in these studies.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
Critical media literacy: a design for the future
- Authors: Prinsloo, Jeanne
- Date: 2006
- Language: English
- Type: text , Article
- Identifier: vital:6331 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1008476
- Description: [From OPENSPACE Editor Alice Kanengoni's editorial]: Professor Jeanne Prinsloo notes in her article that "In fact, it has been argued that the significance of the media in people’s lives has increased to the extent that it has been described as their primary curriculum, thereby recasting formal education as the secondary curriculum." This therefore requires an incestment in media literacy; people's ability to to understand the world around them, as represented in the media. Thus, Professor Prinsloo argues for critical media literacy, citing the role that the media played in fuelling the genocide in Rwanda, as an illustrative case in point. She states that "While we can not attribute all blame in the Rwandan scenario to the radio use, it is clear that the media mattered." She indicates that "media representations and engagements play a significant role in the way we understand the world, its people and events, and ourselves therein." As such, societies should invest in building a critical citizenry that can read and deconstruct the various ideologies that are often carries in and through the media.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
- Authors: Prinsloo, Jeanne
- Date: 2006
- Language: English
- Type: text , Article
- Identifier: vital:6331 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1008476
- Description: [From OPENSPACE Editor Alice Kanengoni's editorial]: Professor Jeanne Prinsloo notes in her article that "In fact, it has been argued that the significance of the media in people’s lives has increased to the extent that it has been described as their primary curriculum, thereby recasting formal education as the secondary curriculum." This therefore requires an incestment in media literacy; people's ability to to understand the world around them, as represented in the media. Thus, Professor Prinsloo argues for critical media literacy, citing the role that the media played in fuelling the genocide in Rwanda, as an illustrative case in point. She states that "While we can not attribute all blame in the Rwandan scenario to the radio use, it is clear that the media mattered." She indicates that "media representations and engagements play a significant role in the way we understand the world, its people and events, and ourselves therein." As such, societies should invest in building a critical citizenry that can read and deconstruct the various ideologies that are often carries in and through the media.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
Evaluation of Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner as an alternative control of small hive beetles, Aethina tumida Murray (Coleoptera: Nitidulidae)
- Buchholz, S, Neumann, Peter, Neumann, K, Hepburn, H Randall
- Authors: Buchholz, S , Neumann, Peter , Neumann, K , Hepburn, H Randall
- Date: 2006
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6929 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011945
- Description: Small hive beetles, Aethina tumida Murray, are parasites and scavengers of honeybee colonies, Apis mellifera L., and have become an invasive species that can cause considerable damage in its new distribution areas. An effective subspecies of Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner (=Bt) would provide an alternative to chemical control of this pest. Therefore, we tested three different Bt strains [B. thuringiensis, var. aizawai (B401®), B. thuringiensis var. kurstaki (Novodor®) and B. thuringiensis var. San Diego tenebrionis (Jackpot®)] and Perizin® (3.2% coumaphos), each applied on combs with a pollen diet fed to pairs of adult beetles. This evaluates the products for the suppression of successful small hive beetle reproduction. While none of the tested Bt strains showed a significant effect on the number of produced wandering larvae, we could confirm the efficacy of coumaphos for the control of small hive beetles. We further show that it is also efficient when applied with a lower concentration as a liquid on the combs. We suggest the continued search for efficient Bt strains naturally infesting small hive beetles in its endemic and new ranges, which may become a part of the integrated management of this pest.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
- Authors: Buchholz, S , Neumann, Peter , Neumann, K , Hepburn, H Randall
- Date: 2006
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6929 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011945
- Description: Small hive beetles, Aethina tumida Murray, are parasites and scavengers of honeybee colonies, Apis mellifera L., and have become an invasive species that can cause considerable damage in its new distribution areas. An effective subspecies of Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner (=Bt) would provide an alternative to chemical control of this pest. Therefore, we tested three different Bt strains [B. thuringiensis, var. aizawai (B401®), B. thuringiensis var. kurstaki (Novodor®) and B. thuringiensis var. San Diego tenebrionis (Jackpot®)] and Perizin® (3.2% coumaphos), each applied on combs with a pollen diet fed to pairs of adult beetles. This evaluates the products for the suppression of successful small hive beetle reproduction. While none of the tested Bt strains showed a significant effect on the number of produced wandering larvae, we could confirm the efficacy of coumaphos for the control of small hive beetles. We further show that it is also efficient when applied with a lower concentration as a liquid on the combs. We suggest the continued search for efficient Bt strains naturally infesting small hive beetles in its endemic and new ranges, which may become a part of the integrated management of this pest.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
Interactions of fishes with particular reference to coelacanths in the canyons at Sodwana Bay and the St Lucia Marine Protected Area of South Africa
- Heemstra, Phillip C, Frickle, H, Hissmann, K
- Authors: Heemstra, Phillip C , Frickle, H , Hissmann, K
- Date: 2006
- Language: English
- Type: text , Article
- Identifier: vital:7130 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011771
- Description: The deep demersal fish fauna at depths of 100–400min canyons off the St Lucia Marine Protected Area along the north coast of KwaZulu-Natal is compared with similar fish communities at the Comoro Islands and in the Indo-Pacific region. Fifty-four fish species were seen or photographed from the submersible Jago or by the discovery team of scuba divers in the coelacanth, Latimeria chalumnae, habitat of the canyons off Sodwana Bay. An additional 94 fish species known from depths of 100–200 m along the coast of northern KwaZulu-Natal are likely to occur in the canyon habitat. The fish fauna of the Sodwana canyons shares at least 18 species with the deep demersal fish community off tropical coral reefs of the Indo-Pacific region. Thirty-seven of the Sodwana canyon fishes are also known from the coelacanth habitat in the Comoros.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
- Authors: Heemstra, Phillip C , Frickle, H , Hissmann, K
- Date: 2006
- Language: English
- Type: text , Article
- Identifier: vital:7130 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1011771
- Description: The deep demersal fish fauna at depths of 100–400min canyons off the St Lucia Marine Protected Area along the north coast of KwaZulu-Natal is compared with similar fish communities at the Comoro Islands and in the Indo-Pacific region. Fifty-four fish species were seen or photographed from the submersible Jago or by the discovery team of scuba divers in the coelacanth, Latimeria chalumnae, habitat of the canyons off Sodwana Bay. An additional 94 fish species known from depths of 100–200 m along the coast of northern KwaZulu-Natal are likely to occur in the canyon habitat. The fish fauna of the Sodwana canyons shares at least 18 species with the deep demersal fish community off tropical coral reefs of the Indo-Pacific region. Thirty-seven of the Sodwana canyon fishes are also known from the coelacanth habitat in the Comoros.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
Karyology of the redfin minnows, genus Pseudobarbus Smith, 1841 (Teleostei: Cyprinidae): one of the evolutionarily tetraploid lineages of South African barbines
- Naran, Daksha, Skelton, Paul H, Villet, Martin H
- Authors: Naran, Daksha , Skelton, Paul H , Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2006
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6770 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1008063
- Description: The karyotypes of six species of Pseudobarbus Smith, 1841, namely P. afer (Peters, 1864), P. asper (Boulenger, 1911), P. burchelli Smith, 1841, P. burgi (Boulenger, 1911), P. phlegethon (Barnard, 1938) and P. tenuis (Barnard, 1938), were examined by conventional Giemsa staining and described. All six karyotypes have 2n = 100 chromosomes, dominated by biarmed chromosomes, as does the only other member of the genus, P. quathlambae (Barnard, 1938). Sex-related intraspecific karyotype variation was not found. The shared chromosome numbers and general similarity of the karyotypes (FN = 186–192) provide a new synapomorphy to support their monophyly, which is already indicated by anatomical and mtDNA markers. Karyotype evolution within the genus has been accompanied by chromosomal inversions and centromeric shifts. Comparison of the diploid number found in Pseudobarbus with other African barbine cyprinines, which have in the region of 2n=50 and lower FNs, suggests a tetraploid evolutionary origin of the genus, possibly by allotetraploidy.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
- Authors: Naran, Daksha , Skelton, Paul H , Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2006
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6770 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1008063
- Description: The karyotypes of six species of Pseudobarbus Smith, 1841, namely P. afer (Peters, 1864), P. asper (Boulenger, 1911), P. burchelli Smith, 1841, P. burgi (Boulenger, 1911), P. phlegethon (Barnard, 1938) and P. tenuis (Barnard, 1938), were examined by conventional Giemsa staining and described. All six karyotypes have 2n = 100 chromosomes, dominated by biarmed chromosomes, as does the only other member of the genus, P. quathlambae (Barnard, 1938). Sex-related intraspecific karyotype variation was not found. The shared chromosome numbers and general similarity of the karyotypes (FN = 186–192) provide a new synapomorphy to support their monophyly, which is already indicated by anatomical and mtDNA markers. Karyotype evolution within the genus has been accompanied by chromosomal inversions and centromeric shifts. Comparison of the diploid number found in Pseudobarbus with other African barbine cyprinines, which have in the region of 2n=50 and lower FNs, suggests a tetraploid evolutionary origin of the genus, possibly by allotetraploidy.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
Professionalism and training for mass communication: challenges and opportunities for Southern Africa
- Authors: Berger, Guy
- Date: 2006
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6332 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1008477
- Description: [From OPENSPACE Editor Alice Kanengoni's editorial]: Closely linked to a critical media citizenry that can demand better of the media, is the challenge of professionalism and training in the region. Professor Guy Berger illuminates the challenges that the region faces in this regard, a key one being the ability to to match the inputs with the outcomes ... where measuring whether the quality of media products is directly linked to the inputs in training needs to be explored further.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
- Authors: Berger, Guy
- Date: 2006
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6332 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1008477
- Description: [From OPENSPACE Editor Alice Kanengoni's editorial]: Closely linked to a critical media citizenry that can demand better of the media, is the challenge of professionalism and training in the region. Professor Guy Berger illuminates the challenges that the region faces in this regard, a key one being the ability to to match the inputs with the outcomes ... where measuring whether the quality of media products is directly linked to the inputs in training needs to be explored further.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
Urban-rural contrasts in Arbor Week in South Africa
- Guthrie, G, Shackleton, Charlie M
- Authors: Guthrie, G , Shackleton, Charlie M
- Date: 2006
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6631 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006823
- Description: Trees provide people with environmental benefits. Greening projects have been implemented worldwide, but many of them have frustratingly low participation levels. In South Africa, tree-planting campaigns such as the national Arbor Week are generally aimed at schools. Because of the remoteness of rural schools, there are urban / rural disparities in standards of education, infrastructure and support provided at schools, and hence we hypothesized that these disparities would be mirrored in tree-planting activities associated with national Arbor Week. In the study reported here, 236 urban and rural schools were assessed by means of postal surveys and subsampled via direct interviews, as to their participation in Arbor Week activities, the provision of trees, constraints to participation, and the perceived benefits of planting trees. Very few urban schools had never participated in any Arbor Week activities, whereas one-fifth of rural ones had never participated in any way. Urban schools participated in a greater number of Arbor Week activities than rural schools, including tree-planting, displaying posters and having speeches. Thus, overall information about Arbor Week is lacking in rural areas compared to urban ones. Rural schools derived more benefits from planting trees, with shade and education being the primary benefits overall. Rural schools were supplied with trees by NGOs, whereas urban schools received trees from individual or company donations. The major constraints to tree-planting are livestock damage, water shortages, vandalism and theft. These obstacles need to be addressed in a holistic fashion in order to improve the participation and success of National Arbor Week as a vehicle for tree-planting and environmental awareness.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
- Authors: Guthrie, G , Shackleton, Charlie M
- Date: 2006
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6631 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006823
- Description: Trees provide people with environmental benefits. Greening projects have been implemented worldwide, but many of them have frustratingly low participation levels. In South Africa, tree-planting campaigns such as the national Arbor Week are generally aimed at schools. Because of the remoteness of rural schools, there are urban / rural disparities in standards of education, infrastructure and support provided at schools, and hence we hypothesized that these disparities would be mirrored in tree-planting activities associated with national Arbor Week. In the study reported here, 236 urban and rural schools were assessed by means of postal surveys and subsampled via direct interviews, as to their participation in Arbor Week activities, the provision of trees, constraints to participation, and the perceived benefits of planting trees. Very few urban schools had never participated in any Arbor Week activities, whereas one-fifth of rural ones had never participated in any way. Urban schools participated in a greater number of Arbor Week activities than rural schools, including tree-planting, displaying posters and having speeches. Thus, overall information about Arbor Week is lacking in rural areas compared to urban ones. Rural schools derived more benefits from planting trees, with shade and education being the primary benefits overall. Rural schools were supplied with trees by NGOs, whereas urban schools received trees from individual or company donations. The major constraints to tree-planting are livestock damage, water shortages, vandalism and theft. These obstacles need to be addressed in a holistic fashion in order to improve the participation and success of National Arbor Week as a vehicle for tree-planting and environmental awareness.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
What does the movement of the Phloem-mobile symplastic tracer, 5,6-carboxyfluorescein in shoots of Pisum Sativum L. Indicate - the existence of a symplastic transport system? - a bid to answer some puzzling questions
- Ade-Ademilua, Omobolanle Elizabeth, Botha, Christiaan E J
- Authors: Ade-Ademilua, Omobolanle Elizabeth , Botha, Christiaan E J
- Date: 2006
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6492 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004475 , http://dx.doi.org/10.3923/ajpp.2006.127.131
- Description: Like other members of the Fabaceae, the minor veins of Pisum are categorized as a closed system termed type 2 minor vein configuration due to the presence of few or no plasmodesmal connections between the sieve element-transfer cell complex (SE-TCC) and the adjacent cells (Gamalei, 1989; van Bel and Gamalei, 1991) Pisum is classified further into the category of type 2 b minor vein configuration due to the presence of transfer cells with the characteristic wall ingrowths in the minor vein phloem (Gamalei, 1989). According to van Bel et al. (1992), there is a correlation between minor vein configuration and phloem loading. However, by reason of low plasmodesmal frequency, the pathway of the flow of assimilates in plants with type 2 minor vein configuration is considered to be apoplasmic (Gamalei, 1989; van Bel and Gamalei, 1991). Therefore, present reports on the movement of phloem-mobile 5,6-carboxyfluorescein, a known symplamically transported compound between pea leaflets raises some doubts on the accession that transport within the phloem in pea is strictly apoplasmic. In this study we look at different points of arguments and try to offer our explanation and conclusions on the transport pathways that are likely to exist in Pisum.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2006
- Authors: Ade-Ademilua, Omobolanle Elizabeth , Botha, Christiaan E J
- Date: 2006
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6492 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004475 , http://dx.doi.org/10.3923/ajpp.2006.127.131
- Description: Like other members of the Fabaceae, the minor veins of Pisum are categorized as a closed system termed type 2 minor vein configuration due to the presence of few or no plasmodesmal connections between the sieve element-transfer cell complex (SE-TCC) and the adjacent cells (Gamalei, 1989; van Bel and Gamalei, 1991) Pisum is classified further into the category of type 2 b minor vein configuration due to the presence of transfer cells with the characteristic wall ingrowths in the minor vein phloem (Gamalei, 1989). According to van Bel et al. (1992), there is a correlation between minor vein configuration and phloem loading. However, by reason of low plasmodesmal frequency, the pathway of the flow of assimilates in plants with type 2 minor vein configuration is considered to be apoplasmic (Gamalei, 1989; van Bel and Gamalei, 1991). Therefore, present reports on the movement of phloem-mobile 5,6-carboxyfluorescein, a known symplamically transported compound between pea leaflets raises some doubts on the accession that transport within the phloem in pea is strictly apoplasmic. In this study we look at different points of arguments and try to offer our explanation and conclusions on the transport pathways that are likely to exist in Pisum.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2006
Selecting medicinal plants for cultivation at Nqabara on the Eastern Cape Wild Coast, South Africa
- Keirungi, J, Fabricius, Christo
- Authors: Keirungi, J , Fabricius, Christo
- Date: 2005
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6637 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006862
- Description: [From introduction:] The intensive harvesting of medicinal plants for commercial trade in South Africa poses a threat to many species. Cultivation has therefore been considered as an alternative to collection in the wild. This paper aims to assess the feasibility of cultivating medicinal plants in the Nqabara Administrative Area on South Africa's Wild Coast. A combination of participatory and formal research methods was used to collect data on the importance of medicinal plants, collection localities, market prices, the time spent collecting plants and their ease of cultivation. The values attached to medicinal plants were mainly dependent on their market prices. Four of the five Nqabara traditional healers interviewed cultivated these plants in their home gardens, but many medicinal products were obtained in indigenous forests from the bark of large trees, which were unsuitable for cultivation. Collectors said that the proximity of forests to their homesteads and the richness of forests in medicinal plants influenced their selection of harvesting localities. There was no correlation between time spent collecting species and their market prices. These prices were, however, positively correlated with the species' perceived healing properties. Users acknowledged that harvesting had an adverse effect on large trees, are eager to cultivate them and are taking action to conserve indigenous forests. Community-based enterprises should focus on species that are easy to cultivate and have a high demand, such as Stangeria eriopus, Acalypha glabrata and Behnia reticulata but not Araujia sericifera, which is exotic and abundant. The main barriers to commercial cultivation are availability of suitable land, water, lack of start-up capital, and access to markets and to seeds. Cultivation of medicinal plants could contribute to the economic empowerment of women in rural areas.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2005
- Authors: Keirungi, J , Fabricius, Christo
- Date: 2005
- Language: English
- Type: Article
- Identifier: vital:6637 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006862
- Description: [From introduction:] The intensive harvesting of medicinal plants for commercial trade in South Africa poses a threat to many species. Cultivation has therefore been considered as an alternative to collection in the wild. This paper aims to assess the feasibility of cultivating medicinal plants in the Nqabara Administrative Area on South Africa's Wild Coast. A combination of participatory and formal research methods was used to collect data on the importance of medicinal plants, collection localities, market prices, the time spent collecting plants and their ease of cultivation. The values attached to medicinal plants were mainly dependent on their market prices. Four of the five Nqabara traditional healers interviewed cultivated these plants in their home gardens, but many medicinal products were obtained in indigenous forests from the bark of large trees, which were unsuitable for cultivation. Collectors said that the proximity of forests to their homesteads and the richness of forests in medicinal plants influenced their selection of harvesting localities. There was no correlation between time spent collecting species and their market prices. These prices were, however, positively correlated with the species' perceived healing properties. Users acknowledged that harvesting had an adverse effect on large trees, are eager to cultivate them and are taking action to conserve indigenous forests. Community-based enterprises should focus on species that are easy to cultivate and have a high demand, such as Stangeria eriopus, Acalypha glabrata and Behnia reticulata but not Araujia sericifera, which is exotic and abundant. The main barriers to commercial cultivation are availability of suitable land, water, lack of start-up capital, and access to markets and to seeds. Cultivation of medicinal plants could contribute to the economic empowerment of women in rural areas.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2005