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Transformative Learning for Teacher Educators: Making sense of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) policy emphasis on transformative education

  • Authors: Lotz-Sisitka, Heila , Schudel, Ingrid J , Wilmot, Diana P , O’Donoghue, Rob B , Chikunda, Charles
  • Date: 2022
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , report
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/435765 , vital:73199 , ISBN Report , https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Ingrid-Schudel/publication/364399424_Transformative_Learning_for_Teach-er_Educators_Making_sense_of_Education_for_Sustainable_Develop-ment_ESD_policy_emphasis_on_transformative_education/links/638c38c3658cec2104ab7227/Transformative-Learning-for-Teacher-Educators-Making-sense-of-Education-for-Sustainable-Development-ESD-policy-emphasis-on-transformative-education.pdf
  • Description: This chapter addresses UNESCO’s ESD for 2030 call to push the transformative edge on education needed all over the world so that a sustainable future can be created. More specifically, it responds to the need for building educator ca-pacity for transformative and transgressive learning in a de-veloping world context where high levels of inequality persist in society as a whole, and in the education system. The con-cept of transformative, transgressive learning is examined against a backdrop of contextual realities and challenges. This is followed by a detailed discussion on how, through multi-stakeholder partnerships and networks, we are building teacher educator capacity in the Schools and Sustainability, Fundisa [Teaching] for Change and the Sustainability Starts with Teachers Action Learning programme in South and Southern Africa respectively. These initiatives may offer in-sights into transformative learning in teacher education for those seeking to enable transformative ESD learning in their programmes.This chapter addresses UNESCO’s ESD for 2030 call to push the transformative edge on education needed all over the world so that a sustainable future can be created. More specifically, it responds to the need for building educator ca-pacity for transformative and transgressive learning in a de-veloping world context where high levels of inequality persist in society as a whole, and in the education system. The con-cept of transformative, transgressive learning is examined against a backdrop of contextual realities and challenges. This is followed by a detailed discussion on how, through multi-stakeholder partnerships and networks, we are building teacher educator capacity in the Schools and Sustainability, Fundisa [Teaching] for Change and the Sustainability Starts with Teachers Action Learning programme in South and Southern Africa respectively. These initiatives may offer in-sights into transformative learning in teacher education for those seeking to enable transformative ESD learning in their programmes.
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  • Date Issued: 2022

Advancing urban ecology in the global south: emerging themes and future research directions

  • Authors: du Toit, Marie J , Shackleton, Charlie M , Cilliers, Sarel S , Davoren, Elandre
  • Date: 2021
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , book chapter
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/433713 , vital:72996 , ISBN 978-3-030-67650-6 , https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-67650-6_17
  • Description: The rapid growth in urban ecological research and application has been led by countries of the Global North, particularly Europe and the USA, albeit not restricted to them. However, this belies that most urban growth is currently in the Global South, with the differential set to increase in the future. Thus, there is an imbalance between where the bulk of urban ecological research and framings are developed and where the majority of urban citizens globally live, work and seek to meet their aspirations. This chapter illustrates how this book addressed the identified research gaps in the Global South. We also highlight dominant recurring themes in Global South research discourse and importantly, where future research efforts over the next decade should be focussed. Eight themes are considered, namely: inequality; informality; urban–rural links; small and medium-sized towns and cities; urban green infrastructure, biodiversity and ecosystem services; understanding and accommodating multiple worldviews of urban nature; human health and urban nature; and specific research approaches.
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  • Date Issued: 2021

Impact of emerging mutations on the dynamic properties the SARS-CoV-2 main protease: an in silico investigation

  • Authors: Amamuddy, Olivier S , Verkhivker, Gennady M , Tastan Bishop, Özlem
  • Date: 2020
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/163035 , vital:41006 , doi: 10.1021/acs.jcim.0c00634
  • Description: The new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) is a global threat to world health and its economy. Its main protease (Mpro), which functions as a dimer, cleaves viral precursor proteins in the process of viral maturation. It is a good candidate for drug development owing to its conservation and the absence of a human homolog. An improved understanding of the protein behaviour can accelerate the discovery of effective therapies in order to reduce mortality. 100 ns all-atom molecular dynamics simulations of 50 homology modelled mutant Mpro dimers were performed at pH 7 from filtered sequences obtained from the GISAID database. Protease dynamics were analysed using RMSD, RMSF, Rg, the averaged betweenness centrality and geometry calculations. Domains from each Mpro protomer were found to generally have independent motions, while the dimer-stabilising N-finger region was found to be flexible in most mutants.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

The social dimensions of biological invasions in South Africa

  • Authors: Shackleton, Ross T , Novoa, Ana , Shackleton, Charlie M , Kull, Christian A
  • Date: 2020
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , book
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/176285 , vital:42681 , DOI 10.1007/978-3-030-32394-3
  • Description: This chapter examines current knowledge relating to the human and social dimensions of biological invasions in South Africa. We do so by advancing 12 propositions and examining the evidence for or against each using South African literature. The propositions cover four broad issues: how people cause invasions; how they conceptualise them; effects of invasive species on people; and peoples’ responses to them.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

The social dimensions of biological invasions in South Africa

  • Authors: Shackleton, Ross T , Novoa, A , Shackleton, Charlie M
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , book chapter
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/434000 , vital:73020 , ISBN 978-3-030-32394-3 , https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-32394-3
  • Description: This chapter examines current knowledge relating to the human and social dimensions of biological invasions in South Africa. We do so by advancing 12 propositions and examining the evidence for or against each using South African literature. The propositions cover four broad issues: how people cause invasions; how they conceptualise them; effects of invasive species on people; and peoples’ responses to them. The propositions we assess include:(1) intentional introductions were and continue to refiect the social ethos of the time;(2) people go to great lengths to ensure that newly introduced species establish themselves;(3) human-mediated modifications help invasive species to establish;(4) how people think about and study invasive species is strongly shaped by social-ecological contexts;(5) knowledge and awareness of invasive species is low amongst the general public;(6) personal values are the primary factor affecting perceptions of invasive alien species and their control;(7) specific social-ecological contexts mediate how invasive species affect people;(8) research on social effects of invasive species primarily focuses on negative impacts;(9) the negative social impacts of invasive species on local livelihoods are of more concern to people than impacts on biodiversity;(10) people are less willing to manage species regarded as ‘charismatic’;(11) social heterogeneity increases confiicts around the management of biological invasions; and (12) engagement with society is key to successful management. By advancing and questioning propositions, we were able to determine what is known, provide evidence for where gaps lie, and thus identify areas for future research.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

Checklist, endemism, English vernacular names and identification of the cicadas (Insecta, Hemiptera, Cicadidae) of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa:

  • Authors: Armstrong, Adrian J , Villet, Martin H
  • Date: 2019
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/140586 , vital:37901 , DOI: 10.3897/afrinvertebr.60.35130
  • Description: Public understanding of the goals of applied biology and conservation is promoted by showcasing charismatic or significant organisms using vernacular names. Conservation activities in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, are prioritising taxa that have high rates of provincial endemism, such as snails, earthworms, millipedes and cicadas. To assist wider public engagement in these activities, an assessment of endemism of the cicadas of KwaZulu-Natal is presented along with a dichotomous, 37-couplet key for the identification of males, based mainly on externally visible morphology and colouration. Standardised English vernacular names coined following a simple naming convention are proposed. Forty-two percent (16 out of 38) of the cicada species known from KwaZulu-Natal are endemic to the province. Photographs of some of the species are included to facilitate their identification. Photographs can be used for identification of various species providing that the diagnostic characters are visible in the photographs. For this purpose, photographs may have to be taken of hand-held individuals. Some of the endemic species are of particular concern for conservation because they are not known to occur in statutory protected areas or are only known from relatively small protected areas. The latter may not be able to ensure the long-term survival of the species. The rate and extent of loss of habitat outside protected areas is likely to be a grave threat to species that are not protected or that are inadequately conserved in statutory protected areas. The standardised vernacular names proposed here provide a tool for communicating provincial conservation plans and concerns with stakeholders in KwaZulu-Natal and for stimulating interest in cicadas amongst land users, environmental impact assessment practitioners, biologists, naturalists and citizen scientists.
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  • Date Issued: 2019

An In-depth Case Study of Environmental Engineering Learning and Work Transitioning in Boundary-less Work

  • Authors: Lotz-Sisitka, Heila , Ramsarup, Preesha
  • Date: 2017
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , bulletin
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/436361 , vital:73264 , ISBN bulletin , https://www.saqa.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/SAQA-Bulletin-2017-1.pdf#page=37
  • Description: Environmental issues are increasingly seen as complex, multi-faceted and integral to social and economic development. As societies grapple with the rapid and catastrophic effects of environmental degradation, occupa-tional and educational systems have to comprehend meaningfully, the implications. In a study on the ‘Green Skills’59 in South Africa’s economy, the International Labour Organisation (ILO, 2010:19) noted that “new skills and retraining needs for the greening sector should filter successfully through the ‘demand and supply’ process”. However, despite the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) commitment to responsive skills devel-opment and lifelong learning, several recent studies (including Depart-ment of Environmental Affairs [DEA], 2010; Human Sciences Research Council [HSRC], 2009) have highlighted many skills and competence-related issues within environmental provisioning. While there is a skills development focus and a greening focus, there is little articulated align-ment between the two (ILO, 2010), which highlights that the whole sys-tem of training provisioning for workplace learning and sustainability practices is poorly constituted and unresponsive to the rapidly changing nature of the sector.
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  • Date Issued: 2017

Differentiations and intersections: a corpus-assisted discourse study of gender representations in the British press before, during and after the London Olympics 2012

  • Authors: Jaworska, Sylvia , Hunt, Sally
  • Date: 2017
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/139205 , vital:37714 , DOI 10.1558/genl.28858
  • Description: This study examines the impact of a global sports event on gender representations in media reporting. Whereas previous research on gender, sport and media has been mainly concerned with sports events in the North American or Australian context, this study investigates the British media reporting before, during and after the London Olympics 2012. Our study follows the approach of Corpus-Assisted Discourse Studies (CADS) and uses both quantitative and qualitative research procedures. The results reveal more balanced gender representations during the London Olympics in that the ‘regular’ biased associations were supressed in favour of positive references to female achievements. However, little carry-though of the ‘gains’ was noted. Also, this study shows that the positive associations intersected with national sentiments and were used to celebrate the nation-state. At the same time, some subtle resistance was observed to accepting as ‘truly’ British the non-white athletes and those not born in Britain.
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  • Date Issued: 2017

Alzheimer’s disease: making sense of the stress

  • Authors: Whiteley, Chris G
  • Date: 2016
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , book
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/67072 , vital:29029 , http://www.smgebooks.com/alzheimers-disease/chapters/ALZD-16-08.pdf
  • Description: publisher version , To facilitate a deep understanding of the mechanisms involved in neurodegeneration and Alzheimer’s disease fundamental knowledge is required about the action and function of enzymes in the brain that not only metabolise arginine (neuronal nitric oxide synthase) but are closely associated with oxidative (superoxide dismutase; catalase; glutathione peroxidase) and/or nitrosative stress. In particular the focus extends towards enzymes that contribute to amyloid peptide aggregation and senile plaquedeposits (fibrillogenesis). Of special importance are the glycine zipper regions within these amyloid peptides, especially Aβ25-29 and Aβ29-33 (that contains two isoleucine residues) and the pentapeptide Aβ17-21 (that contains two phenylalanines), each generated by enzymatic cleavage of the intramembrane amyloid precursor protein. Use of antisense-sense technology has identified regions in each enzyme that are capable of binding with the amyloid peptides. After an initial inhibition of each enzyme there is an oligomerisation into soluble fibrils which accumulate and eventually precipitate. The use of nanoparticles do not just prevent but reverse the formation of these fibrils either by disrupting the binary adduct – enzyme-Aβ-peptide- or by reaction with, and therefore deplete, Aβ-monomers in solution and so block potential aggregation sites on the enzyme itself. Future therapy towards Alzheimer’s disease should target the C-terminal region of the amyloid precursor protein and substitute hydrophobic residues for the glycine amino acids within the glycine zipper region.
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  • Date Issued: 2016

Applications of social media and web 2.0 for research support in selected African academic institutions

  • Authors: Owusu-Ansah, Christopher M , Gontshi, Vuyokazi , Mutibwa, Lois , Ukwoma, Scholarstica
  • Date: 2015
  • Subjects: Social networks , Web 2.0. , Research -- Study and teaching
  • Language: English
  • Type: Article
  • Identifier: vital:6996 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1018520
  • Description: This study examined the use of Social Media/Web 2.0 for research support and it is guided by three objectives namely: a) to ascertain the uses of social media in academic institutions; b) to identify the challenges associated with social media use for research purposes and c) to provide experiences of social media application in selected African academic institutions. The study makes use of literature analysis in combination with personal and professional work experiences on the use of social media from librarians in four different countries. Institutional experiences of the four librarians showed that it is only Rhodes University Library that uses social media in its library, which is as a result of a formal social media strategy. For the other three universities, University of Education, Winneba Library in Ghana, Makerere University Library in Uganda and the University of Nigeria Library, the use of social media is not encouraging. They use it mostly for communication and interaction with colleagues. It was also discovered that there is no social media strategy available in these university libraries. Based on these findings, the study recommended the implementation of a social media strategy, appointment of social media librarians in these libraries, and continuing professional development of librarians to keep abreast with current trends. Web 2.0/Social Media is a new technology offering new options for African academic librarians in their research support role
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  • Date Issued: 2015

Rhodes University Library Services Annual Report 2014 : "Our Scholarly Heartbeat"

  • Authors: Satgoor, Ujala
  • Date: 2015
  • Language: English
  • Type: Text
  • Identifier: vital:7947 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020651
  • Description: Library Director's Message: 2014 was indeed a momentous year for South Africans who embraced the opportunity to assess, evaluate and celebrate what has come to pass during these two decades of democracy. The library and information services (LIS) sector adopted the theme “Celebrating libraries in 20 years of democracy” which enabled several conversations to be held around three simple questions posed by Michael K Buckland: 1.What kind of work we do? 2.How can we do our work? 3.Why do we do our work? Buckland further asserts that modern society exists on a foundation of documents of all genres and forms, which are not just objectified knowledge but that they affect us aesthetically and emotionally. The use of documents is a cultural activity, be it through discussion or the exchange of documents. Vesa Souminen, in his book, Filling Empty Spaces, identifies that the crux of a good librarian’s role is to create arrangements of documents that are meaningful for users. In the face of technological advances, the relevance of libraries and librarians is raised and the need to create an awareness of what we do has never been as important as it is today. There are four accepted practices that define how we do our work: •Organization of information – selecting, collecting, organizing, categorizing, indexing, filtering and retrieval •Information in society and information policy – complementing and balancing the effects of the influence of the distribution and use of information in society •Technology for information which enables existing services to be performed differently as well as to develop different and better services •Management of information services – the art of achieving results through well-­‐skilled competent people and how to survive and thrive in a political and economic environment. So why do we do what we do? Because it matters what people know! What people know is important to the individual, to an institution and to society. We do not only support technical knowledge but also cultural understanding, aesthetic insight and human behavior. Our role is to facilitate understanding of our shared identity that are collected and preserved in the records, documents, texts, etc that are our specialty. So when we say our purpose is to serve a community, we must be able to relate to the priorities and values of our role in that community. Given the above, the Rhodes University Library (RUL) embraced the 2nd year of its strategic plan (2013-­‐2015) wholeheartedly with the express aim of consolidating practice, technology, providing universal access and ensuring an enabling environment and services for the broader Rhodes community. It therefore gives me great pleasure to present the 2014 annual report of the Rhodes University Library (RUL) which details how collectively the staff ensured that the defined practices were translated into reality.
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  • Date Issued: 2015

Sorption of hydrophobic organic compounds on natural sorbents and organoclays from aqueous and non-aqueous solutions: a mini-review

  • Authors: Moyo, Francis , Tandlich, Roman , Wilhelmi, Brendan S , Balaz, Stefan
  • Date: 2014
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/71614 , vital:29925 , https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph110505020
  • Description: Renewed focus on the sorption of hydrophobic organic chemicals (HOCs) onto mineral surfaces and soil components is required due to the increased and wider range of organic pollutants being released into the environment. This mini-review examines the possibility of the contribution and mechanism of HOC sorption onto clay mineral sorbents such as kaolinite, and soil organic matter and the possible role of both in the prevention of environmental contamination by HOCs. Literature data indicates that certain siloxane surfaces can be hydrophobic. Therefore soils can retain HOCs even at low soil organic levels and the extent will depend on the structure of the pollutant and the type and concentration of clay minerals in the sorbent. Clay minerals are wettable by nonpolar solvents and so sorption of HOCs onto them from aqueous and non-aqueous solutions is possible. This is important for two reasons: firstly, the movement and remediation of soil environments will be a function of the concentration and type of clay minerals in the soil. Secondly, low-cost sorbents such as kaolinite and expandable clays can be added to soils or contaminated environments as temporary retention barriers for HOCs. Inorganic cations sorbed onto the kaolinite have a strong influence on the rate and extent of sorption of hydrophobic organic pollutants onto kaolinite. Structural sorbate classes that can be retained by the kaolinite matrix are limited by hydrogen bonding between hydroxyl groups of the octahedral alumosilicate sheet and the tetrahedral sheet with silicon. Soil organic carbon plays a key role in the sorption of HOCs onto soils, but the extent will be strongly affected by the structure of the organic soil matter and the presence of soot. Structural characterisation of soil organic matter in a particular soil should be conducted during a particular contamination event. Contamination by mining extractants and antibiotics will require renewed focus on the use of the QSAR approaches in the context of the sorption of HOCs onto clay minerals from aqueous and non-aqueous solutions.
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  • Date Issued: 2014

The Educational Journal

  • Date: 2013-12
  • Subjects: Education – South Africa , South Africa – Economic conditions , South Africa – Social conditions
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , Article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/38349 , vital:34591 , Bulk File 7
  • Description: The Educational Journal was the official organ of the Teachers' League of South Africa and focussed on education within the context of a racialized South Africa. From the 2000s, the journal was published by the National Union of Public Service and Allied Workers (NUPSAW), a trade union formed in August 1998 from the amalgamation of militant and moderate trade unions and also operated in the education sphere.
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  • Date Issued: 2013-12

Institutional Repositories and Regional Collaboration: the Content Pro IRX Implementation at SEALS

  • Authors: Clarke, Roelien , Van der Walt, Wynand
  • Date: 2013
  • Language: English
  • Type: Conference paper , text
  • Identifier: vital:6977 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007310
  • Description: Paper delivered at the Annual Innovative User Group South Africa (IUGSA) Conference held in Bloemfontein, University of the Free State, 13-15 November 2013
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  • Date Issued: 2013

Redressing apartheid's legacy of social exclusion: social equity, redress and admission to higher education in South Africa

  • Authors: Badat, Saleem
  • Date: 2013
  • Language: English
  • Type: Text
  • Identifier: vital:7931 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1016481
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  • Date Issued: 2013

Treating the psychological sequelae of proactive drug-facilitated sexual assault : knowledge building through systematic case based research : extended version of the article that was published as a brief report

  • Authors: Padmanabhanunni, Anita , Edwards, David J A
  • Date: 2013
  • Language: English
  • Type: Article
  • Identifier: vital:6236 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007786
  • Description: From Introduction: Drug facilitated sexual assault (DFSA) -- on victims who are too intoxicated to be aware of their surroundings or exercise any control of the situation -- has emerged as a distinct category of sexual victimisation. DFSA has been identified as a significant public health concern, particularly among college students, with the majority of victims being women (McCauley, Ruggiero, Resnick, & Kilpatrick, 2010; Zinzow, Resnick, McCauley, Amstadter, Ruggiero, & Kilpatrick, 2010). Exact rates remain uncertain due to significant under-reporting (Du Mont, Macdonald, Rotbard, Asslanni, & Bainbridge, 2010; Lawyer, Resnick, Bakanic, Burkett, & Kilpatrick, 2010). Opportunistic DFSA, also called incapacitated rape (Lawyer et al., 2010; Zinzow at al., 2010), is the most common form and refers to assaults on women who have voluntarily consumed an excessive amount of alcohol (Lovett & Horvath, 2009). In proactive DFSA (called drug facilitated rape by Lawyer et al., 2010 and drug-alcohol facilitated rape by Zinzow et al., 2010), perpetrators deliberately incapacitate victims by plying them with alcohol or covertly administering an incapacitating drug such as Flunitrazepam (Rohypnol) or Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) to victims with the intention of sexually assaulting them (Hall & Moore, 2008).
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  • Date Issued: 2013

Changing sediment yield and sediment dynamics in the Karoo uplands, South Africa : post-European impacts

  • Authors: Foster, I D L , Rowntree, Kate M , Boardman, J , Mighall, T M
  • Date: 2012
  • Language: English
  • Type: Article
  • Identifier: vital:6684 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006683
  • Description: We provide an overview of published results and a significant body of new data from an ongoing research programme designed to reconstruct sediment yields and sources in small (<60 km2) catchments in the Eastern Cape, South Africa over the last 150 years. Our analysis of four catchments has determined that sediment yield increased significantly in the latter half of the 20th Century but that the exact timing of these increases was different in each of the four catchments. In two high altitude locations, sediment yield increases were not associated with a significant change in sediment source, although in one case areas of former cultivation appear to have made a slightly greater contribution since the 1960s. In a third catchment, increases in sediment yield appear to have been driven by the development of badlands and by an increase in connectivity between the badlands and the main channel network in the 1960s. In the fourth catchment, increased connectivity between the main catchment and dam occurred as a result of the construction of a causeway to carry a main road and by the construction of culverts beneath the road. Occasional changes in sediment source have also been identified in the sedimentary record but these were not linked directly to road construction. Research to date shows the complexity of sediment delivery in these semi-arid catchment systems and emphasises the need to combine sediment yield with source ascription in order to better understand the dynamics of these systems.
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  • Date Issued: 2012

Graviton n-point functions for UV-complete theories in Anti-de Sitter space

  • Authors: Brustein, R , Medved, A J M
  • Date: 2012
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , Article
  • Identifier: vital:6820 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004427
  • Description: We calculate graviton n-point functions in an anti-de Sitter black brane background for effective gravity theories whose linearized equations of motion have at most two time derivatives. We compare the n-point functions in Einstein gravity to those in theories whose leading correction is quadratic in the Riemann tensor. The comparison is made for any number of gravitons and for all physical graviton modes in a kinematic region for which the leading correction can significantly modify the Einstein result. We find that the n-point functions of Einstein gravity depend on at most a single angle, whereas those of the corrected theories may depend on two angles. For the four-point functions, Einstein gravity exhibits linear dependence on the Mandelstam variable s versus a quadratic dependence on s for the corrected theory.
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  • Date Issued: 2012

The NINJA-2 catalog of hybrid post-Newtonian/numerical-relativity waveforms for non-precessing black-hole binaries

  • Authors: Ajith, P , Boyle, M , Brown, Duncan A , Buchman, L T , Pollney, D
  • Date: 2012
  • Language: English
  • Type: Article
  • Identifier: vital:6788 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006940
  • Description: The Numerical INJection Analysis (NINJA) project is a collaborative effort between members of the numerical relativity and gravitational wave data analysis communities. The purpose of NINJA is to study the sensitivity of existing gravitational-wave search and parameter-estimation algorithms using numerically generated waveforms, and to foster closer collaboration between the numerical relativity and data analysis communities. The first NINJA project used only a small number of injections of short numerical-relativity waveforms, which limited its ability to draw quantitative conclusions. The goal of the NINJA-2 project is to overcome these limitations with long post-Newtonian - numerical relativity hybrid waveforms, large numbers of injections, and the use of real detector data. We report on the submission requirements for the NINJA-2 project and the construction of the waveform catalog. Eight numerical relativity groups have contributed 63 hybrid waveforms consisting of a numerical portion modelling the late inspiral, merger, and ringdown stitched to a post-Newtonian portion modelling the early inspiral. We summarize the techniques used by each group in constructing their submissions. We also report on the procedures used to validate these submissions, including examination in the time and frequency domains and comparisons of waveforms from different groups against each other. These procedures have so far considered only the $(ell,m)=(2,2)$ mode. Based on these studies we judge that the hybrid waveforms are suitable for NINJA-2 studies. We note some of the plans for these investigations.
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  • Date Issued: 2012

What's been built in twenty years?: SADC and Southern Africa's political and regional security culture

  • Authors: Bischoff, Paul, 1954-
  • Date: 2012
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/161498 , vital:40633
  • Description: The sense of region in Southern Africa is based on nationalism and its struggles for national liberation. Unusually, the norms of smaller states initially shaped the region's scope and culture of interaction. First and foremost, cooperation happened in the area of security, an initial focus being to uphold the independence and sovereignty of the state in the face of challenges from apartheid South Africa. As such, rather atypically, intergovernmental security cooperation preceded broad based economic cooperation. This has meant that security and development have remained largely de-linked and this has helped discourage implementing a society or human rights centred approach to security. Cooperation has been made more difficult by disparate political systems with divergent values, cultures, agendas and sensibilities. As such, regionalism reinforces nationalism to the exclusion of development or wider notions of political and social security. The region amounts to a security regime with only a patchy record in advancing security. Therefore, in the face of developmental challenges and unless a degree of strategic coherence along political and policy fronts is reached, after 20 years of SADC the endeavour to institutionalise security in conventional state-centred ways amounts to a scenario of diminishing returns.
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  • Date Issued: 2012
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