The geochemistry of ore fluids and control of gold mineralization in banded iron-formation at the Kalahari Goldridge deposit, Kraaipan greenstone belt, South Africa
- Authors: Hammond, Napoleon Quaye
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Gold ores -- Geology -- South Africa -- North-West Greenstone belts -- South Africa -- North-West Ore deposits -- South Africa -- North-West Geochemistry -- South Africa -- North-West
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:5048 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1008370
- Description: The Kalahari Goldridge mine is located within the Archaean Kraaipan Greenstone Belt about 60 km SW of Mafikeng in the Northwestern Province, South Africa. Several gold deposits are located within approximately north - south-striking banded iron-formation (BIF). Current opencast mining operations are focused on the largest of these (D Zone). The orebody is stratabound and hosted primarily in the BIF, which consists of alternating chert and magnetite-chloritestilpnomelane-sulphide-carbonate bands ranging from mm to cm scale. The ore body varies in thickness from 15 to 45 m along a strike length of about 1.5 km. The BlF is sandwiched between a sericite-carbonate-chlorite schist at the immediate footwall and carbonaceous meta-pelites in the hanging-wall. Further west in the footwall, the schists are underlain by mafic meta-volcanic amphibolite. Overlying the hanging-wall carbonaceous metapeiites are schist units and meta-greywackes that become increasingly conglomeratic up the stratigraphy. Stilpnomelane-, chlorite- and minnesotaite-bearing assemblages in the BlFs indicate metamorphic temperatures of 300 - 450°C and pressures of less than 5 kbars. The BIF generally strikes approximately 3400 and dips from 60 to 75°E. Brittle-ductile deformation is evidenced by small-scale isoclinal folds, brecciation, extension fractures and boudinaging of cherty BIF units. Fold axial planes are sub-parallel to the foliation orientation with sub-vertical plunges parallel to prominent rodding and mineral lineation in the footwall. Gold mineralization at the Kalahari Goldridge deposit is associated with two generations of subhorizontal quartz-carbonate veins dips approximately 20 to 40°W. The first generation consists of ladder vein sets (Group lIA) preferentially developed in Fe-rich meso bands, whilst the second generation consists of large quartz-carbonate veins (Group lIB), which crosscut the entire ore body extending into the footwall and hanging-wall in places. Major structures that control the ore body are related to meso-scale isoclinal folds with fold axes subparallel to mineral elongation lineations, which plunge approximately 067°E. These linear structures form orthogonal orientation with the plane of the mineralized shallowdipping veins indicating stretching and development of fluid - focusing conduits. A second-order controlling feature corresponds to the intersection of the mineralized veins and foliation planes of host rock, plunging approximately 008°N and trending 341°. G0ld is closely associated with sulphides, mainly pyrite and pyrrhotite and to a lesser extent with bismuth tellurides, and carbonate gangue. The ore fluid responsible for the gold deposition is in the C-O-H system with increased CH₄ contents attributed to localized hydrolysis reaction between interbedded carbonaceous sediment and ore fluid. The fluid is characterized by significant C0₂ contents and low salinities below 7.0 wt % NaCl equivalent (averages of 3.5 and 3.0 wt % NaCl equivalent for the first and second episodes of the mineralization respectively) . Calculated values of f0₂. ranging from 10⁻²⁹·⁹⁸ to 10⁻³²·⁹⁶ bars, bracket the C0₂-CH₄ and pyrite-pyrrhotite-magnetite buffer boundaries and reveal the reducing nature of the ore fluid at deposition. Calculated total sulphur content in the ore fluid (mΣs), ranges from 0.011 to 0.018M and is consistent with the range (10⁻³·⁵ to 10⁻¹M) reported for subamphibolite facies ore fluids. The close association of sulphides with the Au and nature of the fluid also give credence that the Au was carried in solution by the Au(HS)₂ - complex. Extensive epigenetic replacement of magnetite and chlorite in BIF and other meta-pelitic sediments in the deposit by sulphides and carbonates, both on meso scopic and microscopic scales gives evidence of an interaction by a CO₂- and H₂S-bearing fluid with the Fe-rich host rocks in the deposit. This facilitated Au precipitation due to changes in the physico-chemical conditions of the ore fluid such as a decrease in the mΣs and pH leading to the destabilization of the reduced sulphur complexes. Local gradients in f0₂ may account for gold precipitation in places within carbonaceous sediments. The fineness of the gold grams (1000*Au/(Au + Ag) ranges from 823 to 921. This compares favourably with the fineness reported for some Archaean BIFhosced deposits (851 - 970). Mass balance transfer calculations indicate that major chemical changes associated with the hydrothermal alteration of BIF include enrichment of Au, Ag, Bi, Te, volatiles (S and CO₂), MgO, Ba, K and Rb but significant depletion of SiO₂ and minor losses of Fe₂O₃. In addition, anomalous enrichment of Sc (average, 1247%) suggests its possible use as an exploration tool in the ferruginous sediments in the Kraaipan greenstone terrane. Evidence from light stable isotopes and fluid inclusions suggests that the mineralized veins crystallized from a single homogeneous fluid source during the two episodes of mineralization under the similar physicochemical conditions. Deposition occurred at temperatures rangmg from 350 to 400°C and fluid pressures ranging from 0.7 to 2.0kbars. Stable isotope constraints indicate the following range for the hydrothermal fluid; θ¹⁸H₂O = 6.65 to 10.48%0, 8¹³CΣc = -6.0 to -8.0 %0 and 8³⁴SΣs = + 1.69 to + 4.0%0 . These data do not offer conclusive evidence for the source of fluid associated with the mineralization at the Kalahari Goldridge deposit as they overlap the range prescribed for fluid derived from devolatization of deep-seated volcano-sedimentary piles near the brittle-ductile transition in greenstone belts during prograde metamorphism, and magmatic hydrothermal fluids. , KMBT_363 , Adobe Acrobat 9.54 Paper Capture Plug-in
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- Date Issued: 2003
The history of marine fish systematics in South Africa
- Authors: Gon, O (Ofer), 1949-
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: J.L.B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology Fishes -- Research -- South Africa -- History Fishes -- Catalogs and collections -- South Africa -- History Museums -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2599 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007800
- Description: South African marine fish collections and systematic research are relatively young, essentially a product of the 20th century. Their history in South Africa comprises three distinct periods: the emergence of fish collections (before 1895), the beginning of research (1895-1945) and modern research (1945-1999). From the outset of their arrival in South Africa in the mid-17th century, the European settlers of the Cape Colony supplemented their diet with fishes. Therefore it is not surprising that when natural history museums appeared in the 19th century fishes were among the first specimens they procured or received from the public. In these early days, fishes were acquired for display purposes and were curated together with other natural history specimens. There were no fish collections as such and, in many ways, the early history of South African fish collections closely followed the history of the institutions in which they were housed. Major political events in South Africa between 1850-1910 had little effect on the slow growth offish collections as the low influx of specimens from the public did not change. None of the museums did any active fish collecting and no fish research as such took place during these years. The second period in the growth of fish collections in South Africa was characterised by a general shift to collecting for research rather than display. It was also a period during which the need for aquatic research was recognized by and began to attract funding from the South African government, starting with the establishment of the Marine Biological Survey in Cape Town. However, with the exception of the Albany Museum's self-trained J.L.B. Smith, no trained marine fish systematists were working in museums either as curators or as researchers. In the first half of the 20"' century South Africa experienced the fast growth of the fishing industry, the development of academic and applied research in marine biology, and the thriving of sport fishing. These developments created a demand for well-trained professional ichthyologists. J.L.B. Smith was the first to fill this professional gap. The growth rate offish collections increased significantly through the interaction between museum scientists, such as Smith in Grahamstown and K.H. Barnard in Cape Town, with the fishing industry, government biologists and fisheries officers, and anglers. Barnard's review of the South African marine fish fauna was published in mid-I920s. The discovery of the first living coelacanth placed South African ichthyology and Smith on the international stage. The identification of this fish, made by a relatively inexperienced Smith, changed the way ichthyology has been viewed in South Africa. At the beginning of the third period, largely due to the establishment of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research in 1945, science in South Africa underwent a process of reorganisation. As funding became more available museums were able to enlarge their research staff. Natural history museums hired qualified experts to conduct research and manage collections of specific groups of organisms. For the first time, trained ichthyologists started working in museums and initiated research projects that were the main contributors to the growth of fish collections around the country. Furthermore it was a period of consolidation offish collections resulting in two large marine fish collections, one at the South African Museum, Cape Town, and another at the J .L.B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology, Grahamstown. This period also witnessed the establishment of the latter as a research institute dedicated to the study of fishes and its rise to international prominence. The last 55 years at J.L.B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology can be divided into two distinct periods, 1945-1967 and 1968-1999, each consisting of similar elements of research work and objectives. These included the research and production of major reviews of the fish faunas of South Africa, the western Indian Ocean and the Southern Ocean, as well as research on the coelacanth. While in the former period the work was done by one scientist, J.L.B. Smith, the latter period has been characterised by collaborative projects including scientists from South Africa and abroad. As this history shows, the establishment of a viable, long-lasting collection is a lengthy process. For about 60 years the durability of fish collections depended on the enthusiasm and persistence of individual curators and scientists who were not ichthyologists. More often than not, enthusiasm disappeared when such individuals left their museums. This dependence existed until Rhodes University College established the Department of Ichthyology (1947) and the South African Museum created a post specifically for the curation of the fish collection (1957) and thus ensured continuity. The continuity of biosystematic research in South Africa has been a minor concern for the nation's systematists for decades. The threats to marine fish systematics have been of a financial, political and professional nature. The latter has been the most serious one because of the dearth of South Africans trained in marine fish systematics. After J.L.B. Smith's death in 1968 M.M. Smith had to work hard to convince the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research and Rhodes University that she could step into her late husband's shoes. Realizing that there was nobody to take over from her she initiated the first and only postgraduate programme in ichthyology in South Africa. The teaching started in the academic year of 1970171 at the J.L.B. Smith Institute of Ichthyology, but to date only one student has completed a thesis in marine fish systematics. Due to the government's transformation policy all the practising marine fish systematists in South Africa will be retiring in the course of the present decade. Consequently, if no aspiring, motivated students appear on the scene in the next couple of years marine fish systematics in this country will be in a deep crisis by the year 2010, possibly even earlier.
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- Date Issued: 2003
The hydrolysis of primary sewage sludge under biosulphidogenic conditions
- Authors: Molwantwa, Jennifer Balatedi
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Sewage sludge , Hydrolysis , Sewage -- Purification -- Activated sludge process
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:3961 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004020 , Sewage sludge , Hydrolysis , Sewage -- Purification -- Activated sludge process
- Description: The potential for using readily available and cost-effective complex carbon sources such as primary sewage sludge for a range of environmental remediation processes, including biological sulphate reduction, biological nutrient removal and the bioremediation of acid mine drainage, has been constrained by the slow rate of solubilization and low yield of soluble products, which drive the above mentioned processes. Previous work conducted by the Environmental Biotechnology Group at Rhodes University indicated that the degradation of primary sewage sludge was enhanced under sulphate reducing conditions. This was proven in both laboratory and pilot-scale (Reciprocating Sludge Bed Reactor) systems, where the particulate matter accumulated in the sludge bed and the molecules in smaller flocs were rapidly solubilized. The current study was aimed at investigating in more detail the factors that govern the enhanced hydrolysis under sulphate reducing conditions, and to develop a descriptive model to explain the underlying mechanism involved. The solubilization of primary sewage sludge under sulphate reducing conditions was conducted in controlled flask studies and previously reported findings of enhanced hydrolysis were confirmed. The maximum percentage solubilization obtained in this study was 31% and 63% for the methanogenic and sulphidogenic systems respectively, and this was achieved over a period of 10 days. A rate of reducing sugar production and complex molecule breakdown of 51 mg. L⁻¹.hr⁻¹ and 167 mg.L⁻¹.hr⁻¹ was observed for the methanogenic and sulphidogenic systems respectively. The flask studies revealed that during hydrolysis of primary sewage sludge under sulphidogenic conditions there was enhanced production of soluble products, specifically carbohydrates (reducing sugars) and volatile fatty acids, compared to methanogenic conditions. The rate at which these products were utilized was also found to be more rapid under sulphidogenic as compared to methanogenic conditions. A study of the distribution of volatile fatty acids indicated that acetate was utilized preferentially in the methanogenic system, and that propionate, butyrate and valerate accumulated with time. The converse was found to occur in the sulphidogenic system. The descriptive model developed from the results of this study was based on the fact that a consortium of bacteria, composed of hydrolytic, acidogenic and acetogenic species, carries out the solubilization of complex carbon sources. Furthermore, it is essential that equilibrium between product formation and utilization is maintained, and that accumulation of soluble end products impacts negatively on the rate of the hydrolysis step. It is therefore proposed that the relatively poor utilization of VFA and reducing sugars in the methanogenic system activates a negative feedback inhibition on the hydrolytic and/ or acidogenic step. This inhibition is reduced in the sulphidogenic system where the utilization of end products is higher.
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- Date Issued: 2003
The impact of diversity training on employee attitudes and behaviour with regard to diversity in work organisations: an analysis of a diversity-training programme in a Namibian work organisation
- Authors: Amuenje, Florentia
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Employees -- Training of -- Namibia , Diversity in the workplace , Employees -- Attitudes
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2924 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002433 , Employees -- Training of -- Namibia , Diversity in the workplace , Employees -- Attitudes
- Description: Diversity training programmes are formal efforts to prepare the workforce to work with individuals from different cultural backgrounds and to improve organisational effectiveness. Although many studies have described diversity training programmes in the workplace, only a few have been evaluated to assess their effectiveness and impact on job outcomes. This thesis describes a study that assessed the impact of a diversity management-training programme on employee attitudes and behaviour towards diversity in a manufacturing company in Namibia. Kirkpatrick’s (1959) four-level model, which examines the trainees’ reactions to the training, the learning acquired, the behaviour change and improvement in organisational results, was used to measure the impact of the training programme. Data was collected through pre-and post-assessment semi-structured individual interviews and a focus group was conducted two months after the training. Data analysis indicates that the first two levels of the evaluation model showed an impact. The participants had positive reactions towards the course and said that they had learnt from the course. The data also showed that the training did not have any impact on the behaviour of the participants and on organisational outcomes. The research also revealed that lack of improved productivity and organisational results might have been influenced by unrealistic expectations, past political conditions, job insecurity and unemployment and the training context. Some recommendations for both the diversity training programme administrators as well as the management of the company are made.
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- Date Issued: 2003
The impact of US Peace Corps volunteers on the management and leadership of a school in Namibia: a case study
- Authors: Ipangelwa, Anna
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Peace Corps (U.S.) Volunteer workers in Education -- Namibia Education -- Namibia Education and state -- Namibia Educational change -- Namibia School management and organization -- Namibia Educational leadership -- Namibia
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1561 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003443
- Description: Peace Corps Volunteer teachers have played a significant role in Namibia’s attempts to restructure education in line with its policy of education for all. While we have learned a great deal in recent years about how Peace Corps Volunteer Teachers have achieved their stated goals and objectives of teaching students and training serving teachers, we still know relatively little about the role they may have played in school management. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of Peace Corps volunteers work on the management and leadership of the schools they serve. The study focuses on the work of two volunteers based in a combined school in the Ondangwa West educational region of Namibia. The study adopts a qualitative approach and seeks to establish whether there has been an impact by Peace Corps volunteer’s work on the management and leadership of this school by focusing on (a) activities performed by Peace Corps volunteers; (b) the experiences of both management and staff in working with Peace Corps volunteers; (c) whether the presence of Peace Corps volunteers that served at the school influence the management and leadership of the school; (d) how the duties and activities performed by these volunteers were perceived by the students, teachers and community. The interview questions that were used to collect data from seven respondents were based on the literature from Peace Corps and the Ministry of Basic Education, Culture and Sport as well as education management and leadership literature. The findings indicate that volunteers that served at this school performed management and leadership related activities with the students, teachers and community and that these activities are having an effect on the management and leadership of the school.
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- Date Issued: 2003
The importance of managing cultural change in the succession process within family businesses in the Gauteng area
- Authors: Hynd, Dale Vaughan
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Family-owned business enterprises -- South Africa Family-owned business enterprises -- Succession Corporate culture -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3173 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007802
- Description: The aim of this research was to ascertain the implications and the impact that the succession process would have on the organisational culture of family businesses. In an attempt to answer this, the researcher asked three questions surrounding the succession process and its relationship with organisational culture. The questions related to the extent to which the family business was prepared for change in management; what changes occurred before, during, and immediately after the succession process, and what results these changes had on the organisational culture. Family businesses account for a large proportion of the national and global market activities, and so it is imperative that attention be paid to any problems they may experience. As it is, family businesses have difficulty in successions, with roughly one third of first generation family businesses surviving the succession process. It is the aim of this research to explore the contribution organisational culture has in the large failure rate of succession with family businesses. When successors enter into the organisation, they bring with them different perspectives on managerial issues suggesting that a change in leadership style will occur as a result of a succession. In answering the research questions, the researcher embarked on a two-phase research methodology utilising a quantitative and qualitative process. This triangulation process incorporates a self-administrated survey questionnaire, and six in-depth interviews. The survey questionnaire and interview schedules were structured using a combination of elements obtained from Harris's (1998) and Levinson's (1972). The survey data was analysed using various statistical methods, predominantly a Factor Analysis, where as Abstract iii the interviews were analysed using a theme retrieval process. The two processes were combined to yield the results. The findings of the research conclude that through the introduction of the successor in the change process, a new leadership style is introduced into the business. The new leader changes policies, practices and procedures, which are related to organisational climate and are the tangible aspects of organisational culture. Altering the climate essentially alters the culture, which may result in anxiety within the organisation and lead to tension. If these issues are not addressed, they may result in the demise of family businesses.
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- Date Issued: 2003
The individual and the social order in Mill and Hegel : seeking common principles in liberal and communitarian ancestry
- Authors: Koseff, Justin Adam
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Hegel, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich, 1770-1831 , Mill, John Stuart, 1806-1873 , Liberalism , Communitarianism
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2843 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005624 , Hegel, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich, 1770-1831 , Mill, John Stuart, 1806-1873 , Liberalism , Communitarianism
- Description: This thesis seeks to establish a significant commonality and compatibility between the principles underpinning the political and social philosophies of GWF Hegel and John Stuart Mill. The role of the individual and the social order in both their theories is discussed and assessed separately and in turn in reference to their respective seminal works on the proper structure, principles and function of modern political infrastructure. Through an interpretation of the fundamental tenets and goals of their theories of the social order I argue for a coherent modern reconstruction of their doctrines, within which I locate parallels and contrasts as they apply. Both theorists as ultimately put forward similar arguments for freedom as an intersubjectively·developed capacity, the ideal social order as rational framework for the management of ethical and political engagement, linked to a social holism that ties individual and social progress inextricably. A respect for individual particularity of perspective and practice is integral both of their social frameworks, but that such a space must be harmonised within a rational political community worthy of individual obligation. Finally their social and political theories can be understood as complementary, each providing insights which the other lacks. Mill suffers from an insufficient regard for the social basis of identity and interconnected nature of the modern institutional framework, while Hegel displays an insufficient regard for Mill's caveats concerning the repressive potential of institutional structures and the dangers of overly empowered bureaucracies. In conclusion key elements of the two theorists' projects stand as separate but not in any way fundamentally opposed to each other. This points to the possibility of a via media between a politics of individualism and a politics of community, suggesting strong potential for reconciliation between liberal and communitarian perspectives.
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- Date Issued: 2003
The natural product chemistry of South African Plocamium species
- Authors: Knott, Michael George
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Marine algae -- South Africa Red algae -- South Africa Green algae -- South Africa Halimeda -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MPharm
- Identifier: vital:3820 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004920
- Description: The brine shrimp lethality assay was used as a preliminary tool to screen eighteen seaweeds collected from the South African coast. Of the seaweeds tested, the red algae Plocamium corallorhiza and Hypnea rosea, and the green alga Halimeda sp., showed the most potent activity. The chemical investigation of P. corallorhiza resulted in the isolation and structural elucidation of five previously undescribed secondary metabolites, along with three known compounds and four possible artifacts of the extraction process. Standard spectroscopic methods and comparison with known compounds were used to determine the structures of the new metabolites. The new compounds included the linear halogenated monoterpenes 4,8-dibromo-1, 1-dichloro-3,7-dimethyl-2,6-octadiene (99), 4,6-dibromo-l, 1-dichloro-3,7-dimethyl-2,7-octadiene (100), 4,8-dibromo-l, 1,7-trichloro-3,7-dimethyl-2,5-octadiene (101) and 3,4,6,7-tetrachloro-3,7-dimethyl-l-octene (102) and the cyclic monoterpene 5-bromo-5-bromomethyl-I-chlorovinyl-2,4-dichloro-methylcyclohexane (103) while the known compounds were identified as 4-bromo-5-bromomethyl-1chlorovinyl-2,5-dichloro-methylcyclohexane (35), 1,4,8-tribromo-3, 7 -dichloro-3,7-dimethyl-1,5-octadiene (94) and 8-bromo-1,3,4,7-tetrachloro-3,7-dimethyl-1,5-octadiene (96). The four methoxylated compounds (104-107) were presumably formed via a standard substitution reaction between the halogenated monoterpenes 96 and 101 and MeOH, which was used as a component in the extraction solvent. With over 100 000 natural products having been reported, it has become necessary to employ an efficient dereplication strategy to quickly identify known compounds. A simple Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) method for the efficient physicochemical screening, identification and dereplication of Plocamium metabolites was developed. In this study the crude extracts of P. corallorhiza, P. cornutum and P. maxillosum were screened by GC-MS and the retention times and mass spectral fragmentation patterns of compounds 94, 96, 99 - 107 were used to quickly identify known and new compounds in the crude extracts of P. cornutum and P. maxillosum. This data indicated that compounds 99, 100, 103 were present in both P. corallorhiza and P.cornutum, while compound 102 was found to be present in P. corallorhiza, P. cornutum and P. maxillosum. These studies also indicated that ecotypes and chemotypes are not a significant feature of P. corallorhiza and P. cornutum. Different species of Plocamium (namely: P. corallorhiza, P. cornutum, and P. maxillosum) have very different chemical profiles, and GC may therefore have appreciable taxonomic application in the identification of the different Plocamium spp. which are endemic to South Africa.
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- Date Issued: 2003
The negotiation process of the EU-SA Trade, Development and Co-operation Agreement: a case of reference for the south?
- Authors: Pillay, Morgenie
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: South Africa -- Foreign economic relations -- European Union countries , European Union countries -- Foreign economic relations -- South Africa , South Africa -- Commerce -- European Union countries , European Union countries -- Commerce -- South Africa , Free trade -- South Africa , Trade regulation -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2821 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003031 , South Africa -- Foreign economic relations -- European Union countries , European Union countries -- Foreign economic relations -- South Africa , South Africa -- Commerce -- European Union countries , European Union countries -- Commerce -- South Africa , Free trade -- South Africa , Trade regulation -- South Africa
- Description: Overall the conclusions drawn about South Africa’s negotiating style and tactics were arrived at by analysing a number of reports (that closely followed the evolution of the negotiations) and then paralleling this case study’s findings with the conjectures made by the theoretical frameworks (i.e. works by Putnam, Zartmann and Churchmann) about how negotiations proceed. In the final analysis, the findings of this case are intended to provide insight for the south about how to approach any future trade negotiations with the North (or more specifically with the EU).
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- Date Issued: 2003
The phenomenology of psychiatric diagnosis: an exploration of the experience of intersubjectivity
- Authors: Bradfield, Bruce Christopher
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Mental illness -- Diagnosis , Intersubjectivity , Stereotypes (Social psychology)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2941 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002450 , Mental illness -- Diagnosis , Intersubjectivity , Stereotypes (Social psychology)
- Description: This work is born out of previous research, conducted by this researcher, into the effects of psychiatric labelling on individuals thus differentiated. Informed by the investigative thrust of phenomenological inquiry, it is the aim herein to provide an illumination of the dramatic confrontation of the labelled individual with the classificatory branding that is his or her label. The question asked is: What is the experience of the labelled individual, and how does the label function as a ‘scientific fact’ (Kiesler, 2000) suffused within his being? In answering these questions, the researcher aims to abandon his own expectations, as is fitting with the phenomenological method, and to devote his sympathies entirely to the subjective disclosures which, it is hoped, the participants will offer. On this point, an obvious tension exists insofar as expectation and hypothesis necessarily constitute the inception of any research endeavour; and so, the notion of a complete bracketing of assumption and anticipation seems methodologically vague. The explorative impetus within this dissertation aims towards an elucidation of the effect of psychiatric diagnosis on the labelled individual, in terms of the individual’s experience of being-with-others. The impact of the offering of the label upon the individual’s interpersonal and intersubjective presence will be explored so as to establish whether psychiatric labelling unfolds as a disconnection of the individual from his co-existence with others.
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- Date Issued: 2003
The phosphorylation and nuclear localization of the co-chaperone murine stress-inducible protein 1
- Authors: Longshaw, Victoria Mary
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Phosphorylation Proteins Heat shock proteins
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:3979 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004038
- Description: The co-chaperone murine stress-inducible protein 1 (mSTI1), a heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70)/ heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) organizing protein (Hop) homologue, mediates the assembly of the Hsp70/Hsp90 chaperone heterocomplex. mSTI1 is phosphorylated in vitro by cell cycle kinases, proximal to a putative nuclear localization signal (NLS), substantiating a predicted CKII-cdc2-NLS (CcN) motif at position 189-239. Stable transfectants of NIH 3T3 fibroblasts that expressed mSTI1-EGFP, NLSmSTI1-EGFP and EGFP, were prepared. Fluorescence microscopy revealed mSTI1 was cytoplasmically localized, and that this localization was not affected by the fusion of mSTI1 with the EGFP moiety. NLSmSTI1-EGFP was targeted to the nucleus compared to EGFP, suggesting that the NLSmSTI1 was a functional NLS. The localization of mSTI1 was determined under normal and heat shock conditions, inhibition of nuclear export (leptomycin B), inhibition of CKII 5,6-dichlorobenzimidazole riboside, DRB), inhibition of cdc2 kinase (olomoucine), and G1/S phase arrest (hydroxyurea). mSTI1-EGFP and mSTI1 were excluded from the nucleus in the majority of resting cells, but accumulated in the nucleus following leptomycin B treatment, implying that mSTI1 possibly undergoes a functional import process, and export via the chromosomal region maintenance 1 (CRM-1)-mediated export pathway. Hydroxyurea and olomoucine (but not DRB or heat shock) treatment increased the proportion of cells in which mSTI1-EGFP exhibited cytoplasmic and nuclear localization. 2D gel electrophoresis detected three endogenous mSTI1 isoforms, which changed following hydroxyurea treatment. Furthermore, point inactivation and mimicking of phosphorylatable residues in mSTI1 altered the translocation of the protein and the isoform composition. Modification of mSTI1 at S189 and T198 decreased the number of isoforms of mSTI1-EGFP, suggesting that the protein is modified at these sites in vivo. The removal of the in vitro cdc2 kinase site at T198 promoted a nuclear localization during G1/S phase arrest. Therefore active cdc2 kinase, but not CKII, may be required for cytoplasmic localization of mSTI1. The CKII site appears to have no regulatory role under heat shock conditions or during the cell cycle. In vitro phosphorylation studies on untagged mSTI1 further supported the prediction that S189 is the only site recognised by CKII. The cdc2 kinase site at T198, however, although the major site, was not the only site phosphorylated in vitro. However, mSTI1 and cdc2 kinase did not interact in a detectable stable complex. Bioinformatic analysis of mSTI1 revealed NLS residues were conserved in STI1 proteins, and the NLS and TPR2A motifs were in close proximity. This may have mechanistic implications for the formation of the Hsp90-mSTI1 heterocomplex. The cytoplasmic or nuclear localization of mSTI1 is predicted to be the result of a dynamic equilibrium between nuclear import and nuclear export, the fulcrum of which may be shifted under different cell cycle conditions. These data provide the first evidence of regulated nuclear import/export of a major Hsp70/Hsp90 co-chaperone, and the regulation of this nuclear import by cell cycle status and cell cycle kinases.
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- Date Issued: 2003
The potential of abalone stock enhancement in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa
- Authors: Godfrey, Brian Peter
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Abalones -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Abalone culture , Abalone fisheries -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:5312 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005157 , Abalones -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Abalone culture , Abalone fisheries -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Description: The largest abalone in South Africa, the perlemoen, Haliotis midae, occurs along approximately two-thirds of the country's coastline, but has only been the target of an extensive commercial fishery in the south-western part of South Africa. Large-scale illegal fishing has however proliferated throughout its entire range over the last 10–15 years, which has had serious effects on stock abundance and once productive populations are facing economic collapse. Abalone stock enhancement has been put forward as an addition or alternative to traditional fisheries management practices, which can potentially rehabilitate overfished abalone populations and enhance natural production. The aim of this project was to investigate the potential of abalone stock enhancement for managing an area in the Eastern Cape Province, which was being subjected to intense illegal fishing pressure. A research approach was adopted to investigate the scale and effects of this poaching and to investigate the survival of artificially cultured abalone seed in the natural environment. A model of a commercial-scale ranching operation was investigated to assess the economic feasibility of such a scheme. Analysis of poaching cases and research samples from Cape Recife indicated high levels of fishing effort that appeared to be causing the observed declines in emergent abalone abundance and average size. Poaching cases from Cape Recife contributed 32% of the total number of cases of known origin in the Eastern Cape Province from 1998–2002, with the majority of the cases (82%) originating from within the Port Elizabeth metropole. There was an exponential increase in the number of poaching cases in the Eastern Cape Province (r²=0.967) and Port Elizabeth over this period but actual annual total catch stabilized, particularly at Cape Recife, where estimates of CPUE declined significantly from 2000–2002 (p<0.001). The annual proportion of emergent abalone under the MLS from Cape Recife was always >85% in confiscations and research collections, and did not change significantly over the period of examination. Comparison of illegal catches with an adjacent site indicated that the emergent abalone population at Cape Recife had a significantly higher proportion of undersized emergent animals (p<0.001) and they were significantly smaller than the abalone from the closest site, Noordhoek, and other areas in Port Elizabeth from 2000–2002 (p<0.001). The apparent declines in emergent abalone abundance indicated by the poaching data were corroborated by sampling of emergent abalone abundance at Cape Recife. Numbers of abalone declined significantly from 125.6 to 53.8 per 20min count (p<0.001), from April 1998–October 2001 and density declined from 1.3 to 0.8m⁻² over a similar period (p<0.001). Juvenile density did not change over this period, although there were significant differences in density observed between two different habitats (p<0.001). Initial releases of cultured juvenile abalone showed that they could be distinguished from their wild counterparts for at least a year after release, by their different shell colouration. Short-term, small-scale trials (7–10 days) using animals between 17 and 30mm SL had mean survival rates of 64–82% (mean 70.4%) and the effect of size on survival was not significant in most cases, although the power to detect differences was low. Attempts to measure the effect of habitat on survival were not conclusive, although refuges under sea urchins appeared to be favoured by both seed and wild abalone, although urchins were not an absolute requirement for survival. Similar medium-term trials (31–74 days) in sheltered sites yielded mean returns of 53.1% using 25mm SL animals and similar trials in a more exposed area had more variable survival rates of between 18.4 and 73.6%, after 25–27 days. A comparison between careful hand-seeding and surface-scattering seed release methods in the open-ocean habitat showed no significant differences in survival rate after 41 days. Larger seed survived significantly better than the smaller seed when scattered on the surface (p<0.0001) and the smaller seed survived significantly better when seeded carefully by hand onto the substrate (p<0.028). Further medium-term releases of large numbers of seed abalone, released using the surface-scattering method in open-ocean habitat, gave mean survival rates of 32.8% over periods of 83–114 days. Assessment of a seeding trial using release modules to seed juvenile animals in the open-ocean was hampered by poor sea conditions and difficult to search substrates, and a mean recovery rate of 3.1% was obtained for the sites that were sampled. Movement of seed was low in the more sheltered sites, and also appeared to be affected by the amount of available habitat. Growth of seed was measured using changes in shell colouration and there were significant differences between areas. An average growth of 1.6mm.month⁻¹ shell length was calculated for all areas. The potential for commercial scale abalone ranching to be used to enhance a territorial user right fishery was investigated using a model of economic feasibility. Internal rates of return of 30.3 and 36.9% were obtained from two harvest regimes using different harvest sizes. There was a high degree of risk associated with these figures owing to a lack of consistent seed survival rate estimates, and the input parameters, which are subject to variation, showed a significant effect on profitability. The operation of this type of ranching scheme is probably not economically feasible as a stand-alone operation but could probably be operated effectively in conjunction with an existing abalone farm. By adding a small wild catch component the profitability of a ranching scheme could be significantly improved. The results of the present study indicate that high levels of poaching at Cape Recife have led to declines in emergent abalone abundance, which will probably lead to stock collapse in the near future. This implies that fisheries managers have failed to fulfil the provisions of fisheries policy in South Africa. The present results from seeding trials show that cultured juveniles can survive and make a contribution to overall stock abundance. Furthermore, while there are obstacles to economic feasibility, commercial ranching has the potential to be a valuable addition to current abalone management strategy.
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- Date Issued: 2003
The process of coping and self-management in the experience of recovering from chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS)
- Authors: Andrews, Karen Joyce
- Date: 2003 , 2013-05-20
- Subjects: Chronic fatigue syndrome , Chronic fatigue syndrome -- Psychological aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: vital:3094 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003132 , Chronic fatigue syndrome , Chronic fatigue syndrome -- Psychological aspects
- Description: A hermeneutical model of doing research is adopted to investigate the process of coping and self-management in the experience of recovering from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). Three research participants who consider themselves as recovering or recovered from CFS were interviewed to obtain data for analysis. The findings are that once the participants cope with the uncertainty about the meaning of the onset of symptoms by defining themselves as ill in somatic terms, the participants use external social and treatment resources to cope with the onset of symptoms and being chronically ill with CFS. As a consequence of feeling stigmatised in relation to social and professional scepticism about initially being ill and subsequently, being chronically ill with CFS, the participants become uncertain about the meaning of having CFS. Coping shifts to using internal resources by adopting self-management practises. In this process, firstly, existing self-management shifts in such a way that the participants view themselves as recovering or recovered from CFS, and secondly, the participants come to the understanding that difficulties with self-management cause and maintain CFS. The findings are discussed to conclude that CFS may be a misdiagnosis of difficulties with self-management. CFS itself may not be an 'objective' disorder, but a constituent of social processes. Becoming diagnosed with CFS arises as a consequence of the search for meaning in relation to the lay and professional assumption that psychological illness does not constitute 'real' illness, operating at both the levels of popular society and the doctor-patient relationship. Difficulties with self-management rather than the diagnosis of CFS provide a more adequate understariding of the participants' illnesses. , KMBT_363 , Adobe Acrobat 9.54 Paper Capture Plug-in
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- Date Issued: 2003
The reading preferences of grade 11 ESL learners in Grahamstown
- Authors: Rasana, Nomakhosazana Hazel
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: English language -- Study and teaching -- Foreign speakers -- South Africa Reading (Secondary) -- South Africa English language -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1721 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003604
- Description: This survey investigates learners’ reading preferences in selected Eastern Cape secondary schools where English is taught as a second language. It seeks to understand the reading patterns and interests of Grade 11s, and the role played by parents, teachers, school and public libraries in promoting a love for reading. Focus group interviews and questionnaires were used to gather data over a period of six weeks. All Grade 11 learners from eight Grahamstown secondary schools where English is taught as a second language participated. Data was analysed using Biomedical Data Programme Statistical Software (BMDP). Chi-square (X ²) tests and t-tests for proportions were used specifically to determine significant differences in the groups (i.e. gender effect, schools and language effect). The data suggest that ESL Grade 11s: 1) do have preferred reading material; 2) have preferred authors; 3) have a preferred language they read in; and 4) read for information. Limited access to reading material affects their reading patterns and ability.
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- Date Issued: 2003
The role of bank finance in small firm growth : a case study
- Authors: Musengi, Sandra
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Banks and banking -- South Africa , Finance -- South Africa , Small business -- South Africa -- Finance , Small business -- South Africa -- Growth -- Case studies , Entrepreneurship -- South Africa , New business enterprises -- South Africa , Bank loans -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:1176 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002793 , Banks and banking -- South Africa , Finance -- South Africa , Small business -- South Africa -- Finance , Small business -- South Africa -- Growth -- Case studies , Entrepreneurship -- South Africa , New business enterprises -- South Africa , Bank loans -- South Africa
- Description: The debate concerning small firm access to finance continues. The proliferation of research of the issue underlines the importance attached in promoting a strong entrepreneurial culture within a country. Small firms are significant to economic growth if they are growing. Central to this significance is ascertaining the role of finance and in particular bank finance in accelerating small growth potential. The case study, through its ontological, epistemological and methodological position, draws on a document review and interview material from small firm owners and key informants to explore the role of bank finance in small firm growth. Case study evidence reveals that small firm owners do not intend to finance firm growth with bank finance but prefer to finance growth with internally generated funds. The owners indicate that non-financial and behavioural factors, such as, maintaining decision-making control, experience accessing bank finance, the perception of the banking relationship and growth aspirations of owners may be more important in dertermining the finance structure for firm growth. From the bank's perspective, findings suggest that risk assessment, financial viability of the enterprise and provision of collateral are more important in the lending decisions; findings supported by an analysis of selected documents. The small sample of small firm owners, bank representatives, experts and documents makes it difficult to generalize the findings. However, the findings are significant because exploring the issue from different perspectives presents invaluable insights, which can be investigated further to assist small firm owners, to develop finance products geared for small firm operations, and in the development of the knowledge base on finance-related issues in the South African context.
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- Date Issued: 2003
The social construction of "sexual knowledge": exploring the narratives of southern African youth of Indian descent in the context of HIV/AIDS
- Authors: Esat, Fazila
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: East Indians -- South Africa -- Attitudes , Youth -- South Africa -- Attitudes , East Indians -- South Africa -- Sexual behavior , Youth -- South Africa -- Sexual behavior , AIDS (Disease) -- Social aspects -- South Africa , HIV infections -- Social aspects -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2970 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002479 , East Indians -- South Africa -- Attitudes , Youth -- South Africa -- Attitudes , East Indians -- South Africa -- Sexual behavior , Youth -- South Africa -- Sexual behavior , AIDS (Disease) -- Social aspects -- South Africa , HIV infections -- Social aspects -- South Africa
- Description: This study pays attention to youth of Indian-descent within the context of sexuality and identity and their role in HIV/AIDS. By gaining an understanding of this interaction between identity and sexuality, it adds to our knowledge of the social dynamics that contribute to the prevalence or lack of prevalence of HIV/AIDS within population groups. This study uses a social constructionist discourse analytic framework and aims to explore the construction of sexual knowledge by Southern African youth of Indian-descent. The findings indicate that the construction of sex is primarily one of risk and ambiguity. Additionally, the construction of sexual knowledge highlights the significance of gender differentials and the importance of agency and responsibility for sexual education. These constructions reinforce traditional educational roles that contribute to the construction of sex as risky and ambiguous. In addition, a social identity of Indian-ness and othering is used as a strategy to give meaning to the lack of parental responsibility with regard to sexual education. The use of social identity is seen as highlighting the importance of acknowledging the sexual values within which youth are embedded. This study concludes with possible ways to shift these constructions. For example, one of the conclusions suggests the implementation of an alternative school-based sexual education that acknowledges the sexual values in which youth are embedded. Furthermore, this acknowledgement of sexual values should take place within a holistic sex education programme that is positive about sexuality. Additionally, a reframing of youth as capable and active decision-makers in their sexual education is necessitated in order to see youth as a potential resource in HIV/AIDS prevention.
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- Date Issued: 2003
The structure of ant communities and their impact on soil-pupating pests in citrus orchards in the Grahamstown area of the Eastern Cape
- Authors: Bownes, Angela
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Ants -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Pests -- Control -- South Africa , Homoptera -- Control -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Citrus -- Diseases and pests -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:5775 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005463 , Ants -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Pests -- Control -- South Africa , Homoptera -- Control -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Citrus -- Diseases and pests -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Description: Two ant species, Pheidole megacephala (Fabricius) and Anoplolepis custodiens (Smith) reach pest status in citrus orchards through precipitating outbreaks of homopterous pests. However, predacious ants, including these two ant species, play an important role in pest suppression in agroecosystems and are therefore beneficial to these systems. If A. custodiens and P. megacephala are important natural control agents in citrus, using ant bands to break the mutualism between the ants and the Homoptera as a method of ant control is preferable to poisoning. Ant communities were sampled by pitfall trapping in three experimental subunits of 2-, 4-, 15- and 30-year-old citrus orchards, in the Grahamstown area of the Eastern Cape. In one subunit in each orchard, populations of P. megacephala and A. custodiens were suppressed by poison applications. In a second subunit, trees were banded with trunk barriers so that ants were prevented from foraging in the trees and a third subunit served as the untreated control. Bait pupae of bollworm, false codling moth and fruit fly were planted in bait trays in all of the subunits to investigate predation on these citrus pests in the relative absence of predacious ants and where they were excluded from the trees. Pheidole megacephala dominated exclusively in all of the plots. Community composition did not change dramatically with increasing age of the trees, but species diversity and species abundance did. Rank-abundance curves showed that community diversity was highest in the 2-year-old plots and lowest in the 30-year-old plots. The Simpson and Shannon-Wiener diversity indices and their evenness measures indicated that diversity and equitability were highest in the poisoned subunits and lowest in the banded subunits. Principle component analysis revealed that the poisoned subunits were similar and distinct in species composition, that there was significant monthly variation in species composition and that community stability increases with an increase in orchard age. The presence of P. megacephala was significantly negatively correlated (rs = -0.293; p < 0.001) with pest pupal survival. Pupal survival was significantly higher for bollworm (p < 0.001), FCM (p < 0.001) and fruit fly (p < 0.001) in the poisoned subunits, than in the banded and control subunits. There was a general trend for survivorship to increase with an increase in the age of the trees. A significant difference (p < 0.001) was found between the months in which the trials were carried out. Pupal survival was significantly lower (p < 0.001) for FCM than for bollworm and fruit fly. In citrus orchards, ant communities are organised by ecological processes and interactions and are influenced by methods of ant control. Ant bands are preferable to poisoning as a method of ant control, so that beneficial species are left on the ground to prey on pests that pupate in the soil. Maintaining high ant species diversity in citrus orchards would be beneficial as predation on the pupae was more effective where ant species diversity was higher.
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- Date Issued: 2003
The suitability of Alagoasa extrema Jacoby (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Alticinae), as a biological control agent for Lantana camara L. in South Africa
- Authors: Williams, Hester Elizabeth
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Lantana camara , Lantana camara -- South Africa , Biological pest control agents -- South Africa , Chrysomelidae
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:5783 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005471 , Lantana camara , Lantana camara -- South Africa , Biological pest control agents -- South Africa , Chrysomelidae
- Description: Lantana camara Linnaeus (Verbenaceae), commonly known as lantana, is a highly invasive weed in many parts of the world. In South Africa it is naturalized in several provinces where it invades pastures, riverbanks, mountain slopes and valleys and commercial and natural forests, forming dense, impenetrable thickets. Chemical and mechanical control methods are expensive, labour intensive and provide only temporary relief as cleared areas are rapidly reinfested by seedlings and coppice growth. A biological control programme was initiated in South Africa in the 1960s, but despite the establishment of 11 agent species, it was considered to have had limited success. Several factors are thought to restrict the impact of the biocontrol agents. Firstly, L. camara occurs in a range of climatic regions, some of which are unsuitable for the establishment of agent species of tropical and subtropical origin. Secondly, L. camara is the result of hybridization between several Lantana species, forming a complex of hybridized and hybridizing varieties in the field, which match none of the Lantana species in the region of origin. This causes partial insect-host incompatibility, displayed as varietal preference. Thirdly, parasitism appears to have significantly reduced the effectiveness of several natural enemies. In spite of all these constraints, biological control has reduced invasion by L. camara by 26%. However, the weed is still very damaging and additional natural enemies are required to reduce infestations further. A flea-beetle species, Alagoasa extrema Jacoby (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), was collected from several sites in the humid subtropical and tropical regions of Mexico, and imported into quarantine in South Africa and studied as a potential biocontrol agent for L. camara. Favourable biological characteristics of this beetle included long-lived adults, several overlapping generations per year, and high adult and larval feeding rates. Observations from the insect’s native range and studies in South Africa suggest that A. extrema would probably be more suited to the subtropical, rather than the temperate areas in South Africa. Laboratory impact studies indicated that feeding damage by A. extrema larvae, over a period spanning the larval stage (16 to 20 days), reduced the above-ground biomass of L. camara plants by up to 29%. Higher larval populations resulted in a higher reduction of biomass. Varietal preference and suitability studies indicated that A. extrema exhibits a degree of varietal preference under laboratory conditions, with one of the white pink L. camara varieties proving the most suitable host. This variety is one of the most damaging varieties in South Africa and is particularly widespread in Mpumalanga Province. Although A. extrema proved to be damaging to L. camara, laboratory host range trials showed it to be an oligophagous species, capable of feeding and developing on several non-target species, especially two native Lippia species (Verbenaceae). The host suitability of these species was marginally lower than that of L. camara and the potential risk to these indigenous species was deemed to be too high to warrant release. It was therefore recommended that A. extrema not be considered for release in South Africa.
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- Date Issued: 2003
The use of environmental education learning support materials in OBE the: case of the Creative Solutions to Waste project
- Authors: Mbanjwa, Sibonelo Glenton
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Environmental education -- South Africa -- Grahamstown Competency-based education -- South Africa -- Grahamstown Health education -- South Africa -- Grahamstown Creative Solutions to Waste Project
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1811 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003697
- Description: The Creative Solutions to Waste Project (CSW) is a local environmental education project, involving five Grahamstown schools, the local municipality; community members and the Rhodes University Environmental Education Unit, where I worked at the time this study was undertaken. In this research I explore the use of environmental education learning support materials (LSM) in Outcomes Based Education (OBE). I have employed a participatory action research approach informed by critical theory in this case study of the Creative Solutions to Waste project (CSW). The research focused on the ‘Waste Education’ materials and their use, developed and piloted during the pilot phase. The Waste Education materials were also used in phase one. In phase two, the research focused on the use of ‘Health and Water’ learning support materials in 4 Grahamstown schools. Research participants included educators, support team members, municipal officials, Department of Education officials, Department of Health (Eastern Cape) officials, the Health Promoting Schools committee and NGO representatives. I employed a range of data collection strategies including questionnaires, observations, field notes, semi-structured interviews, focus group interviews, workshops, reflective journal, videotapes, and photographs and documents analysis. The research process was collaboratively discussed and agreed upon by all the participants. This research indicated that the purpose influences the use of LSM. It also indicated the importance of mediation processes in the use of LSM. This study indicates that the designs of LSM and particular views of learning influence the way LSM are used. It does that by looking at how an active learning framework influenced the use of learning support materials and consequent learning processes. It also highlights the significance of paying attention to issues of language and literacy in the design of LSM, and how these factors influence the use of LSM. It also identified the tension between prescriptive and open-ended processes to professional development in supporting the use of LSM in contexts of curriculum change and transformation. This study also indicated the importance of reflexive processes to improve support process in the CSW project by demonstrating how the contributions and the roles of the support team were reflexively changed. I have reviewed the research processes in relation to the research design decisions made at the start of the project. This study lastly offers some recommendations for further research into the use of LSM, and how an understanding of LSM use may influence the development of LSM.
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- Date Issued: 2003
Transcendence in Patrick White: the imagery of the Tree of Man and Voss
- Authors: Van Niekerk, Timothy
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: White, Patrick, 1912-1990. Tree of man , White, Patrick, 1912-1990. Voss
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2254 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004269 , White, Patrick, 1912-1990. Tree of man , White, Patrick, 1912-1990. Voss
- Description: This study represents an exploration of White's concept of transcendence in The Tree of Man and Voss by means of a detailed account of some of the key patterns of imagery deployed in these novels. White's imagery is a key mode of expression in his work, not simply manifesting in overarching religious symbols and framing structures but figuring in constantly modulated tropes continuous with the narrative, as well as in minor, but no less significant images occasionally susceptible to etymological or onomastic reading. While no attempt is made to provide an exhaustive exploration of the tropes at work in these novels, a sufficient range of material is covered, and its metaphoric density adequately penetrated, to highlight and explore a fundamental concern in White's work with a paradoxical unity underlying the dualities inherent in temporal existence. A useful way of approaching his fiction is to view the perpetual modulations of his imagery as the dramatisation of an enantiodromia or play of opposites, in which the conflicts of duality are elaborated and paradoxically - though typically only momentarily - resolved. This resolution or coincidence of opposites is a significant feature of his notion of transcendence as well as his depictions of illuminatory experience, and in this respect White's metaphysics share an essential characteristic, not only of Christianity, but a range of religious and mythological systems concerned with expressing a transcendent reality. Despite these analogies, however, the novels at hand are not so tightly bound to Christian, or any other, meaning-making systems so as to constitute sustained allegories, and hence this study does not aim to chart a series of correspondences between White's images and biblical or mythological symbols. Indeed, a criticism often levelled at White - with The Tree of Man and Voss typically figuring in support of this claim - is that he too rigidly imposes religious frameworks on his work. An extension of this view is formulated in the Jungian critique of White's corpus offered by David Tacey, who argues that White's conception of transcendence is consistently challenged by the archetypal significance of the images he employs, which point to a contrary process of psycho-spiritual regression in his protagonists. In a fundamentally text-based approach, this study explores White's use of imagery while taking biblical resonances and archetypal interpretations into account, and suggests that, though White's images are highly allusive, they are not merely agents of imported Christian, or other traditional symbolic values. Nor do they undermine the authenticity of his depiction of the spirituality of his protagonists, or obtrude on the fabric of the narrative. Instead, the range of his images are - though often ambivalent - integral to a network of mercurial tropes which articulate and constantly evaluate a notion of transcendence through inflections and oscillations rather than equations of meaning.
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- Date Issued: 2003