Browsing by Title
-
Mugabo, Pierre; Obikeze, Kenechukwu; Njagi, Angela; Burger, Andries; Dietrich, Danielle; Green, Ivan (Open Access Science Research Publisher, 2012)[more][less]
Abstract: Crinum macowanii has been used extensively in traditional medicines for treatment of various illnesses such as oedema and ‘heart disease’. Previous studies of the crude bulb extracts on Langendorff perfused isolated rat hearts indicated a positive inotropic effect. The aim of this study was to isolate and characterize compound(s) from C. macowanii with cardiovascular effects similar to that observed with the crude extracts of the plant. The methanol extract of dried bulbs was extracted for alkaloids, and structural elucidation of the isolated alkaloid identified it as hippadine. The cardiovascular effects of hippadine was evaluated in vitro in isolated perfused rat hearts using the “double sided” working heart system. Perfusion with 0.5 μg/ml and 5.0 μg/ml hippadine in Krebs-Hanseleit buffer led to significant decreases in coronary flow, aortic output, cardiac output, systolic pressure, and heart rate, accompanied by increases in diastolic pressure. Hippadine exhibited a negative chronotropic and inotropic effect on the isolated rat heart and is responsible either partly or fully for the cardiovascular effects of C. macowanii. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/401 Files in this item: 1
MugaboHippadine2012.pdf (63.78Kb) -
Gershwin, Lisa-Ann; Gibbons, Mark J. (Magnolia Press, 2009)[more][less]
Abstract: A common and conspicuous member of the medusan fauna of South Africa has been the subject of repeated taxonomic confusion. After having been mistakenly identified by earlier workers as either Carybdea alata or Tamoya haplonema, this large and colourful carybdeid is described herein as Carybdea branchi, sp. nov. It is distinguished from its congeners on numerous characters: body to about 8cm in life, densely scattered with nematocyst warts over the whole body and abaxial keels of the pedalia; a bulge or lateral thorn on the pedalial canal bend; with 2 dendritic velarial canals per octant, highly diverticulated; with a long manubrium; with greatly bushy epaulette-like phacellae, comprising 20 or more roots tightly clustered; with well developed mesenteries; and with conspicuous brownish pigmented areas over the proximal and distal regions of the pedalia and over the phacellae. A comparative table of the primary diagnostic characters of species in the genus Carybdea is given. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/369 Files in this item: 1
GershwinCarybdeida2009.pdf (1.003Mb) -
Maneveldt, Gavin; Keats, Derek; Chamberlain, Yvonne (Elsevier, 2008)[more][less]
Abstract: Non-geniculate coralline red algae are common in all of the world’s oceans, where they often occupy close to 100% of the primary rocky substratum. The South African rocky subtidal and intertidal habitats in particular, are rich in diversity and abundance of non-geniculate coralline red algae. Despite their ubiquity, they are a poorly known and poorly understood group of marine organisms. Few scattered records of non-geniculate coralline red algae were published prior to 1993, but these should be treated with caution since many taxa have undergone major taxonomic review since then. Also, generic names such as Lithophyllum and Lithothamnion were loosely used by many authors for a host of different non-geniculate coralline algae. A series of taxonomic studies, based mainly on the Western Cape Province of South Africa, published particularly between 1993 and 2000, has significantly extended our knowledge of these algae from southern Africa. References to these latter papers and the older records are now gathered here and a list of the well delimited families (3), subfamilies (4), genera (17) and species (43) are presented. A catalogue with keys to the various taxonomic categories is also provided. A marked reduction in the number of real taxa has been found largely because many earlier recorded taxa have been reduced to synonymy, or have not been verified, or examined in a modern context and so their placement is considered dubious, particularly because the Corallinales have undergone major taxonomic revisions in recent years. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/656 Files in this item: 1
Maneveldtcataloguewithkeys2008.pdf (182.2Kb) -
Mutemwa, Muyowa; Tucker, William D.; Norman, Michael (Telkom, 2009)[more][less]
Abstract: This paper discusses how an Instant Messaging application on a computer can use Bluetooth in order to provide vibration notification on a mobile phone. The initial motivation was to aid Deaf1 office workers to know when events happened on the computer on their desks. Deaf people with access to modern technology have become accustomed to using Instant Messaging, email and video conferencing. However, most of these applications are designed for hearing users and often use audible notification. Cell phone vibration offers a way to convey similar notifications because many Deaf users have a cell phone. The use of SMS has also become widespread among Deaf users because they cannot hear or speak, even though they might be somewhat text illiterate. Vibration notification in addition to aural notification is common on most cell phones and Deaf users can use the former. This paper describes a Bluetooth notification system to notify a Deaf user with vibration on a cell phone whenever a new Instant Message is received on a given computer. A design goal was to provide an application programming interface to the notification system so that it can be used with any form of Web 2.0 desktop communication tool. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/530 Files in this item: 1
MutemwaNormanTuckerBluetooth2009.pdf (343.6Kb) -
Alpaslan, Nicky; Schenck, Catherina (Rinie) (University of Stellenbosch, 2012)[more][less]
Abstract: Introduction: In view of the references to the “poor working conditions” of social workers (Kusambisa in Chibba, 2011), which make it a challenge to retain social workers in rural areas (Kruger, 2008:44), and the exodus of social workers from the profession in search of “better working conditions” (Dlamini in Ngomane, 2010:4), the researchers’ decided to embark on a research project with the aim of revisiting and exploring the working condition-related challenges experienced by social workers practising in rural areas. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/674 Files in this item: 1
AlpaslanSocialWorkersRural2012.pdf (344.4Kb) -
Puoane, Thandi; Tsolekile, Lungiswa (Kamla-Raj Enterprises, 2008)[more][less]
Abstract: This paper was conducted to describe some of the circumstances that increases the risk factors for non-communicable diseases amongst the previously disadvantaged South African population. The work presented here is based on an action research in an urban black township of Cape Town. The goal was to develop a Non- Communicable Disease model, which can be used to benefit an urban township community. Using a participatory process data was collected during each stage of the development and implenting interventions. Interviews, observations and situational assessment of resources available for promoting healthy lifestyle in the township were used to collect data. Although urbanisation seems to be a driving force in nutrition transition, there are underlying factors that influence lifestyle changes. These includes the environment in which people find themselves. The city provides variety of cheap unhealthy food at a lower price. Due to poverty and lack of knowledge, healthy foods become of less important. People tend to indulge in food rich in fat and sugars due to the belief that they have missed opportunities of enjoying these foods due to deprivation. This has lead to the increase in the prevalence of NCDs among poor South Africans. In conclusion, this work provided important information regarding the challenges faced by the urbanised poor population in South Africa. Although Khayelitsha was used to illustrate these challenges, the situation is similar to other urban townships of in South Africa. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/242 Files in this item: 1
PuoaneChallenges2008.pdf (28.29Kb) -
Frantz, Jose M. (Nova Southeastern University, 2007)[more][less]
Abstract: Health care is changing and the demands put on health professionals are increasing. Physiotherapy education should reflect the health and social priorities of the nation. The World Confederation of Physical Therapy (WCPT) is committed to assisting physiotherapy associations in developing educational standards. Physiotherapy education in Africa however, seems to have a real need for assistance from the WCPT. The aim of this paper is to highlight the challenges facing physiotherapy education in Africa. The Delphi methodology was used to obtain information from key informants involved in the area of physiotherapy education from a variety of African countries. The majority of the participants were people who have experienced physiotherapy education in Africa either as graduates or current teachers. Data were analyzed into themes and sent back to respondents for confirmation. The most important challenges highlighted were: lack of undergraduate training opportunities, limited number of therapists, upgrading of physiotherapy educators, research as a major component of physiotherapy education, and recognition of physiotherapy as an essential service. It is concluded that assistance is needed for physiotherapists from Africa to take their rightful place in the health team and higher education institutions should look at improving diploma qualifications of physiotherapists in African countries. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/189 Files in this item: 1
FrantzChallenges2007.pdf (221.5Kb) -
Hart, Genevieve; Davids, Marion (University of Kwazulu Natal, 2010)[more][less]
Abstract: The article reports on an action research project to investigate the effectiveness of an information literacy intervention for first year engineering students at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT). The intervention consisted of two workshops which aimed to teach the students to find information relevant to their essays via the university’s OPAC and engineering databases and to reference and cite their sources. The project assessed students’ information skills before and after the two workshops with the use of a questionnaire consisting of a set of questions based on some of the American College and Research Library (ACRL) standards. The research provides insight into how information literacy education at CPUT library can be improved. Its major recommendations are that more time in the timetable must be allocated to information literacy education and that lecturers should recognise the educational role of librarians. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/440 Files in this item: 1
HartInformationLiteracyEducation2010.pdf (241.9Kb) -
Meyers, Tammy; Dramowski, Angela; Schneider, Helen; Gardiner, Nicolene; Kuhn, Louise; Moore, David (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2012)[more][less]
Abstract: Background: With widespread availability of pediatric antiretro- viral therapy and improved access to prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT), it is important to monitor the impact on pediatric HIV-related hospital admissions and in-hospital mortality in South Africa. Methods: Over a 15-year period, 4 independent surveillance studies were conducted in the pediatric wards at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital in Soweto, South Africa (1996, 2005, 2007, and late 2010 to early 2011). Trends in HIV prevalence and HIV-related mortality were evaluated. Results: HIV prevalence was similar during the first 3 periods: 26.2% (1996), 31.7% (2005), and 29.5% (2007) P > 0.10, but was lower in 2010-2011 (19.3%; P = 0.0005). Median age of the children admitted with HIV increased in the latter periods from 9.13 (interquartile range 3.6-28.8) months to 10.0 (3.0-44.5) months (P > 0.10) and 18.0 (6.2-69.8) months (P = 0.048). Median admis¬sion weight-for-age z-scores were similar (< -3 SD) for the latter 3 periods. Admission CD4 percentage increased from 0.0% (0.0-9.4) in 2005 to 15.0% (8.2-22.8) in 2007 (P < 0.0001) and was 18.7% (9.6-24.7) in 2010-2011 (P > 0.10). Mortality among all vs. HIV- infected admissions was 63 of 565 (11.2%) and 43 of 179 (24.0%) in 2005, 91 of 1510 (6.0%) and 53 of 440 (12.0%) in 2007, and 18 of 429 (4.2%) and 9 of 73 (12.3%) in 2010-2011. Conclusions: HIV prevalence and mortality among pediatric admissions is decreasing. This is likely a result of improved PMTCT and wider antiretroviral therapy coverage. Continued effort to improve PMTCT coverage and identify and treat younger and older HIV-infected children is required to further reduce HIV-related morbidity and mortality. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/507 Files in this item: 1
MeyersPediatricHIV2012.pdf (1.017Mb) -
Kerfoot, Caroline (Centre for Bilingual Research, Stockholm University, 2009)[more][less]
Abstract: This study aims to contribute to the growing body of knowledge on the circumstances under which adult education, in particular adult basic education, can support and occasionally initiate participatory development, social action and the realisation of citizenship rights. It traces developments in adult basic education in South Africa, and more specifically literacy and language learning, over the years 1981 to 2001, with reference to specific multilingual contexts in the Northern and Western Cape. The thesis is based on four individual studies, documenting an arc from grassroots work to national policy development and back. Study I, written in the early 1990s, critically examines approaches to teaching English to adults in South Africa at the time and proposes a participatory curriculum model for the additional language component of a future adult education policy. Study II is an account of attempts to implement this model and explores the implications of going to scale with such an approach. Studies III and IV draw on a qualitative study of an educator development programme after the transition to democracy. Study III uses Bourdieu's theory of practice and the concept of reflexivity to illuminate some of the connections between local discursive practices, self-formation, and broader relations of power. Study IV uses Iedema's (1999) concept of resemiotisation to trace the ways in which individuals re-shaped available representational resources to mobilise collective agency in community-based workshops. The summary provides a framework for these studies by locating and critiquing each within shifts in the political economy of South Africa. It reflects on a history of research and practice, raising questions to do with voice, justice, power, agency, and desire. Overall, this thesis argues for a reconceptualisation of ABET that is more strongly aligned with development goals and promotes engagement with new forms of state/society/economy relations. Description: Printed copies of this publication are available from the Centre for Research on Bilingualism, http://www.biling.su.se/pub/jsp/polopoly.jsp?d=13478&a=69198 URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/215 Files in this item: 1
KerfootChangingConceptions2009.pdf (429.9Kb) -
Genis, Amelia (PLAAS, University of the Western Cape, 2012)[more][less]
Abstract: The privileged position of white commercial farmers in South Africa came to an end by the early 1990s, when political and policy changes removed the certainty provided by controlled marketing, protective tariffs and weak legislation regulating resource use and labour relations on farms and transformed agriculture into a sector that is highly sensitive to events on world markets. Despite their dwindling numbers and disarticulation from political power commercial farmers represent a dominant group in the countryside, retaining a near monopoly of resources and considerable power. Yet, the dynamics of change in the sector are not properly understood or well-researched. This paper presents data from a recent survey of 141 commercial farmers in the Limpopo, Western and Northern Cape Provinces that shows that they consider input costs, climate, labour matters, uncertainty about government policies and producer prices as the major pressures bearing down upon them. The adoption of farming methods which are less labour-intensive and the extension of labour legislation and minimum wages to farm workers, together have led to the decline of on-farm employment. Declining profit margins have resulted in a ‘shake-out’ in which only the most competitive enterprises can survive, leading to increased concentration in agricultural landholding and production. These processes imply that new entrants to agriculture with limited capital face daunting challenges, which policy needs to address. The paper explores these wider implications. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/570 Files in this item: 1
PLAAS_WorkingPaper24Genis.pdf (1.302Mb) -
Berry, Michael; Manasse, Taryn-Lee; Tan, Yee-Joo; Fielding, Burtram C. (Academic Journals, 2012)[more][less]
Abstract: Coronavirus N is a multifunctional protein that plays an essential role in enhancing the efficiency of virus transcription and assembly. This manuscript reports the analysis of HCoV-NL63 N protein by comparing the amino acid sequences of coronavirus N-homologues. A ~50 kDa protein was expressed in both a mammalian cell and bacterial cell system that is similar in size to the predicted ~42.6 kDa HCoV-NL63 N protein. PSORTII identified two putative nuclear localisations signals and PONDR identified one disordered region in HCoV-NL63 N. The reported protein analysis serves as a prelude to laboratory analysis to understand the processing of HCoV-NL63 N. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/735 Files in this item: 1
BerryHumanCoronavirus2012.pdf (970.9Kb) -
Musingarimi, Wicleffe; Tuffin, I. Marla; Cowan, Donald A. (Academy of Science of South Africa, 2010)[more][less]
Abstract: An arsenic resistant Bacillus sp. UWC was isolated from fly ash acid mine drainage (FA-AMD) neutralised solids. A genomic library was prepared and screened in an arsenic sensitive mutant Escherichia coli strain for the presence of arsenic resistance (ars) genes. Sequence analysis of a clone conferring resistance to both sodium arsenite and sodium arsenate revealed homologues to the arsR (regulatory repressor), arsB (membrane located arsenite pump), arsC (arsenate reductase), arsD (second regulatory repressor and a metallochaperone) and arsA (ATPase) genes from known arsenic resistance operons. The Bacillus sp. UWC arsRBCDA genes were shown to be arranged in an unusual manner with the arsDA genes immediately downstream of arsC. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/160 Files in this item: 1
MusingarimiCharacterisation2010.PDF (566.6Kb) -
Mohamed, Nadia; Barnes, Jo (Tufts University, School of Dental Medicine, 2008)[more][less]
Abstract: Objective: This retrospective survey highlighted the characteristics of children less than six years of age presenting with early childhood caries(ECC) who had two or more teeth extracted under intravenous sedation at the Tygerberg Oral Health Centre in Cape Town, South Africa. This survey was carried out in order to plan a community-appropriate intervention strategy. Methods: Records of 140 patients kept by the pediatric Dentistry Division met the inclusion criteria and were included in this survey. Most of the patients originate from economically disadvantaged areas. Results: Diet, feeding and oral hygiene habits were shown to be the most significant factors that contributed to the development of ECC in these patients. All the children were either breast- or bottle-fed past one year of age. 93.6% of the children went to sleep with the bottle or while on the breast and 90% of them were fed on demand during the night. On average, breastfeeding was stopped at 9 months of age compared to bottle-feeding that, on average, was stopped at a much later mean age of 23 months. Where oral hygiene practices were concerned, 52.6% of children brushed their own teeth without supervision. Frequency of brushing varied between subjects. Conclusion: The results of this study have demonstrated that there is a need for culturally appropriate education campaigns to inform parents (especially those in disadvantaged communities) about the importance of oral health and the prevention of oral disease. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/443 Files in this item: 1
MohamedEarlyChildhoodCaries2008.pdf (190.6Kb) -
Fielding, Burtram C.; Davison, Sean (Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1999)[more][less]
Abstract: The polyhedrin gene (polh) was identified from the Trichoplusia ni (Tni) single capsid nuclear polyhedrosis virus (SNPV). An EcoRI fragment containing the truncated polyhedrin gene was detected by hybridization with an AcMNPV expression vector probe; the remaining portion of the gene was amplified by reverse PCR. An open reading frame (ORF) of 741 nucleotides (nt), encoding a putative protein of 246 amino acids (a.a) with Mr 28,780 Da was identified. The 50-noncoding region contained the putative late (TAAG) transcription initiation motif. The 30 end, downstream of the translation stop codon, lacked an obvious putative poly (A) signal. Nucleotide and amino acid homology are greater than 80% to that of Mamestra brassicae polyhedrin sequences.Results suggest that T. niSNPV is a member of the group II nuclear polyhedrosis viruses. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/879 Files in this item: 0
-
Fielding, Burtram C.; Tan, Yee-Joo; Shen, Shuo; Tan, Timothy HP; Ooi, Eng-Eong; Lim, Seng Gee; Hong, Wanjin; Goh, Phuay-Yee (American Society for Microbiology, 2004)[more][less]
Abstract: A novel coronavirus (CoV) has been identified as the etiological agent of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS). The SARS-CoV genome encodes the characteristic essential CoV replication and structural proteins. Additionally, the genome contains six group-specific open reading frames (ORFs) larger than 50 amino acids, with no known homologues. As with the group-specific genes of the other CoVs, little is known about the SARS-CoV group-specific genes. SARS-CoV ORF7a encodes a putative unique 122-amino-acid protein, designated U122 in this study. The deduced sequence contains a probable cleaved signal sequence and a C-terminal transmembrane helix, indicating that U122 is likely to be a type I membrane protein. The C-terminal tail also contains a typical endoplasmic reticulum (ER) retrieval motif, KRKTE. U122 was expressed in SARS-CoVinfected Vero E6 cells, as it could be detected by Western blot and immunofluorescence analyses. U122 is localized to the perinuclear region of both SARS-CoV-infected and transfected cells and colocalized with ER and intermediate compartment markers. Mutational analyses showed that both the signal peptide sequence and ER retrieval motif were functional. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/741 Files in this item: 1
FieldingRespiratorySyndrome2004.pdf (2.581Mb) -
Appunni, Sathiya Susuman (Tehran University of Medical Sciences, 2012)[more][less]
Abstract: Ethiopia’s childhood mortality has continued to decline although at a swift pace. The drop in urban childhood mortality decline, duration of breastfeeding is the principle reason for the overall decline in mortality trends in Ethiopia. Data from the Ethiopian Demographic and Health Surveys 2000 and 2005 were used. Indirect estimation of Brass and Trussell’s methods were adopted. Selected demographic and socio-economic variables were included in the analysis with statistically significant effects. Findings clearly show neonatal and post neonatal mortality decline gradually. Even though, Ethiopia’s childhood mortality rates are still high. The result shows less than 2 years birth interval have higher infant mortality rates than higher birth interval (113 deaths per 1000). The proper spacing of births allows more time for childcare to make more maternal resources available for the care of the child and mother. Therefore, further research is urgent for regional level and national level investigation. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/856 Files in this item: 1
SusumanChildMortality2012.pdf (109.0Kb) -
Chirwa, Danwood Mzikenge (Community Law Centre, University of the Western Cape, 2009)[more][less]
Abstract: The rights to food and basic nutrition have been implemented rather unsystematically in South Africa through a hodgepodge of policies and indirectly by legislation. In view of the dearth of jurisprudence, this paper sought to tease out the meaning of children’s right of access to food as well as their right to basic nutrition, to analyse the significance of, and correlation between, these two rights, and to consider their implications for South African law and policy. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/203 Files in this item: 1
ChirwaChildPoverty2009.pdf (585.1Kb) -
September, Rose; Savahl, Shazly (University of Johannesburg, 2009)[more][less]
Abstract: The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) through its reporting framework for nation states has prompted increasing interest on the measuring and monitoring of child well-being. The domains and indicators included in the repertoire of country measures of child well-being have mostly been constructed and monitored by adults, usually social scientists and government officials. This study explored children’s own understandings of children’s well-being. Sixteen focus groups were conducted with 200 children between the ages of 9 and 16 years. The study identified protection and safety, basic needs, community resources and psychosocial issues as the key domains of well-being. The study further highlighted the importance of perceiving well-being as an integrated whole consisting of closely interacting components rather than as a discrete multidimensional phenomenon. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/211 Files in this item: 1
SeptemberChildWellBeing2009.pdf (212.1Kb) -
Puoane, Thandi; Tsolekile, Lungiswa; Sanders, David; Parker, Whadiah (Health Systems Trust, 2008)[more][less]
Abstract: This chapter will examine the current actions, including lifestyle measures, for the prevention and management of non-communicable diseases within a South African context. It will also focus on the biological, behavioural and social determinants of health. Interventions and initiatives directed at primary, secondary and tertiary prevention of chronic non-communicable diseases are also discussed. This chapter ends with recommended lifestyle changes, which can be taken to influence the adoption of healthy lifestyles, and therefore reduce the risks for chronic non-communicable diseases. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/255 Files in this item: 1
PuoaneChronic2008.pdf (621.8Kb)