Browsing by Title
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De Ville, Jacques (Juta Law, 2007)[more][less]
Abstract: In his recent book, Law and Sacrifice: Towards a Post-Apartheid Theory of Law, Johan van der Walt gives a clear exposition of the possible impact of inter alia Jacques Derrida's thinking on law. In this article, the book is critically analyzed and it is shown that Derrida's texts provide scope for a different interpretation. With reference to a number of themes it is shown that Derrida's thinking is more far reaching than in Van der Walt's model. The unconditional for example plays a vital role in Derrida's thinking while it is almost absent in Van der Walt's model. Van der Walt stresses the need for plurality and the impossibility of reconciliation between different views of the law in a particular case. Such an approach can have conservative political consequences. A different interpretation of Derrida, where the unconditional is more prominent, holds more promise for a post-apartheid theory of law. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/382 Files in this item: 1
DevilleLawSacrifice2007.pdf (409.2Kb) -
De Ville, Jacques (Franz Steiner Verlag, 2009)[more][less]
Abstract: In this article, the author proposes a reading of 'Force of Law' from two angles: boundless desire and the ‘law’ of language. The author contends that an analysis from these perspectives casts new light on the notion of the ‘mystical’, as well as repetition, singularity and good/evil as they appear in Derrida’s text. In exploring the ‘notion’ of desire, the article focuses specifically on Derrida’s analysis of Freud’s Beyond the Pleasure Principle in To Speculate – On Freud where the death drive is explored. The author shows the importance of this essay for an understanding of the relation between justice and law. The mystical and justice, the author contends, is to be understood with reference to the death drive, and repetition or law enforcement as its return. Law enforcement could also be viewed in terms of the ‘notion’ of iterability in Derrida’s texts on language. These perspectives furthermore allow for an understanding of singularity in terms of unconditionality and of justice as beyond good and evil. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/302 Files in this item: 1
DeVilleForceofLaw2009.pdf (341.8Kb) -
Puoane, Thandi (MedPharm Publications, 2008)[more][less]
Abstract: OBJECTIVE: To estimate the prevalence of overweight and obesity, and identify factors associated with Body Mass Index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) among adults residing in an urban township in South Africa. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Khayelitsha, a large black township located in Cape Town. SUBJECTS: 107 males and 530 females, aged ≥ 18 years. METHODS: The prevalence of overweight/obesity (BMI ³ 25 kg/m2) and abdominal obesity (WC ≥ 94 cm for men and ≥ 80 cm for women), and their relationship with factors previously found to increase the risk of obesity, such as age, gender, marital status, educational level, employment status, immigrant status from rural to urban, and physical activity level, were assessed using logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: The prevalence of obesity (BMI ³ 30 kg/m2) was 53.4% and 18.7%, and that of abdominal obesity was 71.5% and 23.4%, among women and men respectively. However, more women (21.3%) than men (11.2%) reported walking more than 45 minutes per day. Female gender and being married were associated with a high BMI and large WC. Recent migration was associated with a smaller WC. The level of physical activity was not associated with BMI or WC. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that physical activity may play less of a role in obesity control, or that more than 45 minutes of physical activity per day is required to reduce the risk of obesity, especially in women. At least among South African women, obesity control focused on nutritional interventions may be more beneficial than increasing the intensity or duration of physical activity. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/233 Files in this item: 1
MalhotraPuoaneSAJCN2008.pdf (303.1Kb) -
Chetty, Marshini; Tucker, William D.; Blake, Edwin H. (SAICSIT, in assocation with ACM, 2004)[more][less]
Abstract: The digital divide between rural and urban areas within developing countries is vast. We investigate how to address this divide by introducing Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) into remote rural areas. Our aim is to discover how to create locally relevant software applications with appropriate content for these areas. We use a user centred design approach and a modified software development lifecycle that is participatory, iterative and cyclical. This process is based on principles from Participatory Design and Action Research. This paper presents our initial experience of developing a telemedicine application for a rural village in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa using this process. We present an overview of the methodology, describe the software application we have developed and cite several challenges we have faced. Finally we conclude that an inter-organisational and inter-disciplinary approach is needed to develop software for remote areas. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/532 Files in this item: 1
ChettyTuckerBlakeICT2004.pdf (386.9Kb) -
Frantz, Jose; Rowe, Michael (Health and Medical Publications Group, 2013)[more][less]
Abstract: Background. Evidence-based practice (EBP) is the process by which a clinician evaluates the quality of evidence before applying it in the management of a patient. Many practitioners struggle to integrate this research-based evidence into their professional practice. Blogs have been identified as useful pedagogical tools that can facilitate the sharing of ideas and clinical experiences among peers to reflect on diverse learning experiences. Objectives. A qualitative research design was used to examine the use of reflective blogging to teach the process of EBP in physiotherapy. Methods. A conveniently selected group of postgraduate students who were registered for an EBP module participated in the study. Blogging was used to teach the process of EBP in physiotherapy using Kolb's cycle as a guiding and an evaluative framework. Students reflected on and shared their learning experiences in ways that exposed the limits of their understanding around certain concepts. Results. The results reflect how students moved from assisted to independent performance by identifying gaps in their own understanding and finding the answers themselves. Conclusion. Reflective blogging was found to be a valuable tool for promoting meaningful learning activities among participants and assisted students in making sense of their shared experiences. It was also an effective tool to be used in teaching the process of EBP. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/615 Files in this item: 1
FrantzBloggingPhysiotheraphy2013.pdf (1.131Mb) -
Florence, Maria; Koch, Elize (Psychological Society of South Africa, 2011)[more][less]
Abstract: This research aimed to explore the differences between adolescents from a low socio-economic Cape Town community who use addictive substances and those who do not, with regard to subjective wellbeing. The Kidscreen52 was used to measure subjective wellbeing in a sample of 179 Grade 10 and 11 learners; 41.3% of the sample was male. Thirty-five percent of the adolescents reported to be substance users, with significantly more males reporting substance use than females in both grades. Scores on four of the sub-scales were significantly different for the substance users and non-users (namely Feelings, General mood, Family and home life, School and learning). A post hoc analysis indicated that males and females differed significantly on General mood, but that this difference did not interact with substance use. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/403 Files in this item: 1
FlorenceAddictiveSubstances2011.pdf (278.0Kb) -
Lalu, Premesh; Isaacman, Allen; Nygren, Tom (Indiana University Press, 2005)[more][less]
Abstract: This paper describes the history of an initiative to digitize a postcolonial archive on the struggle for freedom in Southern Africa. The authors outline the intellectual architecture of the project and the complex epistemological, political, and technical challenges that they confronted in their endeavor to construct a digital archive that might help reorient scholarly debates on the struggle for liberation. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/299 Files in this item: 1
Lalu_Digitization2005.pdf (566.8Kb) -
Ah Tow, Lemese; Cowan, Donald A. (Springer Verlag, 2005)[more][less]
Abstract: Continental Antarctic is perceived as a largely pristine environment, although certain localized regions (e.g., parts of the Ross Dependency Dry Valleys) are relatively heavy impacted by human activities. The procedures imposed on Antarctic field parties for the handling and disposal of both solid and liquid wastes are designed to minimise eutrofication and contamination (particularly by human enteric bacteria). However, little consideration has been given to the significance, if any, of less obvious forms of microbial contamination resulting from periodic human activities in Antarctica. The predominant commensal microorganism on human skin, Staphylococcus epidermidis, could be detected by PCR, in Dry Valley mineral soils collected from heavily impacted areas, but could not be detected in Dry Valley mineral soils collected from low impact and pristine areas. Cell viability of this non-enteric human commensal is rapidly lost in Dry Valley mineral soil. However, S. epidermidis can persist for long periods in Dry Valley mineral soil as non-viable cells and/or naked DNA. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/146 Files in this item: 1
AhTowDissemination2005.pdf (393.6Kb) -
Pirie, Gordon (Elsevier, 2009)[more][less]
Abstract: The English language has long acknowledged and required some preconception of distance, but it has only been considered explicitly as a key element of human geography for half a century. The distances of greatest consequence in human geography are those between public places on the earth’s surface. Measures of physical distance have become increasingly standardized, but anomalous practices persist. Straight-line distance in nature has less applicability to human geography than route distance on a transport network. Even circuitous distance measures may be less useful measures of the separation of places than the time, expense and effort of traversing distances. Cognitive and compound distance also measure relative distance. In human geography distance is treated mainly as an organizing principle in location decision making and travel behavior, as a deterrent to spatial interaction and diffusion, and as a differentiator. Advances in rapid, long-range transport and communication have mediated sheer physical distance and rendered it less significant. Yet even while the world shrinks metaphorically, distances measured in relative terms are being reconfigured unevenly and imaginatively. Even where distance has ceased to be a material concern, the idea and discourse of distance survives. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/44 Files in this item: 1
PirieDistance.pdf (347.4Kb) -
Sloth-Nielsen, Julia; Wakefield, Lorenzo; Murungi, Nkatha L. (Cambridge University Press, 2011)[more][less]
Abstract: The right to non-discrimination for all children is established in international human rights law. International children’s rights law further provides for the common responsibility of parents for the maintenance of their children. African customary law and common law have always made a distinction between children born in and out of wedlock so far as the duty to maintain them is concerned. The resilience of this customary and common law approach is evident in statutory provisions of the countries discussed in this article. This is despite international obligations under children’s rights treaties ratified by these countries. On the face of it, the distinction of responsibility based on marital status seems harmless. However, in view of gender inequities and resource distribution between men and women in society, such a distinction has serious implications for the rights of affected children. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/577 Files in this item: 1
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Wakefield, Lorenzo; Murungi, Nkatha L. (Pretoria University Law Press, 2011)[more][less]
Abstract: International law approaches the right to education for children with disabilities in a rather generic way. This means that the rights of children with intellectual disabilities have to be gleaned from the general provisions of the conventions. In view of the centrality of intellectual capacity in the context of education, it is imperative to decipher the import of the right to education for children with intellectual disabilities. For this purpose, this chapter explores the content of international law on the right to education of children with intellectual disabilities. It uses two case studies to assess the approach of African states to the domestication of the obligations in this regard. Kenya and South Africa have both ratified the CRC, ACRWC and the CRPD. Further, Kenya has ratified and South Africa signed the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR). URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/545 Files in this item: 1
WakefieldIntellectualDisability2011.pdf (134.2Kb) -
Hart, Genevieve (International Association of School Librarianship, 2006)[more][less]
Abstract: The paper comes out of a month-long case study of information literacy education in two public libraries in a small South African town in the rural province of Mpumalanga, undertaken in October 2004. The participant observation study is the second phase of a two-phase mixed methods study, which explores the capacity of public libraries in South Africa for information literacy education – in the context of the dire shortage of school libraries. The focus in the second phase is on the connections between public libraries and schools. However, the relations between the two libraries and their staff members are found to impact on these relations with the study finding that historical context and the conflicts arising from unequal positions of power impact significantly on information literacy education in the town. The paper concentrates, however, on just two threads of enquiry: the views of teachers and principals in the seven schools of the town on the educational role of libraries as revealed in interviews; and pupils’ use of the two public libraries in seeking information for their school assignments. The study reveals a lack of cognizance of the high level demands of information-seeking in libraries among the teachers. They tend to see the library as a warehouse from which things are “fetched”. The study finds a paradox – a gulf certainly exists between the public libraries and schools but the gulf comes from shared limited conceptions of the educational role of public libraries and of information literacy. The intense gaze of the participant observation contributes a nuanced understanding of the challenges for information literacy education in South Africa. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/471 Files in this item: 1
HartIASL2006.pdf (266.4Kb) -
Hudson, Athol; Harris, Angela; Mohamed, Nadia (South African Dental Association, 2011)[more][less]
Abstract: Mandibular canine impaction and transmigration have serious consequences for the patient, as removal of the tooth or teeth in question is often the only solution. The loss of one or both mandibular canines complicates orthodontic treatment. Early warning signs of mandibular canine ectopia are explored in this paper as well as how to assess the potential for displacement, impaction and/or transmigration. This paper highlights the value of interceptive treatment once the early signs of an aberrant mandibular canine have been detected. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/422 Files in this item: 1
HudsonMandibularCanine2011.pdf (475.8Kb) -
Groenewald, Gerald (Univ. of Johannesburg) (Published by History Department, University of the Western Cape, 2009)[more][less]
Abstract: This article uses the career of Hendrik Oostwald Eksteen at the Cape between 1702 and 1741 to illustrate the mechanisms free burghers could use to create wealth in an economically restrictive environment. By making use of the concept of entrepreneurship and its attendant issues, the article describes Eksteenʼs rise to fortune and prestige through his exploitation of a combination of economic opportunities afforded by Cape Townʼs position as a port servicing passing ships. Crucial to Eksteenʼs later success was his successful use of the opportunities provided by the monopolistic alcohol retail market at the Cape. Eksteenʼs initial success in this arena provided him with a capital base to pursue other opportunities in agriculture, fishing and meat provision, making him the wealthiest man at the Cape by the 1730s. The article also illustrates how Eksteenʼs upward mobility was linked to his use of social capital and the cultivation of large social networks through kinship. It demonstrates, furthermore, that economic success was wound up with social power and prestige. In using the biography of Eksteen, the article argues for the importance of economic history in the study of the early modern Cape, but calls also for a study which links economic developments with social and cultural ones through a focus on individual entrepreneurs. Shown, too, is the fact that the existing conception of the rise of a Cape gentry in the eighteenth century needs to be revised to take into account the role of entrepreneurship, the urban foundations of wealth creation, as well as the role of the free black community in this process. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/99 Files in this item: 1
GroenewaldEntrepreneur2009.pdf (260.7Kb) -
Conradie, Ernst (Stellenbosch University, 2008)[more][less]
Abstract: This essay is an abbreviated version of an inaugural lecture, read on 24 October 2007 at the University of the Western Cape. It investigates the role of cosmological narratives that help people to understand where they come from, who they are, how they can cope with the demands of life and with evil, and where they are going to. It focuses on one such a narrative, namely the Christian story of God’s work of creation, evolution, the emergence of human beings and human culture, the distortions resulting from human sin, God’s providence, redemption, the formation of the church, its ministries and missions and the consummation of all things. These themes have traditionally been captured under the notion of ‘God’s economy’. This term is derived from the Greek word oikos which is understood in the Christian tradition as ‘the whole household of God’. In contemporary ecumenical theology this term provides a clue as to how the moral of this story may be understood to address ecological degradation, economic injustices and ecumenical fellowship. The argument of the essay is that a retrieval of the underlying narrative structure of the story of God’s work can help to avoid the ways in which one ‘chapter’ of the story tends to be subsumed under another. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/362 Files in this item: 1
ConradieGodsWork2008.pdf (194.6Kb) -
Zinn, Sandy; Langdown, Natasha (Library & Information Association of South Africa, 2011)[more][less]
Abstract: The purpose of this study completed in 2010 was to investigate the use of e-books amongst academic librarians; in particular which e-books are available to academic librarians, why they choose this format, what impact e-books have on librarians’ professional practice and what the usage patterns of e-books are amongst academic librarians. A web-based questionnaire was distributed on the LIASA mailing list. The results reflect a more gradual trend towards e-book adoption. There is still a preference for print or a “bit of both” – print and electronic. This is because of the high costs of e-books using the subscription model as the predominant e-book acquisition model and the lack of sufficient e-books in all subject fields. E-books are used for “browsing for information” and are selected for functionalities such as having the ability to search the document, anytime access and automatic citation. Major problems identified with e-books are: the cost of the equipment to read e-book formats; the cost of the e-books, especially if the subscription purchasing model is used; the lack of reliability of the Internet; and the lack of training in the use of e-books. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/527 Files in this item: 1
ZinnEbooks2011.pdf (398.3Kb) -
Lowther, Mickey; McMillan, Wendy; Venter, Francisca (Actuarial Society of South Africa (ASSA), 2009)[more][less]
Abstract: This paper is located in the field of actuarial professional education. It draws on current literature and empirical evidence to argue the need for developing generic ‘normative’ capabilities and values in the actuarial profession. The paper examines three themes of normative education for actuaries—the intended purpose of an education programme, the range of capabilities and values to be developed and educational ‘best practice’. A literature review of normative education in various professions provided a theoretical framework for data analysis, and for making recommendations. Data were collected from three sources: interviews with stakeholders; documentary evidence regarding current education of actuaries and accountants; and advertisements for employment of nearly or newly qualified actuaries. The paper draws on the literature and the empirical evidence to argue that the purpose of an actuarial education programme is to ensure the delivery of a service of quality. For this delivery to be achieved, attention must be given to technical, normative and organisational learning. The paper then reviews normative capabilities and values for actuaries. Thereafter, educational considerations for the development of normative capabilities and values are discussed. The paper concludes by drawing on the study to outline principles to guide curriculum planning for the normative component of the new South African actuarial qualification. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/91 Files in this item: 1
McMillan_actuarial-quality(2009).pdf (177.8Kb) -
Hart, Genevieve (University of KwaZulu-Natal, 2006)[more][less]
Abstract: The article details a study which examined the capacity of public libraries to offer information literacy education in South Africa. It investigates the perceptions of public library staff on their role in information literacy education. It provides a background on public libraries and literacy programs in the country. Findings of the research are discussed. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/438 Files in this item: 1
HartInformationLiteracy2006.pdf (120.5Kb) -
Majeed, Abdul; Grobler, Sias; Moola, Mohamad H.; Rossouw, Roelof; Van Wyk Kotze, Theuns (South African Dental Association, 2008)[more][less]
Abstract: OBJECTIVES: The purpose was to evaluate the effect of various Opalescence tooth-whitening products on enamel. METHODS AND MATERIALS: Enamel blocks were exposed to Opalescence PF 10% Carbamide Peroxide (n = 10), Opalescence PF 20% Carbamide Peroxide (n = 10), Opalescence Trèswhite Supreme 10% Hydrogen Peroxide (n = 10) and Opalescence Quick PF 45% Carbamide Peroxide (n = 10) according to the manufacturer's instructions. The control group was enamel blocks (n = 10) kept in artificial saliva. The values were obtained before exposure and after the 14-days treatment period. Enamel blocks were kept in saliva between treatments. Indent marks on enamel blocks were examined using the scanning electron microscope for treatment effects. RESULTS: All four different Opalescence products damaged enamel. The most damage was done when treated for a long period (112 hours). SEM images also showed damage to enamel by all 4 products. Opalescence with 10% and with 20% Carbamide Peroxide showed the highest damage, which also differed significantly (p < 0.05) from the saliva control group (p < 0.05; Tukey-Kramer Multiple comparison test). CONCLUSION: All 4 Opalescence products damaged enamel. Higher damage was done by the 10% carbamide peroxide and 20% carbamide peroxide products because of the much longer exposure period (112 hours in comparison to 7 hours). URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/581 Files in this item: 1
MajeeddifferentOpalescence2008.pdf (1.805Mb) -
Majeed, Abdul; Grobler, Sias; Moola, Mohamed; Oberholzer, Theuns (South African Dental Association, 2011)[more][less]
Abstract: OBJECTIVES: This in vitro study evaluated the effect of four over-the-counter tooth-whitening products on enamel microhardness. METHODS: Fifty enamel blocks were prepared from extracted human molar teeth. The enamel surfaces were polished up to 1200 grit fineness and the specimens randomly divided into five groups. Enamel blocks were exposed to: Rapid White (n=10); Absolute White (n=10); Speed White (n=10) and White Glo (n=10) whitening products, according to the manufacturers' instructions. As control, ten enamel blocks were kept in artificial saliva at 37 degrees C without any treatment. Microhardness values were obtained before exposure (baseline) and after 1, 7 and 14-day treatment periods using a digital hardness tester with a Vickers diamond indenter. Data were analysed using Wilcoxon Signed Rank Sum Test, one-way ANOVA and Tukey-Kramer Multiple Comparison Test (p<0.05). RESULTS: Both Rapid White and Absolute White reduced enamel microhardness. Speed White increased the microhardness of enamel, while White Glo and artificial saliva had no effect on hardness. CONCLUSIONS: Over-the-counter tooth-whitening products might decrease enamel microhardness depending on the type of product. URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10566/616 Files in this item: 1