11613 research outputs found
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Anthropogenic influences on distance traveled and vigilance behavior and stress-related endocrine correlates in free-roaming giraffes
No full textGiraffes are an important tourist attraction, and human presence to wildlife is increasing. This has an impact on an animal’s behavior and its endocrine correlates. Studies on other species show alterations in movement patterns, vigilance, and stress-related hormone levels in the presence of humans. Limited information is available on how anthropogenic activities alter giraffe’s behavior, social structure, and related endocrine parameters. The purpose of this study was to obtain insight into anthropogenic influences on giraffe’s behavior and adrenal activity. We used GPS devices mounted onto giraffes to compare the distance walked in the presence or absence of human observers. We also conducted behavioral observations to assess their vigilance and collected fecal samples to analyze their fecal glucocorticoid metabolite (fGCM) concentrations. Giraffes walked significantly further distances in the presence of humans, but the cumulative time that observers were present
decreased the hourly distance walked with an observer present, suggesting that the giraffes were becoming habituated. The number of observers present significantly increased the percentage of time spent on observing an observer as well as the number of unhabituated individuals present in the herd. The percentage of time spent observing a human observer did not decrease with the increase of habituation. Last, fGCM concentrations increased with human presence but decreased when individuals became habituated to human presence. More research is needed to understand the effect of anthropogenic influences in different scenarios (e.g., tourism, vehicles, hunting, etc.).Publisher's versio
Zimbabwean teacher education : student teachers’ perceptions of a teacher education curriculum infused with African traditional education
No full textThe winds of European imperialism and colonisation spread across Africa in the19thCentury leading to the establishment of a Eurocentric or Western perception of education. It is paramount to note that African Traditional Education (ATE), as informal educational practices, had existed before the introduction of colonial education in Zimbabwe. Because of colonialism, ATE was subjugated, marginalised, and displaced. As a result of coloniality, and inspite of political independence, the legacy of a Western perception of education has remained pronounced at the epicentre of postcolonial education. As such, calls emerged from former colonised countries for the deconstruction of Euro-centric educational practices and the reconstruction of Afro-centric educational practices, albeit in a modified manner. In this qualitative study, I worked with a single case design. The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions of final year student teachers at a teacher education college regarding the significance of a curriculum infused with ATE. Based on a conceptual understanding of ATE, its aims and underlying principles, I foregrounded in this study the importance of the promotion of moral development, the development of well-rounded and respectable persons who adhere to the norms and values of their community, the advancement of cultural heritage, a Zimbabwean identity, and good citizenship. This conceptual understanding led to the development of a framework for analysis, which was used to analyse the core courses in the teacher education curriculum and the data generated through semi-structured interviews and a focus group discussion. The findings from the document analysis revealed that ATE is only offered as a topic hosted in Philosophy of Education. In addition, I indicated that some aspects of the core courses might be linked, and artificially so, to aspects of ATE. For example, in Sociology of Education, the topic, Culture, can potentially be associated with the maintenance and preservation of cultural heritage and the development of good citizenship. In Psychology of Education, topics regarding moral development, cognitive development and personality development could be reconsidered by drawing examples from the Zimbabwean context. However, it was found that the core courses are organised around theories from Europe and America. From the semi-structured interviews, it became clear that the participants’ understanding of ATE is uncritical and seems to be aligned with a traditional conceptualisation of ATE, which constituted the course content. For example, the participants were uncritical about traditional ideas regarding roles assigned in the community along gender, they did not critically consider the role of the individual within the community, and neither did they challenge ideas regarding a single Zimbabwean identity. Despite their uncritical understanding, they did perceive ATE as important for education, and they contemplated the significance thereof for their future classrooms. The participants considered the role of Unhu/Ubuntu as significant for the moral development of a well-rounded and respectable person who adheres to the society’s morals and values. They also perceived the preservation of cultural heritage and the transmission of the latter from generation to generation as important. In terms of the principle of communalism, they regarded the promotion of working together towards the wellbeing of the community as an important aspect of the curriculum. In addition, they considered the acquisition of skills for a smooth integration into society as important. The participants were able to draw linkages between their understanding of the principles of communalism, perennialism, functionalism, preparationism, and wholisticism, and other subjects included in their teacher education curriculum. These linkages were fairly shallow and did not depict a teacher education curriculum infused with elements of ATE. The findings from the focus group discussion, however, foregrounded the potential for the creation of a space for critical discussion by student teachers. While they recited information regarding ATE in an uncritical manner during the interviews, the focus group discussion became a space where students agreed and disagreed on the relevance of ATE for present-day education. Based on the findings from the document analysis, the semi-structured interviews, and the focus group discussion, I propose two suggestions regarding ATE and its significance for the curriculum. On the one hand, I propose the reconceptualisation of ATE as a critical space where student teachers and lecturers can negotiate and deliberate the relevance of a traditional conception of ATE for present-day Zimbabwe, and in particular, for education in the Zimbabwean context. In addition, I suggest that the reconceptualised understanding of ATE be recentralised as the vantage point for the consideration of Western and American theories in terms of their relevance to Zimbabwean education. By implication, I advocate for ATE to become the theoretical lens through which student teachers and lecturers (re)consider the content of the teacher education course material. The argument is that in this manner, ATE is made relevant for contemporary Zimbabwe; it becomes the central focus of teacher education and contributes towards the counteracting of the persistent dominance of Western and American theories in the teacher education curriculum, and by implication, the application thereof in school-based education
Exploring the training-needs of teachers for the implementation of Life Skills Education (LSE) in Lesotho: a case study of selected rural and urban secondary schools
No full textTeachers are the most important players in the effective teaching and learning of Life Skills Education (LSE). It is, therefore, crucial to ensure that they are well prepared to facilitate the new teaching of LSE. A teacher's success largely depends on various factors, such as personal context, personal efforts, general personality, and the training acquired. These factors could be greatly improved if a teacher is provided with specialised training in the effective teaching of the LSE programme. This prompted the researcher to conduct a study on LSE teaching in Maseru and Mohales’ Hoek district, using four secondary schools in both urban and rural settings. This study explored the experiences of LSE teachers and how a selected training programme could influence the effective teaching of LSE in the study area. The study adopted interpretivism as the research paradigm and phenomenology as the research design. The technique used to select the research sample is purposive sampling. There were eight Basotho LSE teachers and school principals who were randomly chosen from four schools. Structured telephonic interviews were used to collect data. The data were presented thematically. The data were analysed from the participants’ perspective and contrasted with the findings from the extant literature. The study has revealed that teachers were not adequately trained to teach LSE and were in dire need of in-service courses. Therefore, it was recommended that the Ministry of Education facilitate and broaden in-service training for LSE teachers and provide clear guidelines on how to teach the contents of LSE. This study has yielded findings that can be used to enhance the teaching and learning of LSE in secondary schools. Curriculum developers would find the research used, reflecting on the extent to which the objectives set for the subject were achieved
Enhancing risk management skills at a municipality using an adult education approach
No full textThis study aims to formulate a framework to enhance risk management skills at a municipality using an adult education approach. Risk management is a process whereby the risks in the organisation are identified, assessed and mitigated. It also involves monitoring projects and their finances towards sustainability. Adult education is a learning process that involves collaborative learning, prior knowledge and experience and self-directed learning. In this study, some challenges remain critical to effective teaching strategies for risk management, including the inability to promote collaborative problem-solving skills, a teacher-centred approach and ignorance of adult learners’ experience, which affect an appropriate assessment of risks. Participatory action research was used as an approach to intervene and respond to these challenges. However, the adult education strategy needed for teaching risk management skills is contextually bound and complex. Therefore, the study adopted Ubuntu as a theoretical lens, mainly due to its values and commitment to promoting humanness and challenging the social oppression that frequently limits the potential growth of municipalities and municipal officials. In this study, Ubuntu has encouraged the researcher and co-researchers to use an integrated form of risk management education, as Ubuntu expresses humanity and advocates working together towards effective teaching strategies for risk management and employing solutions to these challenges that prevent social development. Using the Ubuntu approach, the study embraces multiple perspectives and negotiates meaning in formulating a strategy to respond to the identified challenges.The study was guided by an epistemological stance that embraced the value of welcoming subjective views on knowledge production. Participatory action research created a platform for the participants, who later became co-researchers, to engage in knowledge production activities, equality and tolerance of contrasting views. Through adult teaching and learning workshops, working closely with a participatory action research methodology, a team of eight municipal officials, a youth community member, a post-graduate student and I, the researcher, worked together at the research sites. As a research team, we collectively identified challenges to the effective teaching of risk management and employed standard solutions to improve the risk management skills of the municipal officials at one municipality. The generated data comprised photographs, video recordings, audio recordings, lesson plans and co-researchers’ reflections. We used critical discourse analysis to analyse the data. To understand the deeper meaning of the personal and subjective accounts of the co-researchers’ lived experiences of ineffective strategies for teaching risk management, the data were analysed and interpreted at three levels of critical discourse analysis, namely text, discursive practice and social structure. Through critical discourse analysis, the problems experienced by municipal officials in terms of effective teaching strategies for risk management were examined. The purpose was to propose possible solutions and components that could be adopted to address ineffective methods of teaching risk management to municipal officials. In order to formulate the strategy to be sustainable in enhancing risk management skills during and beyond the duration of the research, the conducive conditions of the process were investigated and enacted. Furthermore, possible ways to circumvent threats and risks that could derail the successful implementation of the design were analysed and presented. The research was transformative, which created the opportunity to operationalise and evaluate the success of the strategy before it was considered for recommendation. In conclusion, the study findings are revealed, indicators of success are identified and recommendations are made. Some of the results were that officials worked in silos and their teamwork was ineffective. In the end, the knowledge gap regarding effective teaching strategies for risk management results in a learning dead end
The Narco-Terror nexus: the cases of Afghanistan, Colombia, and West Africa
No full textAs illegal activities move beyond borders, countries are confronted with challenges deriving from trafficking and organized crime, financial crimes, identity theft, cybercrime, terrorism, and environmental crime (International Centre for Criminal Law Reform and Criminal Justice Policy, 2017). Particularly drug trafficking and terrorism are notable challenges for domestic and international security and stability. These challenges, although not new, have become global, multidimensional, and extremely intricate (Kloer, 2009:76). At present a burgeoning relationship between trafficking in narcotics and terrorism exists. The transnational nature and diversity of these crimes enable criminal networks to work alongside terrorist groups with catastrophic consequences (Martin, 2003:9). The interconnection and association between these two antithetical groups is generally referred to as ‘narco-terrorism’. The study aims to investigate the nature and scope of narcotics trafficking and terrorism in Afghanistan, Colombia, and West Africa. The two countries and one region were chosen specifically as case studies because all three cases have been plagued for decades by terrorism, narcotics trafficking and violent conflict. These milieus were chosen specifically for their differing backgrounds which provides an element of authenticity to the study. This study reveals important insights into how governments can formulate policies to combat the dual-nature of the narco-terror nexus. As such, it will appeal to all political scientists and criminologists studying terrorism and drug trafficking, as well as to professionals at various national and international security services
Prevalence of mood symptoms in patients with cannabis use admitted to the acute wards at Free State psychiatry complex with schizophrenia spectrum and related disorders
No full textBackground: Cannabis is the most commonly used drug among psychotic patients. Literature shows that the frequency and intensity of cannabis use, is a risk-factor for the development of schizophrenia-related psychosis. However, evidence for causality of mood disorders remain conflicting. Aim: The purpose of this study was to compare the prevalence and severity of mood symptoms in patients with schizophrenia spectrum and related disorders with comorbid cannabis use and those that does not use cannabis. Setting: This study was conducted in patients with schizophrenia spectrum and related disorders admitted at the acute wards at the Free State Psychiatric complex. Methods: A prospective study was conducted among 30 non- cannabis users and 40 cannabis users. The Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) and Hamilton Depression (HAM-D) rating scale for depression was administered within three days of admission and repeated after 7-14 days. Results: Among cannabis users, symptoms compatible with mania like symptoms was significantly more prevalent shortly after admission with (p<0.01). However, this difference declined to non-significance after 7 – 14 days with no clinical separation between the groups. Conclusion: Seventy-five percent of schizophrenia spectrum and related disorders patients that used cannabis, scored ≥18 on the YMRS shortly after admission. Mania like symptoms were of mild-moderate severity. The study indicated a possible association between cannabis use and higher scores on the YMRS rating scale during the early phase of treatment. A causal link between mood symptoms and cannabis use could not be established and confounding factors were not excluded
Seed Bank for indigenous sub-Saharan plant & crop species
No full textThe proposed design aims to create a Seed Bank for indigenous sub-Saharan
plant and crop species that will be located on the outskirts of Bloemfontein,
Free State. This facility integrates on-site preservation processes in parallel
with research on the preservation of seeds.
The Seed Bank will function as a proactive catalyst for combatting climate change,
food shortages, natural and made disasters pertaining to agriculture. It will be a point
of exchange where the farmer can contribute seed samples and also have access
to alternative seed species and research that can increase yield and preserve soil
integrity. The facility is a statement of the importance that seed biodiversity holds for
the survival of future generations that is in dire need of food security. Furthermore,
the greenhouses will ensure the education and viability that non-indigenous plant
species could contain as growing conditions will be simulated within a controlled
environment. Local plant and crop species will be planted on large scales so to
continuously retrieve new seed samples
The challenges impacting the growth of small-, micro- and medium-sized textile enterprises (SMMEs): a case of Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality
No full textThe South African Government has a good industrialisation policy framework. However, local textile producers, manufacturers and retailers in Ekurhuleni have been forced to shed jobs, down-size operations and sustain losses due to stagnant growth in the sector. The municipality is under pressure and desperate to find a new way to restore the local textile industry to save jobs. The aim of the research was to uncover the factors adversely affecting SMMEs in the textile industry; to identify factors that will assist to develop and sustain textile SMMEs; and lastly, to make recommendations on the shortcomings uncovered. The study used a survey questionnaire to collect data about the business owners’ demographic profile, size of the business and owners’ understanding of their experiences or opinions on factors affecting the development and growth of their businesses. The data showed that at least 60% of the businesses were female owned and 70% black owned. Moreover, only 40% of the business that had requested financial assistance, from government agencies, had successfully received funding. The lack of management skills, difficulty maintaining relationships with customers, difficulty maintaining relationships with customers, lack of support from government agencies, textile variety, and perceived over-regulation of the local textile industry ranked low. Therefore, these factors had minimal impact on the viability of SMMEs in the textile industry. In contrast, the difficulty in obtaining loans, ordering on credit, accessing markets, severe competition from rivals, high cost of premises, and high cost of labour significantly impacted the viability of SMMEs in the textile industry. The ability to interact with potential customers and clients, communicate with employees and co-workers, make business-related presentations to potential customers and clients, network with valuable suppliers, and monitor and order stock regularly had a low rating on the scores for the contribution for sustainability. These factors therefore had a minimal contribution to the sustainability of SMMEs. Therefore, a lack of technical and strategic management skills as well as a poor implementation of the policy and regulatory framework had no impact on the growth and sustainability of SMMEs in the textile industry. Moreover, access and affordability of finance and credit facilities had an adverse impact on the feasibility of SMMEs. Compliance issues have a low contribution to the sustainability of SMMEs
An image guided adaptive radiotherapy strategy for cervix cancer treatment based on equivalent uniform dose
No full textAim: This study aims to develop an image-guided adaptive strategy to compensate for temporal
effects of tumour shrinkage and organ motion in cervix cancer treatment based on the equivalent uniform dose (EUD). The strategy should be flexible enough to retain a minimum workload system. Materials and Methods: Patients receiving radical radiotherapy treatment for cervix cancer with daily pre-treatment CBCT imaging were included in this retrospective study. A thorough investigation of bladder volume variation and its influence on primary and nodal tumor motion using both empty and full bladder protocols during cervix cancer RT was performed. 6 treatment strategies; fixed margins (7, 10, 15, and 20 mm), offline and online adaptive ART strategies, an ITV approach, variable margin (VBM) and coverage probability (CoVP) strategy were simulated for both groups. Planning strategies were scored based on the equivalent uniform and dose volume histogram parameters. Results and Discussion: Although empty bladder volumes were more reproducible no significant difference in movement between EB and FB patients was observed. Our study confirmed dosimetric advantages in bladder and small bowel sparing when a full bladder protocol is used. Occupancy probability maps were used to quantify primary and nodal movement. The best target coverage and OAR sparing were seen when online and offline adaptive strategies were used. Fixed margins <10 mm caused underdosages in most patients. Although adequate target coverage was noted for the ITV and VBM strategy, OAR sparing was inferior. CovP planning resulted in dosimetric outcomes similar and even better than the online strategy. Conclusion: Considering bladder volume reproducibility and protocol executability, an empty bladder protocol appears simpler in our department. However, variations in target shape and position cannot be attributed to bladder filling alone. The EUD can be used as a quick and reliable way of scoring treatment plans. Based on EUD metrics this study demonstrated that a personalized on-line adaptive strategy is most effective to account for target motion and deformation, yielding sufficient target coverage with adequate OAR sparing