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Public foetal images and the regulation of middle-class pregnancy in the online media: a view from South Africa.
No full textUltrasonography images and their derivatives have been taken up in a range of ‘public’ spaces, including medical textbooks, the media, anti-abortion material, advertising, the Internet and public health facilities. Feminists have critiqued the personification of the foetus, the bifurcation of the woman’s body and the reduction of the pregnant woman to a disembodied womb. What has received less attention is how these images frequently intersect with race, class, gender and heteronormativity in the creation of idealised and normative understandings of pregnancy. This paper focuses on the discursive positioning of pregnant women as ‘mothers’ and foetuses as ‘babies’ in online media targeted at a South African audience, where race and class continue to intersect in complex ways. We show how the ontologically specific understandings of ‘mummies’ and ‘babies’ emerge through the use of foetal images to construct specific understandings of the ‘ideal’ pregnancy. In the process, pregnant women are made responsible for ensuring that their pregnancy conforms to these ideals, which includes the purchasing of the various goods advertised by the websites. Not only does this point to a commodification of pregnancy, but also serves to reinforce a cultural understanding of White, middle-class pregnancy as constituting the normative ‘correct’ form of pregnancy
Rhodeo: 1966 - March
No full textRhodeo is the Independent Student Newspaper of Rhodes University. Located in Grahamstown, Rhodeo was established in 1947, and renamed in 1994 as Activate. During apartheid Rhodeo became an active part of the struggle for freedom of expression as part of the now defunct South African Student Press Union. Currently Activate is committed to informing Rhodes University students, staff and community members about relevant issues, mainly on campus. These issues range from hard news to more creative journalism. While Activate acts as a news source, one of its main objectives it to be accessible as a training ground for student journalists. The newspaper is run entirely by the students and is published twice a term. Activate is a free newspaper which receives an annual grant from the Rhodes University Student Representative Council, however, majority of its revenue is generated through advertising
Exploration status for oxide and sulphide zinc ores at Skorpion Zinc Mine, Namibia
No full textThe thesis is inspired by recent interests in oxide zinc ores caused by new developments in the technology of hydrometallurgy. The improved techniques turned the non-sulphide zinc ores in to attractive exploration targets due to a number of advantages such as low metal recovery costs and favorable environmental aspects such as the obvious absence of sulfur (Large, 2001). Historically extraction of zinc metal from oxide ores was not possible until recently. The metallurgical complexity resulted in a lack of interest and hence some economic oxide zinc ores might have been missed by conventional exploration techniques.
The study presents a review of exploration status at Skorpion mine based on different exploration techniques and their application to sulphide and oxide zinc ore exploration. The challenge facing the mineral exploration industry today is the inability to detect mineral deposits under cover. Therefore a key to successful exploration program lies in the selection of the right exploration technique. Important parameters that should be highlighted in the exploration methodology are the geological situation of an area, equipment applicability and effectiveness, survey limitation, equipment mobilization and the safety aspects involved. The aim of this thesis is to provide a general guideline for sulphide and non-sulphide zinc ore exploration on the Skorpion area and other similar geological environments.
Geochemical surveys appears to be more complimentary in exploration of non-sulphide zinc exploration. Although geochemical techniques are preferred, it is equally important to choose the right soil horizon. Furthermore, sample media may mean the difference between success and failure in geochemical exploration of non-sulphide zinc mineralization, due to high mobility of zinc in the surficial environment. On cost comparison, surface geochemical surveys programs are more cost effective except for litho-geochemical sampling which are commonly carried out through subsurface drilling.
Geophysical techniques have limited application in exploration of non-sulphide zinc mineralization due to a lack of major physical properties (e.g., magnetic and electrical properties) in non-sulphides unlike their sulphide counterparts. However geophysical methods are commendable in delineating massive and disseminated sulphides mainly if they are associated with major Fe minerals (pyrrhotite or magnetite). In addition, geophysical techniques may be effective in mapping of subsurface primary and secondary structures such as basin faults which might have acted as pathways for metal-rich fluids.
Terms non-sulphide and oxide zinc mineralization are used interchangeably throughout the thesis. Recommendations on regional and local target generation are presented in the thesis to give some basic guide lines on target generation strategies. The most important conclusion reached in this study is that, success in exploration for non-sulphide or sulphide zinc mineralization might be enhanced through the integrated exploration methodology
Coastal landscape change on the Cape St Francis/St Francis Bay peninsula from 1960 to 2014
No full textA large proportion of the human population, their settlements and socioeconomic activities
occur on land directly adjacent to the coastline. The increased demand for coastal leisure and
tourism has interfered with natural landscape features and their associated processes. The
Cape St Francis/St Francis Bay peninsula located on the southeast coast of South Africa was
rapidly developed and transformed from a little fishing village into an urban coastal
developed area over a 50-year period (1961-2014). A system that once existed in a state of
dynamic or non-equilibrium was interfered with through anthropogenic disturbances,
resulting in more frequent and intense natural events, which ranged from floods to debris
flows, decreased sand supply and resulting beach erosion. The aim of the project was to
identify and map landscape features and changes on the peninsula using an interdisciplinary
approach. The triangulated methods of a desktop study using Geographic Information
Systems (GIS) and media reviews, a crowdsourcing/participatory approach based on
interviews, and a one year land surveying period of measurable field based surveys of
physical features gave a well balanced view. The research showed that the natural landscape
has been altered dramatically by settlement and associated infrastructure development. In
particular, the loss of dunefields and the artificial modification of river paths were major
impact areas. Beach erosion is a continual issue for the peninsula residents, particularly in St
Francis Bay
Pro-active visualization of cyber security on a National Level : a South African case study
No full textThe need for increased national cyber security situational awareness is evident from the
growing number of published national cyber security strategies. Governments are
progressively seen as responsible for cyber security, but at the same time increasingly
constrained by legal, privacy and resource considerations. Infrastructure and services
that form part of the national cyber domain are often not under the control of
government, necessitating the need for information sharing between governments and
commercial partners. While sharing of security information is necessary, it typically
requires considerable time to be implemented effectively. In an effort to decrease the
time and effort required for cyber security situational awareness, this study considered
commercially available data sources relating to a national cyber domain. Open source
information is typically used by attackers to gather information with great success. An
understanding of the data provided by these sources can also afford decision makers the
opportunity to set priorities more effectively.
Through the use of an adapted Joint Directors of Laboratories (JDL) fusion model, an
experimental system was implemented that visualized the potential that open source
intelligence could have on cyber situational awareness. Datasets used in the validation
of the model contained information obtained from eight different data sources over a two
year period with a focus on the South African .co.za sub domain. Over a million
infrastructure devices were examined in this study along with information pertaining to
a potential 88 million vulnerabilities on these devices. During the examination of data
sources, a severe lack of information regarding the human aspect in cyber security was
identified that led to the creation of a novel Personally Identifiable Information
detection sensor (PII). The resultant two million records pertaining to PII in the South
African domain were incorporated into the data fusion experiment for processing. The
results of this processing are discussed in the three case studies. The results offered in
this study aim to highlight how data fusion and effective visualization can serve to move
national cyber security from a primarily reactive undertaking to a more pro-active
model
A critical analysis of the role of coltan in the Eastern region of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s second war (1998-2003)
No full textThe role of natural resources in African conflicts has been subject to extensive scholarly analysis. However, much of this analysis has taken a narrow economic reductionist bias. As such, it is imperative that the dominant assumptions and accepted concepts
and theories about the role of natural resources in African conflicts be re-examined.
The aim of this thesis is to offer a revaluation of the role of coltan during the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) Second War (1998-2003) through a critical engagement
with the resource wars literature. The purpose is to offer a re-reading of the role of
coltan in the DRC Second War and the broader regional and global economic context
in which this conflict took place. It rejects the commonly cited assumption that the
presence of coltan in the DRC means it is an initiator of conflict. Rather, this thesis
argues that the central role of coltan in the DRC Second War was as an aggravator of
conflict in that its exploitation was used by different parties to fund their military and
political ambitions. This thesis also argues that the DRC’s weak state structures and
pivotal role within the Great Lakes region, as well as the international trade of coltan
and the nature of the DRC coltan mining industry are all key factors in understanding
coltan exploitation in the country’s Eastern Region during the Second War
Mathematics II: MATH2/0 & EATH2/0
No full textSupplementary Examination on Mathematics II: MATH2/0 & EATH2/0, Jan 201
The relationship between leadership and organisational effectiveness among indigenous banks in Kenya
No full textDefining leadership effectiveness (LE) remains a controversial subject with scholars and researchers disagreeing on a common definition. Most studies term leadership effectiveness as the leaders’ ability to successfully exercise personal influence and abilities in order to accomplish set standards. Such leadership effectiveness was measured using three elements, namely influence, follow commitment and versatility. To be effective, leaders must possess certain competencies and perform specific tasks (independent variables). In this study, three leadership competencies, namely strategic thinking, emotional effectiveness and transformational leadership were examined. Similarly, seven leadership tasks (set organisational direction, develop human capital, build core competencies, create organisational alignment, sustain appropriate organisational culture, manage change and establish balanced organisational control) were identified as essential for the attainment of leadership effectiveness (intervening variable) which, in turn, leads to organisational effectiveness (dependent variable). Given the importance of leadership effectiveness to organisational effectiveness, the purpose of this study was to identify, investigate and empirically test the possible relationship between leadership effectiveness and organisational effectiveness within the Kenyan indigenous banks. To achieve the aim of the study, a survey was undertaken using a structured self-administered questionnaire. The respondents were identified using both probability and non-probability techniques with the survey yielding 257 usable questionnaires that were statistically analysed. The proposed hypothetical relationship between leadership effectiveness and organisational effectiveness was assessed using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM), a multivariate statistical technique. The SEM included Cronbach’s alpha and confirmatory factor analyses to assess the dicriminant reliability and validity of the measuring instrument, and Goodness-of-fit indices. The study findings demonstrated the existence of a strong relationship between leadership competencies, tasks performed and leadership effectiveness which in turn impacts on organisational effectiveness, in this case the overall effectiveness of the Kenyan indigenous banks
Graduation Ceremony 2015
No full textRhodes University Graduation Ceremonies 2015 [at] 1820 Settlers National Monument Thursday, 09 April at 10.00 & 17:00 [and] Friday, 10 April at 10:00; 14:30 & 18:00 [and] Saturday, 11 April at 10:00Rhodes University Awards, Scholarships,Bursaries and Prizes 201
DNA-based identification of forensically significant beetles from Southern Africa
No full textNecrophilous insects, if correctly identified, can provide useful forensic information. Research in this area has focussed on flies and beetles remain comparatively under-studied, partly because some adult carrion beetles are difficult to identify morphologically, as are their juvenile stages, often requiring specialist expertise in both cases. Molecular taxonomy has been proposed as a solution to these problems. DNA “barcodes" are short fragments of mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) DNA that are anticipated to delineate species. This approach is becoming increasingly popular, but has been met with varying enthusiasm from taxonomists. This thesis examines their use in identifying forensically significant beetles.The DNA barcodes of 234 specimens of 25 forensically significant southern African beetle species from seven families (Cleridae, Dermestidae, Silphidae, Staphylinidae, Scarabaeidae, Trogidae and Histeridae) were obtained. Thirty-three initial barcode amplification failures were overcome by using primers other than the standard Folmer pair, undermining the barcode concept’s hope of universal primers that would allow even non-specialists to produce barcodes. Another 150 specimens (64%) entirely failed to yield barcodes, including 18 fresh specimens of three species of Trogidae, implying another lack of universality of the barcoding protocol. The majority of the beetles clustered with confamilials on neighbour-joining and maximum likelihood trees, but 1.3% of the barcodes failed to cluster with their respective families, raising questions concerning the associating power of barcodes. The identification tools of the GenBank and BOLD on-line DNA sequence databases identified 21% of the specimens to the species level, 6% of them correctly. There was evidence of a paralogous sequence in the Cleridae that, while supporting identification now that it has been associated with a morphological identification, would hamper attempts at identification by clustering or phylogenetic analysis.Distance and haplotype network analyses of the barcodes of six widespread species showed that they are not geographically structured. Barcodes are thus unlikely to be indicators of the region of origin of a species and will not determine whether a corpse has been relocated after death.
To assess whether a different mitochondrial DNA fragment might address (some of) these problems, a 2.2 kb fragment extending from the 5’ end of the COI gene to the 3’ end of the Cytochrome Oxidase II (COII) gene was analysed for nine species. It was found that, for Dermestidae, Scarabaeidae and Histeridae, higher degrees of diversity occurred downstreamof the barcode region, but the region of highest diversity in the Cleridae was in the barcode region. Thus, finding a more reliable fragment along the COI-COII region for each family may make robust and guaranteed DNA-based identification of these beetles more likely.
The possibility of a forensic specimen being incorrectly or not identified based on its barcode alone exists in about 40% of cases, even with the new barcodes reported here. Forensic science sets a very high bar in assessing the performance of its techniques, and it is concluded that barcodes currently have unsettling failure rates as court-worthy evidence