53 research outputs found
I make signs : a rhetorical analysis of Katlehong’s informal enterprises and ‘high-end’ wall communications as a reflection of conflicting township identities
No full textAbstract: This study investigates vernacular typography and images, as well as ‘high-end’ graphic art advertising murals, found in Katlehong Township, South Afrika, with the aim of demonstrating how these promotional signs construct a visual rhetoric that is embedded with connotations of conflicting township identities. Vernacular ‘signages’ are deeply expressive of township experience, in terms of local people, township economy, lifestyle, and a shared language, namely kasi lingo. Central to this local visual culture, which is applied to promote the services of spaza shops, supermarkets, barber shops and salons, is the use of language, expressed as letterforms, to signify ‘oneness’. ‘High-end’ advertising murals, on the other hand, seek to ‘remake’ the township by introducing Katlehong to a global community and instilling a brand-oriented township lifestyle...M.A. (Graphic Design
Introducing De Jong : reflections upon reconstructing, the life and practice of a white English speaking designer
No full textJacob Dlamini, in his seminal text ‘Native nostalgia’ (2010), confides that the first time he heard the term ‘economic sanctions’ used in the township was in the early 1980s when he woke up one day to discover the local Barclays Bank had been renamed First National Bank (FNB). Notably, Dlamini continues to list “a bottle store and … the biggest news agent in Katlehong” as signifiers of urban life of Katlehong, but only the bank is recalled by brand. At the time, the re-‐branding of Barclays engendered a storm of protest in South Africa, both in design circles, and amongst members of the public. Perhaps less known than the infamous ‘rabbit’ and ‘AK-‐ 47 rifle’ is that a local design firm – Ernst De Jong Studios – was asked to submit an alternative to the ‘imported’ identity. In the late 1980s, 30 years after he established himself as a young graphic designer in Pretoria, it was also De Jong who was tasked with persuading a white, patriarchal Nationalist Party Cabinet meeting that a white patriarchal male had no place on South Africa’s currency: the result was the CL Stals – Second Issue: the ‘Big Five’ bank note series. This paper outlines challenges inherent in proposed research with regard to the individual designer as an ‘interactive dynamic of the community and society in which he or she is embedded’. Ernst de Jong and his studio arguably shaped many of the shared values, practices, processes and products of an ostensibly ‘modern’ South Africa through the construction of visual identities of communities – both corporate and national – from the 1950s to the 1990s. By importing his experience of American modernism into an African context, De Jong brought diverse influences to bear on his task of ‘imagining’ a nation. Intersecting with debates on the nature of history writing, and writing design, this project grapples with ideas of modernity, domestication, and South African graphic design history in its reflection upon the life and practice of a singular South African communication designer
\u27Cloudless skies\u27: an argumentative interrogation of the visual rhetoric of South African Panorama and Lantern cover designs (1949-1961)
No full textIn the wake of recent national independence movements, renewed interest in the complex phenomenon of the nation has emerged; highly negative conceptions have been challenged by voices that seek to understand rather than dismiss expressions of nationalism and national identity in fields as diverse as sport, architecture, fashion, film, engineering, advertising, and currency design. The South African publications Lantern and Panorama were competing projects in a rhetorical exercise that grappled with constructed national identities in a pre-1994 South African community and, as such, these artefacts deserve interrogation. To this purpose I examine the cover designs of the journals - both to a greater or lesser degree state supported - between 1949 and 1961 in order to demonstrate how a consideration of rhetorical content not only reveals embedded ideologies, but also demonstrates the agency of graphic design in the strategies of propaganda and education as utilised by Lantern and Panorama, respectively. I problematise these concepts, and propose more nuanced readings than may be conventionally attributed to government-sanctioned visual culture from this period in South Africa\u27s history
Domesticating the modern : an interrogation of the visual rhetoric of South African graphic designer Ernst de Jong (1934 - 2016)
No full textIn 1957, South African born Ernst de Jong returned to Pretoria, South Africa, after studying painting and information design at the University of Oklahoma in the USA. De Jong and his American wife, Gwen Drennan, immediately set about opening a graphic design studio that profited from de Jong’s transformative experiences in Oklahoma and established itself as a pioneer of identity design in South Africa. The modernising rhetoric of Ernst de Jong Studios (EDJS), and indeed de Jong himself, came to signify the utopian aspirations of a putatively bright, new and modern Republic. As the political and cultural contexts of the country changed, so did the nature and fortunes of EDJS; de Jong closed his design practice in 1994 and then gradually faded from view.
This study is a discursive space, an interrogation of and often personal reflection on the circumstances of de Jong’s life and creative practice, as well as the inventive task of ‘prying open’ the artefacts, events and relationships that informed this practice. I aim to make visible an influential life, but also to question how it was constructed, and then re-presented — both by the participants and myself — for the purposes of this study. Concomitantly, I flesh open the drive, in a post-colonial community, to appropriate modernism in its project of individualisation. Oral history, and in particular ‘life history’, provides the starting point and underlying framework for my narrative that explores design briefs executed for the journal Lantern, the Rand Afrikaans University and the Afrikaanse Taalmonument. Although the three case studies cannot provide a comprehensive account of the vast output of EDJS, they serve to throw light on mainstream graphic design experiences in publication design, university branding and heritage design in the years 1957 to 1975 in South Africa.Visual ArtsPhDUnrestricte
Daily-life executive functions and bimanual performance in children with unilateral cerebral palsy
No full textAim: To explore daily-life reported executive functions and their relation with bimanual performance in children with unilateral cerebral palsy (CP). Method: In this cross-sectional study of 46 children with unilateral CP (mean age 11 years 10 months, standard deviation 2 years 10 months), executive functions were evaluated using the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) and bimanual performance with the Assisting Hand Assessment (AHA) and Children's Hand-use Experience Questionnaire (CHEQ). One-sample z-tests were used to compare participants' executive functions with population norms, while taking autism spectrum disorder (ASD, n = 16) as a comorbidity into account. Moreover, we used regression analysis to estimate the effect of manual ability (Manual Ability Classification System levels: I = 25, II = 15, III = 6) and having a comorbid diagnosis of ASD on executive functions (p < 0.05, R2). Lastly, non-parametric correlations (rs, p < 0.05) were calculated between the BRIEF, CHEQ, and AHA. Results: In general, executive functions in children with unilateral CP were poorer compared with the normative mean (p <= 0.024). However, when excluding participants with ASD, no difference compared with the normative mean was found. A significant effect of manual ability was found for Inhibition (p = 0.042), while ASD effects were found for most of the BRIEF subscales (p <= 0.001). Multiple significant correlations were found between the BRIEF and CHEQ (rs = -0.50 to -0.29), while only the BRIEF subscale Inhibition was significantly correlated with the AHA (rs = -0.35). Interpretation: A higher number of children with unilateral CP exhibit difficulties in daily-life executive functions, which appear to be mainly co-occurring with ASD. Manual ability was a significant factor of inhibition-related behavioural challenges. Furthermore, there seems to be a relation between impaired executive functions and decreased bimanual performance. The findings emphasize the importance of further research, including performance-based assessments of executive functions in children with unilateral CP.Founding:
The Flemish Research Foundation (FWO project, grant G0C4919N; FWO fellowship, grant 11PP224N).
Acknowledgements
The present study was funded by the Flemish Researc Foundation (FWO project, grant G0C4919N). Alexandra Kalkantzi, as shared first author, was supported by funding from the European Commission, Horizon Europe
Research and Innovation Action under grant agreement number 101057309, in the context of the AINCP project. Lize Kleeren, as shared first author, was funded by an FWO fellowship (grant 11PP224N). We thank all participants and their families for their willingness to take part in this study. We also thank Geert Molenberghs for his statistical advice and Nofar Ben Itzhak for her insights in the analyses
The assessment of grip strength in preschool-aged children with and without unilateral cerebral palsy
No full textPurpose To investigate reliability and validity of two grip strength devices in children with and without unilateral cerebral palsy (uCP) aged 2-6 years. Method We assessed grip strength in 20 pre-school-aged children with predominantly spastic uCP (mean age 4y0 +/- 1y2m) and 20 age-matched children without uCP (mean age 3y11m +/- 1y3m) using the Martin Vigorimeter and MyoGrip to investigate test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficients; ICC), known-group validity (comparative statistics) and convergent validity (correlation analyses) in a cross-sectional design. Results In both groups, test-retest reliability was excellent for both devices and both hands (ICC 0.91-0.97). Grip strength of the non-preferred hand was lower in children with uCP for both devices (p < 0.001). Grip strength was decreased in the non-preferred compared to the preferred hand in children with uCP for both devices (p < 0.001). In children without uCP, grip strength was lower in the non-preferred compared to the preferred hand only for the MyoGrip (p = 0.02). The relation between both devices for both hands was good to very high (r = 0.62-0.92, p < 0.007). Conclusion Both devices can be implemented in clinical practice to assess grip strength in preschool-aged children with uCP. Only the MyoGrip detected differences between both hands in children without uCP and might be more sensitive.The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article
Optimization process of the forensic investigation regarding home invasion robberies
No full textThe forensic investigation is one of the first steps in the criminal investigation process concerning home invasion robberies. The forensic investigation consists of objectively capturing the crime scene as it is when starting the investigation. Regarding home invasion robberies, the most important traces are fingerprints and DNA which are used for identification of individual suspects. Currently, there is little knowledge about the process of a secured trace to a result used in court. Crime scene investigators are confronted with multiple decisions during the investigation and it is important to know with what goal in mind an investigator acts on the crime scene, as this influences the decision-making. The forensic data obtained from the forensic investigation is shared within a forensic data infrastructure. This infrastructure consists of the following criminal justice system partners involved in the process from crime scene investigation to conviction: crime scene investigators, detectives, experts at forensic laboratories, prosecutors, defense attorneys and judges. These partners are all contributing in different ways and at different times. The forensic data infrastructure comes with sensibilities and tensions, such as tunnel vision, incomplete crime scene investigation reports, misunderstandings and one-way communication. Solving these sensibilities and tensions is crucial to the functioning of the infrastructure. By use of a questionnaire, insights are provided into the goals and aspects of the forensic investigation that are important to the involved partners. The goals important to crime scene investigators differ little from the goals of other involved partners. The questionnaire results are reflected on in an expert reflection session. This session is part of the participatory design, which contributes in creating a mutual understanding of needs between partners. A second expert session is developed to fulfill these needs and implement solutions to solve sensibilities and tensions in an optimized forensic investigation. The optimization process includes the optimization of the forensic investigation itself and the optimization of the forensic data infrastructure by proposing a structured forensic investigation scheme. A new experiment is presented to analyze the optimized forensic investigation.Biomedical Engineerin
The decline of public space in the digital age?: A search for a new synergy between the use of digital devices in and traditional use of urban public space
No full textThe world we live in is more and more a digital world and the number of people having access to digital communication technologies is growing rapidly. This integration of digital technologies into everyday life is what is called the digitalization process (IGI Global dictionary, 2018). It is a process that can be seen as a long-term societal transition influencing our daily life, like the way we work, how we do our shopping or how we communicate with friends and family (Van Winden & De Carvalho, 2017). As the way we live influences our use of the space around us, changes in this process also change our use of the space around us. On the other hand, our surroundings influence the decisions we make as well.This graduation projects will focus on the use of public space and how public space is affected by the introduction of digital devices. It is believed that this digitalization process has introduced new behaviour, making public space not just a space for traditional uses, like meeting people, but also places where digital devices are used more often, either for practical or for social purposes. Public space is seen as one of the fundamental elements of cities and thus also of Dutch cities, and cities need to prepare themselves for future changes. This graduation project tries to find a new synergy between this traditional use of public space and the use of digital devices in public space, by analysing the phenomenon in the Indische Buurt, a neighbourhood in the eastern part of Amsterdam. It will provide an analysis of this neighbourhood, research the impacts using personal digital devices have on the use of these spaces, and how to deal with these changes. The results of the analysis will be translated into urban design interventions which have the ultimate goal to find a new synergy between the different uses of public space. With reflecting on these interventions and proposals, a matrix will be produced to show how certain interventions are connected to different types of use and user roles. This will show how the design interventions could be integrated in other neighbourhoods or cities.Architecture, Urbanism and Building Sciences | Complex Citie
Model building with non-compact cosets
No full textAbstractWe explore Goldstone boson potentials in non-compact cosets of the form SO(n,1)/SO(n). We employ a geometric approach to find the scalar potential, and focus on the conditions under which it is compact in the large field limit. We show that such a potential is found for a specific misalignment of the vacuum. This result has applications in different contexts, such as in Composite Higgs scenarios and theories for the Early Universe. We work out an example of inflation based on a non-compact coset which makes predictions which are consistent with the current observational data
The Impact of Advanced Glycation End-Products (AGEs) on Proliferation and Apoptosis of Primary Stem Cells: A Systematic Review
No full textStem cell-based regenerative therapies hold great promises to treat a wide spectrum of diseases. However, stem cell engraftment and survival are still challenging due to an unfavorable transplantation environment. Advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) can contribute to the generation of these harmful conditions. AGEs are a heterogeneous group of glycated products, nonenzymatically formed when proteins and/or lipids become glycated and oxidized. Our typical Western diet as well as cigarettes contain high AGEs content. AGEs are also endogenously formed in our body and accumulate with senescence and in pathological situations. Whether AGEs have an impact on stem cell viability in regenerative medicine remains unclear, and research on the effect of AGEs on stem cell proliferation and apoptosis is still ongoing. Therefore, this systematic review provides a clear overview of the effects of glycated proteins on cell viability in various types of primary isolated stem cells used in regenerative medicine.Figures were created using images from Servier Medical Art Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License (http://smart.servier.com). Servier Medical Art by Servier is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License. This work was supported by a Bijzonder onderzoeksfonds (BOF) grant from Hasselt University (grant number: 16NI05BOF). HB benefits from an aspirant PhD mandate (grant number: 1154120N) of the `Research Foundation-Flanders' (fonds voor wetenschappelijk onderzoek (FWO)). PG is also supported by the FWO (grant numbers: 12U7718N and 1502120N).Bito, V (corresponding author), Hasselt Univ, Biomed BIOMED Res Inst, Agoralaan Bldg C, B-3590 Diepenbeek, Belgium.
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