17 research outputs found
'All's well that ends' : concluding a deanship
No full textThis article presents an auto-ethnographic process of self-reflective writing during the transition period at the end of an academic deanship. As a career intervention strategy, the author adopted a self-guided process of writing based on the Schlossberg model for career transition. The article shows how self-reflective writing can craft a pathway for successful personal navigation towards the last phase of an academic leadership position. It focuses specifically on the latter part of a deanship, with the explicit intention of contributing to the relatively sparse literature on the exit phases of academic leadership positions. This article highlights the narratability of career counselling and the potential of autobiographicity to support career transition.http://www.sajhe.org.za2017-08-21am20162024dzmEducational Psycholog
Dooyeweerd's philosophy entails no support for Apartheid whatsoever
No full textIn an article on Afrikaner nationalism, apartheid and the perversion of critique, Rèné Eloff argues that E.A. Venter and H.J. Strauss drew upon the philosophy of Herman Dooyeweerd to justify separate development and that the foundational moment of Dooyeweerd's philosophy involves an interpretive violence that accommodates this interpretation, accompanied by a political violence which is accommodated by the mystical foundation of its authority. This article is a response to what Eloff attempts to argue. Unfortunately Eloff's article is burdened by ambiguities, lack of factual data, non sequitur arguments and in particular, regarding the transcendental critique, not realizing the difference between the structural intention of the transcendental critique and its misunderstanding by him in terms of a genetic perspective. In addition he does not realize that Derrida's ideas of the "institutional presupposition" and the mystical foundation of its authority are confusing the distinction of structure and direction. Eloff employs the genetic idea of the "foundational moment" of Dooyeweerd's philosophy, through which the latter supposedly could be linked to Apartheid, but does not succeed in achieving his aim. Although available to him, Eloff did not take notice of the analysis of the article of Derrida (on Law and Justice: the mystical foundation of authority) by the author of this response-article. In it Derrida's view of Law and Justice is analyzed in detail while even highlighting shared convictions between Derrida and Dooyeweerd. In another publication of Derrida (not quoted by Eloff) we find an appeal to the same philosophical method used by Dooyeweerd (and Einstein), namely the transcendental-empirical method. Shortcomings in Eloff's argumentation made it necessary to investigate the relationship between Dooyeweerd and Kant in some more detail, and to follow it up with an assessment of the relationship between Dooyeweerd and Derrida (showing that Derrida's thought is motivated by the humanistic motive of nature and freedom and that he not only confuses the distinctness of structure and direction, but also embodies in his thought the fusion of the directional antithesis between good and evil by identifying it with structural traits of reality). The irrationalistic element in Derrida's law-idea puts him, rather than Dooyeweerd, in a position to could have supported Apartheid. What Eloff says about Dooyeweerd's transcendental critique misses the key argument of the transcendental critique, based upon Dooyeweerd's view of the Gegenstand-relation, namely the issue of a supra-modal central point of orientation for the inter-modal synthesis. It turns out that there is no single statement in Dooyeweerd's transcendental critique from which anything supporting the Apartheid dispensation could be validly inferred. The only alternative option, namely to attempt to show that Dooyeweerd's idea of law and the state entails or supports the assumptions and practice of Apartheid, is doomed to failure from the outset, because Dooyeweerd's idea of the state and the nature of civil private law and public law rejects emphatically any encroachment upon the freedom and equality of its citizens. Although Eloff's account of the political views of E.A. Venter and H.J. Strauss is basically correct, it is not properly informed in many respects. Of the two main influences on their political conceptions only one is mentioned explicitly, namely the ideology of a "volk". The colonialist idea of guardianship (voogdyskap) as such is left unmentione
An access control framework for web services
No full texthereby acknowledged. Opinions expressed and conclusions arrived at, are those of the author and are not necessarily to be attributed to the DoL. [The figures and tables at the bottom of this document] Purpose – To define a framework for access control for virtual applications, enabled through web services technologies. The framework supports the loosely coupled manner in which web services are shared between partners. Design/methodology/approach – A background discussion on relevant literature, with an example is used to illustrate the problem that exists. To enable access control composition, an extension is proposed to authorisation specification language, together with publication of access control requirements of a web service provider. Findings – The framework shows that loosely coupled access control can be made possible by making use of the standard manner in which messages are communicated in XML, and by composing assertions with the access control policy of the provider in a consistent manner. Access to web service methods is only granted if permission can be derived for it, where the derivation step forms a formal proof. Research limitations/implications – A basic framework has been defined. An architecture to support it must be defined. Only a very basic level of access control composition has been illustrated. Practical implications – The publication of access control requirements in standards such as WS-Policy can be considered. Originality/value – This paper offers a practical approach to address access control for web services
Access Control and Service-Oriented Architectures.
No full textAccess Control and Service-Oriented Architectures" investigates in which way logical access control can be achieved effectively, in particular in highly dynamic environments such as service-oriented architectures (SOA's). The author combines state-of-the-art best-practice and projects these onto the SOA. In doing so, he identifies strengths of current approaches, but also pinpoints weaknesses. These weaknesses are subsequently mitigated by introducing an innovative new framework called EFSOC. The framework is validated empirically and preliminary implementations are discussed.
Biological activity of folkloric plants used in the treatment of ‘u wela’ against pathogens
No full textDATA AVAILABILITY :
The data used to support the findings of this study may be
released upon application to the corresponding author,
S.M.M.This article is partially based on the
author’s PhD thesis at the University of Limpopo, South
Africa.BACKGROUND : ‘U wela’ also known as ‘Divhu’ in ‘Tshivenda’ is a sexually transmitted infection caused by a combination of fungal and bacterial microorganisms that affects males because of unprotected sexual encounters with a woman who has had an abortion or miscarriage.
AIM : The study aimed to investigate medicinal plants used to treat ‘u wela’ and determine their biological activity against Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Candida albicans.
SETTING : Eight plant species (Elaeodendron transvaalense [Burtt Davy] R.H. Archer, Albizia versicolor Welw. ex Oliv, Xanthocercis zambesiaca Baker, Cassia abbreviata subsp. beareana [Holmes] Brenan, Anthocleista grandiflora Gilg, Myrothamnus flabellifolius Welw., Mimusops zeyheri Sond, and Capparis tomentosa Lam.) used to combat ‘u wela’ were selected from the Ethnomedicinal plant’s database of over 300 medicinal plants used for medicinal purposes in humans, in the Vhembe district, Limpopo province, South Africa.
METHODS : The antimicrobial activity of the plant extracts was investigated against Candida albicans and Neisseria gonorrhoeae using serial dilution and bioautography assays.
RESULTS : The plant extracts of A. versicolor and C. abbreviata had excellent activity with a low minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC). value of 0.02 and 0.07 mg/mL, respectively. In bioautograms developed in benzene/ethanol/ammonia hydroxide (BEA), active compounds were visible in the extracts of A. versicolor.
CONCLUSION : A. versicolor had excellent antimicrobial activity and may be used in traditional therapy to combat ‘u wela’.
CONTRIBUTION : The study has demonstrated that A. versicolor is a promising plant species that could lead to the discovery of novel drugs to combat ‘u wela’.The National Research Foundation
(NRF).http://www.jomped.org/hj2024Paraclinical SciencesSDG-03:Good heatlh and well-bein
Risperidone-associated adverse drug reactions and CYP2D6 polymorphisms in a South African cohort
No full textAbstractBackgroundContradictory information exists regarding the influence of CYP2D6 polymorphisms on adverse drug reactions (ADRs) (extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS) and weight gain) related to risperidone treatment. This prompted us to evaluate the influence of CYP2D6 genetic variation in a cohort of South African patients who presented with marked movement disorders and/or weight gain while on risperidone treatment.MethodsPatients who were experiencing marked risperidone ADRs were recruited from Weskoppies Public Psychiatric Hospital. As poor or intermediate metabolism was expected, comprehensive CYP2D6 sequence variations were evaluated using XL-PCR+Sequencing.ResultsNo statistically significant association was found between CYP2D6 poor metabolism and risperidone ADRs. An inverse relationship between EPS and weight gain was however identified. A novel CYP2D6 allele was identified which is unlikely to affect metabolism based on in silico evaluation.ConclusionCYP2D6 variation appeared not to be a good pharmacogenetic marker for predicting risperidone-related ADRs in this naturalistic South African cohort. Evaluation of a larger cohort would be needed to confirm these observations, including an examination of the role of potential intermediaries between the hypothesised genetic and clinical phenotypes
Antifungal and antioxidant properties of medicinal plants used against fungal infections
No full textDATA AVAILABILITY :
The data used to support the findings of this study may be released upon application to the corresponding author, S.M.Sections of this manuscript (24%) are published in a thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of PhD and Masters in the University of Limpopo and University of Pretoria entitled ‘Characterization and biological activity of antifungal compounds present in Breonadia salicina (Rubiaceae) leaves’. With supervisor Prof. S Mahl, available https://repository.up.ac.za/bitstream/handle/2263/24873/Complete.pdf?isAllowed=y&sequence=8 and http://ulspace.ul.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10386/4291/machaba_tc_2023.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y.BACKGROUND : Antioxidants present in plant extracts prevent free radicals from causing chronic diseases in humans.
AIM : The study investigated 12 medicinal plants (Kleinia longiflora DC., Berchemia discolor [Klotzsch] Hemsl., Persea americana Mill., Sansevieria hyacinthoides [L.] Druce, Dichrostachys cinerea [L.] Wright &Arn, Withania somnifera Dunal [Ashgandh], Momordica balsamina L., Lonchocarpus capassa, Pappea capensis, ‘Rhus lancea L. fil’ with ‘Searsia lancea (L.F.) F.A. Barkley’ Peltophorum africanum, Maytenus heterophylla [Eckl. & Zeyh.] Robson) for antioxidant activity using the qualitative and quantitative 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay.
SETTING : The plant species were selected from the ethnomedicinal plant database of over 300 medicinal plants used for therapeutic purposes in Limpopo province.
METHODS : The plant materials were extracted with solvents of various polarities such as acetone, dichloromethane (DCM), methanol, hexane, and water. The qualitative and quantitative DPPH methods were used to determine the antioxidant activities of plant extracts.
RESULTS : The yellow bands revealed the presence of antioxidant compounds against the purple background on the Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC) plates. Methanol, hexane, and water extracts of L. capassa were the most active radical scavengers in the DPPH assay among the six medicinal plants screened. Plant extracts of P. africanum showed strong antioxidant activity by inhibiting DPPH, compared with the standard ascorbic acid.
CONCLUSION : The findings indicate that some extracts can be used as an easily accessible source of natural antioxidants.
CONTRIBUTION : The findings revealed that the plant species investigated displayed noteworthy antioxidant activity, which provides scientific evidence for their utilisation by traditional health practitioners to treat fungal infections.The National Research Foundation (NRF).http://www.jomped.org/hj2024Paraclinical SciencesSDG-03:Good heatlh and well-bein
Design and implementation of a prototype to include security activities as part of application systems design
No full textM.Com. (Information systems)This study has its origin in the growing need for information systems to be classified as 'secure'. With the increasing use of Computer Aided Software Engineering (CASE) tools in the design of application systems for commercial use, the risks that exist in terms of information security have become more prominent. The importance of considering security during the analysis and design of an information system, in other words, on a logical level, is increasing daily. Usually security features are added to existing application systems on an ad hoc basis. Security design activities should become such an integrated part of systems analysis and design activities on a logical level, that a complete integration of the two fields, security and computer aided software engineering, can be achieved. The aim of this dissertation is to study the literature to discover existing approaches to this integration, and to extract the strengths from them and expand on those strengths in order to compile an approach that is completely implementable in the form of a prototype data flow design tool (DFD tool). The proposed approach to the secure analysis and design of an application system of a logical level, which is presented in Chapter 4, is designed in conjunction with H.A.S. Booysen [Booysen, Kasselman, Eloff - 1994]. Existing CASE-tools have also been studied by the author to determine their current capabilities, especially in terms of security definition activities, but also in terms of their support to the systems analyst during the analysis and design phases of the project life cycle when developing a target application system
Design and implementation of a prototype to include security activities as part of application systems design
No full textM.Com. (Information systems)This study has its origin in the growing need for information systems to be classified as 'secure'. With the increasing use of Computer Aided Software Engineering (CASE) tools in the design of application systems for commercial use, the risks that exist in terms of information security have become more prominent. The importance of considering security during the analysis and design of an information system, in other words, on a logical level, is increasing daily. Usually security features are added to existing application systems on an ad hoc basis. Security design activities should become such an integrated part of systems analysis and design activities on a logical level, that a complete integration of the two fields, security and computer aided software engineering, can be achieved. The aim of this dissertation is to study the literature to discover existing approaches to this integration, and to extract the strengths from them and expand on those strengths in order to compile an approach that is completely implementable in the form of a prototype data flow design tool (DFD tool). The proposed approach to the secure analysis and design of an application system of a logical level, which is presented in Chapter 4, is designed in conjunction with H.A.S. Booysen [Booysen, Kasselman, Eloff - 1994]. Existing CASE-tools have also been studied by the author to determine their current capabilities, especially in terms of security definition activities, but also in terms of their support to the systems analyst during the analysis and design phases of the project life cycle when developing a target application system
Cytotoxicity, antifungal and antioxidant properties of Lonchocarpus capassa leaf extracts
No full textSections of this manuscript (12%) are published in a thesis
submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the
degree of PhD and Masters in the University of Limpopo and
University of Pretoria entitled ‘isolation, characterisation and
cytotoxicity of antifungal compounds present in medicinal
plants used against cryptococcus neoformans in vhembe
district, limpopo province’ and ‘Ethnobotanical survey of
medicinal plants with antifungal activities in Makhado Local
Municipality, Limpopo Province, South Africa’ respectively
with Supervisor: Prof. S. Mahlo, available here: http://
ulspace.ul.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10386/4262/makhado_
tc_2018.pdf?isAllowed= y&sequence=1 and http://ulspace.
ul.ac.za/bitstream/handle/10386/4291/machaba_tc_2023.
pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y.DATA AVAILABILITY :
The data used to support the findings of this study is available
from the corresponding author, S.M., upon reasonable
request.BACKGROUND : Lonchocarpus capassa is a medicinal plant used to treat diseases such as fungal infections, diarrhoea, oral candidiasis, and stomach complaints in South Africa.
AIM : The study aimed to investigate the cytotoxicity and antifungal compounds isolated from L. capassa leaf extracts.
SETTING : The study was conducted in Muduluni village, Makhado Local Municipality, Limpopo province.
METHODS : Leaf extracts were screened for antifungal activity against fungal pathogens: Candida albicans, Cryptococcus neoformans, and Aspergillus fumigatus. Bioassay-guided fractionation using column chromatography of the acetone extract led to the isolation of six antifungal compounds. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy and Mass Spectrometry were used for the identification of compounds. The antioxidant activity of the plant extracts was investigated using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assays. Cytotoxicity of isolated compounds was determined using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay against Vero monkey kidney cells.
RESULTS : The plant extract had an excellent minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) value of 40 μg/mL against the microorganisms. Compound 1 was identified as Lupeol, Compound 3 as Friedelin, and Compound 4 as 6-(γ,γ-Dimethylallyl)-3’,4’-dimethoxy-6”,6”-dimethylpyrano-[2”,3”:7,8]-flavanone (Compound 4). Compounds 2 and 5 were not identified because of the presence of mixtures of long-chain fatty acids. Friedelin was the most active radical scavenger in the DPPH assay. The compounds were not toxic with an LC50 value of ˃ 0.2 mg/mL.
CONCLUSION : Screening of medicinal plants could provide lead to the discovery of novel antifungal agents.
CONTRIBUTION : The results support the traditional use of L. capassa to combat fungal infections in humans.The National Research
Foundation (NRF).http://www.jomped.org/hj2024Paraclinical SciencesSDG-03:Good heatlh and well-bein
