124,291 research outputs found
Women’s Rights in Human Rights Systems: Past, Present and Future
Get PDFIn the 2009 Dullah Omar Memorial Lecture, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navanethem Pillay contextualises many of the issues facing women that were raised in earlier articles
Personalizing the design of computer‐based instruction to enhance learning
Get PDFThis paper reports two studies designed to investigate the effect on learning outcomes of matching individuals’ preferred cognitive styles to computer‐based instructional (CBI) material. Study 1 considered the styles individually as Verbalizer, Imager, Wholist and Analytic. Study 2 considered the bi‐dimensional nature of cognitive styles in order to assess the full ramification of cognitive styles on learning: Analytic/Imager, Analytic/ Verbalizer, Wholist/Imager and the Wholist/Verbalizer. The mix of images and text, the nature of the text material, use of advance organizers and proximity of information to facilitate meaningful connections between various pieces of information were some of the considerations in the design of the CBI material. In a quasi‐experimental format, students’ cognitive styles were analysed by Cognitive Style Analysis (CSA) software. On the basis of the CSA result, the system defaulted students to either matched or mismatched CBI material by alternating between the two formats. The instructional material had a learning and a test phase. Learning outcome was tested on recall, labelling, explanation and problem‐solving tasks. Comparison of the matched and mismatched instruction did not indicate significant difference between the groups, but the consistently better performance by the matched group suggests potential for further investigations where the limitations cited in this paper are eliminated. The result did indicate a significant difference between the four cognitive styles with the Wholist/Verbalizer group performing better then all other cognitive styles. Analysing the difference between cognitive styles on individual test tasks indicated significant difference on recall, labelling and explanation, suggesting that certain test tasks may suit certain cognitive styles
Researching Transitions: Some Assumptions and Challenges of Researching Seamless Learning
No full textIndividual learning capacity is becoming highly valued in a knowledge and information society, fostering increased attention to knowledge innovation, transfer and management. In addressing this, researchers of seamless learning and associated transitions confront a complex labyrinth of contexts, approaches, processes and learner variables challenging the understanding of what, how and why individuals learn and what enables and hinders seamless learning. First, they need to challenge the traditional view of ‘learning environment’ as a passive, formal, homogenous, uni-dimensional and all inclusive entity. The knowledge and information society has produced a diversification of learning contexts which transcend contextual boundaries imposed by workplaces, formal institutions, and recreational, virtual home contexts. Second, they need to be aware of the assumptions that have developed as relevant concepts have evolved. For example, the original Bandurian concept of triadic interaction initially afforded equal importance to learner and environment but has developed into an almost exclusive focus on individuals. Third, researchers need to recognise that learning environments have an ‘intelligence’ built into them that influences learning behaviour. These issues are considered in terms of a conceptual model and research design for application to seamless learnin
Dietary supplement use among dietetics students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal.
Get PDFMaster of Science in Dietetics and Human Nutrition. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg 2017.Introduction:
A dietary supplement is a product, which aims to add nutritional value to the diet. The use of dietary supplements is favoured among many countries, with a steady increase in use. There are many groups that are known to make use of dietary supplements such as females, the elderly, health professionals, gym goers, pregnant women, children under the age of 18 years and university students. University students are a group that are known to make use of dietary supplements in order to improve their academic performance, increase energy and promote overall general health. It is assumed that students studying towards a nutrition-related degree such as dietetics would be more likely to use dietary supplements, due to their interest in and exposure to nutrition. However, there is a lack of published data investigating the prevalence of dietary supplement use, factors associated with use and reasons for use among South African university students, studying towards a nutrition-related degree. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the use of dietary supplements by dietetics students at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN).
Aim:
The aim of the study was to assess the use of dietary supplements by students registered for a Bachelor of Science or a Post Graduate Diploma in Dietetics, at UKZN.
Objectives:
a) To determine the prevalence of dietary supplement use among dietetics students at UKZN.
b) To determine the factors associated with dietary supplement use among dietetics students at UKZN.
c) To determine the reasons for use of dietary supplements among dietetics students at UKZN.
Methods:
A cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted using students registered for a Bachelor of Science or a Post Graduate Diploma in Dietetics, at UKZN. A self-administered questionnaire consisting of both open and close-ended questions was developed to collect data. The sample comprised of 139 dietetics students.
Results:
The use of dietary supplements was reported by 23% of the dietetic students. The most commonly used supplement among the students was Centrum (multivitamin) (21.9%, n=7), followed by calcium supplements (15.6%, n=5). There was a significant relationship between use of dietary supplements and gender and race. White and Indian students used dietary supplements more than the other race groups (p<0.05). Females (p=0.018) and students who lived at home were more likely to consume dietary supplements (46.9%; n=15) (p=0.008). Fourth year students (34%) used dietary supplements the most. There was no relationship between dietary supplements and physical activity, eating habits or ability to meet dietary requirements. Common reasons for using dietary supplements were to strengthen the immune system, improve energy levels and enhance health. Expense (32.7%; n=35), adequate diet (22.4%; n=24), deem it unnecessary/waste of money (15.0%; n=16) and unsure about supplements (14.0%; n=15), were statistically significant reasons for not using a dietary supplement (p<0.05). A significant proportion of the sample (72.2%) indicated that their source of information on dietary supplements was the internet (p=0.011), followed by dietetics/nutrition lectures (41.7%). About 73.3% (n=22) of the students who used supplements indicated that they had experienced an overall improvement in physical health after use of dietary supplements (p=0.016). Other results achieved included: more energy (53%; n=16) and better memory/concentration (53.3%; n=16). Furthermore, half of the sample that used supplements (50%; n=15) reported an improved resistance to illness/ability to fight illnesses earlier. Just over half the sample (51.4%) indicated that they planned to use a dietary supplement in the future.
Conclusion:
There was a low prevalence of use of dietary supplements among dietetics students at UKZN. Factors such as race, gender, residence and year of study influenced the use of dietary supplements. Use of dietary supplements was more common among white and Indian students, females and those in the fourth year of study. Dietary supplements were used to strengthen the immune system, improve energy levels and enhance health. The high cost of supplements was the main deterrent to use of dietary supplements
Pillay (Gerald J.) The Use of Fonctional-type Theories in the Study of Independent Christian Movements: a Critique
No full textPillay (Gerald J.) The Use of Fonctional-type Theories in the Study of Independent Christian Movements: a Critique. In: Archives de sciences sociales des religions, n°67/2, 1989. p. 224
Pillay (Gerald J.) The Use of Fonctional-type Theories in the Study of Independent Christian Movements: a Critique
No full textPillay (Gerald J.) The Use of Fonctional-type Theories in the Study of Independent Christian Movements: a Critique. In: Archives de sciences sociales des religions, n°67/2, 1989. p. 224
A Multi-Language Comparison of Influences on Author Verification using Character N-Grams
No full textWe create a new multi-language corpus for author verification based on Wikipedia talkpages, and evaluate the influence that differences in topic and time have on character n-gram author profiles. Topic alignment between two texts is found to increase author verification precision, and an authors writing style is found to change over time, but not more significantly after 3 years than after 1 year.Information ArchitectureWISElectrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Scienc
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Get PDFWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
The vanishing author in computer-generated works: a critical analysis of recent Australian case law
Get PDFAbstract
The use of software is ubiquitous in the creation of many copyright works, yet the requirement in copyright law that every work have a human author who engages in independent intellectual effort means that its use may prevent copyright subsistence. Several recent Australian cases have refocused attention on authorship as an essential criterion of copyright subsistence, and these cases suggest that much computer-produced output may be authorless and thus lack copyright protection. This article, the first in a two-part series, analyses how each case deals with the question of authorship of computer-produced works and why the use of software diminishes copyright protection for a significant number of computer-generated works. The article critiques the application of conventional notions of human authorship developed in the pre-computer age to modern productions and suggests alternative approaches to authorship that satisfy both the major objectives of copyright policy and the need to adapt to the computer age. The article argues that, without a broader judicial approach to authorship of computer-generated works, Parliament must remedy the lacuna in protection for these ‘authorless’ works. Possible solutions for reform are suggested. In a forthcoming article, the author comprehensively examines those reform proposals
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