Modelling infectious diseases in multiple species : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Applied Mathematics at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand

Leptospirosis is an infectious disease caused by bacteria in the genus Leptospira and is considered as the disease of interest in this thesis. It is the highest occurring occupational disease in New Zealand and the country has one of the highest (per capita) incidences of human leptospirosis in the world. Transmission commonly occurs by contact with infectious animals, or materials contaminated by them. The disease is the cause of great financial losses to the country due to both the medical cost of treating infectious individuals, as well as due to production losses in the farming industry. As such, studying the dynamics of infection and possible control measures for the disease in animals, which also minimises exposure to humans, is an important area of research. This thesis aims to develop New Zealand specific models demonstrating the dynamics of leptospirosis infection within and between multiple host species, specifically rats and sheep, thus contributing towards an understanding of not only how ecological exchanges between different host populations influence the spreading of the disease, but also how the incidence of leptospirosis may be diminished. This is achieved with the use of compartmental SI type models of increasing complexity, with simpler models used as building blocks in constructing the more advanced systems. The models presented involving only rats consider an age structure within the population, with different behaviours and infection risks associated with each age class. Models involving only sheep focus on the periodic forcing implemented on the host population by the farmer, and also include an age structure, albeit a somewhat simpler one than the one in the rat models. The seasonal forcing on the livestock population results in a cyclical system which is displayed using limit cycle diagrams. This behaviour is mirrored in the model considering both host species in concert. Each model presents a variety of results, including bifurcation diagrams and quasi-basic reproduction numbers which display the behaviour of the system. The effect of varying various parameter values on the system is explored, and how these may change in relation to climate change is discussed. Parameter values used in numerical results demonstrating analytical ones are New Zealand specific and the model is used to predict conditions under which the infection will persist in the population

The relation between hostels and the political violence on the Reef from July 1990 to December 1993 : a case study of Merafe and Meadowlands hostels in Soweto.

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Arts at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, for the degree of Master of Arts. Johannesburg 1995.This thesis set out to investigate the relation between hostels and the political violence on the Reef between July 1990 and December 1993 which claimed 4756 lives. This relation is anchored in a broader discussion of firstly, political violence in South Africa generally, and secondly of the hostel system. This contextualisation frames the investigation of two Sowetan hostels Meadowlands and Merafe. These two hostels were among those that became focal points of political violence on the Reef during the period under review. The thesis argues that the political violence and conflict on the Reef between 1990 and 1993 constituted a "war" in which these and other hostels played a crucial part. The Inkatha Freedom Party colonised these institutions, ejected non-Zulu and ANC supporters and transformed the hostels from migrants camps into "fortresses of fear" from which many attacks on township residents were launched. The thesis attempts to understand this process through an in-depth investigation of Meadowlands and Merafe hostels as case studies. It attempts to draw a sociological profile of these two hostels. This has involved examining these hostels as social institutions, the social relations and culture operating within them, and their place in the social structure of the surrounding community. The thesis has included an investigation of the social characteristics of hostel residents such as their ethnic identity, age, gender identity, marital, employment status, political affiliation and work history. These multiple identities are components in attempting to explain the participation of many hostel residents in political violence. Through a series of in-depth interviews the thesis has attempted to map their different experiences and understandings of political violence in relation to their broader aspirations, beliefs and world views. It is asserted that any investigation of the relation between hostels and political violence requires this attempt to map a 'view from below' which goes deeper than official statistics and media accounts.AC201

The Oracles against Babylon in Jeremiah 50-51: A Horror among the Nations

Reviewed Book: Reimer, David J. The Oracles against Babylon in Jeremiah 50-51: A Horror among the Nations. San Francisco: Mellen Research Univ Press, 1993

Constant's Nomadic City

In the period 1954-1974 the Dutch artist known as Constant (Constant Nieuwenhuys, 1920-2005) elaborated a series of artworks and writings depicting a future urban agglomeration: New Babylon. Stretching over the whole globe, New Babylon hosts wandering individuals who freely move around the interactive space of the hyper-city without any fixed abode, or any reference to an established culture and habits. As the progressing automation of all productive activity allows the people to dispose of free time without any limitation, the main activities of New Babylonians are of a ludic kind. After a concise introduction, this article concentrates on the written work accompanying the project, by focusing on two recurring key terms: “nomadism” and “play”. These are the “travelling concepts” (Bal 2002) surfacing in a number of texts by other authors, diverse in scope, disciplinary field, and date of composition. Next to Deleuze and Guattari’s Nomadologie (Mille plateaux, 1980), Edouard Glissant’s Poétique de la Relation (1990), Johan Huizinga’s Homo Ludens (1938), the net of relations among texts outlined in this article comes to encompass also Dutch authors such as Menno ter Braak (1902-1940) and Simon Vinkenoog (1928-2009), with the aim of reconnecting New Babylon with its Dutch background, too often underplayed in scholarship on this subject. Urban planning, social trends and the development of counter-cultures in the Netherlands in the Fifties and Sixties offer a better insight into Constant’s internationally revered artwork

Seleksi Umpan Dan Bentuk Perangkap Plastik Untuk Menangkap Keong Macan (Selection on Bait and Shape of Plastic Trap in Catching Babylon Snail)

The paper describes the result of experimental research on plastic trap to catch babylon snail (Babylonia spirata). The aims of the research were to have the effective shape of trap to catch babylon snail. The shapes of trap were dome, truncated pyramid, and block. While, 2 kinds of baits were shark (Rhinodon typicus) and sardine (Sardinella spp.). Result showed that babylon snail preferred bait of sardine to shark. The truncated pyramid trap was more effective than dome and block trap. Each trap cauht 22, 16 and 4 babylon snail, respectively

Babylon in Bible Prophecy

By the time you read this piece, the United States will likely be at war with Iraq—the ancient people of Babylon. Is this war prophetically significant? Does the Bible have anything to say about Babylon’s role in the future? Is Babylon in the Bible related to modern day Iraq? These questions can be solved by answering the question of whether or not all biblical reference to Babylon should be understood literally? I believe that they are. Dr. Charles Dyer says, “The Bible mentions Babylon over two hundred and eighty times, and many of those references are to the future city of Babylon that is rising from the fine sands of the desert today.”1 In fact, next to Jerusalem, Babylon is the second most frequently mentioned city in the Bible. But, what is her prophetic destiny? To properly understand these matters we must first start our journey by exploring Babylon’s past, since her nativity helps to explain her future role