Streef na vrede met almal? Hebreërs 12:14 in perspektief

Strive for peace with everyone? Hebrews 12:14 in perspective. What sounds like a simple exhortation in Hebrews 12:14 has caused a great deal of discussion amongst biblical scholars. Does the writer of Hebrews command his hearers to strive for peace with everyone everywhere, or is he exhorting them to strive for peace with all the members of their faith community? Both interpretations have arguments for and against. The main arguments of both interpretations are the interpretation of the place of this exhortation in Hebrews, the meaning of the preposition μετά + genitive and the nuance of εἰρήνη within this context. This article tries to determine to whom the writer of Hebrews is referring with πάντων in 12:14 by doing thorough exegesis of this verse, and by so doing evaluating biblical scholar’s interpretation of πάντων. From this analysis certain implications are drawn for the first hearers and believers today

Incidence of non-traumatic anterior knee pain among 11 - 17-years-olds

Objective. To investigate the incidence of anterior knee pain, as well as the effect of sport participation, age of onset and gender differences on the condition. Design. Questionnaires (N = 2 414), each containing 20 questions, were distributed to 10 - 17-year-old learners at 8 primary and 5 high schools in the Empangeni/Richards Bay area. The return rate was 76%. Results. Twenty-seven per cent of the respondents reported anterior knee pain. Of these, 21% experienced pain in the left knee only, 34% in the right knee only, and 45% in both knees. Furthermore, 31% had visited a medical doctor because of the knee pain, 82% reported that the pain interfered with their sport participation, and 37% had visited a physiotherapist or biokineticist, of whom 43% reported that the intervention they received was successful. Previously 37% of the subjects had taken medication for the condition. The highest incidence of anterior knee pain was reported for 12 and 13-year-old girls and 14 - 15-year-old boys, which correlates with the period of the adolescent growth spurt. The incidence of anterior knee pain was higher amongst those who participated in sport more than 3 days per week and lower amongst those who participated less than 3 days per week or not at all. Conclusions. Anterior knee pain is common amongst children between the ages of 10 and 17 years, with a peak during adolescence, especially among girls. Participation in physical activity increases the likelihood of anterior knee pain. South African Journal of Sports Medicine Vol. 19 (2) 2007: pp. 60-6

‘By his word’? Creation, preservation and consummation in the book of Hebrews

God’s speech is a prominent theme in the book of Hebrews. A fascinating phenomenon regarding God’s speech, and one that has in my opinion not been adequately explored, is that the writer possibly implies that God created by his word (Heb 11:3), preserves creation by his word (Heb 1:3) and will consummate creation by his word (Heb 12:26). This article examines whether the writer indeed had the conviction that God did, does and will do this by his word. This is done by doing grammatico-historical exegesis of Hebrews 11:3, 1:3 and 12:26 and integrating the findings. In so doing, this article contributes to the study of Hebrews’ theology of God’s word

Herbivores shape woody plant communities in theKruger National Park: lessons from three long-termexclosures

The role of grazers in determining vegetation community compositions and structuring plant communities is well recognised in grassy systems. The role of browsers in affecting savanna woody plant communities is less clear. We used three long-term exclosures in the Kruger National Park to determine the effect of browsers on species compositions and population structures of woody communities. Species assemblages, plant traits relating to browsing and soil nutrients were compared inside and outside of the exclosures. Our results showed that browsers directly impact plant species distributions, densities and population structures by actively selecting for species with traits which make them desirable to browsers. Species with high leaf nitrogen, low total phenolic content and low acid detergent lignin appeared to be favoured by herbivores and therefore tend to be rare outside of the exclosures. This study also suggested that browsers have important indirect effects on savanna functioning, as the reduction of woody cover can result in less litter of lower quality, which in turn can result in lower soil fertility. However, the magnitude of browser effects appeared to depend on inherent soil fertility and climate. CONSERVATION IMPLICATIONS: Browsers were shown to have significant impacts on plant communities. They have noticeable effects on local species diversity and population structure, as well as soil nutrients. These impacts are shown to be related to the underlying geology and climate. The effects of browsers on woody communities were shown to be greater in low rainfall, fertile areas compared to high rainfall, infertile soils

Incidence of non-traumatic anterior knee pain among 11 - 17-years-olds

Objective. To investigate the incidence of anterior knee pain, as well as the effect of sport participation, age of onset and gender differences on the condition. Design. Questionnaires (N = 2 414), each containing 20 questions, were distributed to 10 - 17-year-old learners at 8 primary and 5 high schools in the Empangeni/Richards Bay area. The return rate was 76%. Results. Twenty-seven per cent of the respondents reported anterior knee pain. Of these, 21% experienced pain in the left knee only, 34% in the right knee only, and 45% in both knees. Furthermore, 31% had visited a medical doctor because of the knee pain, 82% reported that the pain interfered with their sport participation, and 37% had visited a physiotherapist or biokineticist, of whom 43% reported that the intervention they received was successful. Previously 37% of the subjects had taken medication for the condition. The highest incidence of anterior knee pain was reported for 12 and 13-year-old girls and 14 - 15-year-old boys, which correlates with the period of the adolescent growth spurt. The incidence of anterior knee pain was higher amongst those who participated in sport more than 3 days per week and lower amongst those who participated less than 3 days per week or not at all. Conclusions. Anterior knee pain is common amongst children between the ages of 10 and 17 years, with a peak during adolescence, especially among girls. Participation in physical activity increases the likelihood of anterior knee pain. South African Journal of Sports Medicine Vol. 19 (2) 2007: pp. 60-6

Ants, fire, and bark traits affect how African savanna trees recover following damage

Bark damage resulting from elephant feeding is common in African savanna trees with subsequent interactions with fire, insects, and other pathogens often resulting in tree mortality. Yet, surprisingly little is known about how savanna trees respond to bark damage. We addressed this by investigating how the inner bark of marula (Sclerocarya birrea), a widespread tree species favoured by elephants, recovers after bark damage. We used a long‐term fire experiment in the Kruger National Park to measure bark recovery with and without fire. At 24 months post‐damage, mean wound closure was 98, 92, and 72%, respectively, in annual and biennial burns and fire‐exclusion treatments. Fire exclusion resulted in higher rates of ant colonization of bark wounds, and such ant colonization resulted in significantly lower bark recovery. We also investigated how ten common savanna tree species respond to bark damage and tested for relationships between bark damage, bark recovery, and bark traits while accounting for phylogeny. We found phylogenetic signal in bark dry matter content, bark N and bark P, but not in bark thickness. Bark recovery and damage was highest in species which had thick moist inner bark and low wood densities (Anacardiaceae), intermediate in species which had moderate inner bark thickness and wood densities (Fabaceae) and lowest in species which had thin inner bark and high wood densities (Combretaceae). Elephants prefer species with thick, moist inner bark, traits that also appear to result in faster recovery rates

A thorny issue: Woody plant defence and growth in an East African savanna

Recent work suggests that savanna woody plant species utilise two different strategies based on their defences against herbivory; a low nutrient/high chemical defence strategy and a nutrition paired with mostly architectural defences strategy. The concept that chemical and structural defences can augment each other and do not necessarily trade-off has emanated from this work. In this study, we examine woody plant defence strategies, how these respond to herbivore removal and how they affect plant growth in an East African savanna. At three paired long-term exclosure sites with high browser and mixed-feeder densities at Mpala Ranch, Kenya, we investigated: (a) whether defences employed by the dominant fine- and broad-leaved woody savanna species form defence strategies and if these align with previously proposed strategies, (b) how nine key plant defence traits respond to herbivore removal and (c) how effective the different defence strategies are at protecting against intense herbivory (by measuring plant growth with and without herbivores present). We identified three defence strategies. We found a group (a) with high N, short spines and high N-free secondary metabolites, a group (b) with high N, long spines and low N-free secondary metabolites and a group (c) with moderate N, no spines and low N-free secondary metabolites (most likely defended by unmeasured chemical defences). Structural defences (spine length, branching) were generally found to be induced by herbivory, leaf available N increased or did not respond, and N-free secondary metabolites decreased or did not respond to herbivory. Species with long spines combined with increased “caginess” (dense canopy architecture arising from complex arrangement of numerous woody and spiny axis categories) of branches, maintained the highest growth under intense browsing, compared to species with short spines and high N-free secondary metabolites and species with no spines and low N-free secondary metabolites. Synthesis. At our study site, structural traits (i.e. spines, increased caginess) were the most inducible and effective defences against intense mammalian herbivory. We propose that high levels of variability in the way that nutrient and defence traits combine may contribute to the coexistence of closely related species comprising savanna woody communities

Persistence of attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder into adulthood: a study conducted on parents of children diagnosed with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder

No Abstract.South African Psychiatry Review Vol. 10 (2) 2007: pp.93-9