HTS Theological Studies and Verbum et Ecclesia – the journals of the Faculty of Theology at the University of Pretoria: Historical overview and strategic planning

This article celebrates the centenary of the University of Pretoria (UP) in 2008. The editors of Verbum et Ecclesia and HTS Theological Studies, the two theological journals associated with the Faculty of Theology at UP, reflect on the journals\' historical roots, editorial focuses, distinctive features, subscription and language statistics and on their\' contribution to support the academic study of theology and related disciplines. The Faculty of Theology was founded in 1917 and celebrated its ninetieth birthday in 2007. The origin of its journals dates back to 1943. This article discusses the challenges that academic journals face in South Africa and undertakes strategic planning for the future. A concluding addendum, consisting of statistical diagrams with regard to the journals\' profile during the last five years, illustrates the argument. HTS Theological Studies Vol. 64 (1) 2008: pp. 9-2

Characteristics of Hydroxypropyl Starch of Sorghum Mutant Line ZH-30 and Its Potential Use in Paper Industry

Sorghum mutant line Zh-30 is a breeding line developed at the Center for the Application of Isotope and Radiation Technology, BATAN by using mutation techniques. Gamma irradiation with the dose of 300 Gy was used to induced plant genetic variability. Through selection processes in several generations, the mutant line Zh-30 was identified to have better agronomic characteristics, better grain quality and higher yield than the original variety. Research on starch quality of this mutant line was done to identify its potential use in a paper industry. Hydroxypropyl starch derivatives of this sorghum lines were prepared by varying alkalinity of the reaction mixtures using propylene oxide to reach Molar of Substitution (MS) of 0–0.180. Its pasting behavior, paste properties and application in wet end paper processing were evaluated. The optimal amount of addition of hydroxypropyl starch was 1-2 %. At this level, drainage time was lower, so that it decreased paper machine speed. At higher level, it did not improve the burst and tensile strengths but tended to decrease the tear strength of handsheets. The properties of lower pasting temperature, higher water holding capacity lower retrogradation susceptibility, increased viscosity and stability of pastes suggested that hydroxypropyl starch of sorghum ZH-30 was suitable for use in wet end paper processing. Comparing to the original starch, the hydroxypropyl starch of sorghum Zh-30 could significantly improve the strength of handsheets

Enabling Micro-level Demand-Side Grid Flexiblity in Resource Constrained Environments

The increased penetration of uncertain and variable renewable energy presents various resource and operational electric grid challenges. Micro-level (household and small commercial) demand-side grid flexibility could be a cost-effective strategy to integrate high penetrations of wind and solar energy, but literature and field deployments exploring the necessary information and communication technologies (ICTs) are scant. This paper presents an exploratory framework for enabling information driven grid flexibility through the Internet of Things (IoT), and a proof-of-concept wireless sensor gateway (FlexBox) to collect the necessary parameters for adequately monitoring and actuating the micro-level demand-side. In the summer of 2015, thirty sensor gateways were deployed in the city of Managua (Nicaragua) to develop a baseline for a near future small-scale demand response pilot implementation. FlexBox field data has begun shedding light on relationships between ambient temperature and load energy consumption, load and building envelope energy efficiency challenges, latency communication network challenges, and opportunities to engage existing demand-side user behavioral patterns. Information driven grid flexibility strategies present great opportunity to develop new technologies, system architectures, and implementation approaches that can easily scale across regions, incomes, and levels of development

Responding to the Challenges and Opportunities of Workforce 2000

We report results of a national study examining the impact of demographic changes in the American workforce on small business management practices.    Telephone interviews with a national random sample of 94 small business owners explored a) if small business owners are aware of changing workforce demographics,  and b) if these small  business  owners are proactively responding to these changes by modifying their personnel practices.   Findings indicate that while small business managers are aware of changing workforce demographics, only a minority have changed their practices to take advantage of the new population available to them

Evaluating Genetic Variability of Sorghum Mutant Lines Tolerant to Acid Soil

High rainfall in some parts in Indonesia causes soil become acidic. The main constraint of acid soil is phosphor (P) deficiency and aluminum (Al) toxicity which decrease plant productivity. To overcome this problem, it is important to develop a crop variety tolerant to such conditions. Sorghum is probably one of the potential crops to meet that objective. Sorghum has been reported to have wide adaptability to various agro-ecology and can be used as food and animal feed. Unfortunately, sorghum is not Indonesian origin so its genetic variability is still low. From previous breeding works with induced mutation, some promising mutant lines have been developed. These mutant lines were included in the experiment carried out in Tenjo with soil condition was classified as acid soil with pH 4.8 and exchangeable-Al content 2.43 me/100 g. The objectives of this experiment were to study the magnitude of genetic variability of agronomy and grain quality characters in sorghum in order to facilitate the breeding improvement of the species. Plant materials used in this study were ten genotypes, including 6 mutant lines and 4 control varieties. The randomized block design with three replications was used in the experiment. The genetic variabilities of agronomic and grain quality characters existed among genotypes, such as plant height, number of leaves, stalk diameter, biomass weight, panicle length, grain yield per plant, 100 seed weight and tannin content in the grain. The broad sense heritabilities of agronomic characters were estimated ranging from medium to high. Grain yield showed significantly positive correlation with agronomic characters observed, but it was negatively correlated with protein content. Received: 05 December 2011; Revised: 21 June 2012; Accepted: 02 July 201

Association of Body Mass Index of HIV-1-Infected Pregnant Women and Infant Weight, Body Mass Index, Length, and Head Circumference: The NISDI Perinatal Study.

This study assessed the relationship between the body mass index (BMI) of HIV-1-infected women and their infants' perinatal outcomes. The study population consisted of women enrolled in the NICHD International Site Development Initiative (NISDI) Perinatal Study with data allowing calculation of the BMI adjusted for length of gestation (adjBMI), who delivered singleton infants. Outcome variables included infant growth parameters at birth (weight, BMI, length and head circumference) and gestational age. Of 697 women from Argentina, the Bahamas, Brazil and Mexico who were included in the analysis, the adjBMI was classified as underweight for 109 (15.6%), normal for 418 (60.0%), overweight for 88 (12.6%) and obese for 82 (11.8%). Median infant birth weight, BMI, birth length and head circumference differed significantly according to maternal adjBMI (P</=0.0002). Underweight mothers gave birth to infants with lower weight, lower BMI, shorter length and smaller head circumference, while infants born to normal, overweight and obese mothers were of similar size

Human Connection as a Treatment for Addiction

Research supports that social connection is important in both humans and animals. In humans, having a cohesive support/social network system and healthy attachments in childhood predict low risk of later addiction (i.e. substance use disorder), as does perceived support from a religious or other cohesive community. Moreover, personal characteristics such as identifying as religious or spiritual can predict low risk for addiction, but little is known about the intersection of neuroscience and religion/spirituality in this regard. Conversely, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) have repeatedly been shown to predict later addiction. However, the role of the body’s neuro-hormonal responses, such as the endogenous opioid and oxytocin systems in this process merits further exploration, such as how the production or deprivation of endogenous opioids impact later substance use patterns. Existing research also provides evidence that individuals decrease pursuit of interpersonal connections and social bonds when they use substances that activate opioid receptors. This has been found with both substances of abuse and medications used to treat addiction (e.g., methadone, buprenorphine, naltrexone). Research has also demonstrated that addiction often results in situations of social isolation. However, it remains to be elucidated whether the substances of abuse physiologically meet that need for connection. Importantly, research across numerous fields indicates that intentionally increasing interpersonal connection may be an effective treatment for addiction. However, less is known about how specific characteristics of communities impact the quantity, quality, or effectiveness of care and support for a person with addiction [...]https://dc.etsu.edu/etsu_books/1292/thumbnail.jp

Is My Exercise Partner Similar Enough? Partner Characteristics as a Moderator of the Köhler Effect in Exergames

Objective: Recent research has shown the Köhler motivation gain effect (working at a task with a more capable partner where one's performance is indispensable to the group) leads to greater effort in partnered exercise videogame play. The purpose of this article was to examine potential moderators of the Köhler effect by exploring dissimilarities in one's partner's appearance, namely, having an older partner (compared with a same-age partner) and having a heavier-weight partner (compared with a same-weight partner). Subjects and Methods: One hundred fifty-three male and female college students completed a series of plank exercises using the “EyeToy: Kinetic™” for the PlayStation® 2 (Sony, Tokyo, Japan). Participants first completed the exercises individually and, after a rest, completed the same exercises with a virtually present partner. Exercise persistence, subjective effort, self-efficacy beliefs, enjoyment, and intentions to exercise were recorded and analyzed. Results: A significant Köhler motivation gain was observed in all partner conditions (compared with individual controls) such that participants with a partner held the plank exercises longer (P<0.001) and reported higher subjective effort (P<0.01). These results were unmoderated by partner's age and weight, with one exception: Males tended to persist longer when paired with an obese partner (P=0.08). Conclusions: These results suggest that differences in age and weight do not attenuate the Köhler effect in exergames and may even strengthen it

Design for services

This seminar was delivered on 29th February 2012 by Dr Daniela Sangiorgi, a lecturer in Design at Imagination Lancaster - a design-led research lab at Lancaster University. The presentation was hosted at Brunel University as part of the Human Centred Design Institute (HCDI) Research Seminar Series. Daniela is an internationally recognised scholar in the field of Service Design research, with one of the first PhDs in the field and is co-author of the book “Design for Services” (2011) by Gower. Her research focuses on the role of Design for Service Innovation. She has participated in EU research projects looking into methodologies and best practices for service design and social innovation and has more recently participated in a UK EPSRC funded research project on the role of design within healthcare clinical commissioning. Daniela has been working with local manufacturing SMEs and multinational organisations exploring scenarios, competences and tools for their development into service solution providers.HCDI is a University Research Centre (URC) that brings together expertise in Human-centred Design which combines methodologies and technologies from design, engineering, computer science, artificial intelligence and philosophy. Human-centred Design leads to machines, systems and products which are physically, cognitively and emotionally intuitive to their users. The Human Centre Design seminar series are events designed to encourage communication and teamwork with colleagues across the university and experts leaders in human-centred related topics.This presentation will provide an overview of Design for Services as a discipline considering where it comes from, what it is doing now and a reflection of where it is going. It will draw on research conducted for the co-authored book ‘Design for Services’ (Meroni and Sangiorgi, 2011). It will use case studies to illustrate how Design for Services has been developing its role and competences by focusing on different areas of application related to service experiences, service systems, service models and service futures. The seminar will provide an opportunity to reflect on how the discipline is currently challenged by the transformation of the concept of services itself. Services are no longer considered as a design ‘object’, but as a ‘mean’ for supporting the emergence of a more collaborative, sustainable and creative society and economy; they are proposed as a higher conceptual order to think about innovation and value co-creation. This shift needs consideration when imagining the future of the Design for Service discipline