Grepe uit die eksistensialistiese etiek

In die jongste tyd is die moderne mens doodbang vir alle etiese programme, vir ’n Etiek waarin vir alle mense en tye voorgeskrewe reels, hoe ’n mens in elke situasie moet handel, gegee word

Wetenskap op weg na 'n nuwe identiteit en samewerking

A traditional approach in Calvinist philosophy is to start with an analysis of cosmic diversity in order to find the identity of a particular phenomenon, and then to end with an account of the inter-relatedness between the phenomenon and other things. Although Stoker's philosophy tries to keep a balance between diversity and coherence as an entrée to reality - his later publications reflected a remarkable shift hy emphasising the coherence and contextual meaning of things. Taking the coherence and contextual meaning of things as the point of departure, this article explores a converse version of the traditional approach by using coherence (and not identity) as a means to sound out some new meanings of science and scientific co-operation. An indication of transdisciplinary co-operation is rendered in terms of the preponderance of reality‘s call upon man to be known and cared for. The article ends with a few examples of unusual concepts that may serve as a revised index to identify world-friendly and humane scientific activities

The cholera epidemic in South Africa, 1980 - 1987 Epidemiological features

During the cholera epidemic in South Africa, 1980-1987, 25251 cases of cholera were bacteriologically proven. The case-fatality rate was 1,4%. Outbreaks occurred in the summer rainfall season. Age-specific aUack rates followed the pattern typically found during the 'epidemic phase' of the disease in most years. The vast majority of patients were black South Africans living in rural areas with an average annual rainfall in excess of 600 mm. The containment strategy employed is summarised. Despite the apparent eradication of the disease, it is strongly recommended that vigilance should be maintained and investigations of all possible sources of infection and all human contacts of any new proven case should be carried out speedily and thoroughly

Second-language intervention for prospective l eT learners at a University of Technology

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) has been identified as one of the key pillars of growth in the South African economy. Currently a skills gap exists in formally trained black and coloured ICT professionals. Concurrently, higher education institutions experience a changing  demographic profile of learner enrolments with high dropout rates, failure rates and an English proficiency level below the required Grade 12 level. The Vaal University of Technology (VUT) particularly experienced a high failure rate in the module, Programming l . Researchers at the VUT  introduced an entry-level certificate i n ICT, which includes an English  Proficiency module in order to improve the learners' English proficiency and to provide articulation for a diversity of learners into the Higher Diploma in ICT. The results indicate that the English Proficiency module had a positive correlation with the results of the Programming 1 module. Results also indicate the successful implementation of a teaching strategy based on collaborative constructivism.Keywords: English proficiency; comprehension; ICT; programming logi

Aborsie: ’n Juridiese, etiese en regsetiese vraagstuk

In die geledere van skokkende en onetiese dade in die menslike samelewing, beklee aborsie ’n besondere plek. Vir wetenskaplike doeleindes kan aborsie oor die algemeen gedefinieer word as die skeiding van of afdrywing uit die moederlyf van die „produk” van konsepsie, synde ’n fetus (Geldenhuys, 1974:11; O’Donovan 1975:2). ’n Verdere element van die definisie, wat die blote afdrywing van die vrug gewoonlik kwalifiseer, is dat die fetus, met betrekking tot nageboortelike lewe gesproke, nie lewensvatbaar moes gewees het nie. Met die byvoeging van hierdie element tot die eie definisie word tans egter vertoef ten einde eers die belangrike vraag wanneer lewe ontstaan, te beantwoord

A desalination guide for South African municipal engineers

Municipalities need to develop Water Services Development Plans (WSDPs) as a first requirement in their budgetary process, and need to be made aware of the options that are available to provide more than basic services. While 25./personEd has been set as the minimum basic water supply and while many consumers receive far in excess of this amount, there are areas of the country where water of acceptable quality is not available for household use. However, in many areas adequate quantities of saline water may be, or are, readily available. This is especially the case for coastal cities and towns.The cost of treating water is only part of the total cost of making drinking water available to the consumer. This together with the fact that membrane technology is becoming more affordable and that energy can be recovered, makes the desalination of water viable for domestic purposes.A desk study, funded by the Department Water Affairs and Forestry and managed by the Water Research Commission, was undertaken to identify treatment options for desalinating seawater from both the Indian and Atlantic oceans or brackish water from boreholes. The specific objectives of the project were to compile a Guide on the technologies that can be implemented in South Africa to treat saline water to drinking water standards, to identify the pretreatment that is necessary, and to present guidelines on operational, maintenance, management and environmental aspects relevant to the selection and use of these technologies. An important aspect was also to quantify the capital and operating costs for planning purposes of the different components needed to successfully bring the water to the accepted standards for potable and domestic use.Of particular importance for the South African application was to identify the level of skills required for daily operation of the desalination plants, the level of skills required to provide technical back-up and advice, and to identify and advise on the competencies, training needs and capacity building required at operator and management levels. Lastly, the relevant local environmental legislations governing desalination were also identified