The role of the expert witness

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Religiousness: An Inter-Disciplinary, Multi-Demographical and Multi-Regional Study

This study was based on an interdisciplinary paradigm for religious research, with the manifestation of inter-disciplinarity in terms of content (the specific field being the psychology of religion which traditionally coincide within two separate disciplines), as well as the methodology (embracing a true positivistic approach). Although 40 624 individuals from a large public service institution in South Africa participated in the study, only 32 413 datasets were usable for this study. Religiousness, comprising of two factors, namely Salience and Participation was measured. The instrument reported an acceptable internal consistency in terms of the Cronbach alpha coefficient and inter-item correlation. High reliability scores were reported on the eight Salience and three Participation items. Overall, religion was seen as an important aspect in the lives of all the participants. All the participants had a positive attitude towards religion and all agreed that religion played an important part in their family life, their wellness, their work performance and in their relationships with others. The overall participation in religious activities, including the involvement in Religious leadership roles, the frequency of Religious participation, as well as the extent of Religious expression, measured high. Religiousness (expressed as the aggregate score of the two factors) measured high, which is an indication that the participants generally believed in a higher power and had positive attitudes towards institutional/religion-specific practices. The participants also indicated that they valued religion as an important aspect of their lives. No meaningful inferences could be made in terms of the impact of race, gender, age and the specific religion on Religiousness

Towards a cyberterrorism life-cycle (CLC) model

Cyberterrorism has emerged as a new threat in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) landscape. The ease of use, affordability, remote capabilities and access to critical targets makes cyberterrorism a potential threat to cause wide-scale damage. Cyberterrorism is often incorrectly perceived as encompassing all cybercrimes. However, cyberterrorism differs from cybercrime in various ways including motivation, attack goals, techniques and effects. Motivations for cyberterrorism, which is similar to terrorism in general, stem from religious, social and political views. Cyberterrorists generally would seek to have high impact in order to gain publicity for their cause, whereas cybercriminals often prefer to have their acts undetected in order to hide their financial theft, fraud or espionage. Therefore, there are various factors that drive the development of a cyberterrorist. This paper proposes a model for the development of cyberterrorism in order to show the various influential forces. The Cyberterrorism Life-Cycle (CLC) model presented in this paper is composed of five phases: Prepare, Acquaint, Choose, Execute, and Deter (PACED). In addition the paper looks at various factors, including social, practices, objectives, targets and countermeasures, which are mapped onto the PACED phases in order to show the interaction and dynamic nature during the life-cycle development

Wavelength and power stabilization of a three wavelength erbium doped fiber laser using a Nonlinear Optical Loop Mirror

Abstract: This paper describes the use of a Nonlinear Loop Mirror to achieve wavelength and power stabilization in a three wavelength Erbium doped fiber ring laser. The laser uses three fiber Bragg grating reflectors as the oscillation wavelength selecting filters. The influence of the length of the Nonlinear Loop Mirror (NOLM) on the laser stability both in terms of wavelength and laser output power was investigated. The laser performance was improved by changing the length of the Loop Mirror to an optimal length and three simultaneous wavelength oscillations with acceptable power and wavelength stability were achieved

Superovulatory response in Boer goats pre-treated with a GnRH agonist outside the natural breeding season

The aim of this study was to evaluate the ovarian response and embryo recovery rates in Boer goat does superovulated with pFSH following a pre-treatment with a GnRH agonist (GnRHa) outside the natural breeding season. Oestrus was synchronised in 22 does with CIDR\'s for 17 days, and these were superovulated with a total dose of 200 mg pFSH/doe administered i.m. in seven dosages, at 12 h intervals, starting 48 h prior to CIDR removal (the first dose being 50 mg and all others 30 mg each). Half of the does (n = 11; treatment group) received GnRHa (Lucrin®) for seven days, starting on day 7 of CIDR insertion, while the other half (n = 11; control group) received no GnRHa. Cervical inseminations with fresh undiluted semen were performed 36 h and 48 h following CIDR removal and the embryos surgically flushed six days after the second AI. The oestrous response, onset- and duration of the induced oestrous period did not differ significantly between groups. There were also no significant differences between pFSH (21.3 ± 5.9) and pFSH/GnRHa (16.1 ± 7.0) treatments, with respect to the mean ovulation rate per donor. However, the mean total number of structures recovered (unfertilised ova and embryos) per doe flushed and the fertilisation rates (%) were significantly lower in the pFSH/GnRHa treated does (12.7 ± 6.0; 11.5 ± 5.3; 81.6 ± 32.2%, respectively), compared to the control group (17.5 ± 4.5; 16.5 ± 6.1; 92.6 ± 19.6%, respectively). In addition, the mean number and percentage of transferable embryos were also significantly lower in the pFSH/GnRHa treated does (4.3 ± 4.0 and 32.7 ± 36.9%), compared to the control does (13.1 ± 5.3 and 75.2 ± 26.8%, respectively). However, no significant differences were recorded in the mean total number of unfertilised ova/doe between groups. The pFSH/GnRHa treatment resulted in a higher number of degenerated embryos per donor (6.9 ± 4.5) compared to the control (3.2 ± 4.2). The pre-treatment with a GnRHa to the pFSH superovulation protocol outside their natural breeding season seemed to be detrimental to embryo production and quality in Boer goats, and is not warranted. Keywords: Boer goats; superovulation; oestrous synchronisation; pFSH; GnRH agonist; embryo; MOET South African Journal of Animal Science Vol. 36 (5) 2006: pp.30-3

Genetic polymorphism of CSN1S2 in South African dairy goat populations

Alpha-s2 casein has a significant influence on protein content in goat milk, and the technological properties important for cheese processing. Specific alleles (A, B, C, E and F) of the alpha (α)s2-casein gene (CSN1S2) result in higher protein, casein and fat content, and improved coagulation properties, which are useful for improved cheese making. The aim of this study was to investigate the polymorphism and genetic variation of CSN1S2 in South African dairy goats, using DNA sequencing technology. Sixty dairy goats (20 Saanes, 20 British Alpine, and 20 Toggenburg) and 20 meat-type goats were sequenced with four primers to distinguish among the seven known alleles for αs2-casein. A total of four alleles (A, B, C and F) for CSN1S2 were observed among the dairy- and meat-type populations with ten genotypes across the populations. The A allele and the AA genotype were the most frequent across the populations, with the favourable AC genotype being the most frequent (0.300) in the Saanen population. Two unique genotypes were detected in the Toggenburg (BB and BF) and one in the meat-type goats (CF). The results indicate moderate genetic variation for αs2-casein in the South African goat populations (42.3–63.6%). Low positive FST values suggest limited inbreeding. This study confirmed the presence of favourable alleles in the South African goat populations, indicating room for genetic improvement using directional selection for favourable genotypes.Keywords: alpha-s2-casein, genetic variation, goat milk, protein content, Saane