Power house, prison house - an oral genre and its use in Isaiah Shembe's Nazareth Baptist Church

Paper presented at the Wits History Workshop: The Making of Class, 9-14 February, 198

Ukubonga Nezibongo : Zulu praising and praises.

The thesis is based largely on Zulu praise poetry collected in South Africa in 1975-6. It emphasises the widespread nature of the art of praising in Zulu society: it is both a specialist and a non-specialist activity and poetry is composed and performed by both men and women. The thesis also attempts to analyse the function of the poetry in a contemporary social and political context; it stresses its political, religious and aesthetic aspects and its importance as an expression of individual identity in an often hostile and negative environment. The work attempts to consider praise poetry as a "performance art" rather than a one-dimensional verbal art but also explores the form and content of the poetry. It attempts to see how composers, both specialists and non-specialists, apply the techniques which govern the genre. The memorial aspect of Zulu praising has been stressed by commentators but there has been a paucity of recently recorded material. This study, based largely on contemporary recordings which include observed performances and interview, shows that while the long royal izibongo performed today are remarkably similar to those recorded sixty or more years earlier, individual bards have their own style of performance and their versions are far from identical. Contemporary compositions by bards and non-specialists further emphasise the creative aspect of the tradition which is one that combines memory and creativity. Whereas Albert Lord's influential "singer" theory stressed that true oral poetry could only be poetry that was composed during performance, this material shows that there are other blends of memorising and composing which are possible. At the same time the thesis acknowledges the vital role played by Lord in stressing the contribution of individual artists in an oral tradition. Finally, the thesis touches on the relationship between praise poetry and contemporary printed (but in some cases performed) poetry in South Africa

Characterization of NGFFYamide Signaling in Starfish Reveals Roles in Regulation of Feeding Behavior and Locomotory Systems

Neuropeptides in deuterostomian invertebrates that have an Asn-Gly motif (NG peptides) have been identified as orthologs of vertebrate neuropeptide-S (NPS)-type peptides and protostomian crustacean cardioactive peptide (CCAP)-type neuropeptides. To obtain new insights into the physiological roles of NG peptides in deuterostomian invertebrates, here we have characterized the NG peptide signaling system in an echinoderm—the starfish Asterias rubens. The neuropeptide NGFFYamide was identified as the ligand for an A. rubens NPS/CCAP-type receptor, providing further confirmation that NG peptides are orthologs of NPS/CCAP-type neuropeptides. Using mRNA in situ hybridization, cells expressing the NGFFYamide precursor transcript were revealed in the radial nerve cords, circumoral nerve ring, coelomic epithelium, apical muscle, body wall, stomach, and tube feet of A. rubens, indicating that NGFFYamide may have a variety of physiological roles in starfish. One of the most remarkable aspects of starfish biology is their feeding behavior, where the stomach is everted out of the mouth over the soft tissue of prey. Previously, we reported that NGFFYamide triggers retraction of the everted stomach in A. rubens and here we show that in vivo injection of NGFFYamide causes a significant delay in the onset of feeding on prey. To investigate roles in regulating other aspects of starfish physiology, we examined the in vitro effects of NGFFYamide and found that it causes relaxation of acetylcholine-contracted apical muscle preparations and induction of tonic and phasic contraction of tube feet. Furthermore, analysis of the effects of in vivo injection of NGFFYamide on starfish locomotor activity revealed that it causes a significant reduction in mean velocity and distance traveled. Interestingly, experimental studies on mammals have revealed that NPS is an anxiolytic that suppresses appetite and induces hyperactivity in mammals. Our characterization of the actions of NGFFYamide in starfish indicates that NPS/NG peptide/CCAP-type signaling is an evolutionarily ancient regulator of feeding and locomotion

The changing climate: impacts and adaptations options for South Australian primary producers

Primary producers can play a role in slowing global warming and climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions from agricultural activities. This 2009 report presents the probable impacts of climate change on South Australia\u27s main farming sectors