Interview with Nadine Bowers Du Toit

Nadine Bowers Du Toit is a professor in the Department of Practical Theology and Missiology at the Faculty of Theology at the University of Stellenbosch. She holds a PhD in Practical Theology (Theology and Development) and her research over the past 20 years has focused on the role of faith communities in addressing the intersecting issues of race, inequality, gender and poverty. Her most recent projects have been funded by grants from the National Research Foundation and the Nagel Centre for World Christianity. Besides lecturing, publishing and supervising postgraduate students, Nadine is often invited to address congregations, church leaders and faith-based organisations on topics pertaining to social justice. She sees herself as an “activist academic”, always advocating for more diverse voices to be heard: to this end, she chairs the transformation committee in the Faculty of Theology. Nadine is the director of the Unit for Religion and Development and serves on the boards of severalnon-governmental organisations. She is the current vice-president of the International Academy of Practical Theology

On reading Karl Barth in South Africa today: Karl Barth as public theologian?

The original publication is available at http://www.hts.org.zaThis article investigates the specific nature by which Karl Barth could be considered as a public theologian in post-apartheid South Africa. The aim is to enrich the debate in the current field of public theology in post-apartheid South Africa, and to demonstrate especially how it is understood and practice at the Beyers Naudé Centre for Public Theology at Stellenbosch theological faculty.Publisher's versio

In daardie tyd was daar reuse

Professor Piet Meiring kyk terug op agt dekades en onthou van die reuse (vergelyk Genesis 6:4) wat hy op sy lewenspad sou teëkom. Buiten hoe indrukwekkend hy alles kan onthou, is dit absoluut merkwaardig hoeveel daar is om te onthou. In meer as een opsig het ons hier te make met ’n voorwaar ryk verweefde lewe en ’n blywende leeservaring

Onderhoud: In gesprek met Prof. Cas Wepener

Interview: In conversation with Cas WepenerCas Wepener is professor in Practical Theology at Stellenbosch University since 2019. He teaches liturgy and homiletics. Martin Laubscher interviews CasWepener on his life in theology, practical theology and the witness of the church during the pandemic

Editorial

The general rule of thumb practised over the years at Acta Theologica is that our usual semi-annual editions do not require an additional editorial.However, this edition may still be seasonal, but I think it may exceed the most typical expectations. In this bumper edition at the end of the academicyear, several unique highlights require a brief editorial word or two

Interview with Prof. Klippies Kritzinger

J.N.J. (Klippies) Kritzinger is an emeritus professor of Missiology at the University of South Africa (Unisa).  Martin Laubscher interviewed him on his contribution to Theology

Interview with Prof. Piet Meiring

Professor Piet Meiring was born in Johannesburg in 1941. He studied at the University of Pretoria, and at the Free University, Amsterdam. He was ordained to the ministry of the Dutch Reformed Church (DRC) in 1968 and served in three congregations in Pretoria. His academic career includes the chair in Missiology and Church History, University of the North (Turfloop); a parttime lectureship at the University of South Africa

Surface engineering of titanium for biomedical applications by anodizing

Abstract: Competitive manufacturing implies fit for purpose and efficient manufacturing practices. Dental implants are biomedical parts that are manufactured from either Grade 4 or 5 Titanium alloy. In certain situations it may be beneficial for patient satisfaction purposes and for product identification marking to change the appearance (colour and reflectance) of the implant. In the present study, a TiO2 based coating is applied on commercially pure titanium (Grade 4) alloy substrates by the anodizing process. The objective of this study was to engineer the aesthetic appearance of the dental implants while monitoring its effect on aspects as regards to biocompatibility and function. Chromaticity (colour and hue) and reflectance are investigated as a function of the anodizing process parameters (electrolyte voltage, current and electrolyte). Grade 4 titanium was anodized in diluted sulphuric acid electrolyte at various voltages. The reflectance of the anodized specimens was measured with a spectrophotometer. Surface roughness, oxide film thickness and chemical composition of the oxide phase were measured. By varying the electrolyte voltage between 5 V to 40 V different colour ranges were produced. It can be concluded that the surface colour of anodized titanium is dependent on the oxide layer thickness and therefore the applied voltage. Conventional surface roughness did not change and was similar to the virgin material. Elevated voltages resulted in a more crystalline oxide layer. The aesthetic appearance of titanium implants may be improved

Gravity model improvement using GEOS-3 (GEM 9 and 10)

The use of collocation permitted GEM 9 to be a larger field than previous derived satellite models, GEM 9 having harmonics complete to 20 x 20 with selected higher degree terms. The satellite data set has approximately 840,000 observations, of which 200,000 are laser ranges taken on 9 satellites equipped with retroreflectors. GEM 10 is complete to 22 x 22 with selected higher degree terms out to degree and order 30 amounting to a total of 592 coefficients. Comparisons with surface gravity and altimeter data indicate a substantial improvement in GEM 9 over previous satellite solutions; GEM 9 is in even closer agreement with surface data than the previously published GEM 6 solution which contained surface gravity. In particular the free air gravity anomalies calculated from GEM 9 and a surface gravity solution are in excellent agreement for the high degree terms

The contribution of dark-green leafy vegetables to total micronutrient intake of two- to five-year-old children in a rural setting#

This study determined the contribution of dark-green leafy vegetables (DGLV) to total micronutrient intake of two- to five year-old children residing in two neighbouring rural villages in KwaZulu-Natal where production and consumption of these vegetables were promoted. A repeated cross-sectional study that included five repeated 24 h dietary recalls per study period was done during February (n=79), May (n=74), August (n=75) and November (n=78) of 2005 by interviewing the caregivers. Consumption of spinach (mostly Swiss chard) and imifino (a collective term for various dark-green leaves) complemented each other, with imifino being consumed mostly during the first and last quarter of the year, and spinach (mostly Swiss chard) during the 3rd quarter. The proportion of children who consumed DGLV during the 5 d recall period ranged from 36% (May survey) to 86% (February survey), and the average number of times that children consumed it ranged from 1.4 (May survey) to 2.2 (February survey). The average portion size consumed was approximately ½ cup (87 ± 56 g for spinach; 87 ± 38 g for imifino). For children consuming DGLV, these vegetables contributed significantly to dietary intake of calcium (21 to 39% of total intake), iron (19 to 39%), vitamin A (42 to 68%) and riboflavin (9 to 22%).In conclusion, DGLV made a significant contribution towards total nutrient intake of the children for several of the micronutrients.This contribution can potentially be increased should these vegetables be consumed more frequently and by a larger proportion of the children