Missionary interventions in Zulu religious practices: The term for the supreme being

The traditional Zulu people conducted their religious practices orally and in their appeals to a Supreme Being used the terms uNkulunkulu (the Great-Great-One) or uMvelinqangi (the First-to-Appear) interchangeably. However, with the translation of the Bible into isiZulu, the concept of the Supreme Being that was originally known by the Zulu people was changed and cast into a Christian mould. This paper explains these interventions in termsof Toury’s work. By using a corpus-based approach, the linguistic choices of the translators will be analysed to demonstrate that the earliest translators adopted the norms of the source text and culture, while in the latest translations the norms of the target culture were adhered to

Understanding the past to conserve the future long-term environmental and vegetation change in the Karoo Midlands, South Africa over the 20th century

Includes bibliographical references.This study investigated the nature, extent and rate vegetation change in the Karoo Midlands region of South Africa at multiple spatial and temporal scales in relation to local and global drivers. This is important because changes in land cover have major implications for the conservation and management of biodiversity in the region. The thesis is comprised of an historical analysis of climate as well as three cases studies which use repeat photography and long-term surveys to assess vegetation change in the region

Improving success in shutdown projects in South Africa

Shutdown projects are known as strategic components used for maximizing production throughput and increasing the reliability of the plant. Research has shown that project managers are faced with a number of challenges when implementing shutdown projects. This research examined how shutdown project success is perceived based on the views of those engaged in these projects in South Africa, studied the factors that can contribute towards improving the project outcome, and developed a conceptual model for examining the significance of these factors on project success. An extensive evaluation of existing literature was conducted, from which this study extracted a set of success criteria used to assess the outcome of shutdown projects and success variables in shutdown projects. A conceptual model was developed, which examines the association between the critical success factors and project success. The research design of this study was guided by the positivist research philosophy. A cross-sectional survey was undertaken to collect data from participants involved in shutdown projects in South Africa. The sample was selected using purposive sampling. The investigation resulted in a sample of 246 valid responses being received. The hypothesised association between project success and the critical success factors was analysed using structural equation modelling. In this research study, success is regarded as a multi-dimensional construct characterised by project efficiency and organisational success. The study established that success in shutdown projects is accomplished when the project is concluded according to the project costs, time, commissioning incidences,health safety and environmental (SHE) specifications; according to the needs of stakeholders and the profitability of the business. Further, the following categories of success factors critical for shutdown project success were established: project management actions, competence of the project manager, organisational success, competence of the project team and project characteristics. Of these critical success factors, the overall success of shutdown projects was significantly affected by organisational factors. Although project characteristics were found to be significant for the project efficiency dimension of project success, project management actions and competence of the project team were found to be significant for the organisational success dimension of project success. The findings of this research therefore provide a holistic view of the measures used to evaluate the outcome of shutdown projects and guide project managers to the critical success factors that can be considered when improving the success of their shutdown projects.School of ComputingD. Phil

Alien plant species list and distribution for Camdeboo National Park, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa

Protected areas globally are threatened by the potential negative impacts that invasive alien plants pose, and Camdeboo National Park (CNP), South Africa, is no exception. Alien plants have been recorded in the CNP since 1981, before it was proclaimed a national park by South African National Parks in 2005. This is the first publication of a list of alien plants in and around the CNP. Distribution maps of some of the first recorded alien plant species are also presented and discussed. To date, 39 species of alien plants have been recorded, of which 13 are invasive and one is a transformer weed. The majority of alien plant species in the park are herbaceous (39%) and succulent (24%) species. The most widespread alien plant species in the CNP are Atriplex inflata (= A. lindleyi subsp. inflata), Salsola tragus (= S. australis) and cacti species, especially Opuntia ficus-indica. Eradication and control measures that have been used for specific problematic alien plant species are described

African WordNet: a viable tool for sense discrimination in the indigenous African languages of South Africa

In promoting a multilingual South Africa, the government is encouraging people to speak more than one language. In order to comply with this initiative, people choose to learn the languages which they do not speak as home language. The African languages are mostly chosen because they are spoken by the majority of the country’s population. Most words in these languages have many possible senses. This phenomenon tends to pose problems to people who want to learn these languages. This article argues that the African WordNet may the best tool to address the problem of sense discrimination. The focus of the argument will be on the primary sense of the word ‘hand’, which is part of the body, as lexicalized in three indigenous languages spoken in South Africa, namely, Tshiven a, Sesotho sa Leboa and isiZulu. A brief historical background of the African WordNet will be provided, followed by the definition of the word ‘hand’ in the three languages and the analysis of the word in context. Lastly, the primary sense of the word ‘hand’ across the three languages will be discussed

TCP14 and TCP15 mediate the promotion of seed germination by gibberellins in Arabidopsis thaliana

Resentini, F.; Felipo-Benavent, A.; Colombo, L.; Blazquez Rodriguez, MA.; Alabadí Diego, D.; Masiero, S. (2015). TCP14 and TCP15 mediate the promotion of seed germination by gibberellins in Arabidopsis thaliana. Molecular Plant. 8(3):482-485. doi:10.1016/j.molp.2014.11.018S4824858

Vegetation change(1988-2010) in Camdeboo national park (South Africa) using fixed-point photo monitoring: the role of herbivory and climate

Fixed-point photo monitoring supplemented by animal census data and climate monitoring potential has never been explored as a long-term monitoring tool for studying vegetation change in the arid and semi-arid national parks of South Africa. The long-term (1988–2010), fixed-point monitoring dataset developed for the Camdeboo National Park, therefore, provides an important opportunity to do this. Using a quantitative estimate of the change in vegetation and growth form cover in 1152 fixed-point photographs, as well as series of step-point vegetation surveys at each photo monitoring site, this study documented the extent of vegetation change in the park in response to key climate drivers, such as rainfall, as well as land use drivers such as herbivory by indigenous ungulates. We demonstrated the varied response of vegetation cover within three main growth forms (grasses, dwarf shrubs [ 1 m]) in three different vegetation units and landforms (slopes, plains, rivers) within the Camdeboo National Park since 1988. Sites within Albany Thicket and Dwarf Shrublands showed the least change in vegetation cover, whilst Azonal vegetation and Grassy Dwarf Shrublands were more dynamic. Abiotic factors such as drought and flooding, total annual rainfall and rainfall seasonality appeared to have the greatest influence on growth form cover as assessed from the fixed-point photographs. Herbivory appeared not to have had a noticeable impact on the vegetation of the Camdeboo National Park as far as could be determined from the rather coarse approach used in this analysis and herbivore densities remained relatively low over the study duration. Conservation implications: We provided an historical assessment of the pattern of vegetation and climatic trends that can help evaluate many of South African National Parks’ biodiversity monitoring programmes, especially relating to habitat change. It will help arid parks in assessing the trajectories of vegetation in response to herbivory, climate and management interventions

Expression profiling of cell cycle genes reveals key facilitators of cell production during carpel development, fruit set, and fruit growth in apple (Malus×domestica Borkh.)

Cell production is an essential facilitator of fruit growth and development. Cell production during carpel/floral-tube growth, fruit set, and fruit growth, and its regulation by cell cycle genes were investigated in apple (Malus×domestica Borkh.). Cell production was inhibited during late carpel/floral-tube development, resulting in growth arrest before bloom. Fruit set re-activated cell production between 8 d and 11 d after full bloom (DAFB) and triggered fruit growth. The early phase of fruit growth involved rapid cell production followed by exit from cell proliferation at ∼24 DAFB. Seventy-one cell cycle genes were identified, and expression of 59 genes was investigated using quantitative RT-PCR. Changes in expression of 19 genes were consistently associated with transitions in cell production during carpel/floral-tube growth, fruit set, and fruit growth. Fourteen genes, including B-type cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) and A2-, B1-, and B2-type cyclins, were positively associated with cell production, suggesting that availability of G2/M phase regulators of the cell cycle is limiting for cell proliferation. Enhanced expression of five genes including that of the putative CDK inhibitors, MdKRP4 and MdKRP5, was associated with reduced cell production. Exit from cell proliferation at G0/G1 during fruit growth was facilitated by multiple mechanisms including down-regulation of putative regulators of G1/S and G2/M phase progression and up-regulation of KRP genes. Interestingly, two CDKA genes and several CDK-activating factors were up-regulated during this period, suggesting functions for these genes in mediating exit from cell proliferation at G0/G1. Together, the data indicate that cell cycle genes are important facilitators of cell production during apple fruit development

Does public awareness increase support for invasive species management?:Promising evidence across taxa and landscape types

Management of invasive species often raises substantial conflicts of interest. Since such conflicts can hamper proposed management actions, managers, decision makers and researchers increasingly recognize the need to consider the social dimensions of invasive species management. In this exploratory study, we aimed (1) to explore whether species’ taxonomic position (i.e. animals vs. plants) and type of invaded landscape (i.e. urban vs. nonurban) might influence public perception about the management of invasive species, and (2) to assess the potential of public awareness to increase public support for invasive species management. We reviewed the scientific literature on the conflicts of interest around the management of alien species and administered two-phased questionnaires (before and after providing information on the target species and its management) to members of the public in South Africa and the UK (n = 240). Our review suggests that lack of public support for the management of invasive animals in both urban and non-urban areas derives mainly from moralistic value disagreements, while the management of invasive plants in non-urban areas mostly causes conflicts based on utilitarian value disagreements. Despite these general trends, conflicts are context dependent and can originate from a wide variety of different views. Notably, informing the public about the invasive status and negative impacts of the species targeted for management appeared to increase public support for the management actions. Therefore, our results align with the view that increased public awareness might increase the public support for the management of invasive species, independent of taxonomic position and type of landscape