Oorreding in evangelisasie

Persuasion in evangelism Is persuasion as researched and applied in the different secular fields relevant to evangelism? To many evangelists this is hardly a question to consider, since they take a positive answer as self evident. It is a different matter however when faith in Jesus Christ is marketed as a means to heavenly retirement, or when the fears and emotions of persons are manipulated in order to pressure- sell the gospel. This article looks at two examples of applied persuasion, i e in marketing, and in training and management. One of the aims of evangelism, conversion, is also  considered. It is found that many of the principles and techniques of persuasion as formulated may indeed be used in influencing and persuading nonbelievers on condition that specific principles be honoured. The article aims at addressing four principles in this regard

RGN-Verslag oor godsdiens, tussengroepverhoudinge en maatskaplike verandering in Suid-Afrika

The HSRC Report on religion, intergroup relations and social change in South AfricaThis article deals with the HSRC Report Religion, intergroup relations and social change in South Africa of 1985. The report is found to be well researched. A basic statement thereof is that religion functions in an ambivalent manner: It may transcend group interests for the sake of broader or national interests and thus facilitate reconciliation or it may become a captive of group interests and by legitimising group perceptions and claims, contribute to intergroup tension. Despite the Committee's claim to a scientific approach to religion, the report displays a natural theological aspect

Prof dr FJ van Zyl as mens, kerkman en godsdiensfilosoof

Prof Dr FJ van Zyl as person, church personality and philosopher of religionProfessor Francois Jacobus van Zyl (1913-05-06 -) served as Head of the Department of Science of Religion and Missiology, Faculty of Theology (Section: Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk), University of Pretoria, during the period 1960-1978. This article (written by a former student of his and present Head of the same Department) contains a short biography, a discussion of his views on Theology, Science of Religion and Philosophy of Religion, and a bibliography. He is portrayed as a theologian with Barthian convictions, while been influenced by Emil Brunner and to a lesser extent by Hendrik Kraemer also. His primary audience was the Nederduitsch Hervormde Kerk and his theological activities (especially in the period 1960-1983) must be seen in relation to his influential role in same church

Drugs in sport — testing results from the South African Laboratory 1995 - 2002

Objective. To summarise the results of the past 8 years obtained at the South African Doping Control Laboratory and to compare the results with international statistics. Method. Screening procedures were performed on 14 017 urine samples collected from competitors in 54 different sporting codes during the period 1995 - 2002. Samples were analysed using gas chromatography and gas chromatography/mass spectrometry for the presence of prohibited substances, which are listed by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Results. The results obtained were compared with those of the IOC-accredited laboratories. Prohibited substances were detected in 300 samples (2.14%), of which 45.6% contained anabolic agents and 34.6% stimulants. The positive samples from the IOC laboratories contained 58.7% anabolic agents and 20.8% stimulants. Testosterone and nandrolone were the anabolic agents most frequently detected in positive samples, both in South Africa and internationally. The ephedrines as a group accounted for most stimulants detected in positive samples. Conclusion. It is of concern that the percentage of positive samples (2.14%) obtained in our laboratory is higher than the 1.70% in IOC laboratories. It is therefore necessary that doping control to curb the use of prohibited substances should continue and expand. South African Journal of Sports Medicine Vol.16(1) 2004: 29-3

Inadvertent doping through nutritional supplements is a reality

Objective. Inadvertent doping through the use of nutritional supplements is a potentially important cause of the increase in positive drug tests involving high-profile Olympic athletes. The aim of this study was to screen over-the-counter nutritional supplements for the presence of steroid or stimulant compounds banned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). Method. Thirty different nutritional supplements from 14 different manufacturers were bought at shops in Bloemfontein, South Africa and analysed for testosterone and nandrolone prohormones, various ephedrines and caffeine. Results. Eighteen (60%) of the 30 supplements contained no prohibited substances. Of the 12 (40%) positive supplements, 8 (66.7%) contained prohormones and 4 (33.3%) contained stimulants. Six supplements contained prohormones, which were listed on the labels, while 2 contained prohormones not listed on the labels. The stimulants were listed on the labels as Ma Huang, Guarana and Kola extracts and all contained a mixture of ephedrines and caffeine. Conclusion. The results showed that approximately 7% of supplements tested may be mislabelled or contaminated with banned substances and that inadvertent doping through nutritional supplement use is a reality for athletes. The sporting community should therefore be aware that supplements might contain anabolic androgenic steroids and stimulants that are not declared on the labels. SA Sports Medicine Vol.16(2) 2004: 3-

Efficacy of a combination of imidacloprid 10%/moxidectin 2.5% spot-on (Advocate® for dogs) in the prevention of canine spirocercosis (Spirocerca lupi)

The nematode Spirocerca lupi is a major canine parasite in warm regions of the world, classically causing parasitic nodules in the esophagus, aortic aneurysms, and spondylitis. This study evaluated the preventive efficacy of monthly treatment with imidacloprid 10%/moxidectin 2.5% spot-on (Advocate® for dogs) administered over a period of 9 months in young dogs naturally exposed to S. lupi on Réunion island. One hundred and twelve puppies, aged from 2.0 to 4.0 months and with a negative spirocerca fecal examination at inclusion, completed the study. They were randomly allocated to two groups. Group A puppies (n = 58) received nine spot-on treatments with Advocate® at the minimum dose of 2.5 mg moxidectin/kg bw at monthly intervals. Control group B puppies (n = 54) received no treatment for S. lupi. During the study, regular clinical and fecal examinations were performed, as was final upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. Endoscopy showed that 19 dogs from group B had spirocerca nodules, corresponding to a prevalence of 35.2% in dogs aged 12 to 14 months. In contrast, only one dog from group A had a nodule, corresponding to a preventive efficacy of 94.7% (p < 0.0001). None of the 378 fecal examinations were positive for spirocerca. This study confirms a high prevalence of canine spirocercosis on Réunion and shows that infestation occurs in very young puppies. Furthermore, it demonstrates that monthly spot-on administration of a combination of imidacloprid 10%/moxidectin 2.5% (Advocate® for dogs) in puppies starting at the age of 2 to 4 months achieves effective and safe prevention of canine spirocercosis

Identification strategy for unknown pollutants using high-resolution mass spectrometry: Androgen-disrupting compounds identified through effect-directed analysis

Effect-directed analysis has been applied to a river sediment sample of concern to identify the compounds responsible for the observed effects in an in vitro (anti-)androgenicity assay. For identification after non-target analysis performed on a high-resolution LTQ-Orbitrap, we developed a de novo identification strategy including physico-chemical parameters derived from the effect-directed analysis approach. With this identification strategy, we were able to handle the immense amount of data produced by non-target accurate mass analysis. The effect-directed analysis approach, together with the identification strategy, led to the successful identification of eight androgen-disrupting compounds belonging to very diverse compound classes: an oxygenated polyaromatic hydrocarbon, organophosphates, musks, and steroids. This is one of the first studies in the field of environmental analysis dealing with the difficult task of handling the large amount of data produced from non-target analysis. The combination of bioassay activity assessment, accurate mass measurement, and the identification and confirmation strategy is a promising approach for future identification of environmental key toxicants that are not included as priority pollutants in monitoring programs

Climatically sensitive transfer of iron to maritime Antarctic ecosystems by surface runoff

Iron supplied by glacial weathering results in pronounced hotspots of biological production in an otherwise iron-limited Southern Ocean Ecosystem. However, glacial iron inputs are thought to be dominated by icebergs. Here we show that surface runoff from three island groups of the maritime Antarctic exports more filterable (<0.45 μm) iron (6–81 kg km−2 a−1) than icebergs (0.0–1.2 kg km−2 a−1). Glacier-fed streams also export more acid-soluble iron (27.0–18,500 kg km−2 a−1) associated with suspended sediment than icebergs (0–241 kg km−2 a−1). Significant fluxes of filterable and sediment-derived iron (1–10 Gg a−1 and 100–1,000 Gg a−1, respectively) are therefore likely to be delivered by runoff from the Antarctic continent. Although estuarine removal processes will greatly reduce their availability to coastal ecosystems, our results clearly indicate that riverine iron fluxes need to be accounted for as the volume of Antarctic melt increases in response to 21st century climate change

Craniodental Morphology and Systematics of a New Family of Hystricognathous Rodents (Gaudeamuridae) from the Late Eocene and Early Oligocene of Egypt

BACKGROUND: Gaudeamus is an enigmatic hystricognathous rodent that was, until recently, known solely from fragmentary material from early Oligocene sites in Egypt, Oman, and Libya. Gaudeamus' molars are similar to those of the extant cane rat Thryonomys, and multiple authorities have aligned Gaudeamus with Thryonomys to the exclusion of other living and extinct African hystricognaths; recent phylogenetic analyses have, however, also suggested affinities with South American caviomorphs or Old World porcupines (Hystricidae). METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Here we describe the oldest known remains of Gaudeamus, including largely complete but crushed crania and complete upper and lower dentitions. Unlike younger Gaudeamus species, the primitive species described here have relatively complex occlusal patterns, and retain a number of plesiomorphic features. Unconstrained parsimony analysis nests Gaudeamus and Hystrix within the South American caviomorph radiation, implying what we consider to be an implausible back-dispersal across the Atlantic Ocean to account for Gaudeamus' presence in the late Eocene of Africa. An analysis that was constrained to recover the biogeographically more plausible hypothesis of caviomorph monophyly does not place Gaudeamus as a stem caviomorph, but rather as a sister taxon of hystricids. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: We place Gaudeamus species in a new family, Gaudeamuridae, and consider it likely that the group originated, diversified, and then went extinct over a geologically brief period of time during the latest Eocene and early Oligocene in Afro-Arabia. Gaudeamurids are the only known crown hystricognaths from Afro-Arabia that are likely to be aligned with non-phiomorph members of that clade, and as such provide additional support for an Afro-Arabian origin of advanced stem and basal crown members of Hystricognathi

Anthropic resource exploitation and use of the territory at the onset of social complexity in the Neolithic-Chalcolithic Western Pyrenees: a multi-isotope approach

Carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) stable isotope analyses from bone collagen provide information about the dietary protein input, while strontium isotopes (87Sr/86Sr) from tooth enamel give us data about provenance and potential territorial mobility of past populations. To date, isotopic results on the prehistory of the Western Pyrenees are scarce. In this article, we report human and faunal values of the mentioned isotopes from the Early-Middle Neolithic site of Fuente Hoz (Anuntzeta) and the Late Neolithic/Early Chalcolithic site of Kurtzebide (Letona, Zigoitia). The main objectives of this work are to analyze the dietary and territorial mobility patterns of these populations. Furthermore, as an additional aim, we will try to discuss social ranking based on the isotope data and existing literature on this topic in the region of study. Our results show that, based on the bioavailable Sr values, both purported local and non-local humans were buried together at the sites. Additionally, they suggest similar resource consumption based on C3 terrestrial resources (i.e. ovicaprids, bovids, and suids) as the main part of the protein input. Overall, this study sheds light on how individuals from different backgrounds were still buried together and shared the same dietary lifestyle at a time in the Prehistory of Iberia when social complexities started to appear