The Heart of the Matter: Methodological Challenges in Developing a Contemporary Reading Programme for Monolingual Lexicography, from the Perspective of the Dictionary Unit for South African English*

This article argues the importance of the reading programme as the pivotal issue in the lexicographic process. It is essentially a practical article which outlines strategies for developing and implementing a reading programme for monolingual lexicography. The arguments are informed by theory, together with an examination of the data-collection procedures followed by the Dictionary Unit for South African English (DSAE) and a survey of current practice in major English dictionary units around the world, namely the Oxford English Dictionary, the Canadian Oxford Dictionary, the Australian National Dictionary Centre and the New Zealand Dictionary Centre. The reading programme for the DSAE is first defined and contextualized within its mission statement. The article then explores the challenges inherent in sampling contemporary written and spoken English in the South African multilingual context. It is intended to inform the DSAE's intake policy, in terms of the following critical issues: — the definition of South African English, — the monitoring and selection of print, oral and electronic sources, — the excerpting of citations and relevant bibliographic information, and — the recruiting and training of readers. These interlinked aspects of the reading programme have crucial implications for the quality and authority of the monolingual dictionary on historical principles. Keywords: reading programme, monolingual dictionary, historical principles, contemporary, intake, citations, strategie

Quantum dynamics is linear because quantum states are epistemic

According to quantum theory, a scientist in a sealed laboratory cannot tell whether they are inside a superposition or not. Consequently, so long as they remain isolated, they can assume without inconsistency that their measurements result in definite outcomes. We elevate this to the status of a general principle, which we call Local Definiteness. We apply this principle in the context of modifications of quantum theory that allow the dynamics to be non-linear. We prove that any such theory satisfies Local Definiteness if and only if its dynamics is linear. We further note that any interpretation that takes quantum states to be epistemic necessarily satisfies the principle, whereas interpretations that take quantum states to be ontic do not satisfy it, unless they make additional assumptions that amount to presupposing linearity of the dynamics. Therefore the reason why experiments to date have not found evidence of non-linear dynamics might simply be that quantum states are epistemic.Comment: 13 pages, plus references and appendices. Arguments clarified and better organized; some minor corrections. The juicy bits are in section I

A social realist study of the mechanisms that condition lecturers emerging assessment practices

Assessment as part of the enacted curriculum is underscored by the professional judgement of the lecturer, who decides on the body of knowledge that should be learned. A vacuum exists in understanding how the practice of assessment is shaped by the lecturer and between the social groups within departments and the academic institution at large, as well as the transformational policies within the higher education space. Assessment is a key driver to advance a socially just medical curriculum, especially in the context of the legacy of colonialism and apartheid in South Africa (SA). Using the existing body of knowledge about assessment from the global North, without re-contextualising it for a South African context, has led to decontextualised practices that treat assessment as a one-size- fits-all phenomenon. In this study, the influences on lecturers' assessment practices within an undergraduate medical programme were explored. Enabled by the critical realist paradigm, this study sought to illuminate the structural and cultural mechanisms that enabled or constrained medical lecturers' assessment practice. Margaret Archer's social realist theory was used to theorise assessment by using analytical dualism and giving powers and properties to structure, culture, and agency independently, as a way to explore and critically analyse the mechanisms that condition lecturers' assessment practice. Using collective case study design, individual interviews were conducted, and the assessment documentation was gathered from six lecturers in the medical programme at one institution. Narratives from two pre-clinical and four clinical lecturers and the assessment documentation were analysed to provide a way to better understand the influences guiding lecturers' assessment practices. More importantly, how lecturers exercise their personal emergent powers and properties to enact assessment was examined. The analysis shows that the interplay of the systemic mechanisms that emerged in the assessment practice of lecturers set up complex choices for the transformation of assessment. In the context of historic transformation imperatives and the student protests, the study's findings show that lecturers exercised their agential powers and properties to elaborate the ideas and theories towards conventional evidence-based assessment practices that were predominantly teacher-led. Lecturers relied on their own experience of assessment, learning about assessment formally in education programmes and informally through colleagues and courses. However, the systemic constraints such as timetabling, limited integration, disciplinary power, insufficient human, and financial resources to innovate and transform assessment, encouraged choices that were ill aligned to inclusive assessment practices. The support of lecturers' assessment endeavours is desperately needed at all levels, national, institutional, departmental and programmatic, to transform assessment practice. The findings highlight the need for re-evaluation of current interventions to elevate the ontological and epistemological issues. The results have implications for the design of staff development activities and the way assessment is designed, created, and administered

Occurrence of comorbid substance use disorders among acute psychiatric inpatients at Stikland Hospital in the Western Cape, South Africa

Objective: Little is known about the epidemiology of substance use disorders (SUD) among psychiatric inpatients in the Western Cape, South Africa. Therefore, this study was conducted to examine the prevalence of SUD among acute adult psychiatric inpatients at Stikland Hospital, one of three state acute psychiatric hospitals in the Western Cape. Method: A prospective descriptive prevalence survey was undertaken over a three-month period. During this period, data was collected on psychiatric patients (N=298) who were hospitalized in the acute psychiatric wards at Stikland. This included patient demography, psychiatric and substance use history. Urine was also collected and analyzed for substances commonly abused in the Western Cape. Results: A co-morbid SUD (abuse or dependence) was diagnosed in 51% of patients. In addition, a diagnosis of a substance-induced psychiatric disorder was made in 8% of these patients, 1% of who was diagnosed with a substance-induced mood disorder, while 7% was diagnosed with a substanceinduced psychotic disorder. Patients diagnosed with a co-morbid SUD were younger than those without a SUD and more likely to have been involuntary admissions. These patients also displayed more violence prior to admission that contributed to their admission and were more likely to have used cannabis or methamphetamine as their preferred drug of abuse. Only a small group of patients had documented evidence of any prior interventions for their SUD. Conclusion: SUD are prevalent among psychiatric inpatients andcontribute to their morbidity. This has implications for staff training and service development

Compulsory HIV testing of child sex offenders in the South African criminal justice system

The Criminal Law (Sexual Offences and Related Matters) Amendment Act 32 of 2007 established unique procedural mechanisms for the processing of sexual offence cases and for the protection of victims. One such procedure relates to compulsory HIV testing of an alleged offender on application by the victim or a police official. This article is a theoretical exploration of Chapter 5 of the Sexual Offences Act, and the Children’s Act 38 of 2005 as they pertain to HIV testing of children, juxtaposed against the Child Justice Act 75 of 2008. The submission concedes that Chapter 5 of the Sexual Offences Act is applicable to child offenders. The authors, however, argue that child offenders are procedurally sui generis in the criminal justice process and resultantly the prescripts of Chapter 5 of the Sexual Offences Act are at odds with the position of a child offender within the protections of the Child Justice Act, insofar as effective protection of the best interest standard is concerned

Open timelike curves violate Heisenberg's uncertainty principle

Toy models for quantum evolution in the presence of closed timelike curves (CTCs) have gained attention in the recent literature due to the strange effects they predict. The circuits that give rise to these effects appear quite abstract and contrived, as they require non-trivial interactions between the future and past which lead to infinitely recursive equations. We consider the special case in which there is no interaction inside the CTC, referred to as an open timelike curve (OTC), for which the only local effect is to increase the time elapsed by a clock carried by the system. Remarkably, circuits with access to OTCs are shown to violate Heisenberg's uncertainty principle, allowing perfect state discrimination and perfect cloning of coherent states. The model is extended to wave-packets and smoothly recovers standard quantum mechanics in an appropriate physical limit. The analogy with general relativistic time-dilation suggests that OTCs provide a novel alternative to existing proposals for the behaviour of quantum systems under gravity

Involvement, self-reported knowledge and ways in which clinicians learn about assessment in the clinical years of a medical curriculum

Background. Medical students in their clinical years are assessed by clinician educators (CEs) with different levels of involvement and responsibilities in the assessment process.Objective. To obtain a better understanding from CEs of their involvement in assessment activities in the clinical years of a medical degree programme, their self-reported knowledge of assessment and methods of learning about assessment. This study also explored the potential association between involvement in assessment activities, self-reported knowledge of assessment and employment profile.Methods. An online cross-sectional survey was conducted among CEs involved in assessment of an undergraduate medical programme (years 4 - 6) at a South African university.Results. Fifty-four CEs were contacted and 30 responses (56%) were received. Assessment responsibilities included design of assessment instruments, participation in assessment activities and quality assurance of assessments. The top five assessment activities that CEs were involved in were conducting objective structured practical examinations (OSPEs)/objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs), designing multiple-choice questions, being a clinical examiner, conducting portfolio-based oral examinations and marking written assessments. CEs (≥80%) reported having some knowledge of formative and summative assessment, and of validity and reliability. Fewer CEs reported knowledge of constructive alignment, standard setting, item analysis and blueprinting. CEs acquired knowledge of assessment predominantly through informal methods such as practical experience and informal discussion rather than through formal education processes such as attending courses.Conclusions. CEs participated extensively in assessment, but their knowledge with regard to assessment concepts varied

Partnering with Students to Connect Students

Too often outreaches and interventions designed to support students transitioning to higher education, are developed by academics who may not have a full understanding of the complexity and diversity of their students’ realities. This disconnect explains why, in most cases, interventions are reactive instead of proactive. In this article, we draw on our experiences in terms of the design and implementation of a Student Resource Centre (SRC) to advocate for student and staff collaborative design. The student-run initiative works with students as partners to constitute and operationalise an innovative near-peer mentoring and support space. The mixed-methods study draws on social-cultural learning theory on student engagement and reflective practice tools. We explain how a student’s sense of belonging is central to their success, progression, and graduation. This article highlights the need to contextualise and personalise institutional support for students