The impact of Christian Higher Education on the lives of students and societies in Africa

Corruption is a worldwide problem. Authors do not only agree that it should be addressed at a personal level, but they encourage everyone to become involved in the fight against corruption. For this to happen, individual transformation is a prerequisite. In this article, Chipapata, Fátima and Jacinto’s personal stories will bear witness to the potential role of Christian Higher Education (CHE) in the moral and spiritual transformation of individuals in local African communities. These three persons were extra-mural students enrolled at Hefsiba in Mozambique. That the impact of these three persons’ studies goes beyond the personal level is seen in the community in which they live and work. They consented to tell their stories starting with events before they commenced their studies, sharing experiences they had during their studies and describing how their studies impacted their lives, families, work and the community in which they live. In this article, the essence, purpose and content of CHE are addressed. It is argued that through CHE, students’ faith and education could be integrated. Apart from being competent in their professions, students would be committed to apply their competency to deal with the spiritual and material conditions of their communities. This might bring about a transformation of society.Die impak van Christelike Hoër Onderwys op die lewens van studente en gemeenskappe in Afrika. Korrupsie is ’n wêreldwye probleem. Outeurs stem nie net saam dat dit op persoonlike vlak aangespreek moet word nie, maar hulle moedig almal ook aan om betrokke te raak in die stryd teen korrupsie. Dit kan net gebeur as individuele transformasie reeds plaasgevind het. In hierdie artikel lewer Chipapata, Fátima en Jacinto se persoonlike verhale getuienis van die potensiële waarde van Christelike Hoër Onderwys (CHO) met betrekking tot die morele en geestelike transformasie van individue in plaaslike Afrikagemeenskappe. Hierdie drie persone was buitemuurse studente van Hefsiba in Mosambiek. Die impak van hierdie drie persone se studies strek verder as bloot hul persoonlike lewens. Dit is ook sigbaar in die gemeenskap waarin hulle woon en werk. Hulle het ingestem om hul verhale te vertel, beginnende by gebeure voor die aanvang van hul studies, hul ervarings tydens hul studies en hoe hul studies hul lewens, gesinne, werk en gemeenskap beïnvloed het. In hierdie artikel word die essensie, doel en inhoud van CHO aangespreek. Daar word geargumenteer dat studente se geloof en onderwys geïntegreer word deur CHO. Studente word dus nie net toegerus vir hul professies nie, maar behoort ook toegewyd te wees om konstruktief by die spirituele en materiële nood van hul gemeenskappe betrokke te raak. Dit mag moontlik ’n transformasie van die gemeenskap tot gevolg hê

Waste management and the workplace

The article examines forms of labour and economic opportunity created by local government in relation to waste management (refuse removal and recycling) and the kinds of vulnerabilities these generate. The authors seek to lift the “contractual veil” on outsourced municipal services and describe a typology of labour arranged along a declining gradient of formality and employment protections, with inequality and vulnerability commensurately rising toward the informal pole. The article argues for an enlarged conception of the “workplace” but also poses difficult questions of how employment protections might be extended to those at its most vulnerable and informal pole

Evaluating Two Trap-and-Release Methods for Bobwhites

Numerous methods exist for capturing northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) including various net configurations and baited, wire-funnel traps. The latter represents the most commonly used technique whereby more than 97% of the studies in the current body of literature report using Stoddard’s (1931) standard quail trap for capturing bobwhites. Some researchers, however, employed multiple methods of capture for the same study. Regardless of the technique used, birds are either worked up directly in the field or held overnight and released the next day. Each of these approaches has their distinct advantages and limitations, and may vary with respect to their overall impact on bobwhite behavior and survival germane to stress incurred during capture, handling, and/or transport. Despite the inherent difference in capture and handling time, no known studies have evaluated the influence of these two capture methods on bobwhites. Yet, the tenability of the information gained from research is predicated on the notion that our methods do not influence the individuals being studied. During 2014 – 2015, we captured bobwhites (n = 664) on Tall Timbers Research Station (TTRS, ~1570 ha) using standard funnel traps during fall (Oct/Nov), winter (January) and spring (Mar/April). All birds were leg-banded and one subset (Cohort 1;n =108) was radio-tagged, worked up in the field and release immediately at the capture site and a second subset (Cohort 2;n = 212) was transferred to holding boxes, held overnight and the next morning they were radio-tagged and released nearby the capture site. I evaluated daily survival rate for each of the 4 groups (radio-tagged cohorts, banded-only controls) using Burnham’s joint model in program MARK. Preliminary results indicate the daily survival for cohort 2 was moderately better than cohort 1 but similar to control groups. Additional data will be incorporated upon the completion of March 2016 trapping season

A centile chart for birth weight for an urban population of the Western Cape

Evidence from large epidemiological studies has supported concern that being born light for gestational age (LiGA) may be detrimental. The incidence of LiGA babies is an important indicator of the health of women of reproductive age in deprived communities. In the assessment of LiGA in the Western Cape, centile charts constructed for populations in other parts of the world are generally used. These charts, however, may not be appropriate. Patients residing in the area served by the Tygerberg Hospital obstetric service, who booked early with singleton pregnancies, had their gestational age confinmed by early ultrasound and delivered between 1 March 1989 and 28 February 1990 were included in the study. The sample consisted of 3 643 patients. The mean birth weight was 2 995 g (SD 573 g) and the range 760 - 5 080 g. The distribution of birth weight at each week of gestation from 28 to 42 weeks was not nonmal. The 4-parameter Johnson family of densities was used to model the distribution of birth weight at each gestational age. A comparison of the distribution of birth weight in the study relative to the perinatal growth chart for international reference constructed by Dunn was also made. In addition to considering an overall chart, the sample was subdivided according to a number of characteristics (e.g. gender, firstborn and latter-born babies, smoking habit, hypertensive disorders and induction of labour) in order to explore their impact on the distribution of birth weight. Having explored the potential impact of all these factors, it was concluded that a single chart including all patients could be constructed

Developing vegetation metrics for the assessment of beneficial uses of impounded wetlands surrounding Great Salt Lake, Utah, USA

Many wetlands around Farmington Bay of Great Salt Lake are managed waterfowl habitat by means of impounding the flow at the terminus of the Jordan River. The majority of the Jordan River flow is comprised of the secondary-treated effluent of several municipal waste water treatment plants (WWTP), resulting in elevated phosphorus concentrations. This study was initiated to determine whether the assimilative capacity for phosphorus of the impounded wetlands had been exceeded, resulting in a negative impact to the submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) in the wetlands. The majority of the SAV is sago pondweed and western fineleaf pondweed (Stuckenia pectinata and S. filiformis ssp. occidentalis, respectively), highly preferred food items for waterfowl. Utah Department of Environmental Quality had identified support for waterfowl and shorebirds and the aquatic life in their food chain as the primary beneficial use of these wetlands, and thus, loss or degradation of Stuckenia prior to waterfowl fall staging and migration may constitute a loss of this important beneficial use. Therefore, Utah needs vegetation metrics what will indicate relative health of a wetland with respect to the abundance, density and health of the SAV and the level of nutrient loading it receives. The primary goal of this ongoing study is to develop wetland assessment methods that will be used to establish water quality standards and methods for Clean Water Act 305(b)/303(d) assessments-one of the first attempts by any state of the U.S. to set wetland water quality standards through development of site-specific assessment protocols. To develop metrics that describe the relationship between nutrient gradients and biological responses, we are 1) testing potentially useful parameters for their utility in assessing wetland condition; and 2) refining condition metrics that will identify thresholds of significant change (impairment) that can be attributed to nutrients. This paper presents the first of several potentially useful vegetation metrics. Our analyses showed that percent areal cover of SAV in nutrient enriched wetlands senesced 62-84% from July through November whereas the vegetation in a non-impacted reference wetland remained stable. The fall senescence occurs at a time when migratory waterfowl rely on submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) for sustenance

A centile chart for birth weight for an urban population of the Western Cape

Evidence from large epidemiological studies has supported concern that being born light for gestational age (LiGA) may be detrimental. The incidence of LiGA babies is an important indicator of the health of women of reproductive age in deprived communities. In the assessment of LiGA in the Western Cape, centile charts constructed for populations in other parts of the world are generally used. These charts, however, may not be appropriate. Patients residing in the area served by the Tygerberg Hospital obstetric service, who booked early with singleton pregnancies, had their gestational age confirmed by early ultrasound and delivered between 1 March 1989 and 28 February 1990 were included in the study. The sample consisted of 3 643 patients. The mean birth weight was 2 995 g (SD 573 g) and the range 760 - 5 080 g. The distribution of birth weight at each week of gestation from 28 to 42 weeks was not normal. The 4-parameter Johnson family of densities was used to model the distribution of birth weight at each gestational age. A comparison of the distribution of birth weight in the study relative to the perinatal growth chart for international reference constructed by Dunn was also made. In addition to considering an overall chart, the sample was subdivided according to a number of characteristics (e.g. gender, firstborn and latter-born babies, smoking habit, hypertensive disorders and induction of labour) in order to explore their impact on the distribution of birth weight. Having explored the potential impact of all these factors, it was concluded that a single chart including all patients could be constructed

Clinical experience with amikacin, a new aminoglycoside antibiotic

CITATION: Theron, F. P. & De Kock, M. A. 1977. Clinical experience with amikacin, a new aminoglycoside antibiotic. South African Medical Journal, 51(21):746-8.The original publication is available at http://www.samj.org.za[No abstract available]Publisher’s versio