Assessing the rate of recovery of benthic macrofauna after marine mining off the Namibian coast

Bibliography: pages 94-99.The primary aim of this study was to assess the rate of recovery of macrobenthic communities after offshore marine mining. Three techniques, namely univariate, distributional and multivariate, were used to make this assessment. Two distinct areas, the northern and southern research areas, were investigated, and statistical and numerical analyses were conducted for each area independently. Data were aggregated to, and analysed at, the genus level. Replicates were arranged in temporal categories according to recent mining history. The northern research area appears to be affected by mining activity in terms of species composition, but not species diversity. Statistical testing detected significant differences between unmined replicates and all other temporal categories for this area, and this was also discernible in the cluster analysis and ordination plots. The overall picture generated suggests that the northern research area is affected immediately and severely by mining activity, resulting in rapid changes in species composition. However, the period of 15-19 months subsequent to mining is insufficient to allow the community to recover to a stable state. The southern research area, on the other hand, shows a slightly different scenario, with mining activity having a severe and immediate impact on both species composition as well as species diversity. Recently mined sites were found to be significantly different from both unmined sites and sites mined 43-51 months ago. The latter two categories were not found to be significantly different from each other. The results suggest that the road to recovery in the southern research area is a slow, but steady one in terms of species composition. This was particularly apparent in the results of the "SIMPER" analysis where the level of similarity between temporal categories increased steadily with time after mining. The overall picture suggests that the area has recovered substantially after 43-51 months, and that the community approximates that of the unmined area with regard to species composition. Geological analyses were also conducted, with results indicating a prevalence of fine surficial sediment particles in unmined sites, and coarse surficial sediment particles in recently mined sites. Percentage gravel, in particular, was found to be a reliable indicator of the condition of a site with regard to the level of disturbance. Altered stratigraphy and changes in particle size distribution as a result of mining activity are considered to have a noticeable effect on the structure of benthic communities. A number of taxa were found to be particularly reliable as indicator species. In both the northern and southern research areas, polychaetes (specifically Prionospio pinnata and the Lumbrineris genus) were abundant in unmined sites as well as in sites mined 43-51 months ago in the southern research area. Individuals of the genus Nassarius, on the other hand, were scarce in unmined sites, but abundant in recently mined sites. These taxa appear to be reliable indicators of the level of recovery attained in previously mined areas

A psychological perspective on the source and function of religion

This article explored psychological perspectives on the following: the reasons for humans’ religiousness, the influence of religion on people’s perspective on life and the importance of understanding the impact of religion on the lives of people. Theories, including psychoanalytical and evolutionary answers regarding the origin of human’s penchant to be religious were discussed. Subsequently, the focus was on the dominant influence of religious notions in people’s worldview, providing meaning and powerfully influencing their cognitions, emotions and behaviour. Finally, the importance of nurturing spiritual (faith) development was discussed.http://www.hts.org.zahb201

Enabling the development of student teacher professional identity through vicarious learning during an educational excursion

This paper explores the views of student teachers who were provided vicarious learning opportunities during an educational excursion, and how the learning enabled them to develop their teacher professional identity. This qualitative research study, using a social-constructivist lens highlights how vicarious learning influenced student teachers’ professional identity. Data were analysed from activity based reflection notes Post Graduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) students had written based on their learning and experiences during an excursion. Findings indicated that learning from other practising teachers’ experiences enabled them to develop a more positive teacher professional identity in terms of caring, motivation and being a beacon of hope.Keywords: educational excursion; initial teacher training; reflection; teacher professional identity; vicarious learnin

The ‘persona’ lives of Roman Catholic priests

This study aimed to provide an in-depth description and interpretation of African Roman Catholic Church priests’ experiences integrating African and Western worldviews into their lives and works as Roman Catholic Church priests through the lens of Jungian constructs. Fifteen African priests were purposely selected and interviewed in depth. Additional sources of data were reflexive notes and observation notes. Data were subjected to various iterative cycles of analysis. Most participants (80%) indicated that, in one way or another, they were experiencing conflict in terms of the cultural values of manhood and Roman Catholic Church prescription. Findings suggest that a more concerted and serious effort should be undertaken by the Roman Catholic Church to support and guide its priests on a path of healing, which includes the priests risking cultural openness and being true to themselves and God

Mobile concepts in a mobile environment : historical terms in LSP lexicography

CITATION: Van der Merwe, M. F. & Horn, K. 2018. Mobile concepts in a mobile environment : historical terms in LSP lexicography. Yesterday and Today, 19:17-34, doi:10.17159/2223-0386/2018/n18a2.The original publication is available at http://www.scielo.org.zaHistorical terms have a tendency to be "mobile" in terms of geographical space and historical time. The presentation of historical terms by means of a mobile dictionary enabling university students to access such terms by means of a smartphone, tablet or laptop adds to the dimension of mobility. The article describes the continuous change in meaning of historical concepts over time and space with reference to democracy and nationalism, which are known as substantive concepts. An analysis of the emergence and development of these concepts within different historical contexts indicates the extent to which static definitions are inadequate with regard to fostering historical understanding. A tendency to continuous change in the meaning of the above-mentioned terms has important implications for the compilation of a Language for Specific Purposes (LSP) dictionary of historical terms at university level, and for the consequences thereof for mobile LSP lexicography. The LSP dictionary called MobiLex has a pedagogical purpose and changes in the design and features of the dictionary to enhance teaching and learning of historical terms have pedagogical consequences regarding the learning of such terms. In an ever-changing environment, adaptions to mobile lexicography would be possible with the advancement of technology. Trends and development in technology offer the possibility of changing the face of lexicographical support in a mobile environment, motivated from a pedagogical theoretical point of view.Publisher's versio

Abundance and guild structure of grasshoppers (Orthoptera: Acridoidea) in communally grazed and protected savanna

This study was conducted to determine how savanna grass sward modifications caused by heavy grazing pressure influenced the abundance and guild structure of grasshoppers. Heavily grazed communal land was compared with a lightly grazed area and a mowed airstrip, in adjacent protected land, in the Mpumalanga lowveld, South Africa. Plant species composition, height, aerial cover and greenness of grass in the herbaceous stratum were measured in representative sites. Total grasshopper abundance and relative abundance of grasshopper species were also assessed in each site. Grasshoppers were assigned to feeding and habitat functional groups for comparison among the three areas. The heavily grazed area, characterised by short vegetation and low aerial cover, high greenness of grass, and high frequency of forbs, was inhabited by grasshopper species associated with bare ground or short and/or sparse grass, that were non-graminivorous or soft grass feeders. The lightly grazed area, characterised by tall vegetation and high aerial cover, low greenness of grass, and low frequency of forbs, was inhabited by grasshopper species associated with long and/or thick grass, that were mixed feeders or tough grass feeders. The mowed area, characterised by short vegetation and low aerial cover, low greenness of grass, and low frequency of forbs, exhibited lower grasshopper abundance, species richness, and diversity than either of the grazed areas

A psychological perspective on god-belief as a source of well-being and meaning

This article reports on a qualitative exploration of the well-being and meaning that second- and third-generation Christians from an African context experience because of their integration of religion in their life and being. A textured, integrated tapestry is created of the participants’ understanding of God (God-concept), experience of their relationship with God (God-image) and understanding of life as coloured by their belief systems. The contribution of their God-belief to their sense of meaning and psychological well-being frames the tapestry of this article.http://www.hts.org.zahb201

A psychological perspective on god-belief as a source of well-being and meaning

This article reports on a qualitative exploration of the well-being and meaning that second- and third-generation Christians from an African context experience because of their integration of religion in their life and being. A textured, integrated tapestry is created of the participants’ understanding of God (God-concept), experience of their relationship with God (God-image) and understanding of life as coloured by their belief systems. The contribution of their God-belief to their sense of meaning and psychological well-being frames the tapestry of this article.http://www.hts.org.zahb201

The ‘persona’ lives of Roman Catholic priests

This study aimed to provide an in-depth description and interpretation of African Roman Catholic Church priests’ experiences integrating African and Western worldviews into their lives and works as Roman Catholic Church priests through the lens of Jungian constructs. Fifteen African priests were purposely selected and interviewed in depth. Additional sources of data were reflexive notes and observation notes. Data were subjected to various iterative cycles of analysis. Most participants (80%) indicated that, in one way or another, they were experiencing conflict in terms of the cultural values of manhood and Roman Catholic Church prescription. Findings suggest that a more concerted and serious effort should be undertaken by the Roman Catholic Church to support and guide its priests on a path of healing, which includes the priests risking cultural openness and being true to themselves and God

The University of Pretoria archives virtual classroom : connecting the community's past with the virtual future

Recent technological changes, as well as higher expectations from the constituencies they serve, have had major impacts on the realm of museums. The virtual environment and all it has to offer, along with the perception by a more democratic society that museums are community property, have made traditional museums reconsider their positions in order to remain viable. Within the financial and resource constraints of the museum domain, this article will focus on a response to these challenges, which utilises the new technology, works more closely with the broader museum audience and collaborates with other information-related institutions such as archives and libraries. It looks specifically at an exhibition project devised and developed by the University of Pretoria Archives, the "Virtual Classroom", as a practical and viable solution to the challenges posed.http://www.journals.co.za/ej/ejour_mousaion.html or http://www.unisa.ac.za/default.asp?Cmd=ViewContent&ContentID=20129am2013cp201