Developing the notion of ubuntu as African theory for social work practice

Ubuntu is an African concept referring to humanness. It gives expression to deeply-held African ideals of one’s personhood being rooted in one’s interconnectedness with others. Social workers seeking to develop an African framework for decolonial social work practice turn repeatedly to ubuntu for aid. But the term has, for the most part, been limited to the idea of mutual aid – people helping each other in a spirit of solidarity. This article endeavours to extend and deepen the ubuntu concept to strengthen its potential as a theory informing social work practice. This is done by interweaving other African ideas with ubuntu in three domains: ethics, sustainable development and ecospiritualit

A Pentecostal Expression of Holistic Reflection in the Improvement of Pastoral Leadership Practices

This dissertation is an action research self-study undertaken with the aim of transforming my pastoral leadership practices with the extended application of assisting other leaders to do the same. The research question asks in what ways action research methodology with its inherent reflective methods contributes to pastoral leadership transformation. The primary outcome is a framework of holistic reflection that consistently and systematically works to transform my leadership practices. Through the action research methodology of constant iteration, I evaluated the effects of my leadership, reflected on the disconnect between my core values and my behavior and searched for a means to align my behavior and my values. In the process I developed a method of spiritual reflection, consisting of spiritual disciplines as a means of non-rational knowledge creation associated with my experience of and engagement with the Holy Spirit. This method of spiritual reflection is in keeping with my pneumatological Pentecostal worldview and serves to extend the fundamental reflective thinking and critical reflection so useful in generating knowledge of a rational and affective kind. Traditionally these methods of reflection are common in action research as well as other inquiring approaches, including theological reflection. The application of holistic reflection in Christian praxis, explained in this dissertation, is applied to transforming pastoral leadership practices. Of note regarding the outcome of engaging with the process of action research is the identification of the internal processes and outward behavioral evidence as indicators of transformed leadership practices. The literature in the dissertation serves as a theoretical basis for an understanding of transformation and grounding for the holistic framework presented, representing a whole person approach to reflective practice as it is applied in action research

Stigma as ‘othering’ among Christian theology students in South Africa

HIV is a health and developmental crisis that has profoundly challenged the Christian church in sub-Saharan Africa. Responding to stigma and prejudice against HIV and people living with HIV and AIDS has been a major concern of theologians and Christian leaders. However, Christians themselves and the church as a community are equally prone to stigma and prejudice. The author contends that this stigma is grounded in the dynamic of ‘othering’, which, among Christians, takes on religious or theological overtones. Drawing on qualitative data from theology students in South Africa, the paper assembles a model of AIDS stigma as othering. The central story or axis of the model is the dynamic of othering, comprising three themes, viz. lack of empathic contact, disconnection, and distancing. There are three main dynamics that appear to contribute to or feed into othering, viz. emotions related to sexuality and HIV, theology of health and judgement, and contextualised knowledge of HIV. Finally, themodel presents two primary results of othering, viz. disengagement from HIV through passivity and hopelessness, and prejudice against those living with HIV. The paper endeavours to reveal the possible biblical roots of AIDS stigma. Through this, the deep violence embedded in such stigma is exposed and contrasted with a theology of inclusiveness and engagement

Journey towards independent living : a grounded theory investigation of leaving the care of Girls & Boys Town South Africa

The journey out of care and towards independent living is a challenge for many care-leavers. There has been little research into the social processes involved in this care-leaving journey. This paper presents the results of a grounded theory investigation into the care-leaving journeys of nine young men who had, several years previously, been in the care of Girls and Boys Town in South Africa. Working from a resilience perspective, with an ecological emphasis, four central social processes emerged that together explain the care-leaving experiences of the participants. These processes are: striving for authentic belonging; networking people for goal attainment; contextualised esponsiveness; and building hopeful and tenacious self-confidence. These four processes are located within contextual boundaries and at the social environmental interface. The paper presents these processes in detail, drawing on selected narratives of the participants and integrated with additional theory. It is hoped that this paper may contribute to theory building concerning care-leaving processes and enhance youth care practices for youth in care and leaving care

Students are humans too : psychosocial vulnerability of first-year students at the University of Johannesburg

Abstract: This paper aims to describe the life challenges university students experienced in their first year of study during the transition into academia, how these impacted on their studies at the time, and how these have impacted on their life satisfaction and academic progress over the next year or two. Data were collected using a quantitative survey instrument from 463 second and third year students at the University of Johannesburg, South Africa. Results showed that prevalent and severe life challenges during the first year of study were the death of loved ones and poverty. Most of the life challenges impacted negatively on academic progress and well-being a year or two later, and in combination the pileup of vulnerability in first year has a sustained negative impact on student’s academic progress year a year or two later. Universities need to engage with the whole student as human within their social environment, with both academic and personal development needs

Development of a fatigue tester and material model for flexible heart valve applications

The leaflet material in heart valve prostheses is required to be both flexible and durable to eliminate the need for chronic anticoagulation medication and accommodate younger patients with longer life expectancies. This investigation aims to provide two of the necessary tools to design and test suitably flexible and durable materials for heart valve replacement. These tools address the question of how to model the stress-strain behaviour of polymer networks and thermoplastic polyurethanes in particular, as well as how to practically evaluate the durability of the proposed material. A model for polyurethane stress-strain behaviour is proposed, whereby the number of monomers between crosslinks is suggested to evolve with macroscopic strain. Following the polymer chain entanglement theory, the increase in the number of monomers between crosslinks is further extended to be a function of strain rate, incorporating the viscous effect observed in polyurethanes. A multistation, micro-tensile specimen fatigue tester was developed to evaluate material durability. The proposed equilibrium polyurethane model accurately predicts the experimental data across the full material strain range. The proposed model extension sufficiently captures the rate dependence of polyurethane, however, fails to account for the raised specimen temperatures at high strain rates. The developed fatigue tester is verified to successfully feature selectable variables including test frequency (1 - 20 Hz), amplitude (1 - 6 mm), waveform (Triangular, Sinusoidal, Square and Custom) and environmental temperature control (23 - 50 oC). Less than 10% error in measured force is observed when compared to a commercial tensile tester. The proposed model successfully provides a platform to aid the design of flexible materials suitable for heart valve leaflets. The developed fatigue tester enables the assessment of material durability across a range of test conditions, successfully providing a tool for leaflet material durability analysis and verification

Quantification of the default probability of the top 42 non-financial South African firms

The focus of this dissertation is to quantify the probability of firm default focusing on the top 42 non-financial firms listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange. This paper follows the same methodology as outlined in the Moody's KMV white papers in implementing the Merton (1974) model. The model of default prediction builds upon option theory as pioneered by Black and Scholes and derives the probability of default predominately from the price and volatility of equity. In addition, BEE (Black Economic Empowerment) transactions currently being experienced within the South African corporate sector are further incorporated into the model. The results of this dissertation show that the Merton (1974) model may be used as a source of information of the underlying credit risk of publicly traded firms in South Africa

The influence of methylphenidate on heart rate and brain connectivity

The central governor model (CGM) proposes that muscle recruitment is regulated by the brain through subconscious homeostatic control of afferent feedback. It has been suggested that the dopaminergic system plays a key role in the CGM, with dopaminergic activation leading to lower fatigue thresholds. Key neural circuits, including the central autonomic network (CAN), may also play a role in altering thresholds by reducing conscious bodily awareness, known as interoception. However, few studies have directly examined the dopaminergic neurotransmitter system and CAN connectivity, during exercise-induced fatigue. Although there is reason to suspect that subjects with high activity (HA) and low activity (LA) levels have different fatigue thresholds, potential differences in dopaminergic function and related circuity have not been compared across these groups. In this thesis, I was therefore interested in examining the impact of a dopaminergic agent, methylphenidate (MPH) on: a) brain connectivity at rest before exercise and during exercise, b) on heart rate (HR) at rest before exercise and during exercise. Furthermore, c) I was interested in whether the effect of MPH administration (MA) on HR and functional connectivity (FC), between CAN regions, pre-exercise impacted HR and FC during exercise and whether this differed between HA and LA subjects. In order to measure the effect of MA on brain connectivity at rest and during exercise I used a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanner. To measure the effect of MA on fatigue thresholds, I used a MRI compatible handgrip device which recorded grip force output during a fatiguing handgrip task. To measure HR before and during handgrip exercise I used a MRI compatible electrocardiogram (ECG) machine. My first study aimed to determine the effect of MA on resting state (R-fMRI) FC between CAN regions and its correlation with HR before exercise. My second study aimed to see the effect of MA on task HR, force output and, FC and EC between CAN regions, during a fatiguing handgrip task. My third study aimed to see the effect of MA on the relationship between HR and FC pre-exercise and HR and FC during exercise and whether this differed between LA and HA subjects. I found that: 1.) MA decreased R-fMRI FC between CAN regions, and that this was associated with an increase in HR during resting state 2.) MA decreased FC between CAN regions with an associated increase in task HR and force output during a fatiguing handgrip task 3.) After MA, R-fMRI FC determines task FC independent of HR 4.) MA significantly increased task HR in LA but not HA subjects 5.) After MA, R-fMRI FC determines task FC independent of HR in LA but not HA subjects. Taken together, the functional uncoupling of CAN regions and increased HR after MA suggests that MA increases the fatigue threshold by diverting attention away from interoceptive cues, such as HR. However, this finding may be more relevant in LA subjects, where MA is also associated with increased HR during exercise