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- Item2024-04-20 Phenotypic and genetic responses of wine-related yeast to the predacious Saccharomycopsis genus(2023-10-19) Smith, Jan Ryno; Bauer, Florian; Naidoo, Rene; Rossouw, Debra
- Item2024-12-31 Understanding the use of digital anatomy learning platforms in a second-year medical student cohort(2023-02-16) Foiret, Jaudon Ron; Volschenk, Mariette
- Item2026-01-01 Environmental(2023) Matthews, Lisa; Swanepoel, Pieter Andreas; Strauss, Johann
- Item2026-12-31 Developing an accounting model for credit card reward programmes: Exploring stakeholder decision-making and experiences(2023-12) Brink, Sophia Magaretha; Steenkamp, Gretha; Odendaal, Aletta
- Item2027-01-04 Optimise 2,4-D applications and investigate alternatives for calyx retention(2023-07-04) Mostert, Susan; Cronjé, Paul J.R.; Alférez, Fernando M.; du Plooy, Wilma
- ItemA2K : a critical reflection on access to knowledge for the growth of a knowledge society(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2010) Lor, Peter Johan; Britz, Johannes J.Paper presented at the Stellenbosch University Library 2010 Symposium / IFLA Presidential Meeting. Knowing is not enough: Engaging in the knowledge economy, 18 to 19 February 2010. In the hope of clarifying the role that libraries can play in serving humanity in a time of rapid innovation and change, this paper critically examines the notions of the "knowledge society" and "access to knowledge" to bring to the surface some assumptions underlying them. Whereas the term "knowledge economy" emphasizes the economic, strategic and competitive value of information and knowledge, the shift to "knowledge society" (or "knowledge societies") conceptualizes the phenomenon more holistically, as encompasssing dimensions such as the social and cultural dimensions. In analyzing the "knowledge society" and "access to knowledge" it is critical to be clear about what we understand by "knowledge". In this paper we borrow from constructivist learning theory and argue that it is helpful to see knowledge as a process rather than as an outcome or state. In discussions of access to knowledge much emphasis has been placed on the physical dimension of access (connectivity, bandwidth and the digital divide) and on the legal, economic and political dimensions that form the embattled terrain of the A2K movement (the A2K Treaty, the WIPO Development Agenda, etc.). However, if knowledge is conceptualized as a process, the concept of "access" has to be extended to the epistemological dimension which takes into account the construction of knowledge in the mind of the individual in interaction with the community. This has important implications for libraries. In spite of warnings that the role of libraries will be eroded through disintermediation, we argue for a deployment of reskilled and remotivated information intermediaries working in and around libraries to motivate, teach, interpret and facilitate "access" to knowledge.
- ItemAcademic publishing : today and tomorrow(Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2011-05-10) Roche, TonyPaper presented as part of the Research Seminar, hosted to celebrate the opening of the Research Commons at the JS Gericke Library, University of Stellenbosch.
- ItemThe access structure in learner's dictionaries(Bureau of the WAT, 2004) Steyn, MarizaDictionaries have to be compiled in accordance with specific target users and dictionary goals. User orientation is, however, not the only criterion for measuring the success of a dictionary. Present-day lexicography requires the evaluation of the accessibility of dictionaries. The ease with which macro- and microstructural information is located and retrieved determines the quality and accessibility of the presentation. User-orientated, accessible learner's dictionaries can contribute substantially to the improvement of communication in a multilingual South Africa with different groups of language learners. Metalexicography makes provision for guide structures that facilitate access to information in the dictionary. The outer, inner and meta-access structure are functional structure elements that increase the retrievability of information and help the user to reach, as swiftly as possible, the information he/she is looking for. During the planning of a learner's dictionary, the lexicographer must draw up, among others, a dictionary plan in which a detailed explanation of the outer and inner access structure is given. Such a dictionary plan contributes to a consistent application of lexicographical decisions. Decisions regarding the access structure must also be explained and illustrated in the front text in order to enable learners to acquire dictionary skills and become effective dictionary users.
- ItemThe access to information divide : breaking down barriers(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2010) Savenije, BasPaper presented at the Stellenbosch University Library 2010 Symposium / IFLA Presidential Meeting. Knowing is not enough: Engaging in the knowledge economy, 18 to 19 February 2010. The “access to information divide” between the developed countries and the developing countries is growing wider. This growing divide, due to barriers to access to information, stifles the growth and development of developing countries. Opening access to information and breaking down those access barriers become an absolute necessity. The presentation analyses the economic impact of Open Access, and describes scenarios to improve the accessibility of knowledge and the role libraries could play in this.
- ItemAccess to information has no boundaries : Stellenbosch University engaging Open Access to information(Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch, 2010-11-10) Smith, InaPaper presented at the Open Access Africa conference http://www.biomedcentral.com/developingcountries/openaccessafrica.
- ItemAccess to knowledge and the economic crisis : a chance for libraries?(Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2010) Lux, ClaudiaPaper presented at the Stellenbosch University Library 2010 Symposium / IFLA Presidential Meeting. Knowing is not enough: Engaging in the knowledge economy, 18 to 19 February 2010. From the World Summit of the Information Society to the development of a knowledge economy, libraries are changing their image to take place in the heart of the information society. Access to knowledge through libraries is a key element of the incredible development of libraries all around the world and explains the role of libraries in a modern society. But does it help during a time of economic crisis, when state budgets worldwide are used to finance economic development instead of libraries? There are some examples that this situation gives a chance to libraries with their potential of access to knowledge.
- ItemAffirmative action : a view from the global South(SUN MeDIA, 2014) Dupper, Ockert; Sankaran, KamalaAffirmative Action: A View from the Global South provides insight into a range of aspects of the affirmative action policies in seven countries from Africa, Asia, South America and the Middle East. In addition to these national perspectives, important theoretical concepts and international developments on affirmative action are explored.
- ItemAfter Fukushima : the precautionary principle revisited(AOSIS Publishing, 2012-12-06) Huber, WolfgangEtienne de Villiers, more than other theologians, elaborates on basic elements of a Christian ethics of responsibility. He distinguishes between retrospective and prospective responsibility. The prospective aspect attracted awareness after the nuclear accident in the Fukushima reactors on 11 March 2011. The question on how to respond in an ethically responsible manner to catastrophic risks was put back on the agenda. The article takes up this question and discusses the answer given in the international debate by the introduction of the ‘precautionary principle’. The principle is described with its background in the ‘heuristics of fear’, proposed by the philosopher Hans Jonas. Four criticisms are discussed in detail relating to the problems of scientific uncertainty, the burden of proof, the weight of damages and the perils of precaution. That leads to a reformulation of the precautionary principle as a concrete element within an ethics of responsibility.
- ItemAge-dependent effects of UCP2 deficiency on experimental acute pancreatitis in mice(PLoS, 2014-04-10) Muller, Sarah; Kaiser, Hannah; Kruger, Burkhard; Fitzner, Brit; Lange, Falko; Bock, Cristin N.; Nizze, Horst; Ibrahim, Saleh M.; Fuellen, Georg; Wolkenhauer, Olaf; Jaster, RobertReactive oxygen species (ROS) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of acute pancreatitis (AP) for many years but experimental evidence is still limited. Uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2)-deficient mice are an accepted model of age-related oxidative stress. Here, we have analysed how UCP2 deficiency affects the severity of experimental AP in young and older mice (3 and 12 months old, respectively) triggered by up to 7 injections of the secretagogue cerulein (50 μg/kg body weight) at hourly intervals. Disease severity was assessed at time points from 3 hours to 7 days based on pancreatic histopathology, serum levels of alpha-amylase, intrapancreatic trypsin activation and levels of myeloperoxidase (MPO) in lung and pancreatic tissue. Furthermore, in vitro studies with pancreatic acini were performed. At an age of 3 months, UCP2-/- mice and wild-type (WT) C57BL/6 mice were virtually indistinguishable with respect to disease severity. In contrast, 12 months old UCP2-/- mice developed a more severe pancreatic damage than WT mice at late time points after the induction of AP (24 h and 7 days, respectively), suggesting retarded regeneration. Furthermore, a higher peak level of alpha-amylase activity and gradually increased MPO levels in pancreatic and lung tissue were observed in UCP2-/- mice. Interestingly, intrapancreatic trypsin activities (in vivo studies) and intraacinar trypsin and elastase activation in response to cerulein treatment (in vitro studies) were not enhanced but even diminished in the knockout strain. Finally, UCP2-/- mice displayed a diminished ratio of reduced and oxidized glutathione in serum but no increased ROS levels in pancreatic acini. Together, our data indicate an aggravating effect of UCP2 deficiency on the severity of experimental AP in older but not in young mice. We suggest that increased severity of AP in 12 months old UCP2-/- is caused by an imbalanced inflammatory response but is unrelated to acinar cell functions.
- ItemAid donors, democracy and the developmental state in Ethiopia(Taylor & Francis, 2019-09-26) Brown, Stephen, 1967-; Fisher, Jonathan, 1985-The “developmental state” has become a prominent alternative development model defended by contemporary Western aid donors, particularly in Africa. Purported “developmental states,” such as Ethiopia and Rwanda, are argued to possess strong-willed, visionary leaderships whose commitment to delivering on ambitious development plans renders them attractive donor partners. These leaderships are also, however, often authoritarian and unapologetic when criticized for democratic backsliding or human rights abuses. For many Western donors this represents a tolerable trade-off. The purpose of this article is to interrogate, critique and explain the assumptions and ideas underlying this trade-off. Using the case study of Ethiopia, we argue that donor officials’ understandings of “developmental state” are varied, vague and superficial, the main commonality being a “strong” regime with “political will” and a non-negotiable approach to domestic governance. We suggest that donors have too readily and uncritically accepted, internalized and deployed these notions, using the “developmental state” concept to justify their withdrawal from serious engagement on democratic reform. This derives from a systemic donor preference for depoliticized development models, as well as from Ethiopian officials’ own savvy political manoeuvrings. It has also, however, weakened donors’ position of influence at a time when the Ethiopian regime is debating major political reform.
- ItemAlfabetiese lyste van proefskrifte van die Universiteit van Stellenbosch, 1929-1977(1977) Stellenbosch UniversityAlphabetical lists of theses and dissertations from Stellenbosch University, 1929-1977.
- ItemAnaemia at antenatal care initiation and associated factors among pregnant women in West Gonja District, Ghana: a cross-sectional study(Pan African Medical Journal, 2019-08-27) Tibambuya, Basil Addayire; Ganle, John Kuumuori; Ibrahim, MuslimIntroduction: anaemia in pregnancy remains a critical public health concern in many African settings; but its determinants are not clear. The purpose of this study was to assess anaemia at antenatal care initiation and associated factors among pregnant women in a local district of Ghana. Methods: a facility-based cross-sectional survey was conducted. A total of 378 pregnant women attending antenatal care at two health facilities were surveyed. Data on haemoglobin level, helminths and malaria infection status at first antenatal care registration were extracted from antenatal records booklets of each pregnant women. Questionnaires were then used to collect data on socio-demographic and dietary variables. Binary and multivariate logistic regression analyses were done to assess factors associated with anaemia. Results: the prevalence of anaemia was 56%, with mild anaemia being the highest form (31.0%). Anaemia prevalence was highest (73.2%) among respondents aged 15-19 years. Factors that significantly independently reduced the odds of anaemia in pregnancy after controlling for potential confounders were early (within first trimester) antenatal care initiation (AOR=5.01; 95% CI =1.41-17.76; p=0.013) and consumption of egg three or more times in a week (AOR=0.30; 95% CI=0.15-0.81; P=0.014). Conclusion: health facility and community-based preconception and conception care interventions must not only aim to educate women and community members about the importance of early ANC initiation, balanced diet, protein and iron-rich foods sources that may reduce anaemia, but must also engage community leaders and men to address food taboos and cultural prohibitions that negatively affect pregnant woman.
- ItemAn analysis of quality of education and its evaluation : a case of Zimbabwean primary schools(Education Association of South Africa, 2019) Garira, Elizabeth; Howie, Sarah; Plomp, TjeerdThis study sought to analyse quality of education and its evaluation in Zimbabwean primary schools. A qualitative research methodology was adopted. Thirty-five schools, 73 teachers, 15 school administrators and four Education Officials participated in the study. Data were collected through interviews and questionnaires and analysed through thematic content analysis. Findings indicate that a lot still needs to be done for quality of education to be fully realised. Overall, no meaningful school self-evaluation (SSE) of quality of education is taking place and teachers are not involved in the evaluation of quality of education in schools. Moreover, there is no standard instrument used to evaluate quality of education in schools. The study concluded that schools should engage in SSE and recommends the Ministry of Education to develop an SSE framework to be used in schools. It also recommends that teachers, as the main mediators between policy and practice, ought to be actively involved in SSE of education quality for its realisation and improvement.
- ItemAnnotation-based feature extraction from sets of SBML models(BioMed Central, 2015-04-15) Alm, Rebekka; Waltemath, Dagmar; Wolfien, Markus; Wolkenhauer, Olaf; Henkel, RonBackground: Model repositories such as BioModels Database provide computational models of biological systems for the scientific community. These models contain rich semantic annotations that link model entities to concepts in well-established bio-ontologies such as Gene Ontology. Consequently, thematically similar models are likely to share similar annotations. Based on this assumption, we argue that semantic annotations are a suitable tool to characterize sets of models. These characteristics improve model classification, allow to identify additional features for model retrieval tasks, and enable the comparison of sets of models. Results: In this paper we discuss four methods for annotation-based feature extraction from model sets. We tested all methods on sets of models in SBML format which were composed from BioModels Database. To characterize each of these sets, we analyzed and extracted concepts from three frequently used ontologies, namely Gene Ontology, ChEBI and SBO. We find that three out of the methods are suitable to determine characteristic features for arbitrary sets of models: The selected features vary depending on the underlying model set, and they are also specific to the chosen model set. We show that the identified features map on concepts that are higher up in the hierarchy of the ontologies than the concepts used for model annotations. Our analysis also reveals that the information content of concepts in ontologies and their usage for model annotation do not correlate. Conclusions: Annotation-based feature extraction enables the comparison of model sets, as opposed to existing methods for model-to-keyword comparison, or model-to-model comparison.
- ItemAnti-inflammatory effects of reactive oxygen species : a multi-valued logical model validated by formal concept analysis(BioMed Central, 2014-09) Wollbold, Johannes; Jaster, Robert; Muller, Sarah; Rateitschak, Katja; Wolkenhauer, OlafBackground: Recent findings suggest that in pancreatic acinar cells stimulated with bile acid, a pro-apoptotic effect of reactive oxygen species (ROS) dominates their effect on necrosis and spreading of inflammation. The first effect presumably occurs via cytochrome C release from the inner mitochondrial membrane. A pro-necrotic effect – similar to the one of Ca2+ – can be strong opening of mitochondrial pores leading to breakdown of the membrane potential, ATP depletion, sustained Ca2+ increase and premature activation of digestive enzymes. To explain published data and to understand ROS effects during the onset of acute pancreatitis, a model using multi-valued logic is constructed. Formal concept analysis (FCA) is used to validate the model against data as well as to analyze and visualize rules that capture the dynamics. Results: Simulations for two different levels of bile stimulation and for inhibition or addition of antioxidants reproduce the qualitative behaviour shown in the experiments. Based on reported differences of ROS production and of ROS induced pore opening, the model predicts a more uniform apoptosis/necrosis ratio for higher and lower bile stimulation in liver cells than in pancreatic acinar cells. FCA confirms that essential dynamical features of the data are captured by the model. For instance, high necrosis always occurs together with at least a medium level of apoptosis. At the same time, FCA helps to reveal subtle differences between data and simulations. The FCA visualization underlines the protective role of ROS against necrosis. Conclusions: The analysis of the model demonstrates how ROS and decreased antioxidant levels contribute to apoptosis. Studying the induction of necrosis via a sustained Ca2+ increase, we implemented the commonly accepted hypothesis of ATP depletion after strong bile stimulation. Using an alternative model, we demonstrate that this process is not necessary to generate the dynamics of the measured variables. Opening of plasma membrane channels could also lead to a prolonged increase of Ca2+ and to necrosis. Finally, the analysis of the model suggests a direct experimental testing for the model-based hypothesis of a self-enhancing cycle of cytochrome C release and ROS production by interruption of the mitochondrial electron transport chain.