Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
001010011010110101011010101010101010101110110110101010101101010101010101011010101010010101010011110001010101010101010101010101010101110100110110100110111111111111101000101000110101010111110000111001000101101010000010110110111010101101010100110100000110111110100101101101010010010100110101101010110101010101010101
01110110110101010101101010101010101011010101010010101010011110001010101010101010101010101010101110100110
110100110111111111111101010100011010101011111000011100100010110101000001011011011101010110101010011010
00001101111101001011011010100100101001101011010101101010101010101010111011011010101010110101010101010101101010101001010101001111000101010101010101010101010101011101001101101001101111111111111010001010001101
01010111110000111001000101101010000010110110111010101101010100110100000110111110100101101101010010010100
Research @ StellenboschGROUND-BREAKING RESEARCH BEING UNDERTAKEN
AT STELLENBOSCH UNIVERSITY
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidut laoreet dolore magna aliquam erat volutpat. Ut wisi enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exetation ullamcorper suscipit lobortis nisl ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis autem vel iriure dolor in hendrerit in vulputate velit esse molestie delenit augue duis dolore te feugainulla facilisi. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy nieuismod tincidunt ut laoreet dolore magna aliquam eratUt wisi enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrexerci tation ullamcorper suscipit lobortis nisl ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis autvel eum iriure dolor in hendrerit in vulputate velit esse molestie consequat, vel illum dolorefeugiat nulla facilisis at vero eros et accumsan et iusto odio dignissim qui blandit praesentluptatum zzril delenit augue duis dolore te feugait nulla facilisi. Lorem ipsum dolor sit ameconsectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet dolore magnaaliquam erat volutpat.Ut wisi enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exerci tation ullamcorper suscipit lobortis nisl utaliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis autem vel eum iriure dolor in hendrerit in vulputate veesse molestie consequat, vel illum dolore eu feugiat nulla facilisis at vero eros et accumsan iusto odio dignissim qui blandit praesent luptatum zzril delenit augue duis dolore te feugait
to Cape Town
N2
to Paarl
STELLENBOSCH
to Muizenberg
Bird StreetAdam Tas
Mer
riman
Ave
nue
Dor
p St
reet
SOMERSETWEST
Somerset Mall
STRAND
Airport
to Kuilsrivier
KLAPMUTS
CentralCampus
N2
R310
R304 N2to George
N1
R304
to Cape Town
Western Cape
Cape Town
Belville Park(Business School)1 000 students
Tygerberg(Health Sciences)3 236 students
StellenboschCentral Campus17 400 studentsincl. distance education
Saldanha(Military Science)266 students
Francistown
Gaborone
Harare
Polokwane
NelspruitPretoria
BloemfonteinKimberley
MbabaneErmeloJohannesburg
Ladysmith
Pietermaritzburg
Durban
Empangeni
NAMIBIA
BOTSWANA
ZIMBABWE
SOUTH AFRICA
Port ShepstoneQueenstown
Port Elizabeth
East London
SWAZILAND
GeorgeCape Town
Windhoek
LESOTHO
MOZAMBIQUE
Contents
“A university is not a lecture theatre, or a library,
or a laboratory; it is not a building or a place at all;
its essence is a frame of mind.”
Professor Samuel James Shand, Department of Geology 1911-1937
How to reach the University from Cape Town International Airport(not to scale)
How to find us
Contact us:Division of Research DevelopmentStellenbosch UniversityPrivate Bag X1Matieland 7602South Africa
Tel: +27 21 808 4985/3727Fax: +27 21 808 4537
e-mail: [email protected] (Prof Piet Steyn, Senior Director)
orInternational OfficeStellenbosch UniversityPrivate Bag X1Matieland 7602South Africa
Tel: +27 21 808 4628Fax: +27 21 808 3799
e-mail: [email protected](Mr Robert Kotze, Director)
Website: www.sun.ac.za
AcknowledgementsAll the project leaders and participants whocontributed Sybelle Albrecht, Mike Cherry and Annamia van den Heever for their editing and co-ordinating role
Mission and vision 2Introduction by the Vice-Chancellor 3A history of growth 4Stellenbosch University’s research strategy 6Nurturing research talent 8Partnerships 9Building on their legacy . . . 10Innovative approaches 11THE PROJECTS:Indentifying the genes that cause familial heart disease 12New biotechnology tools utilised to combat
the ravages of an old disease 13Reservoir sedimentation 14Dry-cooling systems and solar power plants 15Language and speech technology for Africa 16The Bureau for Economic Research financial services
sector survey 17Fun with pheromones 18Products from polymers 19False alarm! The neuroscience of anxiety 20Exploring infertility in men and women 21Biotechnology and wine 22Microbiology of biomining 23Research and innovation in the service of
South African society 24Constitutional interpretation 25Developing an HIV vaccine for Southern Africa 26Bioethics 27The quest for the perfect pear 28Meeting the global challenge of finding sustainable biofuel 29Saving unborn babies from smoking and alcohol 30Our search for mammalian ancestry 31Cost-effective energy for rural electrification 32SUNSAT – Africa’s first satellite 33The church and community research project 34Eye on the elite 35The theory of physics 36Aspiring towards inclusive education in South Africa 37Faculties, departments, institutes and centres 38How to find us 41
G R A P H I C O R 2 9 8 2 3
Excelling in researchStellenbosch University
1
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet
dolore magna aliquam erat volutpat. Ut wisi enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exerci tation ullamcorper
suscipit lobortis nisl ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis autem vel eum iriure dolor in hendrerit in
vulputate velit esse molestie delenit augue duis dolore te feugait nulla facilisi. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet,
consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet dolore magna aliquam erat
volutpat.
Ut wisi enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exerci tation ullamcorper suscipit lobortis nisl ut aliquip ex ea
commodo consequat. Duis autem vel eum iriure dolor in hendrerit in vulputate velit esse molestie consequat, ve
illum dolore eu feugiat nulla facilisis at vero eros et accumsan et iusto odio dignissim qui blandit praesent
luptatum zzril delenit augue duis dolore te feugait nulla facilisi. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer
adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet dolore magna aliquam erat volutpat.
Ut wisi enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exerci tation ullamcorper suscipit lobortis nisl ut aliquip ex ea
001010011010110101011010101010101010101110110110101101010101011010101010010101010011110001010101010101010101010101010101110100110110100110111111111111010001010001101010101111100001110010001011011000001011011011101010110101010011010000011011111010101101101010010010100110101101010110101010101010
01110110110101010101101010101010101011010101010101001111000101010101010101010101010101010111010011
110100110111111111111101000101000110101010110010001011010100000101101101110101011010101001
000011011111010010110110101001001010011010110101011101010101010101011101101101010101011010101010101010
10101010100101010100111100010101010101010101010
0101011101001101101001101111111111111010001010001100101011111000011100100010110101000001011011011
11010101001101000001101111101001011011010100100110101101010110101010101010101011101101101010101011
1010101010101011010101010010101010011110001010101010101010101010101011101001101101001101111111111010001010001101010101111100001110010001011010100
011011011101010110101010011010000011011111010010110101010010010100110101101010110101010101010101011101011010101010110101010101010101101010101001010101001101010101010101010101010111010011011010011011111111
010011010110101011010101010101010101110110110101010101101010101010101011010101010010101010011110001010101010101010101010101010101110100110110100110111111
111111101000101000110101010111110000111001000101101010000010110110111010101101010100110100000110111110100101101101010010010100110101101010110101010101010101#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢
Stellenbosch University is at theforefront of basic and appliedresearch and through partnering withindustry and government has becomea benchmark for research excellence.
piscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet
enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exerci tation ullamcorper
odo consequat. Duis autem vel eum iriure dolor in hendrerit in
duis dolore te feugait nulla facilisi. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet,
my nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet dolore magna aliquam erat
xerci tation ullamcorper suscipit lobortis nisl ut aliquip ex ea
e dolor in hendrerit in vulputate velit esse molestie consequat, vel
ero eros et accumsan et iusto odio dignissim qui blandit praesent
feugait nulla facilisi. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer
od tincidunt ut laoreet dolore magna aliquam erat volutpat.
xerci tation ullamcorper suscipit lobortis nisl ut aliquip ex ea
01010101010111011011010101
010100101010100111
101110100110110100110111111
011111000011100
01010011010000011011111010
10110101011010101010101010101010101010101101010101001010
101010101010101011101001101111010001010001101010101111100001
Stellenbosch University: Excelling in research
Our mission . . .
The raison d’être of Stellenbosch University
is – to create and sustain, in commitment
to the universitarian ideal of excellent
scholarly and scientific practice, an environment
within which knowledge can be discovered, can
be shared, and can be applied to the benefit of
the community.
COMMITMENTS
The University acknowledges its historical ties
with the people and communities from which
it arose.
• With a view to the future, the University
commits itself to apply its capacities,
expertise and resources for the benefit of
the broad South African community; and
• therefore the University commits itself to be
language-friendly, with Afrikaans as a point
of departure.
VALUES
Equity • Participation • Transparency
• Readiness to serve • Dedication • Scholarship
• Tolerance and mutual respect • Responsibility
. . . and vision
In a spirit of academic freedom, and of the
universal quest for truth and knowledge, the
University as an academic institution sets itself
the aim, through critical and rational thought,
• of pursuing excellence and remaining at the
forefront of its chosen focal areas;
• of gaining national and international standing
by means of:
– its research output; and
– its production of graduates who are
sought-after for their well-roundedness
and for their creative, critical thinking;
• of being relevant to the needs of the
community, taking into consideration the needs
of South Africa in particular and of Africa and
the world in general; and
• of being enterprising, innovative and self-
renewing.
2
0100110101101010110101
0101101010101010
010101010101010101010101
1111111010001
1000100101101101110101011
010110110101001001010011
101001111000101010101010
110100101011011111011111101
000011011111010010110110
1010101010101010111011010100110101101010110101
01011010101010101010110
010101010101010101010101
111111101000101000110101
100000101101101110101011
010110110101001001010011011101101101010101011010
101001111000101010101010
110100110111111111111101110010001011010100000101
000011011111010010110110
101010101010101011101101
Introduction by the Vice-ChancellorStellenbosch University: Excelling in research
3
We understand that doing good science must go handin hand with putting science to work for the benefitof society.
We also understand that, more and more,
doing good science is a matter of
collaboration and networking. This brochure
is therefore also intended to introduce our
capabilities to other universities and research
institutions, nationally and internationally.
I would like to extend an invitation to
potential research partners to contact our
Division of Research Development to explore
the possibilities of collaboration.
Finally, none of what we report on would
have been possible without hard-working and
committed people: researchers, research
students, technicians and support staff.
Stellenbosch has been singularly fortunate
in the quality and stability of its staff and
students. This brochure, therefore, is perhaps
best regarded as a tribute to their
achievements.
Prof Chris Brink
Rector and Vice-Chancellor
Stellenbosch is a research-intensive
university, with a long history of pure
and applied research, across a large
range of disciplines. It is fair to say, however,
that over the past two decades there has been
a particular thrust in building up to world
standard our science research portfolio.
In this brochure we would like to showcase
the result.
We understand that doing good science must
go hand in hand with putting science to work
for the benefit of society. In this regard I am
pleased to say that we have been particularly
successful. Over the past five years
Stellenbosch has consistently been a national
leader in such benchmark funding schemes as
THRIP (Technology and Human Resources in
Industry Programme) and in the National
Innovation Fund. In these programmes,
government funding is made available on the
basis of matching funding from business and
industry. It is an excellent record of living up to
the promise made in our motto “Your
Knowledge Partner”.
diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet
niam, quis nostrud exerci tation ullamcorper
uis autem vel eum iriure dolor in hendrerit in
gait nulla facilisi. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet,
ncidunt ut laoreet dolore magna aliquam erat
mcorper suscipit lobortis nisl ut aliquip ex ea
rit in vulputate velit esse molestie consequat, vel
an et iusto odio dignissim qui blandit praesent
lisi. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer
oreet dolore magna aliquam erat volutpat.
mcorper suscipit lobortis nisl ut aliquip ex ea
1010101010111011011010101
10100101010100111
01110100110110100110111111
11111000011100
1010011010000011011111010
01101010110101010101010101
1010101010101101010101001010
0101010101010101110100110
Stellenbosch University: Excelling in research
A history of growthdecisions and actions have enabled
Stellenbosch University to grow into a
comprehensive research university.
Positioned for better role
Since the democratic elections of 1994, the
South African higher education system has
undergone significant changes. Many of
these relate to improving equity and
effectiveness, and positioning the institution
to play a more meaningful role in developing
the country and the continent as well as
finding solutions for pressing international
development challenges.
Stellenbosch University has been proactive in
its responses to new government policies.
It embarked upon a comprehensive and
extensive planning process in which the whole
University community participated, resulting in
a Strategic Plan accepted by the Institutional
Forum and by the Council early in 2000. This
Strategic Plan resulted in a number of new
policy and implementation initiatives. All
faculties have thoroughly revised their
teaching/learning programmes to align them
with national and institutional priorities.
The period from 1995 to 2003 has also been
characterised by a strong and continuous
growth in research activities. Numerous
scholars of high standing joined the
University, and young scholars, in particular,
were supported and developed to take their
place amongst the leaders in their fields. New
laboratory facilities of the highest quality
were developed, new institutes came into
being and extensive research support from
4
Saldanha. Black students were admitted to
the University in 1979, and since then the
numbers of Coloured, Indian and African
students have risen steadily to almost 30% of
total numbers. About 45% of our
postgraduate students are black.
The proportion of women students on the
campus has also improved to more than
50%. Refer to graphs A and B.
The eighties saw the University taking strong
measures to improve its postgraduate training
and its research capacity. A fund in support of
this move was set up and substantially
backed by alumni and industry. Sound further
Stellenbosch has been a centre of
education in South Africa since 1685
when the Dutch Reformed Church
established a parish school in the then tiny
town. From this small beginning evolved
various educational initiatives, which by 1866
had grown into what was known as the
Stellenbosch Gymnasium. As it steadily
improved its standards and extended its scope,
the Gymnasium set up a professorial division,
known as the Arts Department in 1874. This
could be regarded as the origin of the present
faculties of Arts and Science. Seven years later
the Arts Department was incorporated as the
Stellenbosch College. This, in turn, was
renamed the Victoria College of Stellenbosch
in 1887 in celebration of Queen Victoria’s
50 years of rule. As the College grew,
new disciplines, including agriculture and
education, were introduced and more
buildings and laboratories added. The Victoria
College became Stellenbosch University by Act
of Parliament in 1918.
Recent history
The period since 1975 has brought extensive
development on all the University’s campuses
at Stellenbosch, Bellville, Tygerberg and
Stellenbosch University is widely regarded as one of
the top research universities in Africa. This is evident
in the extensive – and growing – involvement of its
researchers in probing issues of great importance not
only to the African continent, but also the world.
outside the University was obtained. This
strategy appears to have paid off, as accepted
research indicators show the University has
performed exceptionally well in recent years
(see Research achievements, page 7).
Positive political change in South Africa has
led to increased institutional interaction with
bodies abroad. Today the University has
thriving international contacts at an
institutional level and many staff members
also have personal contacts with colleagues
in other countries. Our International Office
provides invaluable support for faculty to
collaborate with colleagues abroad.
The future
From 500 students and 39 teachers in 1918,
Stellenbosch University has grown to about
22 000 students (including about 2 300
distance education enrolments) and over
800 teachers, and includes some 50 research
and service bodies. The future looks bright as
Stellenbosch University builds upon successes
of the past, while positioning itself to exploit
the opportunities of the future.
0
5 000
10 000
15 000
20 000
25 000
1982 1992 2002
64.2% 35.8%
58.3% 41.7%
46.7%
53.3%
Male Female Total
Graph B: Student numbers by gender
0
5 000
10 000
15 000
20 000
25 000
Growth in student numbers by race
Coloured, Asian and African White Total
1982
98.9%
1.1%
1992
93.4%
6.6%2002
70.6%
29.4%
Graph A: Growth in student numbers by race
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh eu
dolore magna aliquam erat volutpat. Ut wisi enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud ex
suscipit lobortis nisl ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis autem vel eum iri
vulputate velit esse molestie delenit augue duis dolore te feugait nulla facilisi.
consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet d
wisi enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exerci tation ullamcorper suscipit loborti
consequat. Duis autem vel eum iriure dolor in hendrerit in vulputate velit esse m
dolore eu feugiat nulla facilisis at vero eros et accumsan et iusto odio dignissim
zzril delenit augue duis dolore te feugait nulla facilisi. Lorem ipsum dolor sit
elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet dolore magna aliquam erat
Ut wisi enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exerci tation ullamcorper suscipit lobo
nisl ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis autem vel eum iriure dolor in h
endrerit in vulputate velit esse molestie consequat, vel i
llum dolore eu feugiat nulla facil
0100110101101010110101010101010101011101
010110101010101010101101010101001010101001
01010101010101010101010101011101001101101
11111110100010100011010101011111000011100
6Stellenbosch University: Excelling in research
Stellenbosch University’s research strategy:Aligned with national prioritiesStellenbosch University is well placed to play a significant role as apartner in the development of South Africa and our continent.
1986 1998
Evaluated Researchers at SU 1986 to 2003
48 51 4653
66
80
98
121 135
197
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
200
1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 2000 20022001
Evaluated researchers at Stellenbosch University Performance of Universities more successful in obtaining THRIP Funding
Stellenbosch Wits UCT UP PUCHE Natal0
5
10
15
20
25
30
Tota
l fund
ing
in R
m
199719981999200020012002
Performance of universities most successful in obtaining THRIP funding
The NRF (National Research Foundation) manages a system of the evaluation andrating of researchers to ensure that resources are invested in those with the capacityand track record to utilise these funds effectively and efficiently.
The performance of Stellenbosch in obtaining THRIP funding in comparison to other topinstitutions in South Africa.
THRIP: The Technology and Human Resources for Industry Programme (THRIP) is a jointventure between industry, research and education institutions and government. Theprogramme supports the development of technology and appropriately skilled peoplefor industry to improve South Africa’s global competitiveness.http://www.nrf.ac.za/programmeareas/thrip/
Research roductivity unit
Rhod
es U
nive
rsity
Witw
ater
sran
d U
nive
rsity
Uni
vers
ity o
f Cat
e To
wn
Stel
lenb
osch
Uni
vers
ity
Pret
oria
Uni
vers
ity
Uni
vers
ity o
f Nat
al
Free
Sta
te U
nive
rsity
RAU
Research productivity (publications output)
Stellenbosch University is amongst the top four (out of more than 30) highereducation institutions in South Africa in terms of its research productivity.
0
5 000
10 000
15 000
20 000
25 000
1982 1992 2002
Undergraduate Postgraduate Total
Student numbers by study level
uismod tincidunt ut laoreet
xerci tation ullamcorper
iure dolor in hendrerit in
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet,
dolore magna aliquam erat voluUt
is nisl ut aliquip ex ea commodo
molestie consequat, vel illum
m qui blandit praesent luptatum
amet, consectetuer adipiscing
t volutpat.
ortis
11011010101
111
100110111111
Stellenbosch University’s roleStellenbosch University is well placed to play a
significant role as a partner in the
development of South Africa and our
continent. It is a comprehensive research
university with strong leadership in numerous
fields of human, natural and health sciences.
At Stellenbosch we
• work hard to develop a strong research
ethos
• use our own and carefully leveraged external
resources to continuously improve our
infrastructure and technology
• encourage strategic alliances and
partnerships
• place a premium on our staff’s research
capability
• promote knowledge entrepreneurship
• try to maintain a balance between
fundamental and applied research
Stellenbosch University’s research focus
areas
Taking into account national needs and
priorities, as well as our own expertise, the
following focus areas are currently being
developed with substantial financial support
from the University:
• Language and culture in a multilingual and
multicultural society
• The “knowledge economy”
• Building a new society
• Competitive economy
• Biotechnology
• Sustainable biodiversity and the environment
• The production and provision of food
• The struggle against disease and the
promotion of health
• Technology for industry
• Fundamental theory, mathematics and
complexity
Research achievements Stellenbosch University is recognised as one of
the top research universities in South Africa.
Evidence for this includes:
• Nearly 200 of our staff members have been
rated by the National Research Foundation.
Only one other university (the University of
Cape Town) shares this top position with us.
(See graph on page 6)
• We have the highest number of NRF-rated
researchers in the human and social sciences.
• Compared to our competitors, we have a
greater proportion of NRF-rated researchers
in the “young scientist” (Y and P) categories.
• In 2003 our researchers from “designated
groups” (i.e. women, blacks and people with
disabilities) received more support from the
NRF’s Thuthuka programme than any other
institution.
• Our success in securing research funding
from government agencies and industry.
• More than a third of our students are
enrolled in postgraduate programmes.
(See graph on page 6)
• The quality and range of our research
outputs are amongst the best in the country.
(See graph on page 6)
• We are the forerunner in South Africa in
establishing partnerships with industry
through the government-supported THRIP
programme. (See graph on page 6)
• Our success at knowledge and technology
transfer is reflected in the large number of
commercial research contracts and the
establishment of spin-off companies.
• Amongst the prestigious awards received by
our researchers the past year are:
– Gold Medal of the Chemical Institute
– Gold Medal of the Microbiological
Society
– Gold Medal of the Zoological Society
– De Beers Medal of the Physics Society
– Akademie’s Havenga Prize for Botany
– Harry Oppenheimer Award
– Bill Venter Altron Literary Award
South Africa’s Research andDevelopment StrategyIn recent times South Africa has been
recognised as a leader on the African
continent in determining and acting on the
agenda for sustainable development. It has
recognised that its research and development
strategy must be a key enabler of economic
growth and development.
The South African government has, in
partnership with industry, higher education
institutions and other agencies, developed a
national research and development (R&D)
strategy based on:
• Innovation
• Science, engineering and technology human
resources and transformation
• Creating an effective government science
and technology (S&T) system
In this context, areas that have been put
forward as R&D priorities for the country are:
• Biotechnology
• The exploitation of South Africa’s unique
resources, e.g. in astronomy, human
paleontology and indigenous knowledge
• Wealth creation through innovation
• Promoting R&D centres of excellence
• Transformation of the research workforce by
developing more young researchers, women
and black scientists
Stellenbosch University: Excelling in research
Nurturing research talent
8
• Measurement of the concentration of
inorganic elements in solutions to low parts
per billion level
• Determination of the crystal structure of
powdered specimens
• Generation of secondary electron images
with enhanced depth of field to view
almost any solid sample to magnifications
of up to 50 000 times
• Determination of crystal structure in single
crystal of organic compounds
• DNA sequencing and Genotyping
• The generation of mass spectra of labile,
non-volatile polar molecules
• Identification of amino acids from a wide
variety of biological sources
• Elucidation of structure and conformational
analysis of molecules, including drug
binding
• High-resolution mass spectrometric analyses
of organic compounds
Rating of scientists in SA
Researchers in South Africa undergo a
process of international and national peer
evaluation, which is managed by the National
Research Foundation.
Our A-rated scientists
The honour of being placed in category A
is bestowed only on world leaders in their
specific fields of research at South African
tertiary training institutions.
In 2003 our
A-rated researchers are:
Prof J-HS Hofmeyr, Biochemistry: Winner of
the Harry Oppenheimer Award, the most
sought-after tribute in the South African
research community. He will use the award
on a project named ”The Metabolic
Marketplace“ to produce an integrated view
of how “the components of life” all work
together as a system.
Prof DG Kröger, Mechanical Engineering:
Winner of the prestigious Bill Venter Altron
Literary Award
Prof DE Rawlings, Microbiology
Prof PJF Sandra, Chemistry
Prof MJ Samways, Entomology and
Nematology
Prof AJ van der Walt, Public Law
Our P-rated scientists
The awards in Category P (“Presidential”) are
made annually to a select few top
researchers, younger than 35, with
exceptional potential, who are recognised by
the international community as prospective
leaders in their fields.
P-rated scientists at the University are:
Prof MG Lamprechts, Viticulture and
Oenology
Prof JM Rohwer, Biochemistry
Prof JE du Plessis, Private Law
Dr I Swart, Practical Theology
Research and researchersare at the top of theagenda at StellenboschUniversity and theUniversity has a numberof special initiatives aimedat nurturing andattracting talent.
Promising young scientists benefit from
early career support which positions
them to apply with confidence for
evaluation by the National Research
Foundation. Over the last number of years
the University has also attracted many senior
researchers from South Africa and abroad.
Their success in research is enabled with an
establishment fund, directed at the
refurbishment of laboratories and the
acquisition of research equipment.
Expert research services
Research at Stellenbosch greatly benefits from
expert services provided by the Centre for
Statistical Consultation and the Central
Analytical Facility (CAF). The CAF’s routine
services include:
• Measurement of major and trace element
concentrations in inorganic samples
• Measurement of major element
compositions of micro-spots in polished
sections
Stellenbosch University: Excelling in research
9Partnerships
At Stellenbosch University we actively seek partnerswith whom we can achieve more for society than wecan on our own.
43%
22%
20%
6%8%
Government allocations 504 000 (43%)Tuition and other fees 257 000 (22%)Private donations, allocations and contracts 236 000 (20%)Sales of services and products 70 000 (6%)Investment and dividends 94 000 (8%)
Total income 2002, R’000
48%
43%
7%
2%
Staff costs 488 000 (48%)Other operating expenditure 444 000 (43%)Depreciation 75 000 (7%)Financial charges 20 000 (2%)
Total expenditure 2002, R’000
Universities accept that they do not
have a sole right to – or responsibility
for – discovery, synthesis, application
and transfer of knowledge. If universities are
to be engines of growth and development,
active engagement with society through
partnerships is essential. At Stellenbosch
University we therefore actively seek partners
with whom we can achieve more for society
than we can on our own.
Interaction with business and industry
When it comes to interaction with business and
industry, Stellenbosch University is leading the
higher education sector in South Africa. We
have a remarkable record regarding THRIP – the
Technology and Human Resources for Industry
Programme of the Department of Trade and
Industry – having gained more funding than
any other university for the past five years in a
row. In 2002 the University’s THRIP grants
totalled almost R22 million, the largest in the
country (see graph on page 6). If we add the
grants and the industry contributions over the
past five years, the total comes to R245 million.
We have done extremely well in securing
awards from the Innovation Fund: in the past
year four of our research groups obtained
grants with a total value of more than
R30 million in aquaculture, satellite technology,
plant genetics and telemedicine.
Financial management
The University has established a set of guiding
principles for financial management at the
University. This is in addition to the statutory
requirements of Government. We have also
undertaken a comprehensive study of the
cost-effectiveness of all our activities,
academic and non-academic.
We believe that we can and must manage
the University in terms of healthy business
principles. Our Business Plan is the financial
mirror image of our annual Institutional Plan,
and both will be included in a cyclic manner
in our annual management and control
processes.
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut
dolore magna aliquam erat volutpat. Ut wisi enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exerci tation ullamco
ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis autem vel eum iriure dolor in hendrerit in vulputate velit
nulla facilisi. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euis
aliquam erat volutpat.
Ut wisi enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exerci tation ullamcorper suscipit lobortis nisl ut aliqui
Duis autem vel eum iriure dolor in hendrerit in vulputate velit esse molestie consequat, vel illum do
accumsan et iusto odio dignissim qui blandit praesent luptatum zzril delenit augue duis dolore te feu
olor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit, sed diam nonummy nibh euismod tincidunt ut laoreet dolor
Ut wisi enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exerci tation ullamcorper suscipit lobortis nisl ut aliqui
Duis autem vel eum iriure dolor in hendrerit in vulputate velit esse molestie consequat, vel illum do
ero eros et accumsan et iusto odio dignissim qui blandit praesent luptatum zzril delenit augue duis d
facilisi.
010011010110101011010101010101010101110110110100101101010101010101011010101010010101010011110001010101010101010101010101010111010011011010011011
11111110100010100011010101011111000011100100010111000001011011011101010110101010011010000011011111010110110101001001010011010110101011010101010101#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢#¢
Stellenbosch University: Excelling in research
Building on their legacy . . .
10
Although many fine people served to
build Stellenbosch University, four
stand out as having made a
particularly important contribution to the
growth and reputation of the institution.
Robert Broom
Robert Broom, professor of both Zoology and
Geology at the university from 1903 until
1910, gained international recognition for his
research in vertebrate palaeontology. He was
a man of extraordinary energy and, at the
age of 70, described Australopithecus
africanus, an adult man ape discovered in the
Sterkfontein cave near Johannesburg. While
at Stellenbosch, he explored his interest in the
origin of mammals from mammal like reptiles
and identified the suborder Therocephalia
amongst the fossils of the South African
Karoo. The Therocephalia includes the
ancestors of a later group of mammal-like
reptiles – the Cynodontia – the immediate
predecessors of mammals. Broom published
more than 90 scientific papers during his
relatively short time at the University.
Samuel James Shand
Shand is often regarded as the real founder
of the Geology Department at Stellenbosch
where he remained for 26 years. During that
period he accrued a substantial number of
publications in international journals and also
wrote several valuable geology textbooks on
igneous petrology. He exerted a lasting
influence on South African geology through
his students and was an inspiring teacher. His
pronouncements in a public lecture of 1916
on what constitutes a University are still
quoted in University circles today: “A
university is not a lecture theatre, or a library,
or a laboratory; it is not a building or a place
at all; its essence is a frame of mind.”
JC de Wet
Johannes Christiaan (JC) de Wet, Professor of
Law at Stellenbosch University from
1942 to 1972, is generally regarded as the
most influential academic jurist in South
African legal history. After obtaining
doctorates from the universities of
Stellenbosch (1938) and Leiden (1940),
de Wet laid the foundations of Private
and Criminal Law in the present day
South Africa.
He revolutionised South African legal thinking
by superseding the casuistic treatment of the
case law with a rigorously critical analysis of
precedents-based legal principles drawn from
historical and comparative sources.
De Wet virtually single-handedly established
Afrikaans as a legal language, exercised a
profound and positive influence on a
generation of students through his teaching,
and played a leading role in the
administration of Stellenbosch University.
After his retirement de Wet continued his
work as WP Schreiner Professor of Roman
and Comparative Law at the University of
Cape Town from 1976 to 1981.
PJ van der Merwe
PJ van der Merwe was one of the most
brilliant historians South Africa has produced.
Between the ages of 25 and 34 (1937 to
1944), he produced a trilogy of works on the
migrant farmers and the land question
in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
These works were based on a rigorous
examination of archival sources, extensive
field research and collected oral traditions.
In the methods he used and the questions he
addressed, van der Merwe was far ahead of
many of his contemporaries. Although he was
not free from the white racial prejudices of
the 1930s and 1940s, his books are
remarkably free of the partisan history of the
colonial and Afrikaner Nationalist schools of
history. He was prolific in the publication of
perceptive articles in the popular press, thus
raising the historical consciousness of readers.
Today he is still regarded as the leading
authority on white expansion and the land
question in early South African history.
Regional co-operationStellenbosch University is a foundingmember of the Cape Higher EducationConsortium (CHEC), together with theUniversities of Cape Town and the WesternCape, and the Cape and Peninsulatechnikons. The aim of the CHEC is tostrengthen the Western Cape as a highereducation resource and to maximise thebenefits of quality and cost-effectiveness,not only to the region, but also to thecountry as a whole.
laoreet
orper suscipit lobortis nisl
esse molestie delenit augue duis dolore te feugait
smod tincidunt ut laoreet dolore magna
ip ex ea commodo consequat.
olore eu feugiat nulla facilisis at vero eros et
ugait nulla facilisi. Lorem ipsum
re magna aliquam erat volutpat.
ip ex ea commodo consequat.
olore eu feugiat nulla facilisis at v
dolore te feugait nulla
1010111110100100101
Stellenbosch University: Excelling in research
11
Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study
In 1999 it was decided to develop a
Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study
(STIAS) – the first of its kind on the African
continent. STIAS is a high-level research facility
dedicated to keeping South Africa at the
forefront of international academic
developments. Among the first projects
undertaken by STIAS since its foundation in
2001 are:
• Merging the Layers of Life: a model that
integrates different levels of biological
research
• String Theory and Quantum Gravity
• Dealing with the Past: Historical Memory
• The Philosophy of Engineering Sciences
• The Future of Young Democracies
• Good Governance and Poverty Relief
• Socio-economic Rights and Constitutional
Jurisprudence
Innovation and commercialisation
Stellenbosch University was one of the first in
South Africa to take concrete steps to harness
its intellectual capital in the interests of job and
wealth creation and technology transfer.
In 1999 it adopted a consolidated policy on
intellectual property (IP) and established an
office to manage all matters relating to IP,
making innovation and commercialisation an
executive portfolio at the University.
Commercialisation has taken place through the
Unistel Group of companies, which is wholly
owned by the University, while the formation
of innovative spin-off companies is
encouraged. Cutting-edge research is thus
applied to the advantage of the community,
industry and the University. Successful
companies have been established in the fields
of information technology, automotive
engineering, medicine, aquaculture, public
management, space technology, human
genetics and boat design.
Among the private companies already doing
well are:
• Attrahent Campus Innovations (e-commerce)
• Unistel Consultus (management training)
• Unistel Medical Laboratories (advanced
DNA testing)
• SunSpace and Information Systems (the
development of small space satellites)
• Sedation Medical Services (non-invasive
sedation techniques)
• Centre for Automotive Engineering (research
development and testing services to the
automotive industry)
• Aquastel (freshwater fish farming)
Innovative approaches
Stellenbosch is a university where knowledge
is discovered, shared and applied in a wide
range of disciplines in human, health and
natural sciences. The following pages highlight
only some of the research projects being
undertaken by the University, often in
partnership with others.
Pieces of the puzzle: amodel showing how three
molecules of a particular heartprotein (the bicycle chain-like
structures shown in blue, green andred) polymerise into a belt-like
arrangement around the backbone ofmuscle fibre. This “belt” is loosened or
tightened to accommodate the pulsing heart’scontractions, but cannot do so appropriately in
patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
0100110101101010110101010101010110101010101010101101010101001010101010101010101010101011
1111111010001010001101010101111www.sun.ac.za/med_biochem/index.html
Identifying the genes that cause familial heart disease
The rhythm of life is a powerful beat,produced by the mechanical pulsing of aheart that starts fluttering in the human
embryo barely five weeks after conception. Inmost people, the same embryonic heart willcontinue its mechanical pulsing some threebillion times in man’s allotted three-score-years-and-ten, without maintenance or a majoroverhaul. But hearts can be broken in more waysthan by love’s cruel sting. Many people suffer theconsequences of their heart losing pumpingpower (heart failure) or having faulty electrics(conduction and rhythm disturbances). The outcomeof such failures may be slow, debilitating andultimately fatal, or the failure may be unexpectedand without warning, killing even young,apparently fit people in the prime of life.
What causes these cardiac catastrophes andwhat can be done to prevent them? Undoubtedly, for many, nurture, in the form of asluggish lifestyle, smoking and overindulgence infood and alcohol, plays a role in damaging themechanical precision of this finely-tuned organ,causing the so-called ‘diseases of lifestyle’. Yet, for some people, even balanced diets anddaily workouts will not save them from natureand heredity. Rogue genes run in their familiesand half of their relatives will be at risk of seriouscardiac disease. Although of enormousconsequence to afflicted families, many of theseinherited disorders are extremely rare. This maybeg the question, ‘why care and why study them?’.
Heeding the wisdom of the 17th centuryphysician, William Harvey, a group of scientists atthe University of Stellenbosch Faculty of HealthSciences believe that ‘in her mistakes, natureshows tracings of her workings’, and that
knowledge of the‘workings’ of rare diseasesmay well shed light on the pathologyof common disorders sharing similarclinical features. With access to moderntechnology, the scientists apply a battery ofmolecular biological tools to these rare‘experiments of nature’, to unravelthe complexities of heart diseaseand to pinpoint the culprit genes.“Only when we understandwhat is going wrong will webe able to fix the problem andapply this knowledge to other more commonafflictions,” says Valerie Corfield, associateprofessor of molecular and cellular biology.
Corfield and Hanlie Moolman Smook – both ofthe US and the MRC Centre for Molecular andCellular Biology – and Paul Brink of theDepartment of Internal Medicine, have accessto a large group of South African families whosuffer from several inherited heart diseases,including hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM)and long QT syndrome (LQTS). They have alreadyidentified several defective versions of the genesresponsible for the life-threatening diseases inthese families. They are now using these findingsto probe how products from these genes disturbthe heart’s normal performance, and why someof the people at risk seem to suffer no ill effectsand live long and healthy lives, while their lessfortunate relatives die suddenly at a young age.
Going on a molecular ‘fishing’ expedition, theStellenbosch team took apart a faulty heartmuscle protein component that is made by agene causing HCM. Working with scientists inthe United Kingdom, they have described a new
model that illustrates how the parts ofthis cardiac protein fit together to forma belt-like structure, which is loosened
or tightened to accommodate the pulsingheart’s contractions. They can also predict how
glitches in the belt’s structure can result in itsmalfunctioning, thereby causing HCM.
The Stellenbosch team has also found that manyLQTS-affected families have inherited the samegenetic defect from a common ancestor. This hasoffered the team, and their Italian and Americancollaborators, a unique opportunity to look forthe genetic amulet that protects some relatives inthe risk group from suffering symptoms of LQTS,or sudden death. Of special interest to thescientists is the balance struck between thebody’s adrenaline-generating system, known asthe ‘flight or fight’ drive, and its opposingpartner, the vagal system, which dampens downthe body’s reflex reaction to perceived danger.They are trying to find out if genetically-determined disturbances in this equilibriumdestine the clinical response of an individual whoharbours a defective LQTS gene.
The research has already allowed theStellenbosch University scientists to developblood-based diagnostic tests that support clinicaldiagnosis and identify those at risk, but who maynot be showing symptoms of the condition. Theinvestigation is also likely to shed more light onthe prognosis associated with prevalent heartdiseases, such as hypertension, heart failure andischaemic heart disease, which lead to heartattacks. They believe that understanding theunderlying mechanisms of these disorders willultimately lead to the development of new formsof treatment, and ensure that the heart keeps upits powerful and rhythmic beat throughout itslifetime.
12
Tracing ancestral links: the green pins representmembers of families who have inherited the samegenetic defect that causes long QT syndrome from acommon ancestor, who probably came to the Capefrom Europe 300 to 400 years ago.
13New biotechnology tools utilised to
combat the ravages of an old disease
fingerprints between different patients hasrevealed that there is much greater straindiversity than earlier thought, suggestingthat TB has been in South Africa for quitea long time.
“It also suggests that TB has been introducedinto our society from many different sources.We can quantify the relative proportion ofindividuals harbouring the same strain toestimate whether active transmission of diseaseor reactivation of latent disease from earlierinfections is the most important cause ofillness,” says team leader Paul van Helden. Theresults show that most of the TB in the countryis caused by recent transmission. Unlikeevidence from other parts of the world, multipleinfections are common, and considerabletransmission of antibiotic-resistant strains exists,a source of great concern. This information
Hardly in the consciousness of the generalpublic in wealthy, industrialisedcountries, the causative agent of TB,
Mycobacterium tuberculosis, is probably themost successful pathogen of all time. Waves ofTB epidemics have swept various continents andcivilisations, affecting among others the ancientEgyptians, the Americas in pre-colonial times,and industrialised Europe in the eighteenthcentury. With an estimated two billion people –one third of the world’s population – nowinfected, the World Health Organisation hasnow declared the TB epidemic a globalemergency.
In parts of South Africa today, tuberculosis ratesare similar to those found in London in 1800,despite the availability of antibiotics and anational effort to control this disease. Part ofthe problem is poverty, with associatedovercrowding and malnutrition, but the otherpart lies in the nature of the bacterium itself.Unlike most other bacterial infections, whichcan be cured by an antibiotic course of five toseven days, TB requires a course of multipleantibiotics, taken over a period of six months,as patients do not cure quickly. The reasons forthis are not clear, but medical scientists suspectthat the slow growth rate of the bacteriummakes it less susceptible to antibiotics. It cantherefore hide away inside cells in the humanbody and resist the host’s efforts to kill it.
Much of the early research that underpins TBtreatment and control programmes, originatedin industrialised nations with a waningepidemic. Using the new tools of biotechnology,molecular scientists at the University’s Faculty ofHealth Sciences are re-examining many ideas ofthe past. This is particularly important incountries such as South Africa where theepidemic is still growing. The most basic of thetechniques they use, involve “fingerprinting” aculture of bacteria from each TB patient. Eachpatient harbours a bacterial strain with a uniquegenome, and a comparison of the genome
could have a direct impact on the way ourhealth authorities approach the control ofthis disease.
An interesting characteristic of TB is that, inthe absence of immune suppression, themajority of infected people do not developactive disease. This is partly due to individualvariation in terms of genetic susceptibility,and van Helden’s group has identified someof the alleles – alternative forms of the samegene – involved. These genes affect immunefunction, so the group is studying theresponse of the immune system, both at thelevel of the organism and at the sight ofinfection. They are attempting to relate theseresults to the genomic and functionalinformation that they have accumulatedabout the bacterium. This approach mayprovide clues leading to the development ofan improved vaccine; and tools and targetsfor the development of new diagnostics,new drugs and faster ways to evaluate drugcandidates.
www.sun.ac.za/med_biochem
In parts of South Africatoday, tuberculosis ratesare similar to thosefound in London in 1800,despite the availabilityof antibiotics and anational effort to controlthis disease.
0101010111011011010101001010101001111010011011010011011111111000011100
ZN stained section of lung tissue infected withMycobacterium tuberculosis. The bacteria are circled in red.
The percentage of TB patients testing negative atvarious time points during treatment
Genetic fingerprints of Mycobacterium tuberculosisstrains
Diag
Visit
0
20
40
60
80
100
%
% N
egat
ive
D1 D3 W1 W2 W4 M2 M3 M6
0100110101101010110101010101010110101010101010101101010101001010101010101010101010101011
1111111010001010001101010101111
Reservoir sedimentation has long beenidentified as a major problem in SouthAfrica. Sediment deposition occurs as a
river enters a reservoir, and its sediment-transporting capacity decreases as the flowvelocity declines. The mean annual sedimentload of South African rivers is more than120 million m3, resulting in the loss of totalstorage capacity equivalent to that of theHartbeespoort Dam (near Pretoria) every year.Sedimentation impacts on reservoirs aregenerally most severe in semi-arid regionswhere sediment yields are relatively high anddam catchments large, as is the case over largeparts of Africa. Agriculture, afforestation,deforestation of natural forests, and overgrazingcan all lead to the release of sediment particlesinto rivers.
Apart from the obvious fact that sedimentbuild-up within a reservoir leads to decreasingstorage capacity, sediments are depositedupstream of the reservoir, forming a delta whichcan become vegetated, further stimulatingsediment deposition and increasing floodinglevels. Within a reservoir, sediment build-upcan have serious impacts on diversion andextraction facilities including turbines andpump stations.
Both sedimentation and evaporation losses canbe minimised by building dams high up in river
catchments, but this is not always feasible. Theideal solution, according to Gerrit Basson of theStellenbosch University (SU) Department of CivilEngineering, is to construct only relatively smalldams on rivers that carry substantial sedimentloads. These dams should have low-level gatesto sluice incoming sediments through duringfloods; and to divert the water to secondarydams away from the river course. These sluicingoperations can be simulated by mathematicalmodels developed at the SU.
An alternative solution – which can be appliedunder certain topographical conditions – is tobypass incoming sediment-laden floodwatersaround reservoirs via tunnels or canals.Sediment removal by dredging should be seenas a last resort as the removal of existingdeposits is extremely expensive and it is verydifficult to get rid of the dredged materials.
While it would be wonderful if catchmentmanagement policies could improve soilconservation and serve to limit reservoirsedimentation at the same time, success in this
regard has been very limited. To date, therecorded decreases in sediment loads in varioussouthern African rivers have been due largely tothe depletion of erodible topsoils, rather thansuccesses with soil conservation measures. It isvery difficult to get governments to applystrong soil conservation measures as these aregenerally expensive and often unpopularamong farmers.
Large dams also have impacts on riversdownstream as they disrupt the sedimentsupply and cause the flow patterns to change,leading to deformation of river channels andassociated ecological damage. Research at theUniversity has resulted in a reservoirclassification system that specifies how theyshould be operated in order to minimise theimpacts of sedimentation under various climaticconditions. This system has also beenincorporated in an economic model used by theWorld Bank. Another focus has been thedevelopment of a procedure to designmanaged environmental flood releases fromdams, in order to limit the impacts of a dam onthe river morphology.
The research performed by Gerrit Basson andhis predecessor, Albert Rooseboom, has led totheir guidelines on dealing with reservoirsedimentation having been adopted as theofficial guidelines of the InternationalCommission on Large Dams.
Sedimentation impacts on reservoirs are generallymost severe in semi-arid regions where sedimentyields are relatively high and dam catchments large,as is the case over large parts of Africa.
14www.civeng.sun.ac.za
Reservoir sedimentation
Mbashe Reservoir sedimentation, South Africa
Pongola Dam managed flood release, 2001.
15Dry-cooling systems and solar power plants
second flow over 2 500 kilometres of finnedtubes inside which turbine exhaust steamcondenses.
In view of the need for clean power in thefuture, the group is also involved in researchand development related to solar chimneypower plants. Currently in South Africa, solarpower panels are used mostly to supplementdomestic electricity needs, but the NorthernCape provincial government is considering theconstruction of such plants in the Kalaharidesert to generate clean power on a large scale.
A solar chimney power plant consists of acentral concrete chimney that may have adiameter of 150 m and be up to 1 500 m high– almost four times the height of the EmpireState Building in New York. A glass canopyabout 4 metres above the ground – but with adiameter of up to 7 kilometres – surrounds thecentral chimney. During the day solar radiationheats the ground under the glass canopy,collecting heat from the sun. This heat istransferred from the ground to the adjacent air,which becomes less dense and flows up thechimney due to buoyancy effects. A turbine isconnected to a generator located at the base ofthe chimney. As heat is stored in the groundduring the day, it is possible to operate thisplant throughout the night as well, despite thelack of sun.
To operate effectively, power plants have torelease relatively large amounts of heat tothe environment. Cooling can be achieved
by releasing heat to the ocean (as is the case atthe Koeberg nuclear power plant) or throughevaporation of water in large concrete natural-draught cooling towers. A typical cooling towermight evaporate one million litres of water perhour – the equivalent of the water contained inten swimming pools! Because of South Africa’slimited water resources, large electricity utilityEskom and other industries are installing dry-cooling systems. Prof Detlev Kröger andcolleagues in the SU Department of MechanicalEngineering are involved in a series of researchprojects related to the development of suchsystems for conventional power plants, and forthe petrochemical and processing industries,both in South Africa and in the USA.
The world’s largest dry-cooled power plant,Matimba, is located near Lapelele (Ellisras) inthe dry Limpopo province, and was developedin consultation with Kröger’s group. This planthas no wet-cooling towers and requires nocooling water, but instead has an air-cooledsteam condenser. This steam condenser issimilar to a car radiator in which hot water iscooled inside externally finned tubes acrosswhich air is blown by means of a fan. At theMatimba plant, 288 fans, each having adiameter of 9,1 metres, 180 tonnes of air per
A typical cooling towermight evaporate onemillion litres of waterper hour – the equivalentof the water contained inten swimming pools!
Because of South Africa’slimited water resourceslarge electricity utilityEskom and otherindustries are installingdry-cooling systems.
0101010111011011010101001010101001111010011011010011011111111000011100
Solar chimney power plants
Size of solar chimney turbine compared to a Boeing 747
0100110101101010110101010101010110101010101010101101010101001010101010101010101010101011
1111111010001010001101010101111
The emergence of Human LanguageTechnologies (HLTs) is gradually changingthe manner in which humans
communicate with computers in everydaysituations. It is currently possible that acomputer may answer your telephone call in anormal sounding voice and engage in anintelligent dialogue imparting information on,for instance, train, bus or flight schedules, andeven make a booking on your behalf. Theseinteractive voice systems present the potentialuser with information through natural languageand speech – in a language of your choice!
The African Speech Technology project isheaded by Justus Roux who is involved indeveloping a system that will be able tocommunicate in five of the most spokenlanguages in South Africa. The system will beable to handle a wide variety of variations of,respectively, South African English, Afrikaans,Xhosa, Zulu and Sesotho. The system comprisesan automatic speech recognition module, aswell as natural language understanding andspeech synthesis modules. The development of
these types of systems is furthermore highlydependent on the availability of extremely largeelectronic text and speech databases, whichhave to capture the wide variety of speechvariations in order to develop appropriateacoustic models for speech recognition to takeplace automatically. The speech variations thatneed to be accounted for relate, inter alia, togender, age and accent, whilst the influence ofbackground noise, and transmission channels(a fixed telephone line or mobile phone) alsoneed to be accounted for. A stronginterdisciplinary team, comprising linguists andelectronic engineers (staff as well as students),is therefore involved in this research anddevelopment project. A number of co-workersfrom five other South African universities arealso involved. This project plays an importantrole in empowering mother tongue speakers ofthe indigenous languages to become part ofthe information society.
An automated multilingual hotel reservationsystem is currently being developed as aprototype in order to demonstrate that thesesystems could be applicable in the SouthAfrican context. This system will allow the callerto obtain any kind of information on facilitiesavailable at a particular hotel in a particular city,up to the point where a reservation is madeand confirmed by the system. When deployed,such a system will be accessible 24 hours a day,seven days of the week without any humanintervention. Annotated reusable speechdatabases and software tools will also beavailable once the project ends to allowdevelopers set up other applications in, forexample, call centres. This is the first time thatAfrican languages have been integrated intoautomated information systems. As thesesystems are speech based, they have the
tremendous advantage of allowing access toinformation to a large portion of the populationthat is illiterate.
The mixing of languages in everyday conversationremains a big challenge to this project, butvarious techniques are currently beingdeveloped to address this issue. The firstusability tests have been conducted and theresults are very promising. Eventual deploymentof these and related systems will greatlyenhance the access to information for differentlanguage groups in the country. It is expected tohave an impact in fields such as e-health, e-commerce, e-learning and e-government,where an individual will be able to conversewith a computer speaking his/her own mothertongue!
This is an attempt to bridge the digital divideand promote the use of local languages inmodern communication systems, which isextremely important in a multilingual countrysuch as South Africa, with eleven officiallanguages. This project is funded by theInnovation Fund of the Department of Scienceand Technology and has already led to theestablishment of a spin-off company,CatchWord: Language and SpeechTechnologies, Pty Ltd.
Deployment of innovative technology will greatlyenhance the access to information for differentlanguage groups in the country.
16www.sun.ast.ac.za and www.sun.ac.za/nefus
Language and speech technology for Africa
An annotated Xhosa speech signal
Telephone enquiryin specific language on a particular topic
Automatic speechrecognition
technologiesto recognise what
has been said
Languageunderstandingtechnologies
and informationprocessing by computer
Speech synthesisto generate naturalsounding speech
Answerobtained in language
requested
17The Bureau for Economic Research
financial services sector survey
senior business leaders in the manufacturing,retail and building sectors. Started atStellenbosch University in 1944, the Bureauis one of the oldest economic researchinstitutes in the country, and focuses on theSouth African macroeconomy. The Bureaumonitors economic trends, and identifies andanalyses factors – both local andinternational – that affect South Africanbusinesses. It prides itself on its extensivehistorical data, which is statistically soundand based on tested models. This data iscollected and analysed using a variety ofwidely-accepted methodologies, as well asones developed specifically for the SouthAfrican environment.
The results of the survey were released forthe first time on 8 October 2002 in
At the beginning of 2002, the Bureaufor Economic Research expanded thereach of its business surveys to the
financial sector, under the direction of senioreconomist George Kershoff. South Africa isonly the third country in the world toconduct such a survey – a fact that reflectsthe sophistication of our financial system.
Trends regarding income, expenditure, thewillingness to extend credit and profitabilityof financial institutions are calculated. Atfirst, the new financial survey covered onlySouth African banks, but since the beginningof 2003, life insurers and fund managershave also been included. The contribution ofthe financial sector to the GDP has increasedfrom 11% in the 1960s to 18% in the1990s – yet its performance was notmeasured regularly and consistently until theBureau’s financial services sector survey filledthis gap.
The Bureau’s financial services survey isbased on those in the United Kingdom andSwitzerland. The survey results provide themost up-to-date information on howindustry leaders experienced the quarter justended, and their expectations for the nextquarter regarding business volumes,premium income, funds under managementetc. They also serve as a reliable benchmarkfor the industry. Furthermore, the surveyresults of successive quarters enable one totrack cyclical movements, pinpoint trendchanges and establish forecasts. It alsoprovides unique information, such asbusiness confidence, credit standards, Aids-related claims, and expectations for the nextquarter, for which no figures existedpreviously. It is now widely recognised thatthese subjective individual perceptions andexpectations play a key role in the futurecourse of events.
For more than three decades, the Bureau hasbeen conducting quarterly surveys among
Johannesburg. The international audit firmErnst & Young sponsors the financial servicessurvey, and also contributes towards itsdevelopment. According to Rakesh Garach, asenior partner at the firm, the survey fills animportant gap in the market and providesvaluable information to senior managers,analysts and other interested parties on thestate of affairs in the financial sector.
www.ber.sun.ac.za
The contribution of the financial sector to the GDPhas increased from 11% in the 1960s to 18% in the1990s – yet its performance was not measuredregularly and consistently until the Bureau’sfinancial services sector survey filled this gap.
0101010111011011010101001010101001111010011011010011011111111000011100
Kheper lamarcki on a dung ball. The male is inspectingthe dung ball to see whether the female is still rollingalong and to make sure that another male has notjoined the party.
Pachylomerus femoralis. This dung beetle species isunique in that it also rolls the seeds of the yellowmonkey orange tree, Strychnos madagascariensis,thereby spreading the seeds of the tree.
A male bontebok, Damaliscus pygargus pygargus
The bontebok marks its territory with secretion fromthe interdigital glands, situated between the animal’sfront toes.
0100110101101010110101010101010110101010101010101101010101001010101010101010101010101011
1111111010001010001101010101111
Game farming could be seen – a littlecynically perhaps – as a hobby inwhich some wealthy landowners can
afford to dabble, affording wildlife viewingfor tourists and trophies for hunters. But itspopularity has been a tremendous boon forconservation, as it has resulted in large tractsof agriculturally marginal land either beingconserved in its natural state, or beingrestored to its original state. These newreserves can be restocked with game fromother nature reserves, but capture operationscan be extremely expensive, especially ifseveral days of helicopter time is required tocatch only a few antelope. An alternativeapproach is to use the chemical compounds,or pheromones, which animals use to marktheir territories, to lure them into beingcaptured.
Ben Burger and his collaborators of theStellenbosch University Laboratory forEcological Research have been doing researchfor more than 30 years on these and otherantelope pheromones. One of their primaryaims is to synthesise pheromone analoguesfor exactly this purpose. Although notapplicable to all species, in both the bontebokand blesbok, for example, it could be both acheaper and a more humane method ofcapture, and the group is currently developinga cocktail of the active constituents of theinterdigital secretions of these two species.The development of this method will be anenormous breakthrough in game farming.As soon as the synthesis of 3 g of one lastconstituent is completed, Burger will havesynthetic material equivalent to the secretionsof 300 million bontebok, and field trials canbe performed.
Research is also being undertaken on thepheromones of birds, reptiles and othermammals. In one of the most exciting recentprojects it was discovered that the cheetahsecretes elemental sulphur in its urine, aunique phenomenon in the animal world.This species can reach speeds of more than110 km/h in short bursts, but is not verypowerful and cannot defend itself effectivelyagainst other carnivores such as lions andhyaenas. This may be the reason why – inorder not to advertise its presence – cheetahurine is practically odourless. Besides sulphur,the urine contains only a few volatile organiccompounds in such low concentrations thatthey are barely detectable by the humannose. One plausible explanation for thepresence of sulphur in the urine is that thesulphur-containing amino-acids present in theproteins of the animal’s diet, instead of beingconverted into the strongly odorous organicsulphur compounds that are present in theurine of other feline species, are metabolisedto sulphur, which does not have such a strongodour. The possibility that sulphur could evenserve as a unique species-specific pheromonein the cheetah, is currently being investigated.
Few people know that there are more than4 000 dung beetle species in Africa alone.Dung beetles play a crucial role in the ecologyof rural areas: by burying herbivore dung,they improve soil fertility, promote thespreading of plant seeds, and destroy thehabitat of dung-breeding flies. Scarcely asingle fly can be found during the summermonths in nature reserves in South Africawith a normal dung beetle population,whereas the indigenous people only a fewkilometres outside of these areas are oftencovered in flies; not to mention the well-known problem of dung-breeding flies inAustralia. Burger has been researching theidentification of sex-attracting pheromones ofdung beetles for almost two decades, andthey appear to have highly complexpheromone dissemination and detectiontechniques. Some species, for example,release the pheromones ‘packed’ in tinyprotein particles – almost as though themessage is sent off to the opposite sex in anenvelope to ensure its integrity! Others use solittle material that it cannot be detected bythe most modern analytical instruments, inwhich case an antenna of the insect has to beconnected to an amplifier to construct a‘living detector’ with which the pheromonecan be detected.
An alternative approachis to use the chemicalcompounds, orpheromones, whichanimals use to marktheir territories, to lurethem into being captured.
18www.sun.ac.za/chemistry/bvb.htm
Fun with pheromones
those which were the subject of the lawsuitfiled by Erin Brokovich in the movie with thesame name.
Sanderson’s group has been investigating waysof using by-products from Sasol’s plants toproduce new useful polymers, especially paintbinders and adhesives for the export market.They characterise commercial polymers, blendthem with other substances, study the effectthat these additives may have, and derive theirstructural morphology and properties, all ofwhich can improve their export potential.
In collaboration with other universities, theyhave been synthesising the materials forproducing membranes, especially those that candesalinate water; strip out colour for drinkingwater from dams and rivers; and purifyindustrial effluents by recycling water so thatrivers and the sea are less polluted.
Other projects on the go include thedevelopment of “green” recyclable technologyfor the packaging industry, printing papers andboard for ink jet printers to make hard copiesof, for instance, digital camera photos.
Novel uses of polymers now applynanotechnology, involving objects that are toosmall to see with the human eye. Here productdevelopment for the health industry is focusedon three projects. The first, in collaboration withthe Chris Barnard Clinic for Thoracic Surgery atthe University of Cape Town, aims to produceminute hydrogels and scaffolds for heart bypassprostheses. The second, in collaboration withthe SU Biochemistry Department, aims to mimicnatural anti-tumour agents, which may help asa new agent in health care. The third involvesimproved materials for wound dressings andtreating skin blemishes.
Looking at a membrane used for treating industrialeffluent with a new ultrasonic imaging technique thatcan see both the membrane and any layers of depositthat form on top of it
19Products from polymers
Polymers are large molecules, consisting ofrepeated chemical units joined together,usually in a line like beads on a string.
They can be natural: they comprise 57% ofthe earth’s material, including rock-formingminerals, the tissues of animals and plants, sandand glass; or synthetic, for example the organicmaterials that make life comfortable, such asyour mattress and pillow, discardable nappies,contact lenses, hip joints, medicinal capsules,cosmetics and hair sprays. Most of the plasticsthat make up the paraphernalia that fill our livesare made of polymers!
So, unsurprisingly, polymer science is aninterdisciplinary field. Ron Sanderson and histeam of researchers at the SU Institute ofPolymer Science are working on a wide rangeof applications of polymers as coatings,including those for decorative paints; for paperthat must remain recyclable yet perform like aplastic laminate; for making insecticidalmosquito nets to fight malaria; and for steel inan attempt to remove the hexavalent chromiumthat can contaminate water supplies, such as
www.sun.ac.za/polymer/polymer.html and www.sun.ac.za/unesco/unesco.htm
Novel uses of polymers now applynanotechnology,involving objects thatare too small to seewith the human eye.
0101010111011011010101001010101001111010011011010011011111111000011100
Nano-electrospun fibres in cloths for antisepticwound or burn dressing
0100110101101010110101010101010110101010101010101101010101001010101010101010101010101011
1111111010001010001101010101111
010011010110101011010101010101010101110010110101010101010101101010101001010101000101010101010101010101010101110100110110
11111110100010100011010101011111000011100
Anxiety is a crucial aspect of humanexperience, and descriptions of anxietydate back to the beginning of history.
At the same time, anxiety is one of the newestof fields. Advances in a range of disciplines andtechnologies, including brain imaging andgenetics, have provided novel insights into brainmechanisms that underlie anxiety and promiseto lead to new treatments for people whosuffer from anxiety disorders (see box).
“Much of our work begins with the hypothesisthat each of the anxiety disorders represents akind of false alarm,” say co-directors of theSU/MRC Unit on Anxiety Disorders, Dan Steinand Soraya Seedat. “During the course ofevolution, humans have developed a range ofnormal alarms, such as a fear of strangers ininfants. Anxiety disorders develop when there isexcessive triggering of such responses.” Thishypothesis represents a radical shift inpsychiatry. Until fairly recently, for example,obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), an anxietydisorder that is characterised by excessive handwashing and other repetitive responses, wasconceptualised as a rare condition originatingfrom unconscious conflict. Today, it isrecognised as one of the most commonneuropsychiatric disorders, and the tenth mostdisabling of all medical conditions.
To explore the false alarm hypothesis of anxietydisorders, the multidisciplinary team ofresearchers in the Unit focuses on understandingthe underpinnings of these conditions, using arange of different methods. One approach is todetermine whether pathological behaviouralpatterns in animals are associated with particularkinds of biological changes. A recent studyfound that monkeys with stereotypic symptomsreminiscent of OCD respond to medications thatact on the serotonin neurotransmitter system. A second exciting area of research, conducted incollaboration with the SU Nuclear Medicine
Department, involves the use of functional brainimaging. One such study indicated that whenparticular medications are used to treat peoplewith post-traumatic stress and other anxietydisorders, this leads to deactivation of the limbicsystem, which is important in mediating fear.
The international human genome project hasled to greater understanding of how natureand nurture interact to influence behaviour.In collaboration with the SU/MRC Centre forMolecular Biology, two young researchers fromthe Unit are searching for normally-occurringgene variants that predispose people to developOCD. They have found that early onset OCDis associated with specific variants in aneurotransmitter system known as dopamine.This might help explain why early onset OCD isoften associated with tics, which are thought tobe mediated by the dopamine system.
The Unit also undertakes clinical trials of newmedications for the treatment of anxietydisorders. Its members recently published thefirst open label trial showing that certain kindsof medication can be useful for treatingadolescents suffering from post-traumatic stressdisorder (PTSD), and it has also madecontributions to the pharmacotherapy of OCD,social anxiety disorder, and trichotillomania.
Stein and Seedat emphasise that the Unit’sresearchers are committed to translating basicneuroscience into clinical and communitybenefits. Many of its projects are thereforecommunity oriented – for example, a recentstudy examined whether participation in theTruth and Reconciliation Commission providedprotection against the development of PTSD.In addition, the Unit has established a mentalhealth information centre to liaise with thepublic and help destigmatise psychiatricdisorders.
Anxiety disorders comprise variousdifferent conditions, including:
• Obsessive-compulsive disorder,characterised by obsessions such asrecurrent intrusive thoughts or images thatincrease anxiety, and compulsions such asrepetitive patterns of behaviour or mentalacts employed to neutralise obsessions.
• Panic disorder, characterised by panicattacks – surges of anxiety with physicalsymptoms, e.g. a racing pulse, feelingshort of breath, chest pain, sweating, ortrembling, and accompanying thoughtssuch as the urge to flee, that affectpatients out of the blue.
• Phobias are marked by an intense fear ofspecific things or situations such as animalsor insects, natural situations such asheights or closed space, blood, needles orinjury, with associated subsequentavoidance of these.
• Post-traumatic stress disorder, comprisinganxiety symptoms after a traumatic event,e.g. assault, rape or a natural disaster.These symptoms include thoughts andmemories of the trauma, avoidance ofplaces and people associated with thetrauma, and being very aroused.
• Social anxiety disorder is characterised by fear of embarrassing or humiliatingoneself in social situations that involveperformance, e.g. speaking in public,eating, drinking or writing in public, orinteractions such as dating or being thecentre of attention.
• Trichotillomania is a condition that compelspeople to pull out their hair. Although notclassified as an anxiety disorder, it has someoverlap with obsessive-compulsive disorderin that it is characterised by repetitive,stereotyped behavioural patterns.
20www.mrc.ac.za/anxiety/anxiety.htm and www.mentalhealthsa.co.za
False alarm! The neuroscience of anxiety
This SPECT scan ofa patient withobsessivecompulsive disorder(OCD) demonstratesmarkedly increasedperfusion in ventralcortico-striatalcircuitry, a findingthat is characteristicof this condition.
21Exploring infertility in men and women
known as the ‘Tygerberg strict criteria’ and theyhave played a key role in the management ofinfertile couples in countries all over the world.
Kruger emphasises the importance settingreliable standards for estimating the likelihood of a man’s fertility. To ensure the reliability of the standard measurements of fertility andsubfertility, sperm profiles are constantly beingrefined to supply the clinician with prognosticcriteria to council patients more effectively, notonly in the area of assisted reproduction, butalso to determine if a couple could conceivenaturally.
With sperm morphology as the reference point,the Tygerberg team has studied the clinicalsignificance and fundamental physiologicalaspects of human gamete interaction, inparticular how human sperm binds to the zonapellucida – a clear coating or layer thatsurrounds the human oocyte (egg cell), ratherlike the white of a chicken egg. This results inthe physiologic induction of what is known asthe acrosome reaction. The acrosome is themembrane that surrounds the sperm head, andwhich is shed when the sperm prepares itself toenter the oocyte. Since the mid-1980s, Frankenand his team have been using specialisedin vitro bioassays, developed in theStellenbosch/Tygerberg laboratories, to recordthese interactions. One provides information onthe sperm-zona pellucida binding capacity of aspecific sperm sample. A second supplies dataon subtle changes in the acrosome reactivity ofthe human sperm.
Both tests are employed as techniques tomeasure changes in sperm populations thatoccur after exposure to specific compounds, andboth facilitate environmental toxicology studieson human reproduction by evaluating changesin sperm function among a population that isexposed to environmental waste. Other studiesare evaluating the role of DNA disorders amongmen diagnosed with subfertile semencharacteristics. “The unveiling of the basicmechanisms involved in human gameteinteraction will ultimately allow for thedevelopment of new male reproductivediagnostic capabilities, as well as the design ofimproved and safer therapies aiding conceptionin childless couples where male infertility is afactor,” says Franken.
Another revolutionary new intervention hasbeen the use of assisted reproductivetechnology (ART) to manage infertility, whichresulted in the birth of the world’s first test tube
Historically, women have always carriedthe responsibility for infertility, but withthe development of the science of sperm
morphology, it has become increasingly clearthat men are responsible in about 40% of allcases. These result from both genetic andenvironmental factors, including stress. Reportsof declining sperm counts, an increasingincidence of urogenital abnormalities andtesticular cancer in some regions, and evidenceof the role of environmental pollutants in malereproductive function have focused the researchspotlight in reproductive medicine on subfertilemales. Recognising the importance of spermmorphology as a predictor of infertility, ThinusKruger, Danie Franken and a team from the SU Obstetrics and Gynaecology Departmentand the Tygerberg tertiary hospital are studyingsperm quality, by comparing the semen profilesof fertile and subfertile males.
They are currently evaluating the quality ofsperm throughout the world (South America,Europe and Africa) using a set of strict criteriafor the evaluation of human sperm morphology.“Such comparisons enable researchers todetermine the threshold between fertility andsubfertility more accurately,” says Kruger. Testsare used to analyse the number of sperm insemen, how many are moving and how manyare of the uniform oval shape. The quality ofsperm cells is determined by their shape: thetypical normal human spermatozoa consist of asmooth oval or acorn head with an intact mid-piece and tail section, such as the exampleshown below. Men with this type of cell areunlikely to have problems producing children.
The SU team described the first thresholds todistinguish between fertile and subfertile malesas long ago as 1986. These thresholds wereaccepted by the World Health Organisation asan international standard for the evaluation ofmale fertilty, specifically to assist clinicians in thearea of in vitro fertilisation. The thresholds are
baby in Britain in 1978. The SU ReproductiveBiology Unit has been at the forefront ofresearch in this field since the beginning of therevolution in reproductive medicine, and in1984, its members were instrumental in thebirth of the first test tube baby in Africa.Subsequently, the SU team of clinicians andresearchers pioneered the country’s first frozenembryo pregnancy, and performed the firstsuccessful micro-injection procedure, calledintracytoplasmic sperm injection. By injecting asingle spermatozoon into the cytoplasm of theoocyte, fertilisation can be stimulated anddevelopment of an embryo can occur whichcan result in a pregnancy. This researchunderpinned the successful clinicalmanagement of hundreds of couples fromAfrica, and many other parts of the world, whowere previously unable to conceive.
At present, the team is developing sementhresholds for in vivo fertilisation, which shouldenable clinicians to predict a couple’s pregnancychances at home, without ART interventions.Under the jurisdiction of the Stellenboschgroup, an ongoing international study is alsolooking at semen profiles of fertile men inArgentina, Turkey, Switzerland and SouthAfrica. “It is possible that a sperm with DNAdamage can still fertilise eggs, but the embryowill have poor potential. This aspect of a male’scontribution is being studied to attempt toselect better quality sperm with no DNAfragmentation to use in assisted reproduction.Since this is a prospective study, data will beavailable only within the next two years,” says Kruger.
www.sun.ac.za/healthsciences/schools/medicine/obs/dept/
0101010111011011010101001010101001111010011011010011011111111000011100
011011010101011101001101111110
Human spermatozoa
Human sperm firmly bound to the zona pellucida
0100110101101010110101010101010110101010101010101101010101001010101010101010101010101011
1111111010001010001101010101111
The South African wine industry is currentlyfacing new challenges. Not only hasglobalisation of the wine market resulted
in increased competition, but the focus of thismarket is no longer solely directed towardsquality. The emphasis has shifted in twodirections: maintaining consistency whilefavouring the expression of typicalcharacteristics, i.e. wines that reflect theirgeographic origins; and environmentally friendlyproduction.
How can biotechnology contribute towardsthese ends? Wine may in fact be the oldestdocumented biotechnological invention, witharchaeological evidence suggesting the existenceof specific winemaking equipment some 10 000years ago. The modern buzzword‘biotechnology’ is not often associated with thisancient process, which is frequently perceived asshrouded in mystery and even as belongingmore to the world of arts than to the one ofbrute technology. Yet, the transformation ofgrape juice by micro-organisms withinspecifically designed containers certainly fits thedefinition, and the fundamental principles ofvineyard cultivation and vinification haveremained largely unchanged for centuries. Butduring the last two decades, second-generationbiotechnological products – including purifiedenzymes and specifically selected yeast strains –have been incorporated into the winemakingprocess, and have led, together with changes inviticultural practices and cellar technology, toimprovements in both production processes andwine quality.
Within this context, the only way that the SouthAfrican wine industry can meet its futurechallenges is by ongoing investment in – and therapid adoption of – new technologies. Geneticengineering, in particular, is predicted to play anessential part in the future development of allagricultural and agro-processing practices.Although the advent of genetically modifiedagricultural products has encountered someresistance from customers, mainly in Europe, thetremendous potential of this technology is likelyto ensure its future application on a large scale.Biotechnology promises new and sustainablesolutions that could address the problemsassociated with the currently unsustainable waythat arable land is being used to increaseproduction. Since 1995, the Institute for WineBiotechnology at the SU, with financial supportfrom the local wine industry, and the SouthAfrican Department of Trade and Industry, hasfocused its research efforts on geneticimprovement of the two most important
organisms required for the making of wine:grapevines and wine yeast.
Several research projects focus specifically onreducing the environmental impact of viticulture.Melane Vivier is investigating ways of improvingresistance of vines to a range of pathogenswhich cause diseases, for example grey rot.Initial results are extremely promising, withgenetically modified grapevines showingsignificantly increased resistance in glasshousetrials. The use of such vines has the potential toreduce greatly the harmful environmental effectsassociated with the current practice of sprayingwith pesticides.
Several projects, conducted by Florian Bauer andPierre van Rensburg, are aiming at improvingspecific aspects of processing, in particularcolour extraction, filtration and clarification. Forthis purpose, the institute is developing wineyeast strains that produce specific enzymes thateither enhance colour extraction, or digestmacromolecular compounds that wouldotherwise have to be filtered out of the wine.Some of these yeasts have been used inexperimental wines produced on a small scale,and have been shown to achieve theseobjectives without any reduction in quality!
When a wine drinker assesses the ‘nose’ of awine, he or she smells a particular combination
of aromatic compounds produced by the grapesand the yeast strains which fermented the juice.Maret du Toit and Florian Bauer are researchingthe possibility of modifying the metabolism ofspecific wine yeast strains to reduce theproduction of unwanted by-products, whileretaining or increasing the desirable deliciousaromas associated with fine wines.
The benefit to human health associated withmoderate wine drinking has been establishedempirically. In particular, compounds that arefound in high concentration in red wines calledantioxidants have been shown to preventcardiovascular diseases. Maret du Toit is trying toextend the benefits that can be derived from thedrinking of wine, by engineering yeast strainswhich produce these compounds. Her ultimateaim is to increase their concentration in both redand white wine – where they are also present –but in naturally lower concentrations on accountof the skin being removed from the fruit earlierin the winemaking process.
Both the wine industry and the wine consumerstand to gain significantly from furtherdevelopments of modern biotechnology. It ishighly likely that the greenest and cleanestquality wines of the future will be derived fromgrapes and fermented by yeast that have beengenetically optimised for this purpose.
22www.sun.ac.za/wine_biotechnology/
Biotechnology and wine
A postgraduate student in the Institute assesses the growth of a yeast culture.
23Microbiology of biomining
www.sun.ac.za/microbiology/
0101010111011011010101001010101001111010011011010011011111111000011100
Most people do notassociate microbes withmining, but micro-organisms can actually beused to extract metalsfrom both sulphide andiron-containing ores andmineral concentrates.
minerals because as they oxidise the ore, theyopen its structure, thereby allowing chemicalsin which gold is soluble (such as cyanide) topenetrate the mineral.
The types of bacteria that are present in themineral bio-oxidation process differdepending on the temperature at whichmineral decomposition takes place. The workof Rawlings’s research group is currentlyfocused on three types of bacteria,Leptospirillum ferriphilum (an iron-oxidiser)that grows at 40 °C and Acidithiobacilluscaldus (a sulphur oxidiser) and Sulfobacillusthermosulfido-oxidans (an iron and sulphuroxidiser), both of which can grow at atemperature of up to 50 °C.
In general, the microbes involved in biominingare well adapted to growing in theirinorganic, mineral-rich, acidic environment.Nevertheless, there are some areas in whichthey can be improved. For example, althoughthese bacteria are highly resistant to manymetals, some are sensitive to metals or ionssuch as chloride and two forms of arsenic –arsenite and arsenate. As part of their currentresearch, the group is studying at least threesets of arsenic resistance genes from a highlyarsenic-resistant Acidithiobacillus caldusisolate to try and discover how it became soresistant.
Research is also under way to investigatefrom which organisms the arsenic resistancegenes were acquired. This is part of a morecomprehensive study by this group into whatsorts of genes are found in the ‘horizontal’gene pool that is shared by microbes that livein a biomining environment. The gene pool is
termed ‘horizontal’, as it is capable of beingtransferred between microbes and serves as a source of genes for new properties thatmay be recruited as required. Research intosmall pieces of DNA known as plasmids,many of which are capable of transferringDNA between different types of bacteria, is also a focus of this group.
Most people do not associatemicrobes with mining, but micro-organisms can actually be used to
extract metals from both sulphide and iron-containing ores and mineral concentrates.With the help of funds from the miningcompany BHP-Billiton, the National ResearchFoundation and THRIP, Doug Rawlings and hisgroup in the SU Department of Microbiologyare trying to find out about the gene poolthat is shared by microbes that live in abiomining environment, and how theconditions under which they operate can beoptimised for industrial purposes.
The most important mineral decomposingmicrobes are the iron and sulphur-oxidisingbacteria. These organisms grow by fixingcarbon dioxide from the atmosphere, andtheir modest nutritional requirements areprovided by the aeration of an iron orsulphur-containing mineral. As sulphuric acidis produced during the oxidation of inorganicsulphur, these organisms grow in low-pHenvironments. Aeration may take place eitherin a stirred tank, or during the irrigation of amineral-containing ore that has been stackedin a specially constructed heap. Smallquantities of inorganic fertiliser may be addedto ensure that nitrogen, phosphate and traceelement limitation does not occur.
When iron and sulphide are oxidised bybacteria to produce ferric iron and sulphuricacid, these chemicals convert the insolublesulphides of metals such as copper, nickel andzinc to soluble metal sulphates that may bereadily recovered from solution. Althoughgold is inert to microbial action, microbes canbe used to recover gold from certain types of
Rod-shaped, iron and sulphur-oxidising bacteriagrowing amongst mineral particles
The world’s first gold-bearing, arsenopyrite bio-oxidation plant built at the Fairview mine, Barberton, South Africa.
0100110101101010110101010101010110101010101010101101010101001010101010101010101010101011
1111111010001010001101010101111
It is generally assumed that scientificresearch and innovation should translateinto significant social and economic benefits
to all the citizens of a country. There isgrowing evidence that national investments inresearch and technological innovation do infact produce long-term sustained economicgrowth as well as improvements in people’squality of life. Various factors affect thescience and innovation capacity of a country,but none more than its human capitalresources, as countries seeking to competeeffectively in the new global knowledgesociety require a skilled workforce. The Centrefor Research on Science and Technology atSU, headed by Johann Mouton, hasundertaken various studies on the SouthAfrican research and innovation system overthe past eight years. In a recent study, itfocused on the human capital base of thesystem and discovered a number of veryworrying trends as far as the R&D workforceof the country is concerned.
The South African scientific workforce isageing, with few young replacements beingattracted to the system. Figure 1 shows howthe age of publishing scientists has shiftedquite dramatically from 1990 to 2000.Whereas only 20% of those who publishedpeer-reviewed articles in 1990 were above theage of 50, this proportion has increased to49% in 2000. This trend – should itcontinue – has far-reaching implications forthe knowledge base of the country. Not onlydoes it indicate that our scientific output islikely to continue to decline, with aninevitable severe drop in the next decade, butit suggests that we are either not successful
in attracting young publishing scientists intothe system. These trends point to deepstructural problems in our national system ofinnovation that require urgent attention.
The Centre’s research has also shown thatthere has been no significant change in thedemographic profile of publishing scientistssince 1990, with white male authors stilldominant in this field of endeavour. TheCentre’s analysis shows that white scientistsstill produce more than 90% of all articlespublished by South African scientists.Similarly, men continue to dominate scientificproduction with more than 83% of allpublications produced by male authors. Thislatter figure is even more significant if onekeeps in mind that more than 40% of allacademics in South African universities andtechnikons are female.
These trends in the size and shape of thescience and technology (S&T) workforce in thecountry need to be assessed in the context of
overall scientific output. When measured interms of peer-reviewed articles in accreditedscientific journals (Figure 2), the results for thepast fifteen years clearly show how totalscientific output has hardly increased withinthe past decade. It is therefore not surprisingthat South Africa’s share of global scientificoutput (as measured in ISI-linked articles) isdeclining. Whereas we produced nearly 0,7%of all output in 1987, we have subsequentlydropped to less than 0,4%.
The Centre’s research on the S&T workforcehas already had a significant impact onscience and technology policy in the country.Its work on the ageing of the scientificworkforce has informed recent policydocuments of the government (the NationalPlan on Higher Education and the new R&DStrategy), while we assembled much of theofficial S&T: Facts and Figures documentreleased by the National Advisory Committeeon Innovation in 2002.
The South Africanscientific workforce isageing, with few youngreplacements beingattracted to the system.
24www.sun.ac.za/crest
Research and innovation in the service of South African society
0
20
40
60
80
100%
1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000
The ageing of the S&T workforce
2 35 6 8
1518 22
26 30
35
3441
4142
38
3936
35 3024 23
1714
4 4 3 3
60+50-5940-4930-39under 30
0
1 000
2 000
3 000
4 000
5 000
6 000
4 97
7
5 06
0
4 94
3
5 22
6
5 18
7
5 40
6
5 33
6
5 63
6
5 50
0
5 66
2
5 61
4
5 16
2
5 08
2
5 51
3
5 32
8
Accredited journal articles by South African scientists
1987 200119941988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
Figure 1: The ageing of the S&T workforce
Figure 2: Scientific output: 1987 to 2001
25Constitutional interpretation
common-law inspired style of drafting enactedlaw in South Africa. In the common-lawtradition enacted legal rules are most oftendrafted in detail, endeavouring to cater, asexplicitly as possible, for numerous particularinstances and to close as many loopholes aspossible, lest the legislature’s will bemisunderstood and misapplied. This style ofdraughtsmanship, producing long-winded andoften esoteric formulations, anticipates a literalreading of enacted law. In civil-law legalsystems on the European continent thelanguage of enacted legal norms is, bycontrast, characteristically inclusive and open-ended – as is the text of South Africa’sConstitution.
The Unit’s researchers, under the direction ofJacques de Ville and Lourens du Plessis, haveshown that the openness of the constitutionaltext poses a challenge rather than a threat tolegal interpreters. Meaning can never be saidto be fixed because it is generated through adynamic and complex interplay of linguisticsignifiers. The language of any legal text(including an enacted law text) is not retrievedfrom within the text, but is made and agreedon in dealing with the text. No meaningresides in the text. These insights are
Established in 1997 as a joint venture ofthe universities of Stellenbosch (SU) andthe Western Cape (UWC), the Research
Unit for Legal and Constitutional Interpretationfacilitates research on how to read andimplement South Africa’s new Constitution.South Africa had never had a constitution ashighest law, so since our transitional andsubsequently our final constitutions wereenacted in 1994 and 1997, respectively, therehas been a need to consider the impact of thesupreme Constitution on statutoryinterpretation in a systematic and detailedmanner.
Generally speaking, jurists feel comfortablewhen, with confidence and certainty, they canstate: “This is what the law says!” Wheninterpreting enacted texts (such as acts ofparliament or regulations promulgated by anorgan of the executive) the professed clarityand unambiguousness of the language of thetext in question boost the said confidence andcertainty. The clear and unambiguouslanguage of a law, so the conventional beliefgoes, should be given effect to without adobecause it is a reliable manifestation of theintention of its author, the legislature.Interpretation actually becomes an issue onlywhen the language of a law is unclear and/orambiguous. The interpreter, usually a judicialofficer, then has to invoke recognised canonsof construction or other interpretive aids inorder to retrieve the intention of the legislaturefrom the text. This, in a nutshell, is theconventional, most widely recognised,literalist-cum-intentionalist approach to theinterpretation of enacted law.
South Africa’s transitional Constitution usheredin a new dispensation premised on aConstitution as highest law, which is couchedin all but clear and ambiguous language. Itssuccessor, the present Constitution, is similarlya text couched in characteristically general andopen-ended language. This textual style standsin contrast with the prevalent, English
associated with what is also known as thelinguistic turn in legal interpretation.
Jurists desirous of the confidence and certaintythat they believe the conventional literalist-cum-intentionalist approach has to offer, arequite sceptical about the linguistic turnclaiming that it is likely to promote anundisciplined attitude of ‘everything goes’among legal decision-makers and that thisattitude will, in the long run, undermine legalcertainty. But the Unit has questioned thisview, and endeavoured to show that thesefears are unfounded. First, no language is clearand unambiguous and jurists interpretingenacted texts in this mistaken belief, very oftenhide behind the language of texts to shirk theresponsibility of really engaging with thesetexts in order to arrive at a just interpretationin the circumstances of each particular case.Second, the insights associated with thelinguistic turn are not necessarily incompatiblewith conventional canons of construction ifthe latter are re-understood and appropriatelyreformulated. Third, acceptance of the fullconsequences of the linguistic turn, far frominducing an undisciplined and irresponsible‘free for all’ attitude among jurists, emphasisesthe huge and often awesome responsibility oflegal – and, in particular, judicial – decision-makers. Under no circumstances can thesedecision-makers be relieved from personalresponsibility for the decisions they make. Theycannot hide behind the fictitious ‘clarity andunambiguousness’ of the language of thetexts they are called upon to construe, becausethe perennial open-endedness of languagealways leaves them with a choice.
www.uwc.ac.za/rulci/
South Africa’s transitional Constitution ushered in anew dispensation premised on a constitution ashighest law, which is couched in all but clear andambiguous language.
0101010111011011010101001010101001111010011011010011011111111000011100
South Africa’s Supreme Court of Appeal in Bloemfontein.
0100110101101010110101010101010110101010101010101101010101001010101010101010101010101011
1111111010001010001101010101111
Stellenbosch scientists are contributingtowards the development of a vaccine tocontain the HIV/Aids pandemic that is
decimating communities in sub-Saharan Africa.Working in collaboration with an Americanbiotechnology company and using recombinantDNA technology, the Stellenbosch team isworking on a combination vaccine that willspecifically target HIV subtype C – the strain ofthe virus most prevalent in Southern Africa,India and China.
Stellenbosch scientists have been at theforefront of retroviral research right from thestart, by establishing the first retrovirus culturefacility in the country – and on the Africancontinent. Before the outbreak of the pandemicin the early 1980s, they were studying thenewly discovered retrovirus family, of which HIVis a member, including related simian virusesoccurring in African primates. Subsequently, theestablishment of a molecular biology laboratoryin the Faculty of Health Sciences enabledscientists to study the genetic characteristics ofHIV strains circulating in South Africa, especiallywhen it became clear that the infection was notconfined to the homosexual community, butwas spreading heterosexually. A collaborativestudy with the Primate Institute in Nairobi tocharacterise retroviral strains in primates fromeast and southern Africa, led to the firstdescription of a simian immunodeficiency virusin the chacma baboon – one of only three
simian immunodeficiency viruses discovered inbaboons in Africa.
Thus the Stellenbosch scientists were particularlywell placed to join a multicentre interdisciplinaryprogramme initiated by the South Africangovernment in 1999 to produce an effective,affordable vaccine – South Africa’s Aids VaccineInitiative, run by our Medical Research Council.Although the Stellenbosch team has had accessto multiple viral strains since the beginning ofthe epidemic, vaccine development was a newfield for scientists when they embarked on theproject in 1999. They therefore entered into acollaborative agreement with the ChironCorporation of San Francisco, one of theworld’s leading biotechnology companiesworking in the field of viral vaccines. For theconstruction of the vaccine, the variousscientists involved in the project selected a viralstrain isolated in the Department of MedicalVirology in 1998.
The vaccine currently under developmentendeavours to stimulate both arms of theimmune system by making neutralising
antibodies, and launching a strong cell-mediated response. Since this approach requiresa combination vaccine, it is known as a primeboost strategy. The immune system is firstprimed with a DNA vaccine and then boostedwith a second vaccine, comprising a livevector/protein. The premise of the approach isthat by forewarning the immune system aboutthe appearance of the virus, the immune systemwill respond with a swift, focused andsuppressing counter-attack if and when HIVinfection occurs.
Emphasising the importance of the dualapproach, team leader Estrelita Janse vanRensburg says it is accepted worldwide that asingle vaccine will not contain the virus. “It iswidely agreed that an HIV vaccine should bothfight and contain the virus. Some vaccinescurrently being tested on humans are alreadyoutdated in terms of these new insights andinitiatives.”
The teams from Stellenbosch and Chiron havemade rapid progress over the last three years,and the first part of the vaccine wasmanufactured in California and shipped toSouth Africa in late 2002 for testing onbaboons. The team has already started with theimmunisations, but the full study will take atleast a year to complete.
Stellenbosch scientists have been at the forefront ofretroviral research right from the start, byestablishing the first retrovirus culture facility in thecountry – and on the African continent.
26www.sun.ac.za/virology/dept/default.htm
Developing an HIV vaccine for Southern Africa
Dr Richard Glashoff (left) and Dr Walter Liebrich(right) are both involved with assessing theimmunogenicity of candidate vaccines.
An illustration of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)
27Bioethics
and access to health care, as the HIV/Aidsphenomenon in Africa has demonstrateddramatically over the past decade.
Above all, what is required in South Africa tocurb Aids is a national, co-ordinated andcomprehensive treatment and preventioncampaign that has the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) as a corecomponent. The fact that such a programmeis as yet not fully operational, is a seriousmoral indictment of this country’s officialhealth care policies. The most seriousimpediment to the humane and effectivemanagement of MTCT is not a lack ofknowledge, the unavailability of drugs, theinfrastructure to make them available, ortheir unaffordability. It is the lack of politicalwill and the denial of the seriousness of theproblem on the part of the politicalleadership, particularly in South Africa.
Once this leadership assumes its rightfulresponsibility, all the indications are that aidfrom the rest of the world, both fromgovernments and pharmaceutical companies,would be forthcoming, and a very significantreduction of MTCT could be expected. Inother countries, similar programmes havebeen successful in reducing the number ofcases of paediatric Aids caused by MTCT byan order of magnitude – from about onethird to three per cent of mothers who areHIV positive.
It is also important to acknowledge that theAids catastrophe compels us to reflectcritically on the massive imbalances between
Bioethics is both a very old and a verynew discipline. In its originalmanifestation as medical ethics, it has
been known since the time of early Greekphilosophy which produced the HippocraticOath – still the symbol of the medicalpractitioner’s commitment to a life of serviceand moral rectitude. The 1960s saw anotable rebirth of interest in – and reflectionon – the moral aspects and challenges ofmedicine and the life sciences in general –hence the term ‘bioethics’.
This rebirth was precipitated by a number ofevents and phenomena. Firstly, dramatictechnological advances, such as renal dialysisand transplant surgery demonstrated anunprecedented expansion of medical powerover disease, which generated questionsabout its reach and limitations. Secondly, theSecond World War and its aftermath,including the rising new tide of a humanrights culture in most of the world, revealedthat medical and scientific practice is by nomeans value free, and could easily elope intomorally dubious practices, such as theexperiments on human subjects by the Nazis,the dropping of atom bombs on Hiroshimaand Nagasaki, the Chernobil diasaster, and,closer to home, the treatment of Steve Bikoby medical practitioners. Thirdly, theenormous power of medicine to controldisease and relieve suffering brought, in itswake, a growing realisation of the enormouscosts associated with the execution andextension of these powers.
Research in bioethics at Stellenbosch hasstarted as a systematic programme in theearly 1990s, and is undertaken by a unit ledby Anton van Niekerk, which has done boththeoretical and applied work in the field.Central to the Unit’s research has stood themoral ramifications of one of Africa’s mostserious problems, HIV/Aids. Resources forhealth care are limited, and those limitationsraise difficult questions about priorities for
the wealth of Africa and the West, andthereby to rethink the requirements forhuman well-being on a global scale. Sub-Saharan Africa generates no more than 1%of the total wealth produced in the world.The buying power of all the countries southof the Sahara, except South Africa, in totaljust about matches that of a country such asNorway. The developed world can no longerignore the fact that Africa is the home of10% of the world’s population, lives on 1%of the global economy, and carries 70% ofthe world’s HIV/Aids burden. Aids showscompellingly that bioethics has to beunderstood and become operational on aglobal scale.
The situation surrounding Aids in Africa isone of many examples of the way in whichwomen’s health is threatened by inadequatesocial status. The social stigmatisation thatthreatens Aids victims is one of the mostserious moral problems obstructing thepandemic’s effective management. Caneducation in itself overcome thispredicament? That remains unclear. Whatalso has to be done is to rethink proceduresof attaining informed consent that are betteradapted to the communal strain in Africanpatterns of identity formation. Of paramountimportance is also the possibility of rolemodels going public about their HIV status –a move that has been suggested forpoliticians in South Africa, but met with verylittle success. It has to be attempted on awider scale – the crisis warrants even thispossible intrusion of privacy, although suchaction should remain voluntary.
www.sun.ac.za/philosophy/cae
The enormous power of medicine to control diseaseand relieve suffering brought, in its wake, a growingrealisation of the enormous costs associated with theexecution and extension of these powers.
The situation surrounding Aids in Africa is one ofmany examples of the way in which women’s healthis threatened by inadequate social status.
0101010111011011010101001010101001111010011011010011011111111000011100
0100110101101010110101010101010110101010101010101101010101001010101010101010101010101011
1111111010001010001101010101111
All over the world, the value of fresh fruitin our diet is gaining increasingrecognition. Fruit is not only delicious
and versatile, but also packed with essentialvitamins and minerals. First-world consumers,although aware of these hidden benefits, alsoexpect the fruit in their fruit bowls to beexceptionally attractive and free of external andinternal disorders, and for this they are preparedto pay a premium.
South African-grown fresh fruit has long had a reputation for high quality, but in order toremain competitive on the international markets,only the best quality should be exported. So, improving fruit quality, and ensuring thatfruit remains in good condition during its longjourney to overseas consumers, is the motivationbehind the research of Karen Theron andcolleagues from the SU Department ofHorticultural Science. These objectives aresupported by the Deciduous Fruit Producers’Trust, Citrus Research International and theNational Research Foundation, as well as theprivate sector.
External and internal fruit quality factors, such as size, colour, skin blemishes, sugar and acidcontent and flesh firmness, are primarydeterminants of the marketability of freshdeciduous fruit. Approaches used to improvefruit size include the stimulation of strongflowering buds, and achieving an optimal
balance between vegetative tree growth and thenumber of fruits allowed to develop to maturityon each tree. The physiological bases of theseinterventions rest primarily on the production,net availability and preferential allocation ofcarbohydrates for fruit growth, which is incompetition with other growing organs such asshoots and roots.
Another focus is the impact of our sunny, warmclimate on fruit quality. Unsightly skin blemishescaused by sunburn, or insufficient red colourdevelopment, are major factors responsible forreductions of export-grade volumes. A recentbreakthrough emerging from the doctoralproject of Wiehann Steyn, is the improvedunderstanding of red colour development andloss in blushed pear fruit, based on studies offactors influencing metabolism of anthocyaninand related enzyme activities. This showedclearly that there are cultivar-specific differencesin colour stability and sensitivity to temperaturefluctuations during the season. This insight willhelp breeders of new cultivars to select progenywhich are not so susceptible to colour loss.
Similar problems with fruit quality areexperienced in citrus production, and are beingstudied by Graham Barry and Etienne Rabe. Forexample, the physiology of yellow/orangepigments in the rind is being investigated inrelation to the metabolism of a plant growthregulator. This should point the way to
manipulations which could enhance pigmentsynthesis and thus fruit colour. The sugar contentof citrus fruit is a prime determinant of eatingquality. Previous research on the importance oflight on sugar accumulation has resulted in theapplication of orchard pruning techniques tooptimise light interception. Currently, the timingand severity of water-deficit stress on sugaraccumulation, without adversely affecting fruitsize, is being investigated.
An exciting new irrigation approach, the openhydroponic system, promises to increasedeciduous and citrus orchard productivity andfruit quality through more effective applicationof water and mineral nutrients. The underlyingeco-physiological responses of trees to thistechnology, as well as its effects on crop loadand fruit quality, are being investigated, andpreliminary indications are that tree responsesare more complicated than expected.
Substantial losses are incurred during the periodbetween harvest and point of sale, as a result ofthe deterioration of fruit quality during coldstorage, shipping and distribution at overseasmarkets. So another strong research focus is onpost-harvest quality, including chilling disorders,control of fruit ripening rates, and newdevelopments in packaging for qualitymaintenance during the extended storageregimes required for export. In particular,valuable new insights have been gainedregarding the ripening processes in pears andplums. Forelle pears produced in South Africa areprone to mealiness, an internal disordercharacterised by poor texture and lack ofjuiciness. This was thought to result frominsufficient post-harvest cold storage, but ElkeCrouch has shown that, to the contrary,mealiness appears to be a chilling injury disorder.This research is being continued to furtherunderstand the biochemical changes involved,and to develop optimum protocols for coldstorage of this variety.
All over the world, the value of fresh fruit in our diet isgaining increasing recognition.
28www.sun.ac.za/horticulture
The quest for the perfect pear
Blossoming orchard in the Western Cape
Variability of red blush in Rosemarie pears
29Meeting the global challenge of finding sustainable biofuel
Funded by the Swedish STINT Foundation, van Zyl and collaborators at Lund aredeveloping novel genetically manipulated yeaststhat are able to metabolise and grow on xylose,the second most abundant wood sugar afterglucose. Together with a newly establishedEuropean consortium, van Zyl envisages thedevelopment of robust yeast that can fermentall the 6 and 5-carbon sugars present in woodto bioethanol, thus almost doubling the yield ofexisting technologies where only some of the 6-carbon sugars from wood are converted into ethanol.
In a second joint venture with the group of LeeLynd at Dartmouth, USA, and funded by the SUDepartment of Energy, van Zyl’s team isexploring the development of manipulatedyeast that cannot only ferment sugars, but candegrade mildly treated wood and otheragricultural by-products and simultaneouslyferment the released sugars to bioethanol. This research includes prospecting for enzymesoriginating from microbes which naturallydegrade wood and engineering these enzymesinto yeast, enabling the yeast to both degradeand ferment woody material. The research isvery much geared to a future generation ofdesigner yeasts and major technological barriersstill need to be overcome. But ultimately, notonly should bioethanol be able to compete onprice with existing fossil fuels, but its production
Man has always been dependent onplants as a source of food, fuel andprotection. With the advent of
industrialisation, particularly since thenineteenth century, humans turned to fossilfuels – primarily crude oil and coal – for energy.But use of these resources, which have beenstowed away for millions of years, is not onlyunsustainable but introduces gases into theatmosphere which upset the earth’s delicatelybalanced carbon cycle. Simultaneously, naturalforests have been destroyed and the earth’scapacity is yielding, with global warming beingone of the consequences.
Plant material remains our most abundantrenewable carbon source, with more than4 x 109 tons available annually for conversion toenergy and feedstuffs. In a similar manner tothat in which yeasts are able to ferment grapeand barley sugars into ethanol in wine and beer,the more adverse polymers in wood can befermented, providing a cheap and sustainablesource for the production of bioethanol as analternative fuel. Using gene manipulation, Emile van Zyl and his collaborators in the SU Department of Microbiology, as well as inSweden and in the USA, are developing baker’syeasts that may in future be used to producethis biofuel.
should be sustainable. Bioethanol productionwould be based on agricultural by-products andbiomass on land not used for conservation orfood production.
This research is of particular relevance to SouthAfrica as, traditionally, our agricultural industrydoes not process plant by-products. More than15 million tons are wastefully discarded eachyear. Our landscape has also been infested withalien plants which, if left uncontrolled,contribute an estimated further 15 million tonsof plant biomass annually. Both of these arepotential sources of biofuel which van Zyl hopesto harness.
www.sun.ac.za/microbiology/
In the nineteenth century, humans turned to fossil fuels –primarily crude oil and coal – for energy. Theseresources are not only unsustainable, but contributeto global warming. The production of biofuel fromrenewable plant biomass could provide a moreenvironmentally friendly and sustainable alternative.
0101010111011011010101001010101001111010011011010011011111111000011100
Electromicrograph
of budding baker’s
yeast used for
boiethanol
production (left)
Yeast is engineered
with enzymes from
saprophytic fungi
associated with
plant decay (right).
Decaying tree trunk covered by white rot fungi (rack moulds)
0100110101101010110101010101010110101010101010101101010101001010101010101010101010101011
1111111010001010001101010101111
In the last decades of the previous century,giant leaps in science and technologycontributed to a significant improvement
in maternal and newborn health. In mostindustrialised countries today, a woman can go through pregnancy and childbirth in theconfident knowledge that the risk of death to herself or her baby, or even complications, is minimal and that dedicated specialists,technology and resources are available to takecare of almost any eventuality.
In South Africa’s Western Cape province, thisreality is very different, especially in poorcommunities where women are often caught ina damaging cycle of disease, malnutrition andsocio-economic ills such as excessive smokingand alcohol abuse. At provincial hospitals in theprovince, the most recent perinatal mortalityrate is 18,5 for every 1 000 deliveries. This isvery high when compared to the six to eightperinatal deaths per 1 000 deliveries indeveloped countries. In addition, theintrauterine to neonatal death ratio is 4:1, incontrast to a ratio of 1:1 in the industrialisedworld.
To determine why so many babies die before orduring the first week after birth, the Obstetricsand Gyneacology Department in SU Faculty ofHealth Sciences established a PerinatalMortality Research Unit in 1987 incollaboration with the MRC. “We also wantedto find ways of reducing perinatal deaths dueto common conditions and improve theknowledge of midwives regarding perinatalcare,” says outgoing head of the Unit, HeinOdendaal.
According to Odendaal, placental bleeding andpre-term labour cause almost half of perinataldeaths in Coloured women in the WesternCape. As a result of the Unit’s work at theTygerberg tertiary hospital, the perinatalmortality rate of mothers who received properantenatal care at the hospital, improved from35/1 000 in 1972-74 to 12,5/1 000 in 2002.“This excess of intrauterine deaths, is causedprimarily by placental bleeding, but also bypoor placental function,” he says.
The rate of placental bleeding in Colouredmothers in the Western Cape is among thehighest in the world, and indications are thatcigarette smoking and alcohol use in pregnancyare probably the main causes. Both factors alsoincrease the frequency of pre-term labour. TheUnit has also reported that genital infectioncaused by the micro-organism Mycoplasmahominis is another cause of premature delivery.
Another cause of intrauterine death is poorplacental function, leading to poor growth –and in some cases, death – of the fetus.However, poor fetal growth is commonlycaused by less dangerous conditions.Sophisticated tests are usually recommendedto confirm or exclude poor placental function.“It is essential to differentiate between thedangerous and less dangerous causes since anunnecessary premature delivery may lead tosevere neonatal morbidity. On the other hand,
delays in delivering may cause intrauterinedeath,” says Odendaal.
In a developing country such as South Africa,medical staff in the public health sector do notalways have access to sophisticated andexpensive technology to monitor fetal growth.The SU group has found that measurement ofthe uterine growth with a simple tape measureand plotting it on a growth chart is a valuablescreening test for poor fetal growth. Suspectedcases with poor growth are then examined todetermine the flow velocity in the umbilicalartery. Poor flow velocity is indicative ofplacental insufficiency and therefore of fetaljeopardy. With the assistance of the MRC andthe CSIR, members of the Unit developed ahighly effective apparatus – the Umbiflow,which can be connected to a computer tomeasure placental function. Four prototypes ofthe apparatus are now in use at primary healthcare clinics in the Western Cape.
The rate of placental bleeding in Coloured mothers inthe Western Cape is among the highest in the world,and indications are that cigarette smoking and alcoholuse in pregnancy are probably the main causes.
30www.sun.ac.za/obs
Saving unborn babies from smoking and alcohol
A patient being examined with the aid of the Umbiflow atthe Perinatal Mortality Research Unit at Tygerberg Hospital.The device enables medical staff to detect problems withouthaving to resort to expensive technology.
The ultrasound probe consists of a transmitter for the direction of the ultrasound waves to the umbilicalcord of the fetus and a receiver for the waves, whichhave been scattered by the circulating fetal bloodcells. The electronics inside the probe connect to aPentium III computer via the USB port to analyse thedegree of change of the initial sound wave.
31Our search for mammalian ancestry
Once these scientists have isolated singlechromosomes from each Afrotherianrepresentative, they can be used to make‘chromosome paints’ to highlight regions ofDNA sequence which are similar among species.Starting with the aardvark, Robinson andcolleagues reciprocally ‘painted’ thechromosomes of the aardvark and man toassign areas of correspondence between theirgenomes.
They then expanded the study to include theAfrican and Indian elephants, and their datasuggest that the last common ancestor of theliving mammals had 44 chromosomes,compared to our own 46. However, in spite ofthe small difference in chromosome numberbetween man and the last common ancestor
What do the aardvark, elephant,hyraxes, dugongs and manatees,tenrecs, golden moles and elephant
shrews have in common? Not much, youmight think, apart from all being mammals.But although there are no unique anatomicalcharacters shared by these animals, there aremany similarities in their DNA. A secondcommon feature is their evolutionary history –all of them originated in Africa. Dubbed theAfrotherians, it has been proposed that theyshare a common ancestor that evolved whenour continent was isolated from others whenthe ancient southern continent ofGondwanaland broke up about 105 millionyears ago.
This was the time when dinosaurs held swayon earth. Soon after their demise came theage of mammals, when the ancestors of the18-odd different groups of mammals that existtoday – including the Afrotheria – started todiverge from one another. Before the break-upof Gondwanaland, Africa and South Americawere contiguous and, interestingly, the nearestrelatives to the Afrotheria are the Xenarthra –the sloths, anteaters and armadillos of SouthAmerica. This suggests that the placentalmammals (known as the Eutheria) may haveoriginated in the south of Gondwanalandbefore tectonic movements of the earth’splates led to the present continents movingapart from one another.
Terry Robinson of the SU Zoology Departmentand his collaborators here, in the UK andRussia are exploring these puzzlingrelationships, using an approach that trackschanges in the way the genetic material,contained in the chromosomes, has beenreshuffled in the evolutionary past. Byidentifying these ‘cytogenetic’ signatures theyaim to resolve the relationships among theAfrotheria, as well as place this group withinthe eutherian evolutionary tree.
www.sun.ac.za/zoology/
In spite of the small difference in chromosomenumber between man and the last common ancestorof all eutherian mammals, the chromosomes are incombinations that differ radically from their presentconfiguration in man.
0101010111011011010101001010101001111010011011010011011111111000011100
of all eutherian mammals, the chromosomes arein combinations that differ radically from theirpresent configuration in man.
These data are of intrinsic interest as they shouldhelp us to understand the role of spontaneouschromosomal rearrangements in speciation. But they may also have an applied spin-off, intesting the hypothesis that chromosomerearrangement breakpoints in human pathologyand in evolution are correlated. Chromosomalrearrangements, similar to those that have‘reshuffled’ the ancestral chromosomalcomplement, also appear to have a causal rolein the genesis of tumours, with certain types ofrearrangements often specifically associated withparticular tumour types. Why then the difference– an evolutionary change in some instances, andin others a pathological condition? The answer is not yet clear, but the availability of comprehensive genome sequence data formouse and man has begun to provide someinsight into the structure of the DNA sequencesat these breakpoints.
This work has been supported by a grant toRobinson and his collaborator MalcolmFerguson-Smith – of Cambridge University –by the Wellcome Trust. They are now extendingcomparative chromosome painting analyses tothe remaining Afrotheria and the Xenarthra,which should contribute towards thedevelopment of an authentic evolutionary tree for all placental mammals.
The postulated mammalian ancestral chromosomalcomplement. This ancestor’s correspondence to thehuman chromosomal complement is indicated to theright of each schematic likeness, and with horizontallines indicating breakpoints. Nine chromosomes havebeen conserved in toto since common ancestry(numbers 5-6; 9; 11; 13, 17-18; 20 and the sex-determining X chromosome). (From Yang et al 2003:Reciprocal chromosome painting among Human,Aardvark and Elephant (Superorder Afrotheria) revealsthe likely eutherian ancestral karyotype. Proc. Natl.Acad. Sci. USA 100: 1062-1066).
Cross-species painting using human chromosome17 DNA showing common DNA sequences betweenthis human chromosome (red) and the short arm ofaardvark chromosome 8
0100110101101010110101010101010110101010101010101101010101001010101010101010101010101011
1111111010001010001101010101111
As recently as 1990, the majority ofSouth Africans in disadvantagedcommunities had no electricity in their
homes. At the beginning of the last decade,our national electricity utility, Eskom, togetherwith municipalities around the country, startedto address this problem seriously. Theirendeavour was boosted when the government’sReconstruction and Development Programmeset ambitious electrification targets in 1994,providing for 450 000 new households to beelectrified per year until the turn of the century.These targets were exceeded, and electricitywas installed in 2,8 million homes, improvingthe quality of life of approximately 20 millionpeople and creating many jobs in the process.The challenge is to bring electricity to the ruralareas, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal, and theLimpopo and Eastern Cape provinces, wheretwo million dwellings (an estimated one third ofall households nationwide) remain withoutelectricity. Power Electronics is one of the keytechnologies which can provide cost-effectiveelectrical energy to these communities.
The Power Electronics Group at the SU has beenconducting research into the cost-effectiveelectrification of remote areas since the early1990s. The ability of power electronic convertersto provide ‘intelligent control’ of electricalenergy opens new possibilities in the generation,storage and distribution of electrical energy.Most of the power electronic systems developedby the group are based on a new type of solid-state switch (insulated gate bipolar transistors)in combination with state-of-the-artmicrocomputer technology.
One of the first projects undertaken inassociation with Eskom was the development ofa universal semiconductor electrification device.This device makes it possible to convert a low-quality electricity supply to a well-regulatedoutput voltage. The main aim of the device isto reduce the cost of conventional transmissionlines by making it possible to use a low-qualitytransmission system. The transmission line mayeven be in the form of low-cost steel wire or asingle-wire earth-return transmission system.
During the last three years new electronicvoltage regulators and electronic phaseconverters have been developed by the group.Due to the high cost of the standard three-phase transmission system currently employed,remote farms and rural communities are usuallyonly supplied with single-phase electricity. The absence of a three-phase electrical supplymakes it impossible to use high-power electricalequipment, for instance large electric motors.As a result, high-power pumps and hammermills are usually powered by diesel engines.The converters allow cost-effective conversionof a single-phase supply to a three-phasesupply, thereby providing energy which can beused by high-power agricultural equipment.
Recently a number of projects have focused ondeveloping technology to provide electricity toinformal settlements. A new voltage regulator,which does not require expensive energystorage components, has been developed. This device makes it possible to significantlyreduce the cost per connection in informalsettlements. Another research project hasresulted in the development of a new converterthat makes it possible to use direct – asopposed to alternating – current distribution insuch settlements. This device enables thetransmission of more power through theexisting distribution system, while providing aneffective method of combating the illegal use ofelectricity. This is achieved by making use of thefact that it is difficult to convert a DC (directcurrent) voltage to a usable AC (alternatingcurrent) form.
The challenge is to bring electricity to the rural areas,particularly in KwaZulu-Natal, and the Limpopo andEastern Cape provinces, where two million dwellings(an estimated one third of all households nationwide)remain without electricity.
32http://facts.ee.sun.ac.za
Cost-effective energy for rural electrification
A power electronic voltage regulator connected to a micro-hydro generator
A universal semiconductor electrification devicepowering a pump on a farm in the Karoo
33SUNSAT – Africa’s first satellite
gathering systems, flight control systems forunmanned aircraft, and even remote-controlunits for distance education.
In 1992, SUNSAT’s design goals were set tochallenge the existing performance norms ofuniversity and small industry-class satellites.These included developing and flying a 3456 pixel-wide multispectral camera, three-axis orientation control, and acommunications system that enabled hand-held amateur radios to communicatethrough the satellite. With the advent ofSUNSAT, these innovations were alldemonstrated in orbit.
In retrospect, initiating a satellite programmewas a daunting task, as no support for satellitedevelopments was forthcoming fromgovernment, and Stellenbosch had noexperience in this field. But industry leaderssaw long-term benefits and provided initialsupport, which was later augmented by theNational Research Foundation and the THRIPprogramme of the Department of Trade andIndustry. Scientists from the United StatesNational Aeronautics and Space Administrationvisited the laboratory, which led to theiragreeing to arrange a free launch for SUNSATif some of their own experiments could beconducted on the flight. This turned into avery fruitful collaboration.
Many of SUNSAT’s systems attractedinternational interest, and have been suppliedto other countries. SUNSAT’s camera wassupplied for Korea’s third satellite, Kitsat-3. In
T hree – two – one – zero, we have liftoff… These words on 23 February 1999marked Stellenbosch, and Africa’s entry
into space as SUNSAT, a satellite developed byover 100 graduate students and technical staffof the SU Engineering Faculty, was lofted intospace atop a Delta II rocket, from VandenbergAir Force Base in California.
The billowing fumes were a final realisation ofthe vision of emeritus Professor Jan du Plessis,and former Vice-Rector Christo Viljoen – whoin 1958 recorded signals from Explorer 1,America’s first satellite. The project,undertaken in the SU Department of Electricaland Electronic Engineering, was initiated in1992, and was led by Arnold Schoonwinkel,Garth Milne and Sias Mostert.
Microsatellites, which weigh less than 100 kg,are a challenging test for computer and controlsystems. This challenge attracts graduatestudents, who have to master the intricacies ofembedded computers and software, satellitepointing control, and communication systems.Engineers with these skills – and who areaccustomed to working in a team – are greatlyvalued by industry, as the technologies arecommon to many other systems.
The Electronic Systems Laboratory was formedto meet the demands of SUNSAT, and has alsosupplied electronic and mechanical systems foroverseas satellites. South Africa has acompetitive advantage in such specialisedproducts where high-level manpowerdominates costs. Its skills have also beenapplied to non-satellite developments,including new computers, sensors, data
December 2002, an unfolding arm, as well asa star camera developed in the laboratoryentered space on Australia’s FEDSAT satellite.The arm is folded up during launch, but oncein orbit is released by an explosive bolt tostraighten out and deploy a sensor far enoughfrom the satellite to avoid interference from itsmagnetic field. The star camera shoots with anexposure time of one second, which issensitive enough to record dots of light for thestars. The dot patterns can be matched to theknown star locations to determine accuratelythe angular orientation of the satellite.
Opportunities for international contractinglater grew beyond the limits that could behandled by the University, so a commercialcompany, SunSpace & Information Systems(Pty) Ltd (SunSpace), was formed, and soonexpanded into Stellenbosch’s Techno Park. SunSpace is now a major funder of research inthe laboratory, and currently supports 20 master’s students.
An exciting new project recently launched incollaboration with the Catholic University ofLeuven in Belgium, is the MultisensorMicrosatellite Imager, which will include amedium-resolution hyperspectral imager, a high-resolution multispectral camera, and a colour TV camera. This is supported by the Department of Trade and Industry’sInnovation Fund.
The laboratory has also begun studies for anew small satellite, with an aim of an early2005 launch. It will be smaller and moremanoeuvrable than SUNSAT, will carry animproved camera and use the latest electronictechnology. It is expected to be the forerunnerof a future South African science satellite.
Monitor http://esl.ee.sun.ac.za for developments, and www.sunsat.sun.ac.za for SUNSAT information.
0101010111011011010101001010101001111010011011010011011111111000011100
This challenge attractsgraduate students, who have to master theintricacies of embeddedcomputers and software,satellite pointing control,and communicationsystems.
SUNSAT attached inside the launch rocket
Lift-off of the Delta II rocket carrying SUNSAT
Training of volunteers – 31 August 2002 at UnitedReformed Church (URC) Zion in Paarl East
0100110101101010110101010101010110101010101010101101010101001010101010101010101010101011
1111111010001010001101010101111
01001101011010101101010101010101010111011011010101010110101010101010101101010101001010101001110101010101010101010101010101110100110110100110111111
11111110100010100011010101011111000011100
Church congregations are uniquelyplaced to tackle poverty-relatedproblems, as many of them have
reasonable infrastructure at their disposal, andare able to reach out to households in theircommunity. The Unit for ReligiousDemographic Research at the SU, assisted bythe departments of Sociology and Geography,has been attempting to use congregationsboth to acquire information on poverty-related issues, and to attempt to address itsroot causes. The four major areas of concernidentified by the community were HIV/Aids,unemployment, sexual violence againstwomen and children and substance abuse.
A pilot study was launched in 2001 in thePaarl/Mbekweni area, where all places ofworship were mapped using GlobalPositioning System (GPS) technology; 10% ofhouseholds were surveyed; and a structuredinterview was held with the leadership of thecongregations. In conducting this research,people from the community itself were trainedin research methodology and gathered thedata in their communities. The surveyquestionnaire was developed by inviting 20 representatives of the Paarl community,and the fieldwork for the survey was done by
approximately 150 members of Paarlcongregations.
The quantified data obtained from thequestionnaires were used to construct ageodatabase, implying that all data are relatedto a specific geographical location. Thisgeodatabase was coupled with theGeographical Information System (GIS), whichmakes it possible to produce maps displayingspatial variation in the data. Data related tothe location of all places of worship were alsoincorporated in the GIS. One of theadvantages of having this database is thatareas with high needs can be portrayed on amap, making it easier to visualise spatialaspects of social problems.
Secondary data from the South African policein the form of crime statistics related to sexualcrimes against women and children; fromstate health clinics relating to the reportedincidence of persons screening positive forHIV; and the 1996 national census datarelating to the general demographics of thecommunities, have been incorporated into thedatabase, allowing the presentation ofadditional layers of information on maps. Thisleads to more efficient communication
between the different parties involved. Forexample, graphical representations of thespatial incidence of HIV/Aids are making iteasier to motivate and mobilise communitiesto deal with the problem.
The spatial patterns of poverty, HIV/Aids,unemployment, sexual violence and substanceabuse, can be assessed within the community,and problematic areas localised. A localnetwork has been created in an attempt toaddress the problems, and apartheid divideshave been bridged in congregations workingtogether towards this goal. In doing so, therehas been a realisation that existing servicescan be better utilised by sharing resources ona community basis. For example, Paarl’sAthlone Institute, in partnership with theprovincial Department of Social Services, isdelivering a service to women and children inPaarl-East who are affected by sexual and/orviolent crimes.
This pilot project has led to a numberof communities and non-governmentorganisations approaching the unit to conductthe same type of research in other areas, andin the process facilitate co-operation betweenthe different stakeholders in their societies. A similar project is under way in George andseveral other projects with differentcommunities and government are beingnegotiated at the moment.
34www.sun.ac.za/theology/urdr.htm
The church and community research project
Incidences of sexual crimes against women andchildren in Paarl East
CASES OF SEXUAL AND VIOLENT CRIMESAGAINST WOMEN AND CHILDREN
(1 YEAR)
35Eye on the elite
The data further suggests that Mbeki’s job ishampered by the fractured sympathy patternsfor the President as indicated by the elite. Thereis not much sympathy from supporters of theopposition for Mbeki, and by examining a cross-section of opinion leaders supporting the largestparties in South Africa, including the ANC,Mbeki clearly does not enjoy nearly the samelevels of sympathy and support as Mandela(Figure 3).
The possibility of comparing elite perspectiveswith public opinions and perceptions is aninteresting one, which is currently beinginvestigated by the Centre. The issue is whetherthe values of these leaders coincide with thoseof the general populace, whose opinions arecurrently being solicited as part of the WorldValues Survey, of which Kotzé is one of theprincipal investigators in South Africa. If this isnot the case, it could be asked whose valuesultimately find bearing in national policy.
In 2002 the South African elite survey wasextended to Nigeria, Algeria, Senegal, Uganda,Kenya and Zimbabwe, focusing on the the levelof acceptance of the New Economic Partnershipfor Africa’s Development (NEPAD). Thesignificant findings on key policy elements of theNEPAD and value patterns among the opinionleaders of these African states will be ofconsiderable benefit to policy makers in Africa,and allow valuable country comparisons on keyaspects of values.
Since 1994 there has been an explosion ofsurvey data on political attitudes in South Africa,including especially data on the attitudes andmotivations of voters. There are fewer data forthe years prior to 1994, and very few data thatallow for a comparison of sociopolitical valuesacross both periods. These surveys together canprovide invaluable insights into elite and publicperceptions and opinions, thereby enablingincreased discourse regarding the consolidationof democracy in South Africa and elsewhere inAfrica, and a greater understanding as to howSouth Africa fits global trends.
www.sun.ac.za/polwet/research.swf
Elites have been pivotal in the process of kick-startingand driving the process of democratisation.
0101010111011011010101001010101001111010011011010011011111111000011100
Confidence index in legal system, police and civil service
0
10
20
30
40
50
%60
A lotNot muchNot at all A great deal
ANC DA
Index of satisfaction with service delivery
Very well Fairly much Not well
ANC DA
0
10
20
30
40
50
%60
Not well at all
Opinion-leaders of largest parties feeling “very sympathetic”towards President
1991 1995 1998 2000Survey year
0
20
40
60
80
100 ANC
DA
NNP
%
But the most recent elite survey, conducted in2000, shows that in certain areas, elites display aslight divergence of attitudes. One of the areasthat shows less convergence of attitudesconcerns the capacity of the state to deliverpublic goods. From some of the attitudinalpatterns related to the capacity of the state, it isclear that the elite supporters of both thegoverning African National Congress (ANC) andthe opposition Democratic Alliance (DA)perceived significant capacity losses in importantstate agencies, such as the police, the courts andthe civil service (Figure 1).
Similarly, when asked to indicate levels ofsatisfaction with respect to state service deliveryin education, basic services and the distribution
of welfare payments, DA supporters displayedfar less satisfaction than their ANC counterparts(Figure 2).
This relatively large discrepancy between theANC and the DA respondents could have beenexpected. However, what is surprising is that42% of the ANC respondents are of the opinionthat government is not delivering according toexpectations. In the same category, DAsupporters recorded 82%.
In South Africa the process of democratisationhas opened a window of policy opportunitiesfor the new government. By establishing a
constitutional state through negotiations andthe holding of democratic elections, the newregime obtained the constitutional right torestructure the relationships between the state,the economy and society, in order to address thedevelopment needs of the population. Not onlyin South Africa, but also in a number of recentdemocratic transitions, particularly in the 1980sand 1990s, elites have been pivotal in theprocess of kick-starting and driving the processof democratisation. Elites are those people whohold authoritative positions in powerful publicand private organisations and influentialmovements and who therefore are able to affectstrategic decisions regularly. As the ‘switchmenof history’, elites can be described as the socialagents that define the different dimensions ofpublic issues, and enhance the salience of someissues in contrast to others.
In this context, the Centre for International andComparative Politics, under the directorship ofHennie Kotzé, has conducted an analysis of eliteperspectives in South Africa, based on interviewswith identified members of the elite. Six surveysof leadership opinions since 1990 have allowedthe Centre to build up an extensive database onSouth African elite perspectives. Anunderstanding of the attitudes and valuepatterns of the elite allows policy makers to gaininsight into how important policy decisions areshaped. In a longitudinal study such as this,which spans over ten years, analysts are able todiscern particular trends which can serve apredictive function in the policy arena in boththe public and private spheres, allowing thecourse of the transition process to be traced.Apart from the theoretical insights, this analysisalso provides inputs into public policy making inSouth Africa. One of the most importantassumptions in this trend study has been that forsuccessful transition – and eventuallyconsolidation of – democracy, a relative measureof attitudinal unity amongst the elite is required.Such a condition points to the acceptance ofpolitical institutions and the general ‘rules of thegame’ amongst the elite.
Figure 1: Confidence index in legal system, police andcivil service
Figure 2: Index of satisfaction with service delivery
Figure 3: Opinion-leaders of largest parties feeling ‘very sympathetic’ towards current President
0100110101101010110101010101010110101010101010101101010101001010101010101010101010101011
1111111010001010001101010101111
Theoretical physics, as the theory ofphysics, seeks to address questionsranging from fundamental research
topics – such as the origin and composition ofthe universe – to applied physics, which impactsdirectly on our everyday lives throughtechnology. For example, quantum mechanicsand statistical physics, which are two of thetheoretical cornerstones of modern physics, playa fundamental role in our understanding anddesign of modern materials such as polymernetworks (such as rubbers and gels) andmaterials used in modern electronic devices.
At Stellenbosch a particular research focus fallson statistical physics and quantum many-bodytechniques, viz. the study of many interactingquantum particles – or particles which are ofthe same order as the electron’s mass. Due tothe many-body nature of these systems theycan exhibit very complex behaviour, whichrequires novel and advanced mathematical toolsin order to describe their properties successfully.In any fabrication process, one cannot controlall parameters and thus ends up with what iscommonly known as disordered condensedmatter systems. For example, in the preparationof a crystal there are invariably impurities atrandom positions in the crystal.
Imagine a crystal consisting of one type of atom.This pure system will be a conducting metal ifthere are free electrons – electrons not bound toa particular atom – as is the case in a metal.Disorder is now introduced by replacing theatoms at random positions by a different type ofatom, which would invariably happen in thefabrication process. If the concentration of theseimpurities is high enough, they can trap the freeelectrons and the conducting metal turns into aninsulator. As the trapping of the free electrons isdue to a combination of their quantumproperties and their repeated scattering from theimpurities, this is referred to as a quantumtransition. Although mathematical formulationsthat describe this transition exist, they aresubject to several technical problems andlimitations. At Stellenbosch a mathematicalframework that avoids many of these problemsand limitations has been developed. In particularthis formalism opens up the possibility ofstudying the interplay between disorder andinteractions, one of the areas in condensedmatter physics where very little progress hasbeen made to date.
Disorder in the soft condensed matterenvironment – for example polymer systems –
is being studied in the context of polymernetworks formed in a confined geometry, suchas sandwiched between two plates. Cross-linksjoin together different macromolecular strandsand also attach some of the strands to theplates. The technological importance of thesematerials is clear. During instantaneous cross-linking processes any two polymers touching atthe moment of formation can become cross-linked, whereas, in the models under study, thewall links can occur as grafted permanently bytheir ends to the walls at arbitrary positions, orlinked at an arbitrary point along their length toany point on a wall.
As in the metal-insulator case discussed above,the randomness here increasingly limits thefreedom of system constituents, in this case theconformations of the polymer chains. Themechanical properties of such polymers asaffected by the disorder and the confinementhave been calculated for certain idealised cases.We are interested in the amount ofdeformation which occurs when forces of givenstrengths are applied to the system, whiletaking into account the frozen disorder cross-linked into the network. In this sense, atheoretical picture of the modification of theusual elasticity of an unconfined network hasemerged with respect to linking between plates.How this elasticity is altered by the walls seemsdependent on which of the wall-linkingprocesses is implemented in computations. Suchcalculations should enhance our understandingof how to improve the elastic properties ofmaterials with pores or interfaces, usingpolymer gels.
Diagram of the confined network with cross-links (red)and wall links (yellow). The elastic properties of suchnetworks were studied theoretically under volume-preserving deformations using an idealised, non-interacting polymer chain model.
Theoretical physics, asthe theory of physics,seeks to addressquestions ranging fromfundamental researchtopics – such as theorigin and composition ofthe universe – to appliedphysics, which impactsdirectly on our everydaylives through technology.
www.physics.sun.ac.za
The theory of physics
36
37Aspiring towards inclusive education in South Africa
In-service training material for educators basedon research results has been developed and hasbeen presented in various parts of the world.Research in the period between 1997 and 1999focused on pre-service educators and theirattitudes towards disabilities, with almost 3 000 students at six universities in Queensland,Australia and the Western Cape taking part inthe project. Results indicated that for all pre-service educators, increased contact withpeople with disabilities had a noticeable andpositive impact on their level of comfort indealing with them in inclusive classrooms. As a result, training programmes were adaptedto increase understanding of individuals withdisabilities, and prospective educators wereexposed to training that is reflective and criticalabout underlying perceptions of diversity. In-service educators formed the focus of the
Inclusive education is generally defined asinclusive of the participation of all learnerswith diverse educational needs (including
learning problems and disabilities) inmainstream schools and communities. In SouthAfrica, the education system has generally failedto respond to the diverse needs of the learnerpopulation, resulting in massive numbers ofdropouts and failures. Official policy hasrecommended the development of inclusiveschools, and implementation strategies havefocused mainly on the efficiency of practicalmatters of educational organisation andpractice such as the curriculum and teachingpractices. But Petra Engelbrecht of the SUDepartment of Educational Psychology, feelsthat inclusive education strategies should notsimply be narrowed down to matters ofeducational organisation and practice, butshould be directed towards ensuring thatlearners of all ages with diverse needs areempowered to become caring, competent andcontributing citizens in a changing and diversesociety. Research in this field is currently focusedon three areas, all of which are related.
Research in policy development focuses on thesystematic monitoring and evaluation of theimplementation of policy regarding inclusiveeducation, both nationally and internationally.Locally, this includes research on the assessmentof learners with diverse needs. At present theimplementation of inclusive education in variousprovinces in South Africa is being monitored,with the evaluation of inclusive education in 21 schools in two provinces already completed.
Research on human resource developmentconsiders and responds to existing skills, beliefsand attitudes of educators and educationalpsychologists; and develops the skills andknowledge necessary for the effectiveimplementation of inclusive education in bothpre-service and in-service training phases.
second phase of the project, which took placebetween 1999 and 2001, during whicheducators in Gauteng and the Western Capewho already had learners with diverse needs –including disabilities – in their classrooms, wereidentified. The areas identified as most stressfulfor educators in the implementation of inclusiveeducation were administrative issues; thebehaviour of learners with diverse needs; andthe educators’ perceived self-competence.Based on this knowledge a support frameworkfor educators in South Africa was developedand is in the process of being implemented.
Lastly, the experiences of parents and learnersof inclusive education and options for learnerswith diverse needs and their parents/caregiversare being explored, for example in terms ofspecific needs in classrooms for learners withdisabilities.
Engelbrecht’s recommendations have beenincorporated in policy documents by bothnational and provincial education authorities.Inclusive education is a dynamic process andthis research programme endeavours to providenew and innovative solutions to the challengesfacing learners, educators and parents in aninclusive education system.
Inclusive education strategies should not simply benarrowed down to matters of educational organisationand practice, but should be directed towards ensuringthat learners of all ages with diverse needs areempowered.
0101010111011011010101001010101001111010011011010011011111111000011100
Inclusive education in action Photo: Early Learning Resource Unit (ELRU)
0100110101101010110101010101010110101010101010101101010101001010101010101010101010101011
1111111010001010001101010101111
Faculties, departments, institutes and centresof Stellenbosch University
38
Research: a primary function
Stellenbosch University takes research to be one
of its primary functions. Most of the research is
done by individuals and groups in departments,
though with growing co-operation across the
boundaries of departments and faculties. New
institutes, centres, etc are set up when it
becomes important to bring scattered expertise
together in one place, or to give existing
expertise a clear identity – for the sake of, say,
interaction with the community or with clients.
Institutes, centres, etc are listed here in one of
two ways:
(i) The name of the institute, centre, etc is
given under that of a department. This
shows that in its functioning it interacts
mostly with one particular department, or
that it is itself the way of functioning of that
department in certain of its modalities (e.g.
research). Needless to say, the research and
service performed by the department are
not limited to the area signalled by the
name of the institute or centre.
(ii) The institutes, centres, etc are mentioned at
the end of the list of departments for a
faculty. This shows that most of its
interaction is with more than just one
department in that faculty or, indeed, is with
that faculty as a whole. Needless to say,
again, in many cases the interaction is with
departments in other faculties as well.
This document does not aim to show any
formal lines of reporting.
Faculty of ArtsDean: Prof HJ Kotzé
email: [email protected]
website: http://www.sun.ac.za/arts
Department of Afrikaans and Dutch
Department of African Languages
Research Unit for Experimental Phonology
(RUEPUS) (NRF Unit)
Department of Ancient Studies
Centre for Bible Interpretation and
Translation in Africa
Department of Drama
Centre for Theatre and Performance Studies
Department of English
Department of Fine Arts
Department of General Linguistics
Department of Geography and Environmental
Studies
Centre for Geographical Analysis
Department of History
Department of Information Science
Centre for Knowledge Dynamics and
Decision Making
Department of Journalism
Department of Modern Foreign Languages
Department of Music
Department of Philosophy
Centre for Applied Ethics
Department of Political Science
Centre for International and Comparative
Politics
Department of Psychology
Centre for Community Psychological Services:
Unit for Psychology
Department of Social Work
Department of Sociology and Social
Anthropology
Centre for Research on Science and
Technology (CREST)
Faculty of Agricultural and ForestrySciencesDean: Prof L van Huyssteen
email: [email protected]
website: http://www.sun.ac.za/agric
Division of Agricultural Sciences
Department of Agricultural Economics
Department of Agronomy
Department of Animal Sciences
Department of Entomology and Nematology
Department of Food Science
Department of Genetics (including Biometry)
Department of Horticultural Science
Department of Plant Pathology
Department of Soil Science
Department of Viticulture and Oenology
Institute for Wine Biotechnology
Division of Forestry Sciences
Department of Conservation Ecology
Department of Forest Science
Department of Wood Science
Faculty of Economic andManagement SciencesActing Dean: Prof JU de Villiers
email: [email protected]
website: http://www.sun.ac.za/economy
Department of Accountancy
Department of Business Management
Department of Economics
Department of Industrial Psychology
Centre for HIV/Aids Management in the
World of Work
Department of Logistics
Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science
Centre for Statistical Consultation
Graduate School of Business
Africa Centre for Investment Analysis (ACIA)
Centre for Leadership Studies (Africa)
School for Public Management and Planning
Bureau for Economic Research (BER)
Institute for Futures Research (IFR)
0101010111011011010101001010101001111010011011010011011111111000011100
39
Faculty of EngineeringDean: Prof A Schoonwinkel
email: [email protected]
website: http://www.eng.sun.ac.za
Department of Applied Mathematics
Bureau for Industrial Mathematics (BIMUS)
Department of Process Engineering
Centre for Process Engineering
Institute for Minerals Processing and
Intelligent Process Systems
Institute for Thermal Separation Technology
Institute for Reactive Systems and
Environmental Technology
Institute for High Temperature Materials
Processing
Bureau for Chemical Engineering
Unit for Continued Education
Department of Civil Engineering
Institute for Structural Engineering
Institute for Transport Technology
Institute for Hydraulic and Environmental
Engineering
Department of Electrical and Electronic
Engineering
Centre for Electrical and Electronic
Engineering
Unit for Electrical Energy
Unit for Electromagnetics
Unit for Electronics
Unit for Computers and Control
Unit for Signal Processing
Department of Industrial Engineering
Institute for Industrial Engineering
Centre for Global Competitiveness in
Engineering
Unit for Advanced Manufacturing
Department of Mechanical Engineering
Institute for Thermodynamics and Mechanics
Central Electronic Services
Central Mechanical Services
Engineering Faculty Schools Centre
Faculty of EducationDean: Prof T Park
email: [email protected]
website: http://www.sun.ac.za/education
Department of Didactics
Centre for Higher and Adult Education
Information Centre for Children’s Literature
and Media
Research Unit for Mathematics Education
(RUMEUS)
Department of Education Policy Studies
Department of Educational Psychology and
Specialised Education
Centre for Community Psychological Sevices:
Unit for Educational Psychology
Department of Sport Science
Institute for Sport Science
Centre for Educational Development (CENEDUS)
Faculty of Health SciencesDean: Prof WL van der Merwe
email: [email protected]
website:
http://www.sun.ac.za/healthsciences
School for Allied Health Professions
Department of Human Nutrition
Nutrition Information Centre of Stellenbosch
University (NICUS)
Department of Occupational Therapy
Department of Physiotherapy
Department of Speech – Language and Hearing
Therapy
School for Basic and Applied Health
Sciences
Department of Anatomical Pathology
Department of Anatomy and Histology
Department of Chemical Pathology
Department of Forensic Medicine
Department of Haematological Pathology
Department of Medical Microbiology
Department of Medical Physiology and
Biochemistry
MRC Centre for Molecular and Cellular
Biology
Department of Medical Virology
Department of Pharmacology
Poison and Drug Information Centre
Bureau for Bio-engineering
Faculty of Health Sciences(continued)
School of Medicine
Department of Anaesthesiology
Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery
Department of Dermatology
Department of Internal Medicine
Drug Research Unit
SU Centre for Cost Effective Medicine
Department of Neurosurgery
Department of Nuclear Medicine
Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology
MRC Perinatal Mortality Research Unit
Department of Ophthalmology
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery
Department of Otorhinolaryngology
Department of Paediatrics and Child Health
Department of Plastic and Reconstructive
Surgery
Department of Psychiatry
MRC Unit on Anxiety and Stress Disorders
Mental Health Information Centre of South
Africa
Department of Radiation Oncology
Department of Radiodiagnosis
Department of Surgery (General)
Department of Urology
School for Oral Health Sciences
Department of Applied Oral Health Sciences
Division of Oral Medicine and Periodontics
Division of Orthodontics
Division of Prosthodontics
Department of Conservative Dentistry
Division of Crown and Bridge Therapy
Division of Dental Materials
Division of Endodontics
Division of Paediatric Dentistry
Division of Restorative Dentistry
Department of Diagnostic Sciences
Division of Maxillo-facial Radiology
Division of Maxillo-facial and Oral Pathology
and Forensic Sciences
Division of Oral Biology
Oral and Dental Research Institute (ODRI)
Department of Maxillo-facial and Oral Surgery
Division of Anaesthesiology
Division of Maxillo-facial and Oral Surgery
0100110101101010110101010101010110101010101010101101010101001010101010101010101010101011
1111111010001010001101010101111
40
Faculty of Military ScienceDean: Prof DJ Malan
email: [email protected]
website: http://www.sun.ac.za/mil
School of Science and TechnologyAeronautical Science (Mil)Mathematics (Mil)Military PhysicsMilitary TechnologyNautical Science
School for Geospatial Studies andInformation SystemsComputer Information Systems (Mil)Military Geography
School for Security and Africa StudiesMilitary HistoryMilitary StrategyPolitical Science
School for Defence Organisation andResource ManagementAccountancy and Auditing (Mil)Economics (Mil)Public and Development Management (Mil)
School for Human Resource DevelopmentAcademic DevelopmentIndustrial Psychology (Mil)Mercantile and Criminal Law (Mil)Centre for Military Studies
Faculty of Health Sciences(continued)
School for Public and Primary Health
Sciences
Department of Community Dentistry
Division of Oral Higiene
Division of Preventive and Public Oral Health
Department of Community Health
Division of Occupational Health
Department of Family Medicine and Primary
Care
Department of Nursing
Centre for Care and Rehabilitation of the
Disabled
Central
Centre for Tuberculosis Research and
Education (CENTRE)
Centre for Human Genetics Research and
Education (GENRED)
Faculty of LawDean: Prof JSA Fourie
email: [email protected]
website: http://www.sun.ac.za/law
Department of Mercantile Law
RAU/SU Centre for International and
Comparative Labour Law (CICLA)
Department of Private and Roman Law
Centre for Child and Family Law
Department of Public Law
Research Unit for Legal and Constitutional
Interpretation (RULCI) (NRF Unit; SU/UWC)
Legal Aid Clinic
Trade Law Centre for Southern Africa (TRALAC)
Other (of a central nature)
Stellenbosch Botanical GardenCentral Analytical FacilitiesCentre for Student Counselling and Development (CSCD)Language Centre (incl. Unit for Document Design) Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS)Africa Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS) (together with UCT andUWC) South African Centre for Epidemiological Modelling and Analysis (CEMA)University Museum (comprising the Sasol Art Museum and the SU Art Gallery)
Associated institutions
Bureau of the Woordeboek van die Afrikaanse Taal (= “Dictionary of Afrikaans”) (housed in the University)Matie Community ServiceUSB-ED (Pty) Ltd (“ED” for “Executive Development”) (functioning in closeinteraction with the Graduate School of Business)
Faculties, departments, institutes and centresof Stellenbosch University (continued)
Faculty of ScienceDean: Prof AS van Jaarsveld
email: [email protected]
website: http://www.sun.ac.za/science
Department of Biochemistry
Department of Botany
Institute for Plant Biotechnology (IPBT)
Department of Chemistry
Institute for Polymer Science
Department of Computer Science
Institute for Applied Computer Science
Department of Consumer Sciences: Food,
Clothing, Housing
Department of Geology
Gemstone Research Centre
Department of Mathematics
Department of Microbiology
Department of Physics
Institute for Theoretical Physics
Department of Physiological Sciences
Department of Zoology
John Ellerman Resource Centre for Zoology
Institute for Mathematics and Science Teaching
(IMSTUS)
Faculty of TheologyDean: Prof DJ Louw
email: [email protected]
website: http://www.sun.ac.za/theology
Department of Old and New Testament
Department of Practical Theology and
Missiology
Department of Systematic Theology and
Ecclesiology
Bureau for Continuing Theological Training and
Research (BUCTER)
Beyers Naudé Centre for Public Theology
