A dissertation submitted to the Fuculty of Arts in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Sociology at the University of Zululand, 2001. / The purpose of this study is to investigate the role played by the Protective Services Unit in controlling crime in the community of the University of Zululand. In assessing the major impact of crime as a form of deviance in the university community, the theories of Emile Durkheim, Karl Marx, Robert Merton and Llyod Ohlin had a tremendous influence in this study. Other sociological theories used are also considered as contributory to this research. For purpose of collecting data, survey questionnaires were administered to solicit information from 110 respondents, which included students, administrative staff, academics and general workers. To put the role of the protective services unit and crime control in the university community into context, chapter three of this research contains the hierarchical structure of the protective services department, the mission statement of the protective services, and some of the policies and procedures of the protective services department. The hypothesis that were formulated for statistical testing revealed that lack of co-operation from members of the university community, hinders the role of the protective services in controlling crime. The findings of this research also revealed that lack of paramilitary training among the protective services officials results in their inability to control crime effectively. It was also found in this research that lack of legal knowledge among members of the protective services department hinders their performance on crime control. Furthermore, this research showed that the present structure of the protective services unit has an effect on the worker's performance. In the light of the findings of this study, the following recommendations were made: The establishment of a university task team that would review strategies for effective crime prevention on campus. Secondly, the established task team could also explore the feasibility of developing resources to assist those who have been victims of crime. Thirdly, it could also be appropriate for the task team to review the physical environment of the whole campus. The establishment of a protection brochure for students and staff members of the University of Zululand could also be considered. The present Government of South Africa could also consider the establishment of a Campus Security Act. Lastly, another step might involve establishing a paid student dorm patrol.

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One of the most serious phenomena plaguing families and societies worldwide is teenage pregnancy. In South Africa teenage mothers are permitted to return to schools after giving bith however, not much is done to support these mothers in order to ensure that they are not psychosocially vulnerable and not drop out of school due to possible stress, frustration and lack of scholastic progress. This is where this study is located. This was a Qualitative study that used symbolic drawings accompanied by short descriptive narratives and individual, semi-structured interviews as data collection methods. The study involved 10 teenage mothers who had been re-admitted to schools after giving birth. The participants were aged 15 and 16 and is grades 9 and 10. The findings show that teenage mothers enjoyed family support, had dreams for the future, were anchored in religion and spirituality, had determination and that they had abilities to learn from mistakes. I could not locate a study that had focused on the typical vulnerabilities and empowerment of teenage mothers. Therefore, this study provides useful insight into the factors that are known to render young girls vulnerable to teenage pregnancy and the resultant motherhood and the personal and exological processes that combine in complex ways in order to enable young mothers to cope resiliently. The findings add to theory and have implications for practice / Thesis (MEd (Learner Support))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2013

Outcomes of experimental analyses during which protective equipment (PE) was placed on three participants were compared to those during which PE was not provided to them. Experimental analysis conditions were presented using a multielement format, and the effects of PE were evaluated using a withdrawal design. Results of experimental analysis without PE suggested that self-injurious behavior (SIB) was maintained by negative reinforcement for two participants and nonsocial mechanisms for the third participant. However, SIB was eliminated either immediately or eventually for all participants when PE was provided during experimental analysis. Thus, outcomes of assessments with PE did not match those without PE, and no conclusion about variables associated with SIB could be drawn from experimental analyses with PE alone. Therefore, the present findings do not support the use of PE as an alternative to standard methods for conducting experimental analysis (i.e., without PE).

One of the most serious phenomena plaguing families and societies worldwide is teenage pregnancy. In South Africa teenage mothers are permitted to return to schools after giving bith however, not much is done to support these mothers in order to ensure that they are not psychosocially vulnerable and not drop out of school due to possible stress, frustration and lack of scholastic progress. This is where this study is located. This was a Qualitative study that used symbolic drawings accompanied by short descriptive narratives and individual, semi-structured interviews as data collection methods. The study involved 10 teenage mothers who had been re-admitted to schools after giving birth. The participants were aged 15 and 16 and is grades 9 and 10. The findings show that teenage mothers enjoyed family support, had dreams for the future, were anchored in religion and spirituality, had determination and that they had abilities to learn from mistakes. I could not locate a study that had focused on the typical vulnerabilities and empowerment of teenage mothers. Therefore, this study provides useful insight into the factors that are known to render young girls vulnerable to teenage pregnancy and the resultant motherhood and the personal and exological processes that combine in complex ways in order to enable young mothers to cope resiliently. The findings add to theory and have implications for practice / Thesis (MEd (Learner Support))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2013

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The hepatitis C virus (HCV) currently infects 3% of the world???s population, with chronic infection in 50-80% of exposed individuals. A small subset of individuals who are exposed to HCV do not develop anti-HCV antibodies, persistent viraemia or chronic hepatitis despite generating HCV-specific CD4+ and CD8+ T cells. These individuals are believed to develop an immune response which rapidly clears viraemia prior to the induction of an antibody response. Circumstantial evidence supports the likelihood that some of these individuals may generate these same responses and outcomes on repeated occasions of HCV infection. HCV-specific cellular immune responses in seronegative subjects have been the subject of only limited prior study, in part due to the lack of appropriate recombinant antigens and assay systems. Therefore, this thesis described the development and validation of an interferon-? (IFN-?) ELISPOT assay using overlapping peptides (n=441). Using this assay, HCV-specific cellular immune responses were detected in 5/10 (50%) of chronically infected subjects. Responses were identified more frequently, and were directed against more regions of the HCV genome, than with traditional assay systems. This IFN-? ELISPOT assay, a comparable interleukin (IL)-2 ELISPOT assay, and a multiplex in vitro cytokine production assay were then used to evaluate HCV-specific cellular immune responses in three cohorts of seronegative subjects at high-risk of exposure to HCV ??? babies born to infected mothers, multiply-transfused subjects with thalassaemia, and high risk injecting drug users. Cellular immune responses were evaluated in 23 infants born to HCV-antibody positive women. Responses were not detected in infants born to HCV-PCR negative mothers. IFN-? production was detected in 1/11 infants born to viraemic mothers using the ELISPOT assay, with cytokine production observed in an additional 3/5 infants studied using the in vitro cytokine production assay. HCV-specific cellular immune responses were assessed in a cohort of multiply transfused subjects with thalassaemia using assays for cytotoxic T lymphocyte activity, IFN-? and IL-2 ELISPOT, as well as lymphocyte proliferation and in vitro cytokine production. Responses were detected in 6/13 chronically infected subjects (46%), 4/7 subjects who had cleared infection (71%), and 14/17 seronegative subjects (82%). The seronegative subjects had responses which were broader and higher in magnitude than those with chronic HCV infection, although lower and narrower than in subjects who had cleared prior HCV infection. IFN-? and IL-2 ELISPOT assays, in additional to in vitro cytokine production assays, were performed on 41 injecting drug users (IDUs), with responses detected in 6 (15%). Seronegative IDUs with HCV-specific cellular immune responses had been injecting for a mean of 7.7 years, and reported multiple risk factors for exposure to HCV. The combined data from these three cohorts indicate that the HCV-specific cellular immune responses detected in seronegative subjects were generally broad in specificity. Cytokine production was generally Th1-biased, a pattern which has previously been associated with an increased likelihood of clearance in primary infection. The findings also suggest that responses can be maintained for decades after exposure, and may provide protection against repeated exposures. In summary, cellular immunity against HCV is evident in some seronegative high risk subjects, suggesting that the cellular immune responses may efficiently facilitate viral clearance. Understanding the mechanisms of this immune response pattern will allow better understanding of the host response to HCV and may provide key insights into vaccine design.