Bibliography: leaves 105-121. This study reports the first thorough investigation of palatability variation in Atriplex vesicaria Heward ex Benth. (bladder saltbush). Intensive small-plot dietary trials, supported by a paddock dietary experiment, cross-fence comparisons and cafeteria trials, showed that sheep preferentially grazed female saltbushes over male and bisexual ones. Sheep avoided male saltbushes due to a chemical deterrent, and used visual (male flower spike) and olfactory cues to detect male plants. The effect of this selective grazing was to reduce the size and reproductive output of female shrubs. Sheep also tended to return to shrubs they had grazed previously. In the semi-arid regions of South Australia, where bladder saltbush is grazed year-round, physical protection is recommended to maximise survival and reproductive output of heavily grazed shrubs.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Oklahoma, 1998. / Includes bibliographical references.

D. Tech. Drama / Environmental degradation and climate change are issues of significant global interest in the twenty first century. Though there is widespread acknowledgment that natural disasters often stem from causes and foundations which may be difficult to explain, scientific evidence is beginning to emerge of human influence on global climate change and ecosystem destabilization. Development and environmental studies researchers are of the opinion that solutions to environmental problems also require input from social science and the humanities because the environment itself is naturally subject to sociological variables, especially in the interaction between people and the environment. A multi-disciplinary approach for engaging environmental issues has given rise to environmental humanities and other applied disciplinary perspectives. There is global concern about environmental issues and their impact on development, however in the field of communication and applied media there is inadequate amplification of how the environmental problems hamper the development of many societies, especially in developing countries. The mainstream media is the established communication network for environmental and other education campaigns, such as radio, television, and newspapers, yet its impact appears stifled by the absence of cultural relatability and participatory requirements. Development communication researchers have determined there is an opportunity to use alternative media channels and a participatory form of communication which is effective at sensitisation and conscientisation of the populace, especially indigenous peoples in rural locations, towards environmental issues. The dramatic arts have been identified as a creative and strategic communication field capable of addressing this problem in environmental communication and development advocacy. This research explores the role of theatre and performance in integrating cultural resources through communal interaction, education and social change. The accessing of the catalytic role of cultural resources in development communication using theatre is tested in a local context involving people-led participatory activities for creating awareness about the environment. This research is therefore an assessment of a practical applied theatre exercise for mitigating environmental problems.

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The objective of this dissertation is to examine the effect of recent trade policy changes on trade and economic growth for southern Africa. This is accomplished by using a dynamic panel data modeling approach to examine the effect of openness on economic growth during the 1990s. The gravity model and Tobit maximum likelihood estimation are used to examine the effect of trade policy changes and two types of spatial separation on the likelihood of trade. The two types of spatial separation are distance and preferential trading arrangements. This study uses sophisticated econometric techniques and a more complete sample of countries than previous studies on southern Africa. / The results show that distance impedes the likelihood of trade. Trade policy changes and the preferential trading arrangements, SADC and COMESA, enhanced trade in southern Africa during the 1990s. The trade stimulating effect was larger for SADC membership. However, some members benefited much more from the existence of preferential relations than other members. The study results indicate that openness affects economic growth.

No abstract available. / Thesis (Ph.D.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2001.

Southern Africa's viability as a monetary union has long been under discussion. The Southern African Customs Union (SACU) is the world's oldest operating customs union, and one of the most efficient and it has the potential to foster meaningful regional economic integration. A strong foundation has been laid down by the SACU member countries in terms of trade relations, financial cooperation and policy coordination. Using the optimum currency areas (OCA) theory, the study examines the readiness and compatibility of the SACU member countries to establish an optimum currency area. The OCA theory reveals that SACU members are in very good shape and already exhibit some attributes necessary for forming an optimum currency area (OCA). The empirical evidence suggest that, from an economic perspective, it is feasible for SACU countries to move towards a fully-fledge monetary union because of the increasing macroeconomic convergence, and this means that the countries are undergoing similar shocks. The deeper trade relation that exists between SACU member states seems to have important influence on business cycle co-movements. Accordingly, the study concludes SACU has advanced its integration more than what is required in a Customs Union and that a monetary union within SACU is feasible, given the macroeconomic convergence, similar production structures and risk-hedging possibilities of member countries and because peripheral countries are able to resort to South Africa's capital market and overdraft facilities. However, the absence of real political will among the member countries will be a major stumbling block in the formation of a monetary union. It is important to note that even the formation of the EMU was not exclusively driven by economic merits per se, but also by the real political will, which had a major influence on its realisation. Such strong political will and unity on issues around the formation of the common currency would be needed to SACU countries to override issues of national interest and, the study therefore recommends that SACU countries should draw lessons from the EMU and CFA Franc zone model as these are empowered supranational authorities that have counteracted sovereignty and other political concerns to bring about meaningful and deepening economic integration in the region. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2010.

The author wrote a dissertation for the Mmed Sc degree entitled The Clinical Natural History of Snakebite in Southern Africa, which dealt with the epidemiology of snakebite and the clinico-pathological events in snakebite victims. This thesis is a sequel on the management of snakebite victims. Publications on the overall management of snakebite in the Southern African region that include original scientific research are those of F.W. Fitzsimons (1912), F.W. Fitzsimons (1929) (assisted by V.F.M. Fitzsimons), P.A. Christensen (1955, 1966, 1969) and Christensen & Anderson (1967). Subsequent books, pamphlets and journal articles have rehashed this knowledge or advocated methods of treatment developed in other countries. An example of the latter is the pressure immobilisation prehospital measure advocated for snakebites in Australia (Sutherland et aL, 1979, 1981, 1995), which I regard as benefiting less than 1% of snakebite victims here and being deleterious in most cases. In view of the paucity of research done in Southern African in recent years, many questions remain unanswered, and some strongly held views are without logical or scientific foundation. Most of these questions arose prior to the writing of this thesis, and others arose when the data were analysed. The following are some questions on the management of snakebite that have still have to be addressed. Is vaccination against snakebite possible and practical? Are folk and traditional remedies advantageous or deleterious? How commonly are they used? Immobilisation of the bitten part and the patient is an internationally recognised aid measure, but is this relevant to the Southern African situation? Tourniquet use in the case of necrotising venoms is considered to aggravate or precipitate necrosis. Does immediate active movement following a bite ameliorate or prevent necrosis without increasing mortality? The majority of clinicians recommend antibiotic prophylaxis, but is this necessary for all snakebites, against which bacteria should antibiotics be administered, and what is the source of these bacteria? Should antivenom be administered to all snakebite victims: for species-specific bites, only if envenomation is present, for severe envenomation, or not at all? Acute adverse reactions to South African manufactured snakebite antivenom has been variously recorded as less than 1% (Visser & Chapman 1978) up to 76% (Moran et al., 1998). What is the truth? Is syndromic management of snakebite efficacious or is it essential to identify the particular snake species? Is the present liberal use of fasciotomy necessary? Is there an optimum time to debride necrotic areas and is surgery necessary at all? Is paresis or paralysis due to neurotoxic envenomation always the result of a post-synaptic block? Would such a block respond to neostigmine or prostigmine in a similar way to post-synaptic anaesthetic muscle relaxants? Is heparin of value when procoagulant toxins induce a consumption coagulopathy? Do fibrinstabilising agents or fibrinolytics have a role? Does the management of pregnant snakebite patients differ from that of non-pregnant patients? Is snake venom teratogenic? Does snake venom ophthalmia frequently lead to blindness? Are steroids, NSAIDs and antihistaminics, which are commonly used in the management of snakebite, of proven value? This thesis attempts to answer these questions and more, and comprises six sections. The first section deals with pre-hospital management, the second with infection which may occur at the bite site wound, the third with SAIMR snakebite antivenom, the fourth with the three envenomation syndromes, the fifth with snakebite in pregnancy, venom ophthalmia and other treatment modalities, and the sixth section includes a summary, appendix and references. Unless otherwise stated, the materials and methods of each chapter are based on 336 snakebite victims admitted to Eshowe Hospital, KwaZulu-Natal, from January 1990 - July 1993 and other victims treated by the author, the data of which have been prospectively maintained. This has been an ongoing process up to the present time. / Thesis (MMedSc.)-University of Natal, 2000.

Although much has been written on the subject of Apartheid, much of it has usually been concerned with the social and political aspects of segregation. Apartheid, however, is essentially a geographical solution to a cultural problem, It takes the position that friction between the various races of South Africa cats be eliminated by their physical segregation.The ultimate success of Apartheid will be determined by the Bantustans -- which are the areas set aside for the settlement of the black people of South Africa. If these can become self-sufficient independent areas then much of the uncertainty facing the future of South Africa would be diffused.In researching the chances for the success of Separate Development, the following questions become apparent:1. Is Separate Development economically feasible?This question emphasizes the point that the future possibilities of the policy of Apartheid, and their instrument the Bantustan, have to be evaluated with the needs of industrial South Africa in mind. The question becomes concerned not only with the possibilities for the success of the Bantustans, but the possibilities for the continued success of white industrial South Africa in the envisaged fragmented condition.2. Are the Whites of South Africa the guardians of western civilization in South Africa?The argument is central to the theoretical basis of Apartheid, because it implies an inherent ability on the part of black South Africans to incorporate western values into their cultures. The validity of this question has to be determined in order to attempt to Judge the soundness of the reasoning behind Apartheid and, consequently, its instrument the Bantustan.The dissertation deals with the settlement patterns of South Africa, the climatic and soil features of South Africa, as well as the political development of Apartheid, and the Bantustans. Each of the aforementioned areas is essential to any attempt to evaluate the practicalities of Separate Development.After examining the problems associated with Apartheid, I came to the following conclusions. Apartheid really does not have much chance of becoming totally successful, The main reason for this is that the Bantustans, as they are presently organized, have very little possibility of becoming viable independent states.I further found that the whole policy of Separate Development is fraught with uncertainties and appears to be breaking down in certain areas. A good example is Job Reservation -- an act whereby certain types of employment are reserved for Whites has been almost eliminated.Apartheid also has problems in its theoretical formation. The theory supports the position that the differences between the various ethnic groups of South Africa are so fundamental that they could not be overcome so that all races could live in ore political entity. There is considerable evidence, of cultural syncretisms for example, which tends to refute this position.

The objective of this research was to examine how SADC states can attain goal 8 of the Millennium Development Goals set up by the international community through the United Nations in the year 2000, using trade under the mechanism envisaged by the World Trade Organization by the target date of 2015.