More and more people are attempting to increase their human capital by increasing their qualifications. Post-graduate studies, according to many, is the way forward as it will enhance one‟s personal and professional prospects. This research project is intended to make a contribution to the field of education by looking at how a Masters degree affects the life values (the meaning and status attached to one‟s life) and prospects of individuals taking up post-graduate studies. It uses the tracer study methodology to create an impact in determining how the WITS Masters Programme has affected the post-graduate student in terms of life values. It specifically targets the Masters in Education degree at the University of the Witwatersrand (WITS) by tracing the lives of six graduates from the year 2002. The research is a qualitative tracer study that aims at establishing a relationship between what is studied and the effects this has on the lives of the graduates

In the friction stir welding (FSW) process, heat and mechanical work are coupled to produce a solid state weld. The process variables are pin tool rotation speed, translational weld speed, and downward plunge force. The strain-temperature history of a metal element at each point on the cross-section of the weld is determined by the process variables plus the individual flow path taken by the particular filament of metal flowing around the tool and ending on that point. The strain-temperature history determines the properties of a metal filament on the weld cross-section. To control the mechanical properties, the strain-temperature history must be carefully controlled. Indirect estimates of the flow paths and the strain-temperature histories of filaments comprising friction stir welds can be made from a model, if the model provides sufficient information. This paper describes experimental marker studies designed to trace the metal flow streamlines as influenced by variations in the process parameters.