Thesis (M.Sc. (Biochemistry)) -- University of Limpopo, 2013 / Diabetes mellitus is one of the fast growing chronic metabolic disorders throughout the world. It has become a life threatening disease and health burden. So far it can only be managed with commercial therapeutic agents, proper diet and exercise. People particularly from developing countries use medicinal plants to treat this condition. According to WHO, about 80% of the population in developing countries are dependable on medicinal plants. This prompted many researchers to explore the effectiveness and safety of these plants. In the current study ten medicinal plants were randomly chosen, screened for antidiabetic activity by testing their ability to inhibit α-amylase and α-glucosidase enzymes. The plants were tested using in vitro assays. The finely powdered leaves of each plant were extracted with hexane, chloroform, acetone and ethyl acetate. Phytoconstituents of each plant extracts were analyzed using both qualitative and quantitative methods. All plant extracts tested positive for phenols, flavonoids and all negative for starch. Their compounds were better separated in the TEA mobile system on the TLC plates. All plant extracts had more of total phenolics ranging between 0.1-400 GAE/mg than total flavonoids and condensed tannins. Antioxidant activity of the plant extracts was tested quantitatively at various concentrations using DPPH. Most plant extracts were able to scavenge the radicals produced by DPPH at highest concentration of 2.5 mg/mℓ. Not all plant extracts with the highest number of total phenolics had the highest antioxidant activity. For antidiabetic in vitro assays, plant extracts inhibited various percentages of both α-amylase and α-glucosidase activity at concentrations ranging between 0.019- 2.5 mg/mℓ. The best overall activity against both enzymes was observed in acetone and ethyl acetate plant extracts. Cassia abbreviata and Helinus integrifolius were even more active than acarbose which was used as positive control. These plant extracts inhibited both the enzymes in a dose dependent and non-competitive manner. Seeing that both extracts of C. abbreviata and H. integrifolius were consistent when inhibiting both enzymes, they were further evaluated for their effect on glucose uptake by the C2C12 muscle and H-II-4-E liver cells. All the plant extracts tested were able to increase glucose uptake in the muscle cells. However optimal increase was seen in the liver cells when treated with 250 µg/mℓ of acetone and ethyl acetate extracts of C. abbreviata. The cytotoxicity effects of both acetone and ethyl acetate of C. abbreviata and H. integrifolius was tested using the xCelligence system on RAW 264.7 cells. Different cell indexes were obtained after treating the cells with different concentrations (0.05,0.1 and 0.25 mg/mℓ) of each plant extracts respectively. The system was run for three days but the toxic effects of plant extracts were analyzed for the first ten hours. The results obtained shows that cell index decreased as the concentration of the plant extracts was increased. All the plant extracts were less toxic as compared to positive control, Actinomycin D. The leaves of H. integrifolius were further exhaustively extracted with hexane, dichloromethane, acetone, ethyl acetate and methanol respectively. Since the DCM extracts yielded the highest mass in quantity, it was further used for isolation of active compounds. Column chromatography and bioassay guided fraction led to isolation of a mixture of triterpenes identified as α and β-amyrin. The structure was elucidated using nuclear magnetic resonance technique. The inhibitory capability of the isolated compound against α-amylase enzyme was less than the crude extract which inhibited more than 50% of the activity at a concentration of 1 mg/mℓ.Based on the enzymes assays and cell culture work it can be concluded that C. abbreviata and H. integrifolius species are the best inhibitors of carbohydrate digesting enzymes, and therefore be used to manage postprandial hyperglycemia in the people with type 2 diabetes. However more work still need to be conducted for further isolation of more active compounds.

Ubuntu is a worldview and a way of life shared by most Africans south of Sahara. Basically Ubuntu underlines the often unrecognized role of relatedness and dependence of human individuality to other humans and the cosmos. The importance of relatedness to humanity is summarized by the two maxims of Ubuntu. The first is: a human being is human because of other human beings. The second maxim is an elaboration of the first. It goes; a human being is human because of the otherness of other human beings. John Mbiti combines those two maxims into, "I am because we are, and we are because I am." Ubuntu worldview can provide insights about relationships with communities and the world that contribute to the meaning of Global Bioethics. <br>Ubuntu can be described as involving several distinct yet related components that can be explored in relation to major strands of discourse in contemporary Bioethics. The first component of Ubuntu deals with the tension between individual and universal rights. The second component of Ubuntu deals with concerns about the cosmic and global context of life. The third component of Ubuntu deals with the role of solidarity that unites individuals and communities. Ubuntu has a lot in common with current discourse in bioethics. It can facilitate global bioethics. It can inspire the on-going dialogue about human dignity, human rights and the ethics that surround it. It can inspire and be inspired by global environmental concerns that threaten the biosphere and human life. Ubuntu can critique the formal bioethical principles of autonomy, justice, beneficence and non-maleficence. Above all, Ubuntu can create a basis for dialogue and mutually enlightening discourse between global bioethics and indigenous cultures. Such a dialogue helps make advancements in bioethics relevant to local indigenous cultures, thereby facilitating the acceptability and praxis of global bioethical principles. / McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts; / Philosophy / PhD / Dissertation;

<p>This investigation focused on Rhoicissus tomentosa, belonging to the family, Vitaceae in an attempt to assess the phytochemistry of this plant which is widely used by traditional healers in South Africa to ensure the safe delivery during pregnancy and childbirth (Hutchings et al., 1996).</p>

<p>The typical face of poverty in South Africa is African, rural, and female. As the primary users of rural land, women engage in farming and subsistence activities. Despite this pivotal role played by rural women, they experience grave problems under communal tenure, most notably in relation to access to and use of land and productive resources. Research has shown that the majority of rural households in South Africa derive significant proportions of their livelihoods from land-based activities, and that the value of common property resources associated with land, for example livestock production, crop production, and natural resource harvesting is often overlooked as an important asset of poor rural communities. The importance of these landbased livelihoods sources is even greater for female-headed households, female members of rural households, and the very poor or &lsquo / marginalised&rsquo / members of rural communities, since they tend to be more reliant on landbased livelihoods than those with secure income from pensions, wageearning activity or remittances from migrant labourers. The importance of security of land tenure to the sustainability of rural livelihoods, particularly insofar as rural women are concerned, is the central focus of this study.</p>

<p>This research work addresses the problem being faced by developing countries in the commercial exploitation of their traditional cultural expressions (TCEs) by third parties without giving due attribution to nor sharing benefits with the communities from which these TCEs originate. This problem stems from the inability of customary law systems which regulates life in such communities to adequately cater for the protection of these TCEs. The legal systems of the developing countries have also proven to be ineffective in the protection of TCEs from such misappropriation and unauthorized commercial exploitation. This mini-thesis examines how TCEs have been protected domestically through national legislation and internationally through treaties and proposes means by which they can be protected in a manner that would preserve them, while promoting the dissemination of those which can be shared without destroying their inherent nature. This mini-thesis thus explores avenues through which the protection of TCEs would contribute to economic and human development in developing countries.</p>

Seventeen Cree anti-diabetic herbal medicines and eight Traditional Chinese Medicines have been examined for their potential to cause interactions with drugs, which is considered as a major reason for adverse drug effects. Specifically, the effect of these natural health products was examined on major Phase I drug metabolism enzymes including cytochrome P450, human carboxylesterase-1 and flavin-containing monooxygenases. Several of these natural health products have the potential to cause adverse drug effect through the inhibition of major drug metabolism enzymes. The results indicated that 7 Cree medicines plant extracts inhibited CYP3A4 activity, and 3 of them have been proven to cause potent mechanism-based inactivation of CYP3A4. Seven of eight Traditional Chinese Medicines have been identified as strong CYP3A4 inhibitors; the ethanol extract of Goji has identified as a potent inhibitor for CYP2C9 and 2C19. Goji juice showed universal inhibitory effects on most of the tested enzymes except flavin-containing monooxygenases 3.

Le secteur langagier vit actuellement un changement de paradigme. De nouvelles pratiques collaboratives facilitent les échanges entre des gens de partout dans le monde. Bien que certaines de ces pratiques, par exemple la traduction collaborative, ont suscité l'intérêt de nombreux chercheurs, d'autres, comme la terminographie collaborative, sont peu connues. Quel est le spectre de la terminographie collaborative? En quoi la terminographie collaborative se distingue-t-elle de la terminographie classique? Quelles sont leurs forces et leurs faiblesses respectives? La présente thèse définit la terminographie collaborative, identifie ses caractéristiques et ses divers modes et formes et présente ses outils afin de permettre une compréhension approfondie du phénomène. Nous comparons la terminographie classique et la terminographie collaborative au moyen d'une étude de cas d'un modèle classique (TERMIUM Plus) et d’un modèle collaboratif (TermWiki) afin de relever les ressemblances et les différences entre elles. Puis nous illustrons leurs forces et leurs faiblesses respectives. Nous concluons que la terminographie classique et la terminographie collaborative diffèrent principalement au niveau des participants, du style d'interaction et de l'infrastructure. The language industry is experiencing a paradigm shift. New collaborative practices facilitate exchanges between people from all around the world. Although some of these practices, such as collaborative translation, have attracted the interest of many researchers, others, such as collaborative terminography, are little known. What is the spectrum of collaborative terminography? How do collaborative terminography and traditional terminography differ? What are their respective strengths and weaknesses? This thesis defines collaborative terminography, identifies its characteristics and its various modes and forms, and presents collaborative tools to enable a thorough understanding of the phenomenon. We compare traditional and collaborative terminography through a case study of a traditional model (TERMIUM Plus) and a collaborative model (TermWiki) to identify similarities and differences between them. We then list their respective strengths and weaknesses. We conclude that traditional terminography and collaborative terminography differ mainly in terms of participants, interaction styles and infrastructure.

This paper explains at the intersection of Memory theory, Feminist Theory, Existential Psychology, Faith and Contemporary Art, I have found a way to embrace and integrate memories and experiences into my art and be a more fully integrated, emotionally healthy person living fully in the present moment. I articulate my exploration of the broad concept of memory and addressing unresolved negative memories in order to realize healthy change in forming my identity. Through art and philosophical research I have found substantial corroboration, conceptually supporting my information supporting my Post Minimal art making process. I employ memory evoking materials through the use of repetitive acts and strict self-imposed rules throughout the art making process, communicating ne living in the present moment, embracing yet uninhibited by their past.

Seventeen Cree anti-diabetic herbal medicines and eight Traditional Chinese Medicines have been examined for their potential to cause interactions with drugs, which is considered as a major reason for adverse drug effects. Specifically, the effect of these natural health products was examined on major Phase I drug metabolism enzymes including cytochrome P450, human carboxylesterase-1 and flavin-containing monooxygenases. Several of these natural health products have the potential to cause adverse drug effect through the inhibition of major drug metabolism enzymes. The results indicated that 7 Cree medicines plant extracts inhibited CYP3A4 activity, and 3 of them have been proven to cause potent mechanism-based inactivation of CYP3A4. Seven of eight Traditional Chinese Medicines have been identified as strong CYP3A4 inhibitors; the ethanol extract of Goji has identified as a potent inhibitor for CYP2C9 and 2C19. Goji juice showed universal inhibitory effects on most of the tested enzymes except flavin-containing monooxygenases 3.

Background and Problem discussion: Consumers are reached by an average of 3000 marketing messages daily which proves that a company’s marketing needs to be strong and characteristic in order not to lose customers. It is of even greater importance that marketing reaches the chosen target group and is designed in accordance with the company’s vision and is shown where the target group sees it. Purpose: The aim of this bachelor thesis is to study how small businesses use marketing and to recommend appropriate marketing measures given their size, limited budget and secluded location. Method: This study has been made in accordance with a qualitative method with an analytical abduction approach using a case study where the case is Vita Renen. To achieve the aim of this study the authors combined secondary and primary data such as previous conducted research with interviews with the owners and staff of Vita Renen. Result and Conclusion: The result demonstrates that untraditional marketing would be the best option for Vita Renen because they are a company with limited marketing budget and this type of advertising is based on creative thinking and design on pre-existing resources. The result also showed that untraditional marketing stands out among other advertisements and is therefore appropriate for a company who is located remotely. The conclusion is that Vita Renen should conduct a guerrilla marketing as a method to increase brand awareness about the company. Suggestion for future research: It would be of interest to investigate similar small businesses in the same sector and with the same conditions as Vita Renen to see if the result of the study can be generalized or not. / Bakgrund och problem: En konsument nås genomsnittligen av 3000 budskap dagligen vilket bidrar till att det är av stor vikt att företagets marknadsföring är genomslagskraftig då många företag försöker attrahera samma kunder. Det är av ännu större vikt att marknadsföringen når rätt målgrupp, är utformad i enlighet med företagets vision och placeras så att budskapet kan ses av den tänkta målgruppen. Syfte: Syftet med denna kandidatuppsats är att studera hur småföretag använder sig av marknadsföring idag för att kunna rekommendera lämplig marknadsföringsåtgärd med tanke på företagets storlek, limiterade budget och avskilda placering. Metod: Studien har gjorts i enlighet med en kvalitativ metod med en analytisk abduktion som ansats och i form av en fallstudie då fallet som undersöks är Vita Renen. För att uppnå syftet har författarna kombinerat sekundär- och primärdata i form av tidigare genomförd forskning samt djupintervjuer med ägare och anställda utförda hos det berörda företaget Vita Renen. Resultat och Slutsatser: Resultatet påvisar att otraditionell marknadsföring vid rätt utförande skulle vara det mest lämpade alternativet för Vita Renen då de har en limiterad marknadsföringsbudget då denna typ av reklam bygger på kreativt tänkande och utformade med redan befintliga resurser. Resultatet visade även att otraditionell marknadsföring är utstickande reklam och är därför passande för ett företag beläget avsides. Slutsatsen är att Vita Renen bör genomföra guerillamarknadsföring som en åtgärd för att öka varumärkeskännedomen kring företaget. Förslag på vidare forskning: Det vore av intresse att undersöka liknande småföretag inom samma sektor samt med samma förutsättningar som Vita Renen för att undersöka om studiens resultat går att generalisera eller inte.