no abstract available / Dissertation (MA (Afrikaans))--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Afrikaans / unrestricted

No abstract available / Dissertation (MArch (Prof))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Architecture / unrestricted

No description available.

Malaria kills nearly 1.5 million and affects more than 500 million people annually, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa. The malaria parasite has developed resistance against almost all of the known drugs used for treatment. This fact has resulted in a constant battle between developing new anti-malarials and the parasite evolving resistance. One of the main drug combinations, pyrimethamine/sulfadoxine, targets the dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) and dehydropteroate synthase (DHPS) proteins in the folate synthesis pathway of human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum. The folate synthesis pathway is absent from the human host and thus presents itself as an ideal target for parasite-specific drugs. The three dimensional atomic coordinates of a target protein can help in designing new, more effective drugs. Malarial proteins are notoriously difficult to crystallize and thus homology modelling was chosen as an alternative method to obtain a protein structure. DHPS and PPPK occur as a bifunctional protein in the folate metabolism pathway. In this study, homology modelling was used to do in silico modelling of P. falciparum DHPS and hydroxymethyldihydropteridine pyrophosphokinase (PPPK). For the P. falciparum DHPS model the crystal structures of M. tuberculosis and B. anthracis DHPS were used as templates and for the P. falciparum PPPK model, the crystal structure ofE. coli PPPK. Molecular dynamics was used to investigate loop movement in DHPS and PPPK as well as to reveal the effect of resistance-causing mutations on sulfadoxine binding in P. falsiparum DHPS. This study revealed that four of the five known sulfadoxine resistance-causing mutations in DHPS disrupt the interaction between sulfadoxine and DHPS. This translates to a reduced capacity for sulfadoxine to inhibit DHPS, and results in resistance. The simulations also showed that both DHPS and PPPK have extensive loop movements during catalysis. The loop movements in DHPS and PPPK may also play a role in determining the catalytic rate of the enzymes. The work presented here provides researchers with models of P. falsiparum DHPS and PPPK. These models can be used to design experiments to investigate resistance, design new drugs and probe the structure of the PPPK-DHPS bifunctional enzyme. / Dissertation (MSc (Biochemistry))--University of Pretoria, 2005. / Biochemistry / unrestricted

I did my utmost best to present what I consider to be the essence of human rights from the perspective of the Bible. In my view human rights are a modern discovery and re-defining of what had long been implied, acknowledged and taught in the Bible. The implied form and acknowledgement of human rights in the Bible need not be overshadowed and hidden away by many of Bible characters’ sinful nature and acts (as all Bible characters except Christ were also born with a fallen and sinful nature, which needed God’s redemption by faith). Instead, they need to be perceived in God’s divine intention, which has progressively been revealed in God’s interaction with the Israelites and other nations and culminated in both the personhood and exemplary saving acts of Jesus Christ (Romans 3:23,24). My opinion is that in the Bible human rights have been expressed in the context of both the Israelite religion and culture, whereas currently there is a need and tendency to express them in an inter-cultural approach, which is driven by the trend of globalization. While in modern times context human rights have been expressed as human rights, in the Bible context they had long been implied in and acknowledged and expressed as an integral part of every person’s free will of choice imparted at man’s creation. In my view the Bible is authoritative because it is probably the only classic book that identifies every human being with our creator, God. It highlights the need for and possibility of a unique God-man relationship, which all people are worthy of to be identified with the only highest being such as God. The Bible serves as the source of information about the needed meaningful relationship that identifies people with their creator, God. It contains stories that inform us about various people’s counter-active relationship with God. Its authority, in my opinion is further demonstrated by the way it shows the necessity and possibility of developing the creator-creature (i.e.God-man) relationship, which lifts up human beings to the status above all other creatures. The authority of the message of the Bible from its various stories needs to be understood and accepted in the light of Christ’s exemplary constructive attitude towards the Scriptures of his time. His un-conniving but constructively critical attitude towards the unacceptable cultural aspects before and during his time show us the exemplary attitude people must adopt towards all cultures and the Bible. My opinion is that Christ needs to be seen as a corrective measure against both Bible and non-Bible characters before his time. He also needs to be seen as the role model to all people of our times, so that we can meaningfully implement and promote human rights. Christ-like love and attitude towards other people need to underscore everything we do or say in order that we may meaningfully implement and promote human rights. Human dignity, in my opinion, is one of the underlying factors, which has undisputedly long been acknowledged and promoted by the Bible. The identification of every person with the creator of the universe, God, implies the acknowledgement of human dignity in the highest dimension that cannot be surpassed by anything. Human dignity in the light of man’s identification with God puts God as the highest moral criterion worthy to be complied with by every person. Human dignity also implies that every person was created and is born with a free will of choice. With free will of choice goes the responsibility for every personal choice made by a human being at the age of accountability. In my opinion there is commonality between the need for every person to be accountable and God as every person’s highest moral criterion worthy to comply with. Current controversy on homosexuality is regarded by me as a situation that challenges us to agree to disagree as groups and individuals. None of us should judge another. None should compel the other to think and believe against personal choice. While there will always be disagreements, it is only practical outcomes of our choices and acts which help us have a much more objective judgement of them. The present general consensus on promiscuity as one of the contributing factors to the spread of HIV/AIDS is a good example. Here the ultimate concrete results serve to unite the previously divided opinions on the culpability of promiscuous life style, which according to human rights is blameless as a result of consensus of two individuals. In the words of Jesus (Matthew 13:24-30) undisputable judgement will finally be affirmed by God. My opinion is that God’s judgement will amaze all people. God’s ways and thoughts are higher than human beings’ ways and thoughts, (Isaiah 55:9). Therefore, his judgement will be unique. He will judge people’s acts and thoughts in the light of seen and unseen motives behind them. While every person has the freedom to choose what he or she wants to be, every person is accountable for the outcomes of his or her choice and actions. ‘Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account,’ (Hebrews 4:13). / Thesis (PhD (New Testament))--University of Pretoria, 2004. / New Testament Studies / unrestricted

In recent years, combinatorial properties of finite and infinite words have become increasingly important in fields of physics, biology, mathematics, and computer science. In particular, the fascinating family of Sturmian words has become an extremely active subject of research. These infinite binary sequences have numerous applications in various fields of mathematics, such as symbolic dynamics, the study of continued fraction expansion, and also in some domains of physics ( quasicrystal modelling ) and computer science ( pattern recognition, digital straightness ). There has also been a recent surge of interest in a natural generalization of Sturmian words to more than two letters - the so - called episturmian words, which include the well - known Arnoux - Rauzy sequences. This thesis represents a significant contribution to the study of Sturmian and episturmian words, and related objects such as generalized Thue - Morse words and substitutions on a finite alphabet. Specifically, we prove some new properties of certain palindromic factors of the infinite Fibonacci word; establish generalized ' singular ' decompositions of suffixes of certain morphic Sturmian words; completely describe where palindromes occur in characteristic Sturmian words; explicitly determine all integer powers occurring in a certain class of k-strict episturmian words ( including the k-bonacci word ) ; and prove that certain episturmian and generalized Thue - Morse continued fractions are transcendental. Lastly, we begin working towards a proof of a characterization of invertible substitutions on a finite alphabet, which generalizes the fact that invertible substitutions on two letters are exactly the Sturmian morphisms. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--School of Mathematical Sciences, 2006.

published_or_final_version / English Studies / Master / Master of Arts

Some such as Schwink (2004) have analyzed diachronic developments in Germanic gender as a whole, while others like Steinmetz (1985, 2001) and Trosterud (2006) have looked at diachronic changes in grammatical gender in the North Germanic languages. Specifically within the history of Icelandic, Steinmetz and Trosterud both argue for a neuter-default gender system for Old Norse (and for Modern Icelandic). This report looks at loan words from the Old Norse period drawn from historical sources, such as the Heimskringla (History of the Kings of Norway) and Laxdœla Saga, and compares their gender assignment then with their gender in Modern Icelandic in order to see if any of their originally assigned genders changed in the modern language. That none of the loans analyzed in this report changed their gender assignment from neuter to masculine as in West Germanic supports Steinmetz' and Trosterud's notions of Icelandic having a neuter-default gender system. These findings also support Schwink's view (2004:99), when he writes that Icelandic's gender system remains relatively unchanged from that of Old Norse. / text

No description available.

Veiksmo pavadinimo konstrukcijos – būdingi šiuolaikinių technologijų, mokslo, teisės verslo ir daugelio kitų sričių kalbos bruožai. Šie žodžiai suteikia pavadinimą įvairiems procesams, procedūroms, metodams ir kt., todėl jie plačiai vartojami įvairiuose oficialiuose dokumentuose, ir būtent šie dokumentai dažnai apibūdinami kaip turintys bene daugiausia veiksmų pavadinimų konstrukcijų. Šiais laikais žmonės, kalbantys skirtingomis kalbomis, nuolat turi bendrauti, ir todėl dažnai atsiranda būtinybė versti oficialius dokumentus iš vienos kalbos į kitą. Taigi, pagrindinė keliama hipotezė, kad vertėjai, versdami oficialius dokumentus, vartoja tam tikrus žodžius, kurie apibrėžia skirtingus veiksmus, ir jie verčia šiuos žodžius pasitelkdami pačias produktyviausias priemones, t.y. produktyviausias priesagas anglų ir lietuvių kalbose, tuo tarpu kitas priesagas vartodami labai retai. Šio magistrinio darbo tema – „Veiksmo pavadinimo konstrukcijos dalykinio stiliaus tekstuose” (lyginamoji analizė). Nors praeityje daugelis mokslininkų tyrinėjo veiksmo pavadinimo konstrukcijas tiek anglų, tiek lietuvių kalboje, šios konstrukcijos dar nebuvo nagrinėjamos oficialiuose dokumentuose bei lyginamos tarpusavyje. Magistrinio darbo tikslas – atskleisti būdus, kaip yra sudaromi veiksmų pavadinimai, ir kaip jie yra verčiami anglų ir lietuvių kalbų dalykinio stiliaus tekstuose, atsižvelgiant tiek į jų formą, tiek į prasmę. Šiame darbe buvo apibrėžta veiksmo sąvoka, išskirta derivacinės morfologijos... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Action defining words are characteristic features of the modern language style of technology, science, law, business and many other fields. They create an individual subgroup of naming units in the vocabulary inventory. From the point of view of terminological use, action defining words may designate processes, procedures, methods, ways of processing materials and administration acts. Such words are widely used in different formal documents, and, therefore, the texts are characterized as having a great many of action defining words. Nowadays, as different language speakers regularly communicate, formal documents are facing the necessity to be translated from one language to another. Thus, the main hypothesis of the research is suggested by the fact that in formal texts translators use a determined set of words which define actions and consequently their translations often are performed in a particular manner: they use the most productive English and Lithuanian suffixes leaving aside other linguistic means. In other words, translators do not vary and choose the easiest ways how to express the action in the process of translating. Although there are many research studies carried out on the action defining words by the English and Lithuanian linguists, such as Quirk (1972), Holvoet (2006), Keinys (1999), Pakerys (2006), comparative investigations on the issue of the action defining words in English and Lithuanian are not widespread. This Master thesis aims at revealing the means... [to full text]