3. Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs) - All submissions
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Item Graham Newcater's orchestral works : case studies in the analysis of twelve-tone music(1984) Rorich MaryThe aim of this thesis has been four-fold, namely: i) to present an overview of twelve-tone theory and practice, particularly that practice that admits a background of traditional procedure; ii) to pinpoint the linguistic problems that twelve-tone music presents; iii) to suggest a style of analysis that makes coherent the linguistics of twelve-tone music; iv) to present in-depth case studies of four representative orchestral works of the South African composer, Graham Newcater, not only so as to make available analyses of his works, but also so as to provide practical exegeses of the theoretical problems listed in ii) and iii). Part I of this thesis is, therefore, synthetic rather than original. It sets out the premises of the serial principle, its structural implications, its historic-stylistic background, and problems in analysis. In Parts II and III various of Newcater's orchestral works are presented as case studies in the analysis of twelve-tone music with particular reference to the issues discussed in Part I. As is shown to be the case with Schoenberg in Part I, three out of four of Newcater's works are treated as examples of rhetoric that synthesizes serial principles and tonal syntax. It has therefore not been sufficient to analyze the sounding forms of the music as entirely the product of the various sets and their structural implications; on the contrary, it has been necessary both to justify the aesthetic validity of this synthesis and to examine the results. The First Symphony, the composer's first major work, and the Violin Concerto, one of a group of concertos written fairly recently, best illustrates Newcater's fusion of the twelve-tone and tonal worlds. The Variations de Timbres represents an attempt to create rhetoric more inherently compatible with the serial principle. Both in that it seems that this is the direction that Newcater is likely to take in the following decade, and in that the Variations undoubtedly represents one of Newcater's most valuable creative essays, its inclusion seems justified. The last work analyzed is the composer's Third Symphony. Its extensive treatment in Part III of this thesis is justified in that it clearly derives from the compositional idioms of all three works analyzed in Part II. Both in sound and in syntax, it is the most sophisticated of Newcater's orchestral works to date, and, in its assimilation of the influence of electronic music on live instrumental music, it also suggests a route that Newcater's compositional career might take. In that Newcater emerged, in his early career, as the first pioneering spirit in the use of the twelve-tone system in South Africa, in that his approach to twelve-tonalism is clearly derived from Schoenberg's, and in that, he possesses a compositional gift of undeniable strength, his works seemed to present an ideal vehicle for the concepts and issues set out in Part I of this thesis. No single approach or analytical method has been employed, although obviously the procedures explored by such specialists as George Perle and Milton Babbitt have provided the basis for set analysis. Beyond this, more traditionally 'descriptive' methods have been used, and the conceptual studies of Theodor Adorno and Leonard B . Meyer has provided invaluable points of reference. In that this thesis is concerned primarily with linguistics which the twelve-tone the theory produces, all analysis is largely concerned with pitch content. Where a reference to the other parameters is made, it is generally in the service of this aspect of Newcater's musicItem Evaluation of the South African army physical training programme: fitness attained and injuries sustained(1985) Gordon, Neil FarrylPhysical fitness has remained an essential requisite of modern-day armed forces. Despite considerable advances in the science of exercise training, the South African Army physical training programme has remained essentially unaltered for over a decade. Furthermore, it has been suggested that the efficacy of South African Army basic training centres might be limited by the injurious nature of the physical training modes used. The present 3-part investigation was therefore designed as an initial evaluation of the South African Army physical training programme in terms of both physical fitness attained and exertion-related injuries sustained. In Part I of this study, the effect of 1 year South African Army training on endurance fitness was investigated. The pre-military training maximal 02 consumption of 53.14 mg.kg-1.min-1 did not change significantly during the course of the study. In contrast, lactate turnpoint (m-g O2 ,kg- .min-J") and maximal treadmill performance time were moderately enhanced (7.5% and 8% increase, respectively, p<0.05) by the initial 10-week basic training programme. A further analysis of the results indicated that this endurance training effect was limited to the average and, in particular, the below-average fitness recruits. Although this could be regarded as an adequate situation, the effec= tiveness of the physical training was limited in that 17% of recruits were unable to complete the post-basic training exercise test as a result of exertion-related injuries; of these recruits more than 50% had initial below-average fitness levels. Furthermore, the observed beneficial effect of basic training on recruit endurance fitness levels was transient in nature, the values on completion of 1 year military training being essentially unaltered from those existing prior to military conscription. This preliminary assessment of the South African Army physical training programme demonstrates a need for the introduction of changes during and, in particular, after basic training. In Part II of this study, the effect of 1 year South African Army training on muscular strength, power, power- endurance, speed, and flexibility was investigated. When considering the entire study group, a significant enhance= ment by basic training was observed for the isokinetic muscular strength of the right elbow extensors alone (17% increase, p <0.05). Stratification of training responses on the basis of initial recruit fitness levels revealed significant (p<0.05) improvements with basic training for all measures of muscular strength, power, power-endurance, and speed, but not flexibility, in the below-average fitness recruits. In contrast, with the exception of elbow extensor strength, fitness levels of the average and above-average recruits were not improved by basic training. Furthermore, for all recruit fitness groups, values documented on completion of 1 year military training differed insignificantly from those recorded prior to military conscription. Although further research (aimed at assessing the physical requirements of various military work and emergency situations) is needed to evaluate the desirability of the observed selective enhancement of recruit fitness levels, it is evident from the present data that greater emphasis should, at the very least, be placed on flexibility training and physical conditioning after basic training. Finally, in Part III of this study the incidence and nature of exertion-related injuries sustained at a large South African Army basic training centre were studied. A total of 404 separate injuries were incurred by 359 of 947 recruits during the 10-week basic training cycle. Of these injuries, 18.3% were sustained with (Group 1) and 81.7% without (Group 2) an obvious sudden acute precipitating event. Exertion-related injuries were responsible for a loss of 2 711 recruit-days of basic training. While the knee sustained the largest number of Group 2 injuries, lower-leg injuries resulted in the greatest loss of basic training time. Fourty two separate radiographically confirmed stress fractures were incurred by 39 recruits, the incidence of recruits with stress fractures being 4.12%, a value considerably higher than that of the United States Army. These data leave little doubt that the injurious nature of the South African Army basic training programme studied is costly in terms of training time lost and may prohibit large numbers of recruits from deriving the optimum conditioning benefits.Item An analysis of fifth year Paediatric teaching(1987) Skapinker, ReneeMuch teaching in paediatrics is done at the patient's bedside. The clinical ward round should integrate all the pertinent features of the case. A prospective study was undertaken at the Johannesburg Hospital to evaluate such teaching. Twenty-two fifth year medical students and ten paediatric consultants were studied during the students1 first exposure to clinical paediatrics. Analysis of the teaching showed that there were significant differences between ideal objectives set by the Department, what was actually taught during the clinical ward round and what students perceived as having been taught. Futhermore, consultants defined more objectives for the teaching session when this was done prior to the tutorial than after the tutorial. The correlation between objectives considered taught by consultants and those perceived by students as having been taught, was poorer when consultants defined their teaching objectives before the tutorials compared with when consultants defined their objectives after the tutorials. These findings indicate unrealistic expectations in terms of what tutors are able to cover in a ward round when the objectives are pre-defined. Further analysis of the data revealed a bias towards objectives which were inappropriate for students with limited clinical experience.Item The problem of content in the theory of formal operations: Piaget and Vygotskii in the South African context(1984) Moll, IanThis thesis explores the extent to which Piaget falsely ignores the socio-economic contents of cognition in his account of formal operational thought. His biological conception of the origins of knowledge leads him to emphasize the structures of cognition, but Vygotskii's dialectical materialist psychology challenges this. It denies Piaget's separation of content from structure and accuses him of losing sight of the social construction of cognition. The thesis attempts to clarify the resultant dispute (drawing particularly on Buck-Morss' charge that Piaget has a socio-economic bias) and goes on to examine a concrete instance of the problem in the attainment of formal operations across different South African communities. Piaget's tasks showed that rural children exhibit significantly less formal operational ability than their urban peers and that within the latter group, township children have less abstract cognitive ability than their middle-class counterparts. Interviews showed that these tendencies correspond in each case to more emphasis on concrete activities, and less on abstract activities, in the everyday lifestyle of the former grouping. But this is in itself not enough to demonstrate a weakness in Piaget's theory. On a more abstract level, the final part of the thesis argues that the epistemology of genetic epistemology is ·inadequate because it leaves the very social nature of knowledge out of the picture. Taken together with concrete cross-cultural differences, this establishes a serious problem of content - a social "blindness'' - in Piaget's theory of formal operations.Item Managerial role perception In organization(1981) Cogill, Charles JohnIn this thesis, a study is made on the cognitive processes and maps by which managers, in interaction with each other, perceive and organize stimuli related to the functions which they fulfill in the organizations involved. An attempt is made to analyze and explore, via a systems approach and complementary action frame of reference, the nature, and structure of role-perceptions that top-level functional managers have of each other. These role perceptions are viewed fror:1 the the framework of middle-range organization theory. It is hypothesized that managers will simplify their perceptual worlds by reducing a large number of stimuli to a simple evaluative structure and that certain axes of differentiation, which further affects this evaluative structure, maybe identified. The hypotheses are derived from the interest of the author in the perceptual categories that managers use naturally in assessing each other, the structure of these categories, and the effects of role. In order to answer the questions posed, data was collected from 90 of the most senior functional and general managers in 10 randomly selected medium-sized South African industrial companies. The data was obtained by means of a specifically devised 10 x 40 Repertory grid (Kelly, 1955) and semi-structured interviews. Holzbach's (1974) version of French and Raven's ( 1968) bases of power instruments were used for supplementary interpretation of the data. The repertory grids of 90 managers ( 36 000 observations) were compared on a hypothetico-deductive basis against a codel quasi-consensus grid of identical dimensions, to test for the effects of perceptual mediation in terms of personal construct and implicit personality theories. Thereafter the effects of the role and organizational decision making as axes of differentiation were explored on the basis of the phenomenological viewpoint that managers have certain models, theories, or cognitive maps which affect perception and therefore behavior. (Abbreviation abstract)Item Scheduling in the South African construction industry(1989) Rudzinske, Paul EricThis research report investigates the use and sophistication of scheduling by the South African construction industry, by means of a postal survey and personal interviews. Furthermore, the construction industry's past and present use of scheduling is comparatively analyzed with that of selected overseas countries. A brief description of the various scheduling techniques is provided, together with the histories of these techniques. The primary conclusion of the research work was that the larger companies showed greater dedication to their scheduling, as well as implementing more advanced scheduling techniques. The emergence of cheaper computer systems showed definite impacts on the sophistication and effectiveness of scheduling, and indications of future impacts by computers were also found. The use of network-type scheduling techniques had also expanded, and further growth in the use of network-type schedules was indicated.Item Theoretical and practical studies of the deformation properties of the ground(1982) Burland, John BoscawenThis thesis consi~ts of sixteen papers - all of them concerned with the deformation properties of the ground. Much of the soil m~chanics literature is concerned with the strength of soils and ultimate conditions. This is understandable since the engineer's prime concern in design is to avoid collapse. However, the engineer is also much concerned with the behaviour of the ground under working conditions - usually well removed from failure. This requires knowledge of the deformation properties of the ground. Much of my research work has been devoted to this topic and it is natural that it should form the subject of the thesis. The papers fall into four broad categories: the behaviour of soft clays; the foundation properties of chalk; soil/structure interaction; movements around deep excavations in stiff clays. In addition, the first paper in the collection is concerned with the behaviour of bored piles in stiff clays. This was one of the first problems I was faced with as a practising engineer and the field that it opened up to me led me to go to Cambridge where I studied the latest theoretical work on the stress-strain behaviour of soft clays. After obtaining my PhD degree from Cambridge University I joined the Building Research Station. Much of my work there was concerned with field studies of the deformation of the ground in relation to a variety of civil engineering projects. It is perhaps worth emphasising tha~uch investigations are usually carried out in cooperation with consulting engineers and contractors and also involve large teams of researchers. I have always insisted that the contribution of collaborators should be recognised in the authorship of papers and it will be noted that most of my papers have co-authors. I have indicated in the thesis that co-authors have contributed to the preparation of a paper. The papers are grouped into five categories and I have prepared a short introduction to each grouping describing the development of the subject and highlighting the more important features. Appendix 1 gives a list of the papers contained in the thesis and in Appendix 2 I have listed my most important publicationsItem An approach to the evaluation of iron status and the prevention of iron deficiency(1981) Macphail, Andrew, PatrickThis thesis took advantage of the very wide spectrum of iron status encountered amongst the people of Southern Africa. Established methods of measuring iron status were used to illustrate features of dietary iron overload, iron deficiency and the relationship between maternal and infant iron status. Attention was also paid to the prevention of iron deficiency in the heterogeneous South African population. In a comparative autopsy study measurement of hepatic iron showed a significant reduction in the prevalence and severity of dietary iron overload in urban black males over the past 17 years. Although hepatic iron concentration rose with age, there had been no iron accum ulation during this period. Liberalisation of the Liquor Laws has resulted in a decrease in the consumption of traditionally brewed, iron-rich, maize-sorghum beer. The resulting increase in spirit consumption has increased the prevalence of portal fibrosis and cirrhosis. Iron overload was significantly greater in subjects dying from carcinoma of the oesophagus and idiopathic heart failure suggesting excessive exposure of these subjects to traditionally-brewed iron-rich beverages. Serum ferritin concentration, an established measure of iron stores, was used to illustrate an age-related rise in iron stores in a sample of rural black male South trations greater than 200 ^g/l and comparison with the urban autopsy study indicated that iron overload is currently more severe in rural than in urban black males. Geographical differences in serum ferritin concentration showed that iron overload was less common in the northern regions of Southern Africa. Measurements of iron stores, iron deficient erythropoiesis and haemoglobin concentration were necessary to give a comprehensive evaluation of the iron status of a sample of women taken from the South African Indian population. Nearly half the women had evidence of depleted iron stores while the prevalence of iron deficiency anaemia was 14 per cent. Improvement in iron status was related to age and reduced duration of menstruation. A profile of iron status based on the cumulative distribution of calculated iron stores showed that the sample had median iron stores of 150 mg with lower and upper 10 percentiles of -355 mg and 655 mg. Serum ferritin, iron, haemoglobin and placental non-haem iron concentrations were used to study the relationship between maternal and infant iron status at birth. Correlations, similar to those seen in adults, showed that cord serum ferritin concentrations reflect neonatal iron stores. However, its indirect correlation with cord haemoglobin concentration (r = -0.35) suggests that the amount of iron in foetal stores is influenced by that required for haemoglobin and that low serum ferritin concentrations' * do not necessarily indicate reduced iron transfer. Placental non-haem iron was related to maternal serum ferritin concentration (r = 0.^1) but not to measurements of foetal iron status suggesting that stored placental iron is not available to the foetus. Finally the possibility of preventing iron deficiency in the Indian population through the fortification of food with Fe(lll) EDTA was studied. In comparative studies with ferrous sulphate, iron absorption from Fe(lll) EDTA was shown to be significantly less influenced by inhibitors in maize porridge and by bran. Ascorbic acid did enhance absorption but, paradoxically, increased the inhibitory effect of maize porridge. Although curry powder (masala), which is used in large quantities by the Indian population, enhanced iron absorption from both ferrous sulphate and Fe(lll) EDTA, absorption from Fe(lll) EDTA was significantly higher. Evidence that the mechanism whereby Fe(lII) EDTA forms a common pool with intrinsic iron differs from that occurring with simple iron salts, was provided by both the marginally higher absorption from Fe(lll) EDTA than from intrinsic food iron and by studying the exchange of iron between ^Fe(lIl) EDTA and ^FeSO^. This was shown to occur in vitro and the appearance of small amounts of radio-labelled Fe(lll) EDTA in the urine served to demonstrate that the exchange also took place during absorption. p It is concluded that Fe(lll) EDTA may be a useful compound for food fortification of cereals because the iron is well absorbed and utilized for haemoglobin synthesis. The substances in cereals which inhibit absorption of simple iron salts do not appear to inhibit absorption of iron from Fe(lll) EDTA. In addition, the combination of Fe(lll) EDTA and masala as a fortification vehicle is seen to be particularly suitable for a fortification programme in South Africa where such a wide range of iron status is f ound.Item Human erythrocyte pyrimidine 5'-nucleotidase(1984) Whittaker, Deborah AnneItem Crisis and conflict: Soweto 1976-1977(1982) Moss, GlennThis dissertation examines two themes that emerged from the most intense periods of conflict in the Soweto crisis of 1976: these are the clashes between hostel dwellers and other township residents during August 1976; and the stay-away campaigns called by the Soweto Students' Representative Council between August and November 1976. The conflicts which emerged between hostel inmates and other township residents were indicative of a serious rift between these two township groups. These already-existing antagonisms were made worse by the intervention of the police, Inkatha and Soweto Urban Bantu Council members who planned to mobilize the hostel men as a strike breakers in the stay-away of 23 - 25 August 1976. In addition to this, the level of tension was heightened by harassment which hostel inmates suffered from other township residents - especially the youth - when they ignored the stay-away call. Although these factors played a role in provoking the violent response of the hostel men, the nature of the hostels themselves was a more important causal factor. The reproduction of a section of the African working class separately from the rest of the township community, via the institution of hostels, created the material conditions for an antagonistic relationship to develop between hostel men and other township residents. The Soweto stay-away campaigns of August - November 1976 represented the pinnacle of the student-led resistance. However, the stay-away as a weapon of struggle differs markedly from the mass strike, which it is often equated with. The stay-away campaigns were more limited than a mass strike, and accordingly must be subject to a different basis of assessment. The stay-aways features of protest demonstrations rather than mass strikes. After demonstrations, they must be assessed as tactical failures. This is not because they failed to achieve the demands which formed part of the demonstrations, for this is not a basis for evaluating demonstration activity. They failed because they were unable to create conditions for more advanced and mature conditions of political struggle. There was no deepening and extension of the organization as a result of the stay-away campaigns; and .although workers from Soweto participated in these demonstrative actions, this was not as a class. As such, working-class interests were not strengthened in relation to other classes, fractions, and strata within the township.