In this study the relationship between underachievement in anatomy and spatial ability (both geometrical and anatomical) is investigated. Subjects were second-year medical students at the University of Cape Town from 1980 to 1983. Geometrical spatial ability was measured using a battery of three-dimensional exercises involving the sectioning, joining, translation, rotation and visualization of simple solid objects. Anatomical spatial achievement was measured using university practical examination scores of April, June and October, as well as students' scores on those items in the April, June and November MCQ anatomy examinations which were classified as spatially three-dimensional by a panel of lecturers in anatomy. Non-spatial anatomical achievement was measured using the university essay examination scores of April, June and November, together with students' scores on the non-spatial items in the MCQ anatomy examinations. From 1980 to 1983 it was found that students who failed the battery of geometrical spatial exercises and/or recorded large, persistent deficits on spatial MCQs relative to non-spatial MCQs, scored significantly lower marks in practical anatomy examinations throughout the year than those students who scored well in the battery of geometrical spatial exercises. Spatially competent and spatially inept students performed equally well on the non-spatial MCQs and the non-spatial essay examinations. Borderline and failing students recorded the greatest deficits in anatomical spatial scores (for whom losses of approximately 18% occurred in practical examinations in anatomy). Since potential failures with persistent spatial handicaps can be readily identified by mid-year, a programme of differentiated teaching methods is recommended for these students.

Herpes Simplex Virus Type -1 (HSV-1) infections can cause serious complications such as keratitis and encephalitis. The goal of this study was to identify any changes in the concentrations of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) produced during HSV-1 infection of epithelial cells that could potentially be used as an indicator of a response to stress. An additional objective was to study if any VOCs released from acute epithelial infection may influence subsequent neuronal infection to facilitate latency. To investigate these hypotheses, Vero cells were infected with HSV-1 and the emission of VOCs was analyzed using two-dimensional gas chromatograph/mass spectrometry (2D GC/MS). It was observed that the concentrations of gamma-butyrolactone (GBL) in particular changed significantly after a 24-hour infection. Since HSV-1 may establish latency in neurons after the acute infection, GBL was tested to determine if it exerts neuronal regulation of infection. The results indicated that GBL altered the resting membrane potential of differentiated LNCaP cells and promoted a non-permissive state of HSV-1 infection by repressing viral replication. These observations may provide useful clues towards understanding the complex signaling pathways that occur during the HSV-1 primary infection and establishment of viral latency.

This article describes how 25 Master's and doctoral students commenced their dissertations, with the writer as their supervisor, and how all subsequently succeeded in graduating, many within a time period of one to three years. These students also efficiently produced 18 articles in refereed journals, ten refereed published interna tional conference papers, ten papers published in national conference proceedings, ten published seminar papers and several books as an integral part of the work for their dissertations. Most of these publications were written, under guidance, by students who either originated in historically disadvantaged backgrounds, or were handi capped by speaking English as a second lan guage, or both. The article presents and discusses the teaching strategies, interventions and time management techniques adopted to ensure research student success even under adverse conditions, resulting in zero dropouts and a zero throughput failure rate under super vision from the early 1980s through to 2002. INTRODUCTIOǸ`H

This study asked the question "Why am I doing a research project forExpo 2005?" The sample of respondents comprised 155 aspirant young scientists and technologists who exhibited their projects in the 2005 Cape Town Science Talent Quest (Expo) competition for schools. They commenced their participation in the Expo judging session by responding to eleven literature-derived reasons or motivations for commencing research investigations. These items were presented in a Likert-scale format, and included a novel source of motivation framed uniquely in the local South African context.Subsequently, open-ended questions and interviews were conducted in more depth with selected students who offered amplified responses and explanations. It was found that the Expo students gave higher ratings to reasons that were intrinsic (such as personal interest, skills development, personal challenge and ambition) than to reasons that were externally controlled (such as emulating somebody else's example, or meeting other people's expectations). The students' self-reported levels of enjoyment of their research projects correlated highest with the strength of their commitment to enhancing social emancipation in South Africa through their chosen research projects.

Lesotho and Turkey are two developing coun tries, both relatively deficient in educational resources one in Southern Africa, and the other straddling the continents of Europe and Asia in the Middle East. This study reports and compares the priorities and responses of (a) 172 Turkish science teachers, lecturers and students, and (b) 171 Lesotho science educators and stu dents, to 20 literature derived recommendations for improving science education in the two countries. Both quantitative and qualitative sur vey data are analysed. The educational outcomes of the study are commonly identified areas of future concentration and corresponding sets of recommendations for science teacher training curricula in these two developing nations. In both Turkey and Lesotho the most frequently prioritised recommendations are found to be similar. They are: to engage more self discovery in science learning; to introduce more real life skills into science teaching; to utilise better science teaching methods; and to acquire more resources for science and technology lessons.