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The influence of the physical environment, topography and time on the inshore distribution of invertebrate larvae : a multi-taxon approach

  • Authors: Duna, Oliver Olwethu
  • Date: 2015
  • Subjects: Benthic animals -- Larvae , Benthic animals -- Ecology , Plankton -- Larvae
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
  • Identifier: vital:5926 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017804
  • Description: Coastal hydrodynamics regulate population dynamics through the distribution and dispersal of the meroplankton of many benthic invertebrates. I examined the hydrodynamics at four different sites on the south-east coast of South Africa and coupled them with larval sampling done at high temporal and spatial resolution. Day and night sampling was done at all four sites and a continuous 24 hour study was done in one site, both forms of sampling were carried out in autumn and spring. Samples were taken at two stations, 900 metres offshore and 300 metres apart, within each site. Water properties measured were depth, temperature and current velocity and direction. Plankton samples were collected using a plankton pump at various depths, from the surface, bottom and either side of the thermocline when present. A wide range of taxa (mostly bryozoans, bivalves, barnacles and decapods) was examined. 2-way ANOVAs were used to test the effects of time and depth on each taxon. In addition, multiple regression analyses were performed on each taxon to investigate the effects of hydrodynamics on the distribution of larvae. Bryozoanlarvae proved to be positively phototactic whilst bivalve veligers, barnacle larvae and decapod zoeae performed diel vertical migration. Turbulence and temperature had an effect on the vertical distribution/migration of decapod zoeae. These results highlight the role of taxon-specific responses to flow and the potential differential effects on larval retention and ultimately connectivity of benthic populations.
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  • Date Issued: 2015

Perceptions and constructions of cholera in the Eastern Province Herald and Daily Dispatch, 1980-2003

  • Authors: Van Zyl, Kylie
  • Date: 2011
  • Subjects: Daily Dispatch (East London, South Africa) Eastern Province Herald (Port Elizabeth, South Africa) Journalism -- South Africa -- 20th century Journalism -- South Africa -- 21st century Cholera -- Reporting -- South Africa Epidemics -- Reporting -- South Africa Mass media -- Moral and ethical aspects -- South Africa
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: vital:2566 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002419
  • Description: While the growing literature on South Africa’s healthcare and epidemics has often mentioned cholera in passing, there is as yet little academic work dedicated to it. This thesis addresses that deficit by examining the causes, spread and extent of cholera in South Africa between 1980 and 2003. Furthermore, it examines cholerarelated coverage in two newspapers, the Daily Dispatch and the Eastern Province Herald to determine how cholera and people with cholera were represented, and show how changes in the coverage of two major epidemics between 1980 and 2003 exemplify the political transition in South Africa, reflect changing political ideologies and reveal the shifting role of media within this period. The thesis argues three main points. Firstly, that representations of cholera and those who were sick with cholera were based on long-standing tropes connecting disease, class and ‘race’. Secondly, that policy-making based on these tropes influenced the unfair distribution and quality of health resources along racial lines, resulting in cholera outbreaks during the apartheid era. Failure to address these inequities post-apartheid, and the replacement of racial bias with discrimination on the grounds of socioeconomic development, resulted in further cholera outbreaks. Thirdly, using Alan Bell’s newspaper-discourse analysis framework to examine cholera-related articles the thesis compares and contrasts apartheid and postapartheid coverage in the two newspapers. This analysis reveals that during the 1980s the coverage was uncritical of the government’s handling of the epidemic or of its racially-discriminatory healthcare system. The newspapers uncritically accepted government-employed medical professionals as the final authorities on the epidemic, excluding alternative viewpoints. The coverage also “blamed the victim”, constructing affected “black” groups as potential threats to healthy “white” communities. Conversely, post–1994 coverage was criticised the government’s handling of the epidemic and the state of the public healthcare system. Government-employed medical professionals or spokespeople were not accepted as incontestable authorities and a range of sources were included. The coverage also shifted blame for the outbreaks to the government and its failure to address public health service delivery and rural development problems. The thesis shows the historical threat to the health of communities posed by uncaring governments.
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  • Date Issued: 2011

Trade union investment schemes: a blemish on the social movement unionism outlook of South African unions?

  • Authors: Rubushe, Melikaya
  • Date: 2010
  • Subjects: Labor unions -- South Africa , Labor unions and communism , Cosatu , Economic development -- South Africa , National Union of Mineworkers (South Africa) , Labor unions -- Finance , Business enterprises, Black -- South Africa , Investments -- South Africa
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
  • Identifier: vital:3331 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003119 , Labor unions -- South Africa , Labor unions and communism , Cosatu , Economic development -- South Africa , National Union of Mineworkers (South Africa) , Labor unions -- Finance , Business enterprises, Black -- South Africa , Investments -- South Africa
  • Description: South African trade unions affiliated to Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) have taken advantage of the arrival of democracy and newly found opportunities available through Black Economic Empowerment to venture into the world of business by setting up their own investment companies. The declared desire behind these ventures was to break the stranglehold of white capital on the economy and to extend participation in the economic activities of the country to previously disadvantaged communities. Using the National Union of Mineworkers and the Mineworkers’ Investment Company as case studies, this dissertation seeks to determine whether unions affiliated to the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) are advancing the struggle for socialism through their investment schemes. Secondly, the dissertation determines whether, in the activities of the schemes, internal democracy is preserved and strengthened. The theoretical framework of this dissertation emerges from arguments advanced by Lenin and Gramsci on the limitations of trade unions in terms of their role in the struggle against capitalism. In addition, the argument draws on the assertions by Michels regarding the proneness of trade union leadership to adopt oligarchic tendencies in their approach to leadership. Of interest is how, according to Gramsci, trade unions are prone to accepting concessions from the capitalist system that renders them ameliorative rather than transformative. Drawing from Michels’ ‘iron law of oligarchy’, the thesis examines whether there is space for ordinary members of the unions to express views on the working of the union investment companies. By looking at the extent to which the investment initiatives of the companies mirror the preferences of the ordinary members of the unions, one can determine the level of disjuncture between the two. The study relies on data collected through interviews and documentary material. Interviews provide first-hand knowledge of how respondents experience the impact of the investment schemes. This provides a balanced analysis given that documents reflect policy stances whereas interviews provide data on whether these have the stated impact. What the study shows is a clear absence of space for ordinary members to directly influence the workings of union investment companies. It is also established that, in their current form, the schemes operate more as a perpetuation of the capitalist logic than offering an alternative system.
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  • Date Issued: 2010

The application of integrated environmental management to improve storm water quality and reduce marine pollution at Jeffreys Bay (South Africa)

  • Authors: Seebach, Rudi Dieter
  • Date: 2006
  • Subjects: Marine pollution -- South Africa -- Jeffreys Bay , Storm sewers -- South Africa -- Jeffreys Bay , Marine ecology -- South Africa -- Jeffreys Bay , Environmental management -- South Africa -- Jeffreys Bay , Environmental risk assessment -- South Africa -- Jeffreys Bay , Community development -- South Africa -- Jeffreys Bay , Sustainable development -- South Africa -- Jeffreys Bay , Sewage disposal -- South Africa -- Jeffreys Bay
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
  • Identifier: vital:4738 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005287 , Marine pollution -- South Africa -- Jeffreys Bay , Storm sewers -- South Africa -- Jeffreys Bay , Marine ecology -- South Africa -- Jeffreys Bay , Environmental management -- South Africa -- Jeffreys Bay , Environmental risk assessment -- South Africa -- Jeffreys Bay , Community development -- South Africa -- Jeffreys Bay , Sustainable development -- South Africa -- Jeffreys Bay , Sewage disposal -- South Africa -- Jeffreys Bay
  • Description: It is projected that by 2025 three-quarters of the world’s population will live in the coastal zone. This is an alarming statistic, with a consequently significant impact on small coastal towns and the adjacent marine environments. Developing communities within the coastal zone of South Africa have proved to be a significant pollution source of storm water. Studies have shown that storm water that is deposited in the ocean will be trapped in the near shore marine environment causing poor seawater quality over a large distance. Furthermore, this can pose a significant threat to the health of recreational users and important marine ecosystems. In Jeffreys Bay storm water quality is thought to pose a threat to the maintenance of the international Blue Flag status for its beach. The aim of the current project was to investigate the main sources of storm water and subsequent marine pollution at Jeffreys Bay and to develop an appropriate management strategy using the integrated environmental management framework. In order to achieve this objective, it was also necessary to determine the current quality of water at various points within the catchment and near shore marine environment. Even though the storm water was found to be severely contaminated no evidence existed for a negative impact on the marine environment. None the less, a precautionary approach was adopted and a risk assessment employed in order to consider potential impacts on the marine and aquatic environment, human health and socio-economic welfare within the town. Significant sources of storm water contamination included grey water, domestic solid waste disposal and informal ablution. These significant aspects were investigated further and it was found that solid waste management in the catchment was poor with significant quantities of waste, primarily (76%) from domestic sources, being disposed of illegally. A study of sanitation management showed inadequacies where up to 58% of the residents from the informal settlements disposed of their grey water into open spaces. The ratio of residents to toilets in these areas was 28:1, therefore supporting the outcome of the risk assessment. Due to the fact that all the significant aspects were related to anthropogenic waste, an integrated waste management plan (IWMP) was developed that would not only facilitate the reduction of pollution of storm water, but would also allow for sustainable community-based development.
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  • Date Issued: 2006

An object-oriented toolkit for music notation

  • Authors: Eales, Andrew Arnold
  • Date: 1999 , 2000-04-26
  • Subjects: Musical notation , Object-oriented programming (Computer science) , Computer music -- History and criticism , Musical notation -- Software
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
  • Identifier: vital:4618 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006473 , Musical notation , Object-oriented programming (Computer science) , Computer music -- History and criticism , Musical notation -- Software
  • Description: This thesis investigates the design and implementation of an object-oriented toolkit for music notation. It considers whether object-oriented technology provides features that are desirable for representing music notation. The ability to sympathetically represent the conventions of music notation provides software tools that are flexible to use, and easily extended to represent less common features of music notation. The design and implementation of an object-oriented class hierarchy that captures the structural and semantic relationships of music notation symbols is described. Functions that search for symbols, and update symbol positions are also implemented. Traditional context-sensitive and spatial relationships between music symbols may be maintained, or extended to provide notational features found in modern music. MIDI functionality includes the ability to play music notation and to allow step-recording of MIDI events. The toolkit has been designed to simplify the creation of applications that make use of music notation; example applications are created to demonstrate its capabilities. , Microsoft Word , Adobe Acrobat 9.46 Paper Capture Plug-in
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  • Date Issued: 1999

The automatic generation of code generators with particular reference to cobol

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