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English morphological awareness and reading comprehension in deaf and hearing grade 3 to 7 learners from Lesotho

- Tšehla, Puleng Magret

Authors: Tšehla, Puleng Magret
Date: 2024-04-04
Subjects: Uncatalogued
Language: English
Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/${Handle} , vital:73169
Description: There is a noticeable literacy crisis observed in both Deaf and hearing learners from Lesotho. This study investigates the English Morphological Awareness and reading comprehension of 26 Deaf and 82 hearing learners enrolled in grades 3 to 7 in two schools in Lesotho. This study employs a correlational cross-sectional quantitative design. Each participant completed two literacy assessment tasks: a reading comprehension task and a Morphological Awareness task. The Morphological Awareness task encompassed five subtasks that assessed the learners’ inflectional, derivational, and compound awareness. The results of these assessments are analysed through appropriate statistical analyses. In addition, errors made by the Deaf and hearing learners on the literacy assessments are compared and analysed. This analysis determines the types of errors made by each group and identifies the factors that influence these errors. The performance of both groups in terms of task scores, in general, was low. Deaf learners and hearing learners’ performance on the tasks was similar. This outcome contradicts most previous studies, which indicate that Deaf learners typically exhibit lower levels of Morphological Awareness development and reading comprehension compared to their hearing counterparts. The results of this study also suggest that there is a statistically significant relationship between Morphological Awareness and reading comprehension in both groups. Finally, Deaf and hearing learners made similar errors on the tasks. There was some evidence of influence from both the Deaf and hearing learners’ first languages (Sesotho and Lesotho Sign Language, respectively). The study demonstrates the need for more explicit morphological instruction to improve both Deaf and hearing learners’ literacy. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Linguistics and Applied Language Studies, 2024
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Quantifying feed intake and feeding intensity using two experimental conditions and the effect of different feeding strategies on the production parameters of farmed South African abalone, haliotis midae

- Wortley, Ross Michael

Authors: Wortley, Ross Michael
Date: 2023-03-29
Subjects: Uncatalogued
Language: English
Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/${Handle} , vital:71932
Description: As abalone are slow-growing animals there is a high investment of capital, running costs and labour in commercial abalone farming. Revenue needs to be maximised by achieving fast growth rates. A foremost driver of abalone growth is feed intake and feeding intensity of the abalone as well as the feeding regimen a farm utilises. While feed intake is well-documented in H. midae, there is a paucity of information regarding this aspect in abalone above 70 g and the relationship between feeding intensity, feed conversion rate (FCR) and daily growth rate needs to be documented. Similarly, there are a limited number of studies dealing with the effects of different pellet types of the same formulation, that differ only in shape and size, on feed intake and production in H. midae. This study made use of both a controlled laboratory experiment and commercial-scale farm experiment with the aim of testing whether feed intake information produced under laboratory conditions can provide good estimates of feed intake under farming conditions, which can further be implemented into feeding strategies on abalone farms. This study quantified daily feed intake (F) in 10 – 20 g, 100 – 110 g and 150 – 160 g abalone weight classes using two different pellet types and determined the relationship between the duration of feed availability and feed intake under laboratory conditions. The effect of three different pellet type strategies (fed daily: a leaf-only strategy = L d-1, a short-pellet only strategy = SP d-1, and a strategy that used both = B d-1) on abalone production parameters under farming conditions such as growth rate, feed conversion ratio (FCR), feeding intensity (FI) and weight variation of 30 – 40 g H. midae was also investigated. A commercial-scale farm study was designed to test the effect of four commercially relevant feeding regimens (three size-specific regimens and one commercially practiced feeding method) on the growth, FCR, feeding intensity and weight variation of these three abalone weight classes while taking into account an economic model to assess the profitability of each feeding regimen. Daily feed intake as a percentage of body mass (% BM d-1) was a function of abalone weight class between the 10 – 20 g and two larger weight classes 100 – 110 g and 150 – 160 g p < 0.0001), however feed intake was not different between the 100 – 110 g and 150 – 160 g weight classes. Pellet type did not affect feed intake in all abalone weight classes (p = 0.15). Feed intake (F) was positively linearly correlated with duration of feed availability (h) in the 10 – 20 g weight class (r2 = 0.76, p <0.00001) and logarithmically correlated in the 100 – 110 g (r2 = 0.25, p < 0.02) and 150 – 160 g (r2 = 0.52, p < 0.0001) weight classes (10 – 20 g abalone-1: 3 F (% BM) = 0.02(h) + 0.1976, 100 – 110 g abalone-1: F (% BM) = log10(h)*0.17 + 0.17, 150 – 160 g abalone-1: F (% BM) = log10(h)*0.36 + 0.07). There was no significant difference in monthly average abalone weight, daily growth rate (G), FCR and feeding intensity between each pellet type strategy (G: p = 0.60, FCR: p = 0.62, FI: p = 0.54 ). However, abalone grew well over the 112-day growth period with average abalone weight increasing significantly between each monthly sample time (pooled pellet type strategy: Huynh-Feldt correction; p < 0.00001). Furthermore, abalone fed the leaf-only pellet type strategy (L d-1) fell into higher weight classes after a 112-day growth period (Z test: 50 – 70 g: 72%) which was 16.1 % higher compared to the SP d-1 and B d-1 strategies. Daily growth rate (r2 = 0.34, p < 0.01) and FCR (r2 = 0.42, p < 0.004) was negatively correlated and FCR was positively correlated with daily feeding intensity, respectively (G = - 2.59 (FI) + 1.526, FCR = 8.8082 (FI) – 2.7108). Feeding regimen affected the production parameters of three abalone weight classes. The method practiced on the farm resulted in the best growth in the 10 – 20 g abalone weight class. The farm feeding method resulted in slower yet more efficient growth rates (lowest FCR values) in the abalone weight classes, 100 – 110 g and 150 – 160 g abalone- 1. However, size-specific feeding regimens resulted in the fastest growth rates but resulted in higher FCR values (less efficient). The relationship between feeding intensity, daily growth rate and FCR all showed that an increase in feeding intensity results in increased daily growth rates and FCR values. The economic model suggests that the higher FCR values associated with size-specific regimens, which have higher associated costs to producing abalone, were greatly outweighed by the growth attained by the abalone in the 100 – 110 g and 150 – 160 g weight classes. The size-specific regimens generated a higher potential monetary value of abalone after a 112-day period, which would consequently result in higher income for abalone farms. For abalone ranging from 100 – 110 and 150 – 160 grams, the economic model suggested that in a quarterly grading schedule (112 days) that abalone be fed the size specific daily rations, which is a function of body mass, at 0.35 % BM d-1 and 0.352 % BM d-1, respectively. The two experimental conditions used in this study produced feed intake and production parameter information that is beneficial to South African abalone farmers. The small-scale laboratory study produced information on feed intake that can be used as reference values as to what abalone in these weight classes can consume on a daily basis. The laboratory study can provide estimates of feed intake under farming conditions but should only be used as minimum 4 values when determining size-specific feeding regimens. To maximise abalone growth, farmers should utilise size-specific feeding regimens for abalone above 30 g. Daily growth rate and FCR can be predicted as a function of the abalone’s feeding intensity. Further studies are needed to determine the effects of abalone weight class on production parameters when testing different pellet types as well as an exploration into behavioural studies focusing on diet preferences. Additionally, future studies need to take into consideration abalone above the weight of 100 g with additional focus of research on behavioural, genetic and environmental aspects on abalone feed intake. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Ichthyology and Fisheries Science, 2023
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Activated carbon-decorated polyacrylonitrile fibers and their porphyrin-immobilized composites for removal of methylene blue dye and Ciprofloxacin in water

- Oyim, James, Amuhaya, Edith K, Nyokong, Tebello

Authors: Oyim, James , Amuhaya, Edith K , Nyokong, Tebello
Date: 2023
Subjects: To be catalogued
Language: English
Type: text , article
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/${Handle} , vital:65077 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10601325.2023.2183868"
Description: Photocatalyst adsorbents are an appealing group of materials for environmental applications. Herein, we study a new simple, inexpensive, yet very effective adsorbent photocatalyst based on porphyrin immobilized activated carbon-decorated polyacrylonitrile, InP(PAN/AC), for removal of methylene blue dye and Ciprofloxacin in water under Xe-lamp and sunlight irradiation (the latter for Ciprofloxacin only). Our results shed light on developing the most effective and sustainable adsorbent photocatalysts that can easily be industrialized due to the ease of preparation through electrospinning coupled with the readily available preparation materials. After five cycles, the InP(PAN/AC) maintained high methylene dye removal efficiency and structural integrity. Significantly, we propose the coordinated contribution of singlet oxygen and hydroxyl radical in the photodegradation process and highlight the importance of such an integrated system with adsorption and photodegradation capabilities for water treatment.
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The distribution and perceptions of invasive alien plants in small towns in the Eastern Cape province, South Africa

- Seboko, Tshepiso Collen

Authors: Seboko, Tshepiso Collen
Date: 2022-10-14
Subjects: Invasive plants South Africa Eastern Cape , Land use South Africa Eastern Cape , Invasive plants Control South Africa Eastern Cape , Public opinion South Africa Eastern Cape , Urban ecology (Biology) South Africa Eastern Cape
Language: English
Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/${Handle} , vital:65669
Description: Invasive alien plants (IAP) of different life forms have major effects on biodiversity, ecosystem functioning, economies, and livelihoods worldwide. There is evidence that IAP are rapidly increasing around the world, and the negative impacts associated with them are expected to worsen due to continuing land transformation, climate change, and urbanisation. Yet, information on the distribution, abundance, knowledge, and perceptions of IAP is limited, especially in small towns. Most previous research has largely focused on rural settings and larger cities, thus hindering the effective control and management of IAP in smaller urban settings. It is therefore important to assess the distribution of IAP to provide useful information to guide clearing and mitigation efforts to reduce the impacts and proliferation of IAP in smaller urban settings. Consequently, the aim of the study was to determine the distribution, composition, abundance, and perceptions of woody IAP in small towns in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa and assess how and why they may differ within and between towns. To achieve this aim, a drive by road survey was undertaken across all suburbs and land use types in 12 small towns located in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The 12 randomly selected small towns were, Adelaide, Alexandria, Barkley East, Bedford, Burgersdorp, Cathcart, Kirkwood, Middelburg, Paterson, Somerset East, St. Francis Bay and Willowmore. All woody IAP visible from the surveyed roads were counted across all suburbs and land use types within each town. A total of 38 427 woody IAP were enumerated, with 56 species across different land use types and suburbs in all towns. Affluent suburbs accounted for 58% of the IAP enumerated, while the Reconstructed Development Programme (RDP) suburbs accounted for only 5%. In terms of the land use type, most of the IAP were encountered in the residential areas (54%), as compared to, road verges (32%) and public urban green spaces (PUGS) (14%). Of the 12 towns, Middleburg had the highest number of woody IAP, with 5 573 individuals, while Paterson had the lowest number with 947. The most common IAP species across all towns was Melia azedarach with 4 384 individuals, followed by Pinus elliotti (4 051), and Jacaranda mimosifolia (3 640). Spathodea campanulata, Ardisia crenata, and Parkinsonia aculeata had the lowest number of individuals with only two individuals each across all towns. This study also assessed the knowledge, perceptions, and willingness of urban residents to control IAP in their home yards using household surveys. A total of 240 household surveys were administered in the 12 towns. The results showed that more than half of the respondents (59%) had no knowledge of IAP, while 14% had neutral knowledge and only 2% had high knowledge. Forty percent of the respondents agreed that IAP pose a problem to the environment whilst 11% did not think IAP posed a problem to the environment, and 49% stated that they do not know. Most of the respondents (91%) perceived IAP positively, and stated that they benefit from the IAP, with the most mentioned benefit being shade (50%). Almost two-thirds of the respondents (65%) were willing to report on the IAP in their yards to the relevant authorities that deal with the control and management of IAP. Over half (56%) of the respondents were willing to have the IAP removed from their gardens, with the most stated reason for removal was because the IAP caused damage to property (13%). Respondents thought that the local government (35%) or district government (30%) should be responsible for the control and management of IAP. Overall, the study showed that IAP species were most common in residential land use type and affluent suburbs. These findings can assist the relevant authorities that deal with IAP, regarding which plant species, suburbs, and land use types to prioritise regarding awareness and investment for control and management. This will also help explore alternative indigenous species that can be used as replacements that may offer the same benefits derived from IAP by urban residents. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Environmental Science, 2022
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L’analyse du Panafricanisme dans la littérature africaine d’expression française: étude de Les Soleils des Indépendances d’Ahmadou Kourouma

- Batubenga David-Roger, Ndaye

Authors: Batubenga David-Roger, Ndaye
Date: 2021-10-29
Subjects: African literature (French) History and criticism , Kourouma, Ahmadou. Soleils des indépendances , Pan-Africanism in literature , Postcolonialism in literature , Africans in literature , Identity (Philosophical concept) in literature , Ethnicity in literature
Language: French
Type: Master's theses , text
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/${Handle} , vital:45204
Description: Analysis of pan-Africanism in French African literature: case study of The Suns of independences by Ahmadou Kourouma. (L’analyse du Panafricanisme dans la littérature africaine d’expression française : étude des Soleils des Indépendances d’Ahmadou Kourouma) This study seeks to analyse the concept of pan-Africanism in French African Literature as depicted in The Suns of independences by Ahmadou Kourouma. The theme as well as the plot of the novel are both part of the post-colonial era, when African states acceded to the so-called national sovereignty. Theoretically, this was the end of colonization. Indeed, the advent of independence in Africa was, among other things, the fulfilment of one of the objectives of the pan-Africanism movement. Those objectives, according to Estanilas Ngodi (2003:6), were to promote the well-being as well as the unity of African people and those of African descendants around the world; to ensure equal civic rights for African people; to ensure the total abolition of all forms of racial discrimination; and to demand a self-determination and genuine independence of and for African’s people and states. To understand this challenging concept of pan-Africanism, we will draw inspiration from the studies of Edward Wilmot Blyden (1832-1912) who defined it as emerging a distinctive African personality: It is accepted in this study that the manner in and the extent to which the concept of pan-Africanism will be analysed should not be confused with other concepts such as Negroism or Negritude. The concern of asserting African history and identity by African people is justified by the fact that for centuries the philosophical and anthropological Eurocentric trend that Africans and their cultures and knowledge had no value. For this purpose, Trevor Roper (1963:871) asserted: “Perhaps in the future, there will be some African history, but at present, there is none; only the history of Europeans in Africa. The rest is darkness…and darkness is not a subject of history…” This denial of African history and civilization was, according to Europeans, the reason for the slave trade and colonization, and the development of pan-Africanism was the reaction or resistance against these views. That is the reason why, in the novel (The Suns of 4 independences), Kourouma depicts the concept of pan-Africanism and reveals the need for African people to assert themselves in humanity as being equal to all other races. Indeed, the advent of independence in Africa was an opportunity for Africans to regain their pre-colonial roots. Because it raised hopes and expectations to see Africa being led by its own sons. Unfortunately, independences have become a missed rendezvous or a disappointment for Africans. This argument is confirmed by the metaphor of Fama, a traditional king in the post-independence Africa: find himself “dried and undressed by colonization and Independences” (p.116). Broadly speaking, Kourouma interrogates the evolution of African societies in the light of pan-Africanism and denounces political, economic, and social issues that are affecting Africa in the post-colonial era. These issues include dictatorship, mismanagement, corruption, poverty, and the challenge of regaining African personality from colonial influence. What differentiates my study from the previous research is that I seek to investigate to which extent Kourouma portrays the failure of African society in the light of pan-Africanism before and after the colonialist era, and the impact of this failure upon the establishment of the pan-Africanist vision in Africa. Little attention has been given to the analysis of this novel (The Suns of independences) in this perspective. Kourouma is an Ivorian writer. In 1970, he published his first novel (The Suns of Independences) which is considered as a masterpiece in French African Literature and which many critics have classified it as one of the founding works in African Literature. In this study, in accordance with the novel above-mentioned I have considered three different aspects of pan-Africanism. Firstly, I described pan-Africanism as the search for the dignity of black people. Secondly, I examined it as the desire of regaining or rebuilding the African unity (African states without colonial borders). Thirdly, I analysed it as the return of African people to their history, their origin, and their cultural identity, in short, the return of Africa to its original state before the slave trade and colonization. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, School of Languages and Literatures, 2021
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Biological control of cactaceae in South Africa

- Paterson, Iain D, Klein, Hildegard, Muskett, Phillippa C, Griffith, Tamzin C, Mayonde, Samalesu, Mofokeng, Kedibone, Mnqeta, Zezethu, Venter, Nic

Authors: Paterson, Iain D , Klein, Hildegard , Muskett, Phillippa C , Griffith, Tamzin C , Mayonde, Samalesu , Mofokeng, Kedibone , Mnqeta, Zezethu , Venter, Nic
Date: 2021
Subjects: To be catalogued
Language: English
Type: text , article
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/${Handle} , vital:71034 , xlink:href="https://hdl.handle.net/10520/ejc-ento_v29_n3_a4"
Description: Cactaceae are among the most problematic invasive alien plants in South Africa, posing serious negative consequences to agriculture and natural ecosystems. Fortunately, South Africa has a long and successful history of controlling cactus weeds using biological control (biocontrol). This paper reviews all the biocontrol programmes against invasive alien Cactaceae in South Africa, focusing on the decade since the last review published in 2011, up to, and including 2020. Biocontrol programmes against 16 target weeds are summarised, all of which rely on either the galling mealybug, Hypogeococcus sp. (Pseudococcidae), or various species or intraspecific lineages of cochineal insects (Dactylopius spp., Dactylopiidae) as agents. New agents are being considered for the three target weed species, Opuntia elata Salm-Dyck, Opuntia megapotamica Arechav. and Trichocereus spachianus (Lem.) Riccob., while permission to release a new agent against Cylindropuntia pallida (Rose) F.M. Knuth has recently been granted. The biocontrol agent, Dactylopius opuntiae (Cockrell) ‘stricta’, which has been utilised for the successful control of Opuntia stricta Haw., has shown some promise as an agent against one of the worst cactus weeds in the country, the North Cape/Free State variety of Opuntia engelmannii Salm-Dyck. Post-release monitoring and recent observations of the status of control for the 11 other cactus weeds, all of which have well-established agents, are provided. Taxonomic uncertainties and misidentifications of both target weeds and agents has been a constraint to biocontrol efforts, but this has been partially overcome through the use of genetic techniques. Biocontrol is particularly successful in controlling cactus weeds compared to most other taxonomic groups, and it is likely that past successes can be repeated with new target weeds. Mass-rearing and redistribution of agents are essential to gain the maximum possible benefit from cactus biocontrol agents, and recent increases in mass-rearing outputs have been beneficial.
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Creating the Ideal Push-Pull System for Electrocatalysis A Comparative Study on Symmetrical and Asymmetrical Cardanol-based Cobalt Phthalocyanines

- Nkhahle, Reitumetse, Nyokong, Tebello

Authors: Nkhahle, Reitumetse , Nyokong, Tebello
Date: 2021
Subjects: To be catalogued
Language: English
Type: text , article
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/${Handle} , vital:44452 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1002/elan.202060019"
Description: A symmetrical cardanol-based cobalt phthalocyanine (Pc) along with its asymmetrical acid-based derivatives were synthesized and applied in the electrocatalysis of hydrazine. Despite the inhibition of electron movement by the bulky cardanol-based substituent throughout the series of molecules, an ideal combination of substituents was established in GCE-3 (2,9,16-tris(3- pentadecylphenoxy)-23-mono propionic acid phthalocyanato cobalt (II)) where a limit of detection (LoD) value of 5.10 μM (signal to noise ratio=5) was recorded for the detection of hydrazine. The results obtained serve as an illustration that the combination of electron-donating and electron-withdrawing substituents has a significant influence on the complete functioning of the phthalocyanine molecule(s) being investigated.
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Preferences of resettled refugees on pictograms describing common symptoms of illness:

- Bellamy, Kim, Dowse, Roslind, Ostini, Remo, Martini, Nataly, Kairuz, Therese

Authors: Bellamy, Kim , Dowse, Roslind , Ostini, Remo , Martini, Nataly , Kairuz, Therese
Date: 2020
Language: English
Type: text , article
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/${Handle} , vital:40086 , https://0-doi.org.wam.seals.ac.za/10.1007/s10903-019-00908-3
Description: Illustrated health resources are useful for people who have limited English linguistic ability. The aim was to compare the preferences of resettled refugees from Africa and non-African countries, on pictograms describing common symptoms of illness. Data were collected in two cities in Queensland, Australia. Participants indicated their preference for three types of pictograms depicting seven symptoms. Pictogram sources included the International Pharmaceutical Federation, royaltyfree stock images, and pictograms designed in South Africa.
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'Hayi, they don’t know Xhosa’: Comparative isiXhosa teaching challenges in the Eastern Cape and Gauteng

- Kaschula, Russell H, Kretzer, Michael M

Authors: Kaschula, Russell H , Kretzer, Michael M
Date: 2019
Language: English
Type: text , article
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/${Handle} , vital:42499 , https://doi.org/10.1080/02572117.2019.1672318
Description: Language-in-education policy in South Africa is underpinned by the Constitution. The gap that this research addresses is the inconsistency of policy implementation and the actual teaching of isiXhosa in primary schools. It analyses the official and overt language policy and the (covert) language practices at schools. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with language teachers and principals. Data were also gathered from classroom observations and document analysis in the Eastern Cape and Gauteng. On the one hand, there are standard language policy documents that exist. These advocate for English as a language of learning and teaching and isiXhosa as a subject. On the other hand, the daily reality in classrooms partly reflects this policy implementation.
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High throughput screening, docking, and molecular dynamics studies to identify potential inhibitors of human calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase IV

- Beg, Anam, Khan, Faez I, Lobb, Kevin A, Islam, Asimul, Ahmad, Faizan, Hassan, M Imtaiyaz

Authors: Beg, Anam , Khan, Faez I , Lobb, Kevin A , Islam, Asimul , Ahmad, Faizan , Hassan, M Imtaiyaz
Date: 2019
Subjects: To be catalogued
Language: English
Type: text , article
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/${Handle} , vital:74587 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1080/07391102.2018.1479310"
Description: Calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase IV (CAMKIV) is associated with many diseases including cancer and neurodegenerative disorders and thus being considered as a potential drug target. Here, we have employed the knowledge of three-dimensional structure of CAMKIV to identify new inhibitors for possible therapeutic intervention. We have employed virtual high throughput screening of 12,500 natural compounds of Zinc database to screen the best possible inhibitors of CAMKIV. Subsequently, 40 compounds which showed significant docking scores (−11.6 to −10.0 kcal/mol) were selected and further filtered through Lipinski rule and drug likeness parameter to get best inhibitors of CAMKIV. Docking results are indicating that ligands are binding to the hydrophobic cavity of the kinase domain of CAMKIV and forming a significant number of non-covalent interactions. Four compounds, ZINC02098378, ZINC12866674, ZINC04293413, and ZINC13403020, showing excellent binding affinity and drug likeness were subjected to molecular dynamics simulation to evaluate their mechanism of interaction and stability of protein-ligand complex. Our observations clearly suggesting that these selected ligands may be further employed for therapeutic intervention to address CAMKIV associated diseases.
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Writing groups as transformative spaces

- Wilmot, Kirstin, McKenna, Sioux

Authors: Wilmot, Kirstin , McKenna, Sioux
Date: 2018
Subjects: To be catalogued
Language: English
Type: text , article
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/${Handle} , vital:44576 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2018.1450361"
Description: Curriculum transformation is a central concern for higher education in response to rapidly expanding technologies, globalisation and the widening diversity of the student and staff body. This is particularly true for South Africa, which is still grappling with inequalities and pressure for social redress in its universities. Early responses to supporting students took the form of add-on, ‘deficit-model’ approaches which understood poor student retention and success rates as emerging from students’ lack of neutral literacy ‘skills’. Recent initiatives have begun to adopt more socio-cultural understandings of literacy that seek to challenge traditional power structures and cultivate horizontal peer-orientated spaces for learning with a focus on practice rather than on product. Writing groups, as spaces for academic writing development, embrace this orientation and are argued to provide a transformative framework that foregrounds proactive student learning and experience, while still accommodating disciplinary learning through peer engagement. Drawing on the successful implementation of such forms of support at a research-intensive university, this paper argues that writing groups can play a critical role in both personal (student) transformation and broader curriculum transformation. Data include anonymous questionnaires and surveys with participants and coordinators of the writing groups. An inductive, constant comparative analysis indicated that students feel empowered in this space to develop not only their writing practices but also their transforming identities as scholars. Writing groups were found to provide ‘safe spaces’ where academic practices can be made explicit and where they can be challenged. The paper therefore argues that writing groups can play a small but key role in broader transformation efforts.
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Pessimistic assessment of white shark population status in South Africa: comment on Andreotti et al.(2016)

- Irion, Dylan T, Noble, Leslie R, Kock, Alison A, Gennari, Enrico, Dicken, Matthew L, Hewitt, Adrian M, Towner, Alison V, Booth, Anthony J, Smale, Malcolm J, Cliff, Geremy

Authors: Irion, Dylan T , Noble, Leslie R , Kock, Alison A , Gennari, Enrico , Dicken, Matthew L , Hewitt, Adrian M , Towner, Alison V , Booth, Anthony J , Smale, Malcolm J , Cliff, Geremy
Date: 2017
Language: English
Type: text , article
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/${Handle} , vital:35799 , https://doi.10.3354/meps12283
Description: Andreotti et al. (2016; Mar Ecol Prog Ser 552:241−253) estimate an abundance (N) of 438 white sharks Carcharodon carcharias and a contemporary effective population size (CNe) of 333 individuals along the South African coast. N was estimated by using a mark-recapture analysis of photographic identification records from a single aggregation site (Gansbaai). CNe was calculated based on the levels of pairwise linkage disequilibrium of genetic material collected from 4 aggregation sites across approximately 965 km of South African coastline. However, due to the complex stock structure of white sharks and the model assumptions made by Andreotti et al. (2016), the conclusions drawn cannot be supported by their methods and data.
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Dynamic changes of soil surface organic carbon under different mulching practices in citrus orchards on sloping land

- Gu, Chiming, Liu, Yi, Mohamed, Ibrahim, Zhang, Runhua, Wang, Xiao, Nie, Xinxin, Jiang, Min, Brooks, Margot, Chen, Fang, Li, Zhiguo

Authors: Gu, Chiming , Liu, Yi , Mohamed, Ibrahim , Zhang, Runhua , Wang, Xiao , Nie, Xinxin , Jiang, Min , Brooks, Margot , Chen, Fang , Li, Zhiguo
Date: 2016
Language: English
Type: text , article
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/${Handle} , vital:28997 , ISSN 0168384 , https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0168384
Description: Publisher version , Mulching management has been used in many places all over the world to improve agricultural sustainability. However, the cycling of carbon in the soil under applications of mulch on sloping arable land is not yet fully understood. A four-year field experiment was carried out in Xiaofuling watershed of Danjiangkou reservoir in China. The object was to evaluate the effects of the application of straw mulch (ST) and grass mulch (GT) on dynamic changes in soil organic carbon and its fractions. Results showed that mulch applied on the soil surface increased the contents of SOC and its active fractions in the soil. Compared to the control without cover (CK), ST and GT treatments increased the contents of SOC, LOC, DOC, POC and EOC by 14.73%, 16.5%, 22.5%, 41.5% and 21%, respectively, in the 0–40 cm soil layer, and by 17%, 14%, 19%, and 30%, respectively, in the 0–100 cm soil layer. The contents of organic carbon and its active fractions decreased with increasing soil depth in all of the treatments. SOC was accumulated in the period of December to the following March. The contents of soil DOC and LOC were high in January to March, while the contents of soil POC and EOC were high in June to September. The relative contents of soil organic carbon fractions were POC > EOC > LOC > DOC over the four years. Straw mulching had no significant effect on the changes in soil organic carbon active fractions during the different periods. Based on this long-term field experiment in Danjiangkou reservoir, we found that straw mulching had a significant effect on soil, increasing SOC content and stock in slopping arable land, and that live grass mulching was more effective than rice straw mulching. We discuss possible optimal periods for the implementation of mulching practices on sloping land.
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'Tell us a new story': a proposal for the transformatory potential of collective memory projects

- Vincent, Louise

Authors: Vincent, Louise
Date: 2015
Language: English
Type: text , book
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/${Handle} , vital:38046 , ISBN 9781869142902 , https://books.google.co.za/books?id=49o8rgEACAAJanddq=Being+at+home:+Race,+institutional+culture+and+transformation+at+South+African+higher+education+institutionandhl=enandsa=Xandved=0ahUKEwiPgsa6mpjjAhXNN8AKHbNwAtoQ6AEIKDAA
Description: This edited work has gathered together contributions on how to transform universities in South Africa; as many are struggling to shift their institutional culture. In a South African context, transformation means to attempt to change higher education institutions such that they no longer reflect the values promoted by apartheid but rather reflect the values embodied in South Africa's 1996 Constitution. Institutional culture is the main subject for discussion in this book. In order to transform South Africa's universities, the contributors begin by analyzing the idea of what a university is, and relatedly, what its ideal aims are. A second theme is to understand what institutional culture is and how it functions. Moreover, transformation cannot occur without transforming the broader cultures of which they are a part. Related to this theme is a general concern about how contemporary moves towards the instrumentalization of higher education affect the ability to transform institutions. These institutions are being pushed to conform to goals that are outside the traditional idea of a university, such as concerns that universities are being 'bureaucratized' and becoming corporations, instead of a place of learning open to all. In conclusion it can be said that the contemporary South African academic community has an opportunity to recreate itself as the end of apartheid created space for engaging in transformative epistemic projects. The transformation of the tertiary sector entails a transformation of institutional cultures.
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Models of development for blowfly sister species Chrysomya chloropyga and Chrysomya putoria

- Richards, Cameron S, Crous, Kendall L, Villet, Martin H

Authors: Richards, Cameron S , Crous, Kendall L , Villet, Martin H
Date: 2009
Subjects: To be catalogued
Language: English
Type: text , article
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/${Handle} , vital:73967 , https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2915.2008.00767.x
Description: Developmental curves for the sister species Chrysomya chloropyga (Wiedemann, 1818) and Chrysomya putoria (Wiedemann, 1830) (Diptera: Calliphoridae) were established at eight and 10 different constant temperatures, respectively, using developmental landmarks and body length as measures of age. The thermal summation constants (K) and developmental threshold (D0) were calculated for five developmental landmarks using a previously described method. Isomorphen and isomegalen diagrams were also constructed for the purpose of estimating postmortem intervals (PMIs). Chrysomya chloropyga had an average developmental threshold value (D0) of 10.91 °C (standard error [SE] = 0.94 °C, n = 5), significantly lower than that of C. putoria (13.42 °C, SE = 0.45 °C, n = 5) (paired t‐test: t = − 4.63, d.f. = 8, P 0.00). Similarly, K values for C. chloropyga were larger than those for C. putoria for all developmental events except onset of the wandering phase. These are the first data that can be used to calculate minimum PMIs and predict population growth of C. chloropyga and C. putoria in Africa; the data indicate that developmental data for one of these species cannot be used as surrogate data for the sister species.
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Photocatalytic properties of neodymium diphthalocyanine towards the transformation of 4-chlorophenol

- Nensala, Ngudiankama, Nyokong, Tebello

Authors: Nensala, Ngudiankama , Nyokong, Tebello
Date: 2000
Subjects: To be catalogued
Language: English
Type: text , article
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/${Handle} , vital:58491 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S1381-1169(00)00283-1"
Description: Photolysis of aqueous solutions of 4-chlorophenol (4-Cp) in the presence of solid neodymium diphthalocyanine ([Pc(−2)NdPc(−2)]−) and oxygen using visible and ultraviolet (UV) radiation resulted in the formation of a number of products. For photolysis in the visible region, phenol, benzoquinone, hydroquinone were observed as intermediates and 4-chlorocatechol (4-CC) as the main product; intermediates similar to those observed for visible photolysis were obtained. Langmuir–Hinshelwood kinetic model was used for treatment of photochemical data.
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