Ideas of poetic form: aspects of the Romantic-Symbolist tradition
- Authors: Oldert, David
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/54554 , vital:26587
- Description: The subject of the work is some of the formal and technical developments of modern poetry in the Romantic-Symbolist tradition. These developments were stimulated partly by the ideas of the non-intellectual Symbol inherited from the Romantics and the idea that poetry could be a musical medium inherited from some of the French Symbolists. Their combined influence led to a number of technical problems in the structuring of imagery and the handling of syntax. The work begins, therefore, by tracing the philosophical assumptions behind the ideas of the Symbol and of the musical analogy. I then go on to examine two of the difficulties that these ideas produced. One is the tension between the analogical structure of a poem’s imagery and its metaphorical texture: quite simply, the more compressed and complex a poet’s metaphors become, the more they tend to disrupt the poem’s structure of imagery. The other problem is obscurity, which is caused by insufficient objectification of private images in a symbolic structure, and by fused metaphor, which is essentially a metaphor with an obscured ground of resemblance. Finally, I show how these difficulties were solved by poets outside the tradition who used a more articulate kind of syntax, yet who also managed to combine that syntax with the ideal of symbolic form. The implicit argument, then, is that the Romantic-Symbolist ideas of form, and the New Critics’ theories of form which were largely based on them, are able to elucidate an essentially different kind of poetry, and thus have some degree of truth and use beyond the tradition that generated them.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Oldert, David
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/54554 , vital:26587
- Description: The subject of the work is some of the formal and technical developments of modern poetry in the Romantic-Symbolist tradition. These developments were stimulated partly by the ideas of the non-intellectual Symbol inherited from the Romantics and the idea that poetry could be a musical medium inherited from some of the French Symbolists. Their combined influence led to a number of technical problems in the structuring of imagery and the handling of syntax. The work begins, therefore, by tracing the philosophical assumptions behind the ideas of the Symbol and of the musical analogy. I then go on to examine two of the difficulties that these ideas produced. One is the tension between the analogical structure of a poem’s imagery and its metaphorical texture: quite simply, the more compressed and complex a poet’s metaphors become, the more they tend to disrupt the poem’s structure of imagery. The other problem is obscurity, which is caused by insufficient objectification of private images in a symbolic structure, and by fused metaphor, which is essentially a metaphor with an obscured ground of resemblance. Finally, I show how these difficulties were solved by poets outside the tradition who used a more articulate kind of syntax, yet who also managed to combine that syntax with the ideal of symbolic form. The implicit argument, then, is that the Romantic-Symbolist ideas of form, and the New Critics’ theories of form which were largely based on them, are able to elucidate an essentially different kind of poetry, and thus have some degree of truth and use beyond the tradition that generated them.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Identification of potential novel roles for Hsp70/Hsp90 organising protein (Hop) using proteomic analysis in human cells
- Authors: Wingate, Ianthe
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/64758 , vital:28598
- Description: Expected release date-May 2018
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Wingate, Ianthe
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/64758 , vital:28598
- Description: Expected release date-May 2018
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
If I still want to breathe
- Authors: Billie, Ayanda
- Date: 2016
- Language: English , Xhosa
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:6012 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/1021231
- Description: One theme of this collection is the joy and the deep seated grief of my community of Kwa-Nobuhle; the brightness of hope on the faces on children running around our streets, the strides made by their mothers, the confusion of factory workers who are lost in darkness since the dawn of new dispensation. Then there are more personal poems: my own joys as well as the difficulties that have kept me from sleep and strangled my dreams as a writer, even though like Mafika Gwala, I believe that “words are born the way mothers beget children/words are born to survive time”. My style is influenced by imagistic, mystic and soulful poetry, such as the haunting Spanish voice of Garcia Lorca who wrote “I lose myself in the heart of certain children” and the absorbing isiXhosa voice of S E K Mqhayi. In response to their poetry my offering will be words that enliven us; my style will be what I see in the mirror, through the window, the sound of rain on my zinc roof and what frightens me. , Ndixomoloze ndiboph’ amaxonya, ndisenza eli linge lokuzama ukuxhathalaza kulo msinga uzakutshayela ulwimi lwethu. Nantso ke incwadana ndiyithe qhiwu ngendebe endiyithiye ngegama elithi Umhlaba Umanzi. Umhlaba umanzi ziinyembezi zabalilayo, umanzi kukubila kwabasebenzi besombha eludakeni, ufumile ziinkathazo zeminyaka zesizukulwana sesizukulwana. Injongo endifuna ukuyifezekisa ngeli nqaku yeyokuba umntu achole ntwana ithile ngokujonga imeko esiphila kuzo gabalala, ekuhlaleni, emakhayeni ethu nakwii ndawo esixelenga kuzo. Mhlawumbi kuyakuvuseleleka iingcinga neenkumbulo zamhla-mnene, okanye ibophe nezilonda ezimanzi. Ukwanda kwaliwa ngumthakathi. . . Nangomso. , This thesis is presented in two parts: English and isiXhosa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Billie, Ayanda
- Date: 2016
- Language: English , Xhosa
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:6012 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/1021231
- Description: One theme of this collection is the joy and the deep seated grief of my community of Kwa-Nobuhle; the brightness of hope on the faces on children running around our streets, the strides made by their mothers, the confusion of factory workers who are lost in darkness since the dawn of new dispensation. Then there are more personal poems: my own joys as well as the difficulties that have kept me from sleep and strangled my dreams as a writer, even though like Mafika Gwala, I believe that “words are born the way mothers beget children/words are born to survive time”. My style is influenced by imagistic, mystic and soulful poetry, such as the haunting Spanish voice of Garcia Lorca who wrote “I lose myself in the heart of certain children” and the absorbing isiXhosa voice of S E K Mqhayi. In response to their poetry my offering will be words that enliven us; my style will be what I see in the mirror, through the window, the sound of rain on my zinc roof and what frightens me. , Ndixomoloze ndiboph’ amaxonya, ndisenza eli linge lokuzama ukuxhathalaza kulo msinga uzakutshayela ulwimi lwethu. Nantso ke incwadana ndiyithe qhiwu ngendebe endiyithiye ngegama elithi Umhlaba Umanzi. Umhlaba umanzi ziinyembezi zabalilayo, umanzi kukubila kwabasebenzi besombha eludakeni, ufumile ziinkathazo zeminyaka zesizukulwana sesizukulwana. Injongo endifuna ukuyifezekisa ngeli nqaku yeyokuba umntu achole ntwana ithile ngokujonga imeko esiphila kuzo gabalala, ekuhlaleni, emakhayeni ethu nakwii ndawo esixelenga kuzo. Mhlawumbi kuyakuvuseleleka iingcinga neenkumbulo zamhla-mnene, okanye ibophe nezilonda ezimanzi. Ukwanda kwaliwa ngumthakathi. . . Nangomso. , This thesis is presented in two parts: English and isiXhosa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Impact of sectoral determinations in previously unregulated sectors: a case study of domestic work in Grahamstown
- Authors: Nxokweni, Saphokazi
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/3761 , vital:20542
- Description: Domestic labour is widely recognized as one of the most vulnerable labour sectors, both nationally and internationally. In South Africa, sectoral determination 7 was specifically developed to protect domestic workers’ rights and provide them with the means to negotiate with and hold employers to account. However, research over the past years has demonstrated that, while some areas of domestic labour have improved, many workers are still locked in exploitative labour relationships. This research shows that it may seem as if there are significant changes in this sector since the introduction of the sectoral determination, but paternalistic orientations, one-of-the-family myths, and food distribution suggest otherwise. The research concluded that continuities of exploitative and discriminatory practices are still prominent in the employment relationship when viewed through the lens of paternalistic care, food distribution, and the ‘one-of-the-family’ myth.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Nxokweni, Saphokazi
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/3761 , vital:20542
- Description: Domestic labour is widely recognized as one of the most vulnerable labour sectors, both nationally and internationally. In South Africa, sectoral determination 7 was specifically developed to protect domestic workers’ rights and provide them with the means to negotiate with and hold employers to account. However, research over the past years has demonstrated that, while some areas of domestic labour have improved, many workers are still locked in exploitative labour relationships. This research shows that it may seem as if there are significant changes in this sector since the introduction of the sectoral determination, but paternalistic orientations, one-of-the-family myths, and food distribution suggest otherwise. The research concluded that continuities of exploitative and discriminatory practices are still prominent in the employment relationship when viewed through the lens of paternalistic care, food distribution, and the ‘one-of-the-family’ myth.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Improved singlet oxygen generation by a novel bodipy dye and a study of upconverison nanoparticles mixed with a functionalized bodipy compound
- Wildervanck, Martijn Johannes
- Authors: Wildervanck, Martijn Johannes
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/3718 , vital:20538
- Description: This research explores the use of the versatile 4,4-difluoro-4-boro-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene (BODIPY) dyes and the modification of their spectroscopic properties. The synthesis of a tetramethyl-BODIPY bearing a sterically hindered meso-phenyl ring with an ethynyl functional group at the para-position was compared to that of its freely rotating counterpart with no methyl substituents on the BODIPY core, with the fluorescence properties in particular proving to be markedly different. These phenyl-ethynyl-substituted BODIPYs were used as the starting materials for the synthesis of novel BODIPY dyes for sensor applications via Sonogashira coupling reactions at the ethynyl position, but this resulted instead in the serendipitous synthesis of a novel BODIPY dimer in which the para-positions of the meso-phenyl rings are linked by a diethynyl bridge. Following iodination at the 2, 6-positions, the dimer was found to have a singlet oxygen quantum yield of 0.88, compared to the value of 0.86 that was obtained for the analogous monomer. Since the εmax values for the main spectral bands of the dimers are significantly higher, the compounds may be of interest for singlet oxygen generation applications. A second study was carried out on the interaction between methyl ester functionalized BODIPY dyes and upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) to explore the possible use of BODIPY-UCNP conjugates in biomedical applications. The singlet oxygen generation properties of the BODIPY were tested following iodination at the 2, 6-positions, a singlet oxygen quantum yield value of 0.86 was obtained. Three sets of oleate capped UCNPs were synthesized with different diameters and were rendered water dispersible with the addition of a silica shell. The necessary scaffolding for conjugation to the BODIPY was provided by amine groups following functionalization of this shell. All of the sets of oleate capped and silica coated UCNPs were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and their emission properties were studied upon excitation at 978 nm with a diode laser with a Picoquant Fluotime 300 spectrophotometer that enables the measurement of anti-Stokes emission. The potential utility of UCNP-BODIPY conjugates for singlet oxygen applications, such as PDT, was then assessed.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Wildervanck, Martijn Johannes
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/3718 , vital:20538
- Description: This research explores the use of the versatile 4,4-difluoro-4-boro-3a,4a-diaza-s-indacene (BODIPY) dyes and the modification of their spectroscopic properties. The synthesis of a tetramethyl-BODIPY bearing a sterically hindered meso-phenyl ring with an ethynyl functional group at the para-position was compared to that of its freely rotating counterpart with no methyl substituents on the BODIPY core, with the fluorescence properties in particular proving to be markedly different. These phenyl-ethynyl-substituted BODIPYs were used as the starting materials for the synthesis of novel BODIPY dyes for sensor applications via Sonogashira coupling reactions at the ethynyl position, but this resulted instead in the serendipitous synthesis of a novel BODIPY dimer in which the para-positions of the meso-phenyl rings are linked by a diethynyl bridge. Following iodination at the 2, 6-positions, the dimer was found to have a singlet oxygen quantum yield of 0.88, compared to the value of 0.86 that was obtained for the analogous monomer. Since the εmax values for the main spectral bands of the dimers are significantly higher, the compounds may be of interest for singlet oxygen generation applications. A second study was carried out on the interaction between methyl ester functionalized BODIPY dyes and upconversion nanoparticles (UCNPs) to explore the possible use of BODIPY-UCNP conjugates in biomedical applications. The singlet oxygen generation properties of the BODIPY were tested following iodination at the 2, 6-positions, a singlet oxygen quantum yield value of 0.86 was obtained. Three sets of oleate capped UCNPs were synthesized with different diameters and were rendered water dispersible with the addition of a silica shell. The necessary scaffolding for conjugation to the BODIPY was provided by amine groups following functionalization of this shell. All of the sets of oleate capped and silica coated UCNPs were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray diffractometry (XRD) and their emission properties were studied upon excitation at 978 nm with a diode laser with a Picoquant Fluotime 300 spectrophotometer that enables the measurement of anti-Stokes emission. The potential utility of UCNP-BODIPY conjugates for singlet oxygen applications, such as PDT, was then assessed.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
In silico analysis of the effects of non-synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms on the human macrophage migration inhibitory factor gene and their possible role in human African trypanosomiasis susceptibility
- Authors: Kimuda, Magambo Philip
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/3047 , vital:20355
- Description: Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) is a public health problem in sub-Saharan Africa, with approximately 10,000 cases being reported per year. The Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor (MIF) which is encoded by a functionally polymorphic gene is important in both innate andadaptive immune responses, and has been implicated in affecting the outcome and processes of several inflammatory conditions. A recent study in mice to that effect showed that MIF deficient and anti-MIF antibody treated mice showed lowered inflammatory responses, liver damage and anaemia than the wild type mice when experimentally challenged with Trypanosomes. These findings could mean that the transcript levels and/or polymorphisms in this gene can possibly affect individual risk to trypanosomiasis. This is especially of interest because there have been reports of spontaneous recovery i.e self-cure/resistance in some HAT cases in West Africa. Prior to this discovery the general paradigm was that trypanosomiasis is fatal if left untreated. The aim of this study was to gain insights into how human genetic variation in forms of nonsynonymous SNPs affects the MIF structure and function and possibly HAT susceptibility. NsSNPs in the mif gene were obtained from dbSNP. Through homology modeling, SNP prediction tools, protein interface analysis, alanine scanning, changes in free energy of folding, protein interactions calculator (PIC), and molecular dynamics simulations, SNP effects on the protein structure and function were studied. The study cohort comprised of human genome sequence data from 50 North Western Uganda Lugbara endemic individuals of whom 20 were cases (previous HAT patients) and 30 were controls (HAT free individuals). None of the 26 nsSNPs retrieved from dbSNP (July 2015) were present in the mif gene region in the study cohort. Out of the eight variants called in the mif coding region there was only one missense variant rs36065127 whose clinical significance is unknown. It was not possible to test for association of this variant with HAT due to its low global MAF that was less than 0.05. Alanine scanning provided a fast and computationally cheap means of quickly assessing nsSNPs of importance. NsSNPs that were interface residues were more likely to be hotspots (important in protein stability). Assessment of possible compensatory mutations using PIC analysis showed that some nsSNP sites were interacting with others, but this requires further experimentation. Analysis of changes in free energy using FOLDX was not enough to predict which nsSNPs would adversely affect protein structure, function and kinetics. The MD simulations were unfortunately too short to glean any meaningful inferences. This was the first genetic study carried out on the people of Lugbara ethnicity from North Western Uganda.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Kimuda, Magambo Philip
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/3047 , vital:20355
- Description: Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) is a public health problem in sub-Saharan Africa, with approximately 10,000 cases being reported per year. The Macrophage Migration Inhibitory Factor (MIF) which is encoded by a functionally polymorphic gene is important in both innate andadaptive immune responses, and has been implicated in affecting the outcome and processes of several inflammatory conditions. A recent study in mice to that effect showed that MIF deficient and anti-MIF antibody treated mice showed lowered inflammatory responses, liver damage and anaemia than the wild type mice when experimentally challenged with Trypanosomes. These findings could mean that the transcript levels and/or polymorphisms in this gene can possibly affect individual risk to trypanosomiasis. This is especially of interest because there have been reports of spontaneous recovery i.e self-cure/resistance in some HAT cases in West Africa. Prior to this discovery the general paradigm was that trypanosomiasis is fatal if left untreated. The aim of this study was to gain insights into how human genetic variation in forms of nonsynonymous SNPs affects the MIF structure and function and possibly HAT susceptibility. NsSNPs in the mif gene were obtained from dbSNP. Through homology modeling, SNP prediction tools, protein interface analysis, alanine scanning, changes in free energy of folding, protein interactions calculator (PIC), and molecular dynamics simulations, SNP effects on the protein structure and function were studied. The study cohort comprised of human genome sequence data from 50 North Western Uganda Lugbara endemic individuals of whom 20 were cases (previous HAT patients) and 30 were controls (HAT free individuals). None of the 26 nsSNPs retrieved from dbSNP (July 2015) were present in the mif gene region in the study cohort. Out of the eight variants called in the mif coding region there was only one missense variant rs36065127 whose clinical significance is unknown. It was not possible to test for association of this variant with HAT due to its low global MAF that was less than 0.05. Alanine scanning provided a fast and computationally cheap means of quickly assessing nsSNPs of importance. NsSNPs that were interface residues were more likely to be hotspots (important in protein stability). Assessment of possible compensatory mutations using PIC analysis showed that some nsSNP sites were interacting with others, but this requires further experimentation. Analysis of changes in free energy using FOLDX was not enough to predict which nsSNPs would adversely affect protein structure, function and kinetics. The MD simulations were unfortunately too short to glean any meaningful inferences. This was the first genetic study carried out on the people of Lugbara ethnicity from North Western Uganda.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Industrial policy, institutions and industrial financing in South Africa: the role of the IDC and DBSA, and lessons from Brazil’s BNDES
- Authors: Fumbata, Nandipha
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:1132 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1021278
- Description: Institutions, particularly development finance institutions (DFIs) have been instrumental in economic development and the implementation of industrial policy throughout history. In 2007, the South African government identified the country’s DFIs as key to the implementation of its new industrial policy framework with the main objective of job creation. This thesis examines the impact that South Africa’s DFIs, particularly the IDC and the DBSA, have had on employment creation from 2010 to 2014. A comparative institutional approach is adopted in a case study analysis examining the role of the state in industrial financing. The financing activities of Brazil’s BNDES are explored by comparison to determine if there are possible lessons for South Africa. An analysis of the DFIs’ financial and annual reports and government policy documents is conducted. The political settlements framework is used as a basis for understanding the balance of power within the country and the impact this has had on the country’s industrial policy and industrial finance. The thesis finds that the financing activities of South Africa’s DFIs, particularly the IDC, have been directed at large scale capital intensive projects, with a large portion of disbursements channelled towards mining and mineral beneficiation. These sectors have also facilitated the most number of jobs. Even though the activities of the country’s DFIs are consistent with South Africa’s industrial policy and have facilitated job creation, it is evident that these efforts have not been on a scale that is large enough to reduce unemployment. Despite the DFIs’ efforts, there has been an increase in the number of unemployed South Africans between 2010 and 2014.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Fumbata, Nandipha
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:1132 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1021278
- Description: Institutions, particularly development finance institutions (DFIs) have been instrumental in economic development and the implementation of industrial policy throughout history. In 2007, the South African government identified the country’s DFIs as key to the implementation of its new industrial policy framework with the main objective of job creation. This thesis examines the impact that South Africa’s DFIs, particularly the IDC and the DBSA, have had on employment creation from 2010 to 2014. A comparative institutional approach is adopted in a case study analysis examining the role of the state in industrial financing. The financing activities of Brazil’s BNDES are explored by comparison to determine if there are possible lessons for South Africa. An analysis of the DFIs’ financial and annual reports and government policy documents is conducted. The political settlements framework is used as a basis for understanding the balance of power within the country and the impact this has had on the country’s industrial policy and industrial finance. The thesis finds that the financing activities of South Africa’s DFIs, particularly the IDC, have been directed at large scale capital intensive projects, with a large portion of disbursements channelled towards mining and mineral beneficiation. These sectors have also facilitated the most number of jobs. Even though the activities of the country’s DFIs are consistent with South Africa’s industrial policy and have facilitated job creation, it is evident that these efforts have not been on a scale that is large enough to reduce unemployment. Despite the DFIs’ efforts, there has been an increase in the number of unemployed South Africans between 2010 and 2014.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Inequality in South Africa: a possible solution within the labour market
- Authors: Ferreira, John-Edward
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/4047 , vital:20594
- Description: This study sets out to identify the most effective way in which persistently and unacceptably high levels of inequality can be reduced in South Africa. Three alternative approaches were identified from the literature and their impact explored statistically. They are: the introduction of a ‘Social Solidarity Grant’; a decrease in unemployment by 5%; and a narrowing of the skill premium through an expansion of tertiary education. It is important to note that the study makes no attempt at explaining how these outcomes might be implemented or achieved. Rather, it sets out to determine only the effect that such policies may have on measured inequality. It was found that while the introduction of a new grant had a significant effect on inequality, this effect however, was once-off. The grant would be financed by individuals in the top decile through tax increases, which would be a complicated endeavour. Both job creation and a narrowing of the skills premium were significantly effective in decreasing inequality. The narrowing of the skills premium showed more promise due to its accelerating effectiveness in decreasing inequality over time and the fact that it directly addresses the problem of wage differentials. It was noted that the extreme levels of poverty and unemployment in South Africa may dampen enthusiasm for policies that narrow the skills premium to reduce inequality. These characteristics make job creation a more popular policy option because of the positive impact on poverty and unemployment as well as on inequality.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Ferreira, John-Edward
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/4047 , vital:20594
- Description: This study sets out to identify the most effective way in which persistently and unacceptably high levels of inequality can be reduced in South Africa. Three alternative approaches were identified from the literature and their impact explored statistically. They are: the introduction of a ‘Social Solidarity Grant’; a decrease in unemployment by 5%; and a narrowing of the skill premium through an expansion of tertiary education. It is important to note that the study makes no attempt at explaining how these outcomes might be implemented or achieved. Rather, it sets out to determine only the effect that such policies may have on measured inequality. It was found that while the introduction of a new grant had a significant effect on inequality, this effect however, was once-off. The grant would be financed by individuals in the top decile through tax increases, which would be a complicated endeavour. Both job creation and a narrowing of the skills premium were significantly effective in decreasing inequality. The narrowing of the skills premium showed more promise due to its accelerating effectiveness in decreasing inequality over time and the fact that it directly addresses the problem of wage differentials. It was noted that the extreme levels of poverty and unemployment in South Africa may dampen enthusiasm for policies that narrow the skills premium to reduce inequality. These characteristics make job creation a more popular policy option because of the positive impact on poverty and unemployment as well as on inequality.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Information security concerns around enterprise bring your own device adoption in South African higher education institutions
- Authors: Sauls, Gershwin Ashton
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/3619 , vital:20530
- Description: The research carried out in this thesis is an investigation into the information security concerns around the use of personally-owned mobile devices within South African universities. This concept, which is more commonly known as Bring Your Own Device or BYOD has raised many data loss concerns for organizational IT Departments across various industries worldwide. Universities as institutions are designed to facilitate research and learning and as such, have a strong culture toward the sharing of information which complicates management of these data loss concerns even further. As such, the objectives of the research were to determine the acceptance levels of BYOD within South African universities in relation to the perceived security risks. Thereafter, an investigation into which security practices, if any, that South African universities are using to minimize the information security concerns was carried out by means of a targeted online questionnaire. An extensive literature review was first carried out to evaluate the motivation for the research and to assess advantages of using Smartphone and Tablet PC’s for work related purposes. Thereafter, to determine security concerns, other surveys and related work was consulted to determine the relevant questions needed by the online questionnaire. The quantity of comprehensive academic studies concerning the security aspects of BYOD within organizations was very limited and because of this reason, the research took on a highly exploratory design. Finally, the research deliberated on the results of the online questionnaire and concluded with a strategy for the implementation of a mobile device security strategy for using personally-owned devices in a work-related environment.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Sauls, Gershwin Ashton
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/3619 , vital:20530
- Description: The research carried out in this thesis is an investigation into the information security concerns around the use of personally-owned mobile devices within South African universities. This concept, which is more commonly known as Bring Your Own Device or BYOD has raised many data loss concerns for organizational IT Departments across various industries worldwide. Universities as institutions are designed to facilitate research and learning and as such, have a strong culture toward the sharing of information which complicates management of these data loss concerns even further. As such, the objectives of the research were to determine the acceptance levels of BYOD within South African universities in relation to the perceived security risks. Thereafter, an investigation into which security practices, if any, that South African universities are using to minimize the information security concerns was carried out by means of a targeted online questionnaire. An extensive literature review was first carried out to evaluate the motivation for the research and to assess advantages of using Smartphone and Tablet PC’s for work related purposes. Thereafter, to determine security concerns, other surveys and related work was consulted to determine the relevant questions needed by the online questionnaire. The quantity of comprehensive academic studies concerning the security aspects of BYOD within organizations was very limited and because of this reason, the research took on a highly exploratory design. Finally, the research deliberated on the results of the online questionnaire and concluded with a strategy for the implementation of a mobile device security strategy for using personally-owned devices in a work-related environment.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Institutional change, institutional isolation and biodiversity governance in South Africa: a case study of the trout industry in alien and invasive species regulatory reforms
- Authors: Marire, Juniours
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/639 , vital:19977
- Description: The world, in recent decades, has witnessed an incalculable surge in global “wicked” policy problems that have long-term, and most often irreversible, impacts, not least terrorism, climate change, biodiversity losses and desertification. Wicked problems are wicked because there is no single epistemological system that can adequately coordinate policy action for addressing them. Literature abounds with international case studies of opposition to national institutions that are designed to put into effect global and regional policies for resolving wicked problems. This raises questions about what constitutes reasonable institutions, how such institutions can be designed and why societies sometimes fail to develop such institutions despite the obvious need for them. As a point of entry into these issues, the thesis adapted and extended the Northean (2007, 2012) macro meta-theoretic framework for studying the violence-development relationship, which focuses on the role of political and economic competition in the emergence of ‘right’ institutions that promote development, while containing violence. The Northean framework conceptualises two mutually exclusive social orders – the limited access order and the open access order – which provide the socio-cultural context for the evolution of specific institutions. The macro meta-theoretic framework was transformed into a micro metatheoretic framework in such a way that the limited access order and the open access order co-existed in the evolution of specific institutions. This reconceptualisation built on Bromley’s (2004, 2006) two realms of public policy: the realm of reasons (legislative-judicial system) and the realm of rules (administrative system) as well as the feminist concept of epistemic violence, which broadened the concept of violence from being exclusively physical to including the sociocognitive. The feminist concept of epistemic oppression logically fitted into, and became a new sub-category of, Commons’ (1899, 1924, 1934) theories of sovereignty and negotiational psychology. The innovations showed that either of these realms can be a limited access order, while the other can be an open access order or both can be open access orders or both can be limited access orders. The conceptual innovations were then used as an interpretive scheme in analysing the evolution of the South African invasive alien species regulatory reforms under the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act of 2004, using a case study of the trout sector, which was the most opposed to the reforms. There was a general perception among socioeconomic sectors that utilise invasive alien species that the regulatory reform processes for the governance of such species had institutionally isolated the sectors. Because of this perception, the regulatory reform process was contested, and implementation of the Fifth Chapter of the Act, which deals with the governance of invasive alien species, was delayed for nearly a decade. The thesis evaluated whether institutional isolation existed and how and why it came to be since it has implications for the reasonableness of emerging regulatory institutions, economic performance of sectors and efficient allocation of fiscal resources in institutional design processes. A mixed methods methodology was used, which included data analysis techniques such as semiosis, exploratory factor analysis, econometric estimation and document analysis. Policy documents, an online survey and key informant interviews comprised the data. The findings suggested six dimensions of institutional change that a theory of institutional change might have to address: the origin and continuity of pecuniary institutions; selfreinforcing mechanisms of the limited access policymaking order; succession and disbandment of the limited access policymaking order; exclusivity of negotiations in institutional design; tiers of institutional isolation; and the role of administrative discontinuities. Findings suggested that institutional isolation existed in the regulatory process, manifesting in three forms: administrative isolation, epistemological isolation and sectoral isolation. Administrative isolation was the most complex of the three in that it also involved a less obvious process of institutional isolation in the form of administrative redefinition of opportunity sets that were already legislatively redefined. The mechanisms of institutional isolation through which administrative isolation was sustained were administrative financing of research and careerism. The two mechanisms created a revolving door-type scenario through which invasion biologists supplied the administrative agency with candidates for senior (decision making) positions and the administrative agency, in turn, demanded specific types of knowledge over which the same epistemic community had a monopoly. The revolving door-type scenario was found to ideologically and physically entrench invasion biologists into the regulatory community. The consequence of the entrenchment was institutional hegemony, which manifested itself through the mechanism of epistemic violence insofar as the invasion biologists became the epistemic arbiters about what kinds of ideas and institutions really mattered in the governance of invasive alien species. Econometric estimates suggested that the extent to which an emerging institution is perceived to be reasonable by regulated sectors depends on the extent to which the institution is designed in a participatory and inclusive manner (that is, using integrative knowledge systems), the extent to which the designers used credible evidence and contextualised international evidence as well as the extent to which the emergent biodiversity governance institution was anthropocentric. However, findings suggested that the South African regulatory reform process fell short on all these four dimensions of reasonable institutions, which is characteristic of institutional design process shaped by hegemonic social imaginaries, resulting in institutional isolation. Emerging from the findings are several theoretical insights. Bush’s (1987) concept of institutional spaces under the Veblenian Dichotomy was extended, the result of which was identification of two stable institutional equilibria – one ceremonial and another instrumental. The ceremonial equilibrium was a typical limited access policymaking order and was responsible for the historical and present emergence of regressive institutions. Findings also suggested that the entrenched invasion biologists ceremonially encapsulated the knowledge fund that had been accumulated since the 1980s, which could have facilitated the consensual design of regulatory institutions for invasive alien species without protracted controversy. Findings suggested that a limited access policymaking order could only be disbanded by the intervention of an external sovereign agent (in this case the office of the state president) since the administrative agency, and the epistemic community that advised it, adopted the solutions that were empirically tested and proposed in the 1980s only after the intervention of the external sovereign agent. The instrumental equilibrium repealed the contested prisoner’s dilemma that was characteristic of the policy process and turned it into an assurance policy game by facilitating the identification of common interests. This finding logically links the study to a recent theoretical development in institutional theory – Ordonomics – which focuses on the causality between ideas and institutions. The findings imply that it is possible to design reasonable institutions as long as integrative (transdisciplinary) knowledge systems, including the non-scientific knowledge of the resource users, are incorporated. Integrative knowledge systems facilitate semantic innovations, which create social DNA, but epistemic violence destroys social DNA. They also imply that reliance on unidisciplinary knowledge systems in institutional design induces a large and inefficient transaction cost burden of public policy on the fiscus and private agents alike because of the inevitability of controversy, especially for wicked policy problems.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Marire, Juniours
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/639 , vital:19977
- Description: The world, in recent decades, has witnessed an incalculable surge in global “wicked” policy problems that have long-term, and most often irreversible, impacts, not least terrorism, climate change, biodiversity losses and desertification. Wicked problems are wicked because there is no single epistemological system that can adequately coordinate policy action for addressing them. Literature abounds with international case studies of opposition to national institutions that are designed to put into effect global and regional policies for resolving wicked problems. This raises questions about what constitutes reasonable institutions, how such institutions can be designed and why societies sometimes fail to develop such institutions despite the obvious need for them. As a point of entry into these issues, the thesis adapted and extended the Northean (2007, 2012) macro meta-theoretic framework for studying the violence-development relationship, which focuses on the role of political and economic competition in the emergence of ‘right’ institutions that promote development, while containing violence. The Northean framework conceptualises two mutually exclusive social orders – the limited access order and the open access order – which provide the socio-cultural context for the evolution of specific institutions. The macro meta-theoretic framework was transformed into a micro metatheoretic framework in such a way that the limited access order and the open access order co-existed in the evolution of specific institutions. This reconceptualisation built on Bromley’s (2004, 2006) two realms of public policy: the realm of reasons (legislative-judicial system) and the realm of rules (administrative system) as well as the feminist concept of epistemic violence, which broadened the concept of violence from being exclusively physical to including the sociocognitive. The feminist concept of epistemic oppression logically fitted into, and became a new sub-category of, Commons’ (1899, 1924, 1934) theories of sovereignty and negotiational psychology. The innovations showed that either of these realms can be a limited access order, while the other can be an open access order or both can be open access orders or both can be limited access orders. The conceptual innovations were then used as an interpretive scheme in analysing the evolution of the South African invasive alien species regulatory reforms under the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act of 2004, using a case study of the trout sector, which was the most opposed to the reforms. There was a general perception among socioeconomic sectors that utilise invasive alien species that the regulatory reform processes for the governance of such species had institutionally isolated the sectors. Because of this perception, the regulatory reform process was contested, and implementation of the Fifth Chapter of the Act, which deals with the governance of invasive alien species, was delayed for nearly a decade. The thesis evaluated whether institutional isolation existed and how and why it came to be since it has implications for the reasonableness of emerging regulatory institutions, economic performance of sectors and efficient allocation of fiscal resources in institutional design processes. A mixed methods methodology was used, which included data analysis techniques such as semiosis, exploratory factor analysis, econometric estimation and document analysis. Policy documents, an online survey and key informant interviews comprised the data. The findings suggested six dimensions of institutional change that a theory of institutional change might have to address: the origin and continuity of pecuniary institutions; selfreinforcing mechanisms of the limited access policymaking order; succession and disbandment of the limited access policymaking order; exclusivity of negotiations in institutional design; tiers of institutional isolation; and the role of administrative discontinuities. Findings suggested that institutional isolation existed in the regulatory process, manifesting in three forms: administrative isolation, epistemological isolation and sectoral isolation. Administrative isolation was the most complex of the three in that it also involved a less obvious process of institutional isolation in the form of administrative redefinition of opportunity sets that were already legislatively redefined. The mechanisms of institutional isolation through which administrative isolation was sustained were administrative financing of research and careerism. The two mechanisms created a revolving door-type scenario through which invasion biologists supplied the administrative agency with candidates for senior (decision making) positions and the administrative agency, in turn, demanded specific types of knowledge over which the same epistemic community had a monopoly. The revolving door-type scenario was found to ideologically and physically entrench invasion biologists into the regulatory community. The consequence of the entrenchment was institutional hegemony, which manifested itself through the mechanism of epistemic violence insofar as the invasion biologists became the epistemic arbiters about what kinds of ideas and institutions really mattered in the governance of invasive alien species. Econometric estimates suggested that the extent to which an emerging institution is perceived to be reasonable by regulated sectors depends on the extent to which the institution is designed in a participatory and inclusive manner (that is, using integrative knowledge systems), the extent to which the designers used credible evidence and contextualised international evidence as well as the extent to which the emergent biodiversity governance institution was anthropocentric. However, findings suggested that the South African regulatory reform process fell short on all these four dimensions of reasonable institutions, which is characteristic of institutional design process shaped by hegemonic social imaginaries, resulting in institutional isolation. Emerging from the findings are several theoretical insights. Bush’s (1987) concept of institutional spaces under the Veblenian Dichotomy was extended, the result of which was identification of two stable institutional equilibria – one ceremonial and another instrumental. The ceremonial equilibrium was a typical limited access policymaking order and was responsible for the historical and present emergence of regressive institutions. Findings also suggested that the entrenched invasion biologists ceremonially encapsulated the knowledge fund that had been accumulated since the 1980s, which could have facilitated the consensual design of regulatory institutions for invasive alien species without protracted controversy. Findings suggested that a limited access policymaking order could only be disbanded by the intervention of an external sovereign agent (in this case the office of the state president) since the administrative agency, and the epistemic community that advised it, adopted the solutions that were empirically tested and proposed in the 1980s only after the intervention of the external sovereign agent. The instrumental equilibrium repealed the contested prisoner’s dilemma that was characteristic of the policy process and turned it into an assurance policy game by facilitating the identification of common interests. This finding logically links the study to a recent theoretical development in institutional theory – Ordonomics – which focuses on the causality between ideas and institutions. The findings imply that it is possible to design reasonable institutions as long as integrative (transdisciplinary) knowledge systems, including the non-scientific knowledge of the resource users, are incorporated. Integrative knowledge systems facilitate semantic innovations, which create social DNA, but epistemic violence destroys social DNA. They also imply that reliance on unidisciplinary knowledge systems in institutional design induces a large and inefficient transaction cost burden of public policy on the fiscus and private agents alike because of the inevitability of controversy, especially for wicked policy problems.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Integrated Algae Pond Systems for the Treatment of Municipal Wastewater
- Authors: Mambo, Mutsa Prudence
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:5960 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1021258
- Description: Integrated algae pond systems are a derivation of the Oswald designed advanced integrated wastewater ponding system, and combine the use of anaerobic and aerobic bioprocesses to effect wastewater treatment. Integrated algae pond system technology was introduced to South Africa in 1996 and a pilot plant was designed and commissioned at the Belmont Valley wastewater treatment works in Grahamstown. Previous studies showed that this system delivered a final effluent superior to most pond systems deployed in South Africa but that it was unable to meet the general standard for nutrient removal and effluent discharge. This study was initiated to re-appraise integrated algae pond systems and to assess the potential of the technology as an effective municipal sewage treatment system. And more...
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Mambo, Mutsa Prudence
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:5960 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1021258
- Description: Integrated algae pond systems are a derivation of the Oswald designed advanced integrated wastewater ponding system, and combine the use of anaerobic and aerobic bioprocesses to effect wastewater treatment. Integrated algae pond system technology was introduced to South Africa in 1996 and a pilot plant was designed and commissioned at the Belmont Valley wastewater treatment works in Grahamstown. Previous studies showed that this system delivered a final effluent superior to most pond systems deployed in South Africa but that it was unable to meet the general standard for nutrient removal and effluent discharge. This study was initiated to re-appraise integrated algae pond systems and to assess the potential of the technology as an effective municipal sewage treatment system. And more...
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Internal fingerprint extraction
- Authors: Darlow, Luke Nicholas
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/2959 , vital:20347
- Description: Fingerprints are a non-invasive biometric that possess significant advantages. However, they are subject to surface erosion and damage; distortion upon scanning; and are vulnerable to fingerprint spoofing. The internal fingerprint exists as the undulations of the papillary junction - an intermediary layer of skin - and provides a solution to these disadvantages. Optical coherence tomography is used to capture the internal fingerprint. A depth profile of the papillary junction throughout the OCT scans is first constructed using fuzzy c-means clustering and a fine-tuning procedure. This information is then used to define localised regions over which to average pixels for the resultant internal fingerprint. When compared to a ground-truth internal fingerprint zone, the internal fingerprint zone detected automatically is within the measured bounds of human error. With a mean- squared-error of 21.3 and structural similarity of 96.4%, the internal fingerprint zone was successfully found and described. The extracted fingerprints exceed their surface counterparts with respect to orientation certainty and NFIQ scores (both of which are respected fingerprint quality assessment criteria). Internal to surface fingerprint correspondence and internal fingerprint cross correspondence were also measured. A larger scanned region is shown to be advantageous as internal fingerprints extracted from these scans have good surface correspondence (75% had at least one true match with a surface counterpart). It is also evidenced that internal fingerprints can constitute a fingerprint database. 96% of the internal fingerprints extracted had at least one corresponding match with another internal fingerprint. When compared to surface fingerprints cropped to match the internal fingerprints’ representative area and locality, the internal fingerprints outperformed these cropped surface counterparts. The internal fingerprint is an attractive biometric solution. This research develops a novel approach to extracting the internal fingerprint and is an asset to the further development of technologies surrounding fingerprint extraction from OCT scans. No earlier work has extracted or tested the internal fingerprint to the degree that this research has.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Darlow, Luke Nicholas
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/2959 , vital:20347
- Description: Fingerprints are a non-invasive biometric that possess significant advantages. However, they are subject to surface erosion and damage; distortion upon scanning; and are vulnerable to fingerprint spoofing. The internal fingerprint exists as the undulations of the papillary junction - an intermediary layer of skin - and provides a solution to these disadvantages. Optical coherence tomography is used to capture the internal fingerprint. A depth profile of the papillary junction throughout the OCT scans is first constructed using fuzzy c-means clustering and a fine-tuning procedure. This information is then used to define localised regions over which to average pixels for the resultant internal fingerprint. When compared to a ground-truth internal fingerprint zone, the internal fingerprint zone detected automatically is within the measured bounds of human error. With a mean- squared-error of 21.3 and structural similarity of 96.4%, the internal fingerprint zone was successfully found and described. The extracted fingerprints exceed their surface counterparts with respect to orientation certainty and NFIQ scores (both of which are respected fingerprint quality assessment criteria). Internal to surface fingerprint correspondence and internal fingerprint cross correspondence were also measured. A larger scanned region is shown to be advantageous as internal fingerprints extracted from these scans have good surface correspondence (75% had at least one true match with a surface counterpart). It is also evidenced that internal fingerprints can constitute a fingerprint database. 96% of the internal fingerprints extracted had at least one corresponding match with another internal fingerprint. When compared to surface fingerprints cropped to match the internal fingerprints’ representative area and locality, the internal fingerprints outperformed these cropped surface counterparts. The internal fingerprint is an attractive biometric solution. This research develops a novel approach to extracting the internal fingerprint and is an asset to the further development of technologies surrounding fingerprint extraction from OCT scans. No earlier work has extracted or tested the internal fingerprint to the degree that this research has.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Interrogating the specific challenges of teaching play texts in heterogeneous classrooms in the Eastern Cape
- Authors: Hayes, Nicola
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:6022 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1021251
- Description: This study is an autoethnographic reflection, rooted in Action Research based on my teaching experience in a multicultural high school environment in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. It is an analysis, in particular, of teaching play texts in two classes, Dramatic Arts and English Home Language, at matric level. A combination of discourse analysis and autoethnography formed the theoretical basis for the interpretation of data drawn from lesson transcripts, group interviews, learners’ reflections and my own journalled reflections. This analysis has formed the foundation for a deeper reflection on culture, the colonist within, and the colonialism embedded with in my teaching, and in the education system more broadly. At a practical level, I suggest embracing student-led and co-led discussions of literature, as advocated by Mayer (2012), as well as transcultural readings (Keating, 2007), and Drama activities, as ideals in the teaching of play texts. These techniques are designed to encourage learners to develop intellectual authority as well as allowing them the space to enter discussions around culturally sensitive topics, while minimising the teacher’s hierarchical, dominant position. I also argue for the importance of making culture an overt topic of conversation. White English-speaking South African culture, in particular has been prone to “invisibility” and, through this, an unspoken normative position, particularly in multicultural school environments. I challenge myself and others to engage in ongoing efforts to articulate our particular perception of our cultures, dynamic and diverse though they may be.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Hayes, Nicola
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:6022 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1021251
- Description: This study is an autoethnographic reflection, rooted in Action Research based on my teaching experience in a multicultural high school environment in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. It is an analysis, in particular, of teaching play texts in two classes, Dramatic Arts and English Home Language, at matric level. A combination of discourse analysis and autoethnography formed the theoretical basis for the interpretation of data drawn from lesson transcripts, group interviews, learners’ reflections and my own journalled reflections. This analysis has formed the foundation for a deeper reflection on culture, the colonist within, and the colonialism embedded with in my teaching, and in the education system more broadly. At a practical level, I suggest embracing student-led and co-led discussions of literature, as advocated by Mayer (2012), as well as transcultural readings (Keating, 2007), and Drama activities, as ideals in the teaching of play texts. These techniques are designed to encourage learners to develop intellectual authority as well as allowing them the space to enter discussions around culturally sensitive topics, while minimising the teacher’s hierarchical, dominant position. I also argue for the importance of making culture an overt topic of conversation. White English-speaking South African culture, in particular has been prone to “invisibility” and, through this, an unspoken normative position, particularly in multicultural school environments. I challenge myself and others to engage in ongoing efforts to articulate our particular perception of our cultures, dynamic and diverse though they may be.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Investigating a mathematics recovery program for assessment and intervention with groups of Grade 4 learners
- Authors: Wasserman, Anelia
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Mathematics -- Study and teaching (Primary) , Mathematics -- Evaluation
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:2065 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020340
- Description: This study reports on the findings of my research, which was based on an intervention focused on recovery of early arithmetic strategies with one Grade 4 class of learners in a township school in Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape. Learners came from poor socio-economic backgrounds and initial evaluations showed that the majority of learners still relied on concrete methods, like tally counting, to perform addition and subtraction calculations even with numbers less than 10. This is not uncommon in the South African context especially with learners in low Socio-economic Status (SES) schools. The results of numerous assessments including the Department of Education’s Annual National Assessments point to a crisis in primary mathematics education where intermediate phase learners are generally operating several grade levels below the grade they are in. A large drop in mathematics performance is seen in the ANA results in grade 4 learners (the first grade of the transition from foundation phase to intermediate phase). Within this context, and my background in learning support for students, my research aimed to understand the possibilities and constraints of the implementation of a recovery program adapted from the widely implemented work of Wright et al. (2006, 2012). The primary adaptation made to the MR program involved administering the assessments and intervention with groups of (rather than individual) learners. Within the context of the many low SES under-resourced schools in SA, individualised interview based assessments and recovery is not seen as a possible remediation strategy. Drawing on a socio- constructivist perspective, my study used action research with one class of 23 learners and found that adaptation of the MR program for a group, based on eight recovery sessions, was useful for enabling some progress for all learners in terms of their early arithmetic strategies and conceptual place value. Although the need for a longer recovery period is acknowledged, the adapted program enabled some progress in levels and stages of conceptual knowledge (as conceptualized by Wright et al.’s (2006) Learning Framework in Number) for these two domains. The study concludes with some reflections and recommendations for the future.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Wasserman, Anelia
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Mathematics -- Study and teaching (Primary) , Mathematics -- Evaluation
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:2065 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020340
- Description: This study reports on the findings of my research, which was based on an intervention focused on recovery of early arithmetic strategies with one Grade 4 class of learners in a township school in Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape. Learners came from poor socio-economic backgrounds and initial evaluations showed that the majority of learners still relied on concrete methods, like tally counting, to perform addition and subtraction calculations even with numbers less than 10. This is not uncommon in the South African context especially with learners in low Socio-economic Status (SES) schools. The results of numerous assessments including the Department of Education’s Annual National Assessments point to a crisis in primary mathematics education where intermediate phase learners are generally operating several grade levels below the grade they are in. A large drop in mathematics performance is seen in the ANA results in grade 4 learners (the first grade of the transition from foundation phase to intermediate phase). Within this context, and my background in learning support for students, my research aimed to understand the possibilities and constraints of the implementation of a recovery program adapted from the widely implemented work of Wright et al. (2006, 2012). The primary adaptation made to the MR program involved administering the assessments and intervention with groups of (rather than individual) learners. Within the context of the many low SES under-resourced schools in SA, individualised interview based assessments and recovery is not seen as a possible remediation strategy. Drawing on a socio- constructivist perspective, my study used action research with one class of 23 learners and found that adaptation of the MR program for a group, based on eight recovery sessions, was useful for enabling some progress for all learners in terms of their early arithmetic strategies and conceptual place value. Although the need for a longer recovery period is acknowledged, the adapted program enabled some progress in levels and stages of conceptual knowledge (as conceptualized by Wright et al.’s (2006) Learning Framework in Number) for these two domains. The study concludes with some reflections and recommendations for the future.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Investigating soil microbial interactions of Portulacaria afra
- Authors: Fulmaka, Aviwe
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/54598 , vital:26592
- Description: Portulacaria afra commonly known as Spekboom contributes significantly to carbon sequestration and has been widely planted in degraded areas of the Eastern Cape. Approximately 50% of planted cuttings do not survive although the cause of this decline is unknown. Like many indigenous plants, Spekboom forms a symbiotic relationship with mycorrhizal fungi and the interaction with rhizobacteria may enhance and improve plant growth and establishment. This study aims to investigate these relationships which will include a survey of the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal populations associated with Spekboom, determination of the causal agent of Spekboom decline, isolation and identification of the associated rhizobacteria and investigation of their plant growth promotion properties and assessing the ability of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and selected rhizobacteria to enhance establishment and growth of Spekboom. Soil and root samples from selected trial sites were used to assess AM fungal spore abundance and colonisation; isolation, characterization, and identification of rhizobacteria and determine the interaction of the microbes on Spekboom growth and tolerance to Fusarium. AM spore abundance and percentage root colonisation did not differ between the three Spekboom plots. Molecular analyses of the SSU region from the plots showed 4 families of AM fungi and were identified as Ambisporaceae, Glomeraceae, Claroideoglomeraceae and Paraglomeraceae. A suspected Fusarium pathogen was isolated and molecularly identified. Pathogenicity tests indicated reduced Spekboom growth with poor root development. Thirty four rhizobacterial isolates were tested for various plant growth promoting abilities. Of these, 6 were able to produce IAA which may promote plant root growth, 27 siderophores and 23 were phosphate solubilisers. Bacterial isolates were molecularly identified to be from various species of Bacillus, with some Arthrobacter, Enterobacter, Pseudomonas and Microbacterium. Inoculation of Spekboom cuttings with mycorrhizal fungi and selected rhizobacterial isolates significantly improved shoot height. Spekboom cuttings challenged with Fusarium and inoculated with mycorrhizal fungi and two rhizobacterial isolates significantly improved growth. The inoculation of cuttings in the nursery with mycorrhizal fungi and selected rhizobacteria is recommended prior to establishing Spekboom in the field.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Fulmaka, Aviwe
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/54598 , vital:26592
- Description: Portulacaria afra commonly known as Spekboom contributes significantly to carbon sequestration and has been widely planted in degraded areas of the Eastern Cape. Approximately 50% of planted cuttings do not survive although the cause of this decline is unknown. Like many indigenous plants, Spekboom forms a symbiotic relationship with mycorrhizal fungi and the interaction with rhizobacteria may enhance and improve plant growth and establishment. This study aims to investigate these relationships which will include a survey of the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal populations associated with Spekboom, determination of the causal agent of Spekboom decline, isolation and identification of the associated rhizobacteria and investigation of their plant growth promotion properties and assessing the ability of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and selected rhizobacteria to enhance establishment and growth of Spekboom. Soil and root samples from selected trial sites were used to assess AM fungal spore abundance and colonisation; isolation, characterization, and identification of rhizobacteria and determine the interaction of the microbes on Spekboom growth and tolerance to Fusarium. AM spore abundance and percentage root colonisation did not differ between the three Spekboom plots. Molecular analyses of the SSU region from the plots showed 4 families of AM fungi and were identified as Ambisporaceae, Glomeraceae, Claroideoglomeraceae and Paraglomeraceae. A suspected Fusarium pathogen was isolated and molecularly identified. Pathogenicity tests indicated reduced Spekboom growth with poor root development. Thirty four rhizobacterial isolates were tested for various plant growth promoting abilities. Of these, 6 were able to produce IAA which may promote plant root growth, 27 siderophores and 23 were phosphate solubilisers. Bacterial isolates were molecularly identified to be from various species of Bacillus, with some Arthrobacter, Enterobacter, Pseudomonas and Microbacterium. Inoculation of Spekboom cuttings with mycorrhizal fungi and selected rhizobacterial isolates significantly improved shoot height. Spekboom cuttings challenged with Fusarium and inoculated with mycorrhizal fungi and two rhizobacterial isolates significantly improved growth. The inoculation of cuttings in the nursery with mycorrhizal fungi and selected rhizobacteria is recommended prior to establishing Spekboom in the field.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Investigating teachers’ experiences of using multiple representations to teach fractions for conceptual understanding in 'Grades 5-7': a Namibian case study
- Authors: Iiyambo,Julia
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/1296 , vital:20044
- Description: This study investigated teachers’ experiences of using multiple representations to teach fractions for conceptual understanding in ‘grades 5 – 7’. Three teachers were involved in the study and the main goal was to explore how teachers might work with the additional tools of multiple representations to improve the teaching of fractions for conceptual understanding. Different types of multiple representations such as written mathematical symbols, descriptive written words, pictorial representations, manipulations, concrete reality, oral representations, and experience-based representations and videos or power point presentations were examined. This investigation was carried out through a focus group workshop developed by the researcher and though observations of fraction teaching which took place in schools. The research focused on the teachers working to develop their use of multiple representations to teach fractions and how they implemented what they learned in the workshop into their own classroom teaching. This study was conducted using a qualitative case study design and was oriented in the interpretive paradigm. The three participating teachers in the focus group workshop were observed and interviewed individually. The purpose of observing teaching before the workshop was to observe how the selected teachers taught fractions and in particular to observe which types of representations they used and how these were used to enhance the conceptual understanding of the learners. Post teaching took place after the focus group workshop and the different multiple representations which were used in different lessons were observed and analyzed. The purpose of the interview was to gain an understanding of the teachers’ views of using multiple representations when teaching fractions for conceptual understanding. The data showed that teachers who participated in the focus group workshop worked positively to develop their use of multiple representations to teach fractions. They made sense of fractions and were able to look at representations in different ways to develop the meaning and concepts of fractions. Teachers developed an understanding of working with multiple representations and were able to make connections among concepts and the use of concrete representations. Teachers also developed their lesson plans effectively to involve a variety of teaching methods and multiple representations, despite the limited time available to them. Moreover, teachers used different modes of representation to improve learner engagement in learning activities. Lastly, teachers used multiple representations to teach in ways that improved the learners’ conception of fractions. On the basis of this research, it can be concluded that in-service workshops for teachers on the integration of multiple representative tools in the teaching of ‘Grades 5 – 7’ fractions could provide a valuable contribution to further developing the teaching of fractions in schools.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Iiyambo,Julia
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/1296 , vital:20044
- Description: This study investigated teachers’ experiences of using multiple representations to teach fractions for conceptual understanding in ‘grades 5 – 7’. Three teachers were involved in the study and the main goal was to explore how teachers might work with the additional tools of multiple representations to improve the teaching of fractions for conceptual understanding. Different types of multiple representations such as written mathematical symbols, descriptive written words, pictorial representations, manipulations, concrete reality, oral representations, and experience-based representations and videos or power point presentations were examined. This investigation was carried out through a focus group workshop developed by the researcher and though observations of fraction teaching which took place in schools. The research focused on the teachers working to develop their use of multiple representations to teach fractions and how they implemented what they learned in the workshop into their own classroom teaching. This study was conducted using a qualitative case study design and was oriented in the interpretive paradigm. The three participating teachers in the focus group workshop were observed and interviewed individually. The purpose of observing teaching before the workshop was to observe how the selected teachers taught fractions and in particular to observe which types of representations they used and how these were used to enhance the conceptual understanding of the learners. Post teaching took place after the focus group workshop and the different multiple representations which were used in different lessons were observed and analyzed. The purpose of the interview was to gain an understanding of the teachers’ views of using multiple representations when teaching fractions for conceptual understanding. The data showed that teachers who participated in the focus group workshop worked positively to develop their use of multiple representations to teach fractions. They made sense of fractions and were able to look at representations in different ways to develop the meaning and concepts of fractions. Teachers developed an understanding of working with multiple representations and were able to make connections among concepts and the use of concrete representations. Teachers also developed their lesson plans effectively to involve a variety of teaching methods and multiple representations, despite the limited time available to them. Moreover, teachers used different modes of representation to improve learner engagement in learning activities. Lastly, teachers used multiple representations to teach in ways that improved the learners’ conception of fractions. On the basis of this research, it can be concluded that in-service workshops for teachers on the integration of multiple representative tools in the teaching of ‘Grades 5 – 7’ fractions could provide a valuable contribution to further developing the teaching of fractions in schools.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Investigating the nature of the linguistic challenges of the Department of Basic Education (DBE) 2013 Grade 4 Mathematics ANAs and learners’ and teachers’ experience of them.
- Authors: Sibanda, Lucy
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:2079 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1021312
- Description: The underperformance of South African learners in literacy and numeracy is a source of grave concern, especially at the transition from Grade 3 to Grade 4. The challenge that complicates this shift is to some extent linguistic, since at Grade 4 in South Africa the majority of learners begin learning in English, which is an additional language for most. The study adopts a sociocultural view of language and learning. Vygotsky’s influential theoretical work on language and learning, in which language is considered central to learning and learning is a social process embedded in sociocultural settings, informs the study. The introduction of the Annual National Assessments (ANAs) across primary and secondary grades in South Africa in mathematics and literacy in 2011 provides the context for this research. It is against this background that the present study aimed, through a case study approach of three Grade 4 classes of English additional language (EAL) learners, to achieve four things, namely: to investigate the linguistic challenges of the 2013 Grade 4 mathematics ANAs; to analyse the learners’ written responses to the 2013 mathematics ANA items; to explore the 2013 Grade 4 learners’ difficulties and experiences of the 2013 mathematics ANAs, and to investigate the Grade 4 mathematics teachers’ perspectives of the language of the ANAs. In order to achieve these aims, the data was collected in four phases. The first phase of the study addressed the nature of the linguistic challenges of the Department of Basic Education Grade 4 mathematics ANAs. Data collection occurred in two parts: 1) Comparing Grade 4 ANAs to exemplars provided and 2) Analysing the language of the 2013 mathematics ANAs. This was done through content analysis and Shaftel et al.’s (2006) linguistic complexity checklist. Findings for part 1 of the study revealed that there were several inconsistencies in the questioning format and language used in the ANAs and in the exemplars. Findings of the content analysis done on the 2013 mathematics ANA test items using Shaftel et al.’s (2006) linguistic complexity checklist and Vale’s (2013) Linguistic Complexity Index formula point to many linguistic complexities in several test items, particularly in relation to recurrent use of: 7 or more letter words, homophones, prepositional phrases and specific mathematics vocabulary across the majority of questions. In phase 2, the analysis of 106 learners’ written responses for the 2013 mathematics ANA questions revealed that for many of the questions the language used was unfamiliar for Grade 4 learners using English as an additional language. This was aggravated by the inclusion in the ANAs of linguistic forms learners would not have encountered in their workbooks or exemplars intended to prepare the learners for the assessments. Therefore, linguistic complexity of items was a key contributing factor to learners’ poor performance in the test. In the third phase, the quantitative and qualitative analysis of the 26 learners’ interviews revealed that during the task-based interviews, learners experienced difficulties in the following skills: reading, comprehension, transformation, process and encoding. The greatest difficulties were experienced in comprehension and in reading, especially in the two classes where the learners were less proficient in the English language. The fourth phase, in which two Grade 4 mathematics teachers’ perceptions of the linguistic demands of the Grade 4 mathematics ANAs were presented and analysed, the teachers’ perceptions indicated that the mathematical language was mostly too difficult for the Grade 4 learners. Teachers also were of the opinion that learners’ reading skills were poor and they struggled to comprehend what they read. A dilemma regarding whether teachers should assist learners during the ANAs, satisfying the local needs for mediating the language or whether they should comply with the ANA policy which states that they may not assist learners was expressed by one of the teachers. A range of language challenges that teachers managed with various strategies were raised. These included one teacher’s use of code-switching during the teaching of mathematics. The study concludes with implications and recommendations. These include that test designers should minimise the language complexity of test items, especially in the early transition grades of learning in English. Research should be conducted on possibilities for allowing teachers to provide linguistic mediation to ANA questions in these transition years of learners learning in English.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Sibanda, Lucy
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:2079 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1021312
- Description: The underperformance of South African learners in literacy and numeracy is a source of grave concern, especially at the transition from Grade 3 to Grade 4. The challenge that complicates this shift is to some extent linguistic, since at Grade 4 in South Africa the majority of learners begin learning in English, which is an additional language for most. The study adopts a sociocultural view of language and learning. Vygotsky’s influential theoretical work on language and learning, in which language is considered central to learning and learning is a social process embedded in sociocultural settings, informs the study. The introduction of the Annual National Assessments (ANAs) across primary and secondary grades in South Africa in mathematics and literacy in 2011 provides the context for this research. It is against this background that the present study aimed, through a case study approach of three Grade 4 classes of English additional language (EAL) learners, to achieve four things, namely: to investigate the linguistic challenges of the 2013 Grade 4 mathematics ANAs; to analyse the learners’ written responses to the 2013 mathematics ANA items; to explore the 2013 Grade 4 learners’ difficulties and experiences of the 2013 mathematics ANAs, and to investigate the Grade 4 mathematics teachers’ perspectives of the language of the ANAs. In order to achieve these aims, the data was collected in four phases. The first phase of the study addressed the nature of the linguistic challenges of the Department of Basic Education Grade 4 mathematics ANAs. Data collection occurred in two parts: 1) Comparing Grade 4 ANAs to exemplars provided and 2) Analysing the language of the 2013 mathematics ANAs. This was done through content analysis and Shaftel et al.’s (2006) linguistic complexity checklist. Findings for part 1 of the study revealed that there were several inconsistencies in the questioning format and language used in the ANAs and in the exemplars. Findings of the content analysis done on the 2013 mathematics ANA test items using Shaftel et al.’s (2006) linguistic complexity checklist and Vale’s (2013) Linguistic Complexity Index formula point to many linguistic complexities in several test items, particularly in relation to recurrent use of: 7 or more letter words, homophones, prepositional phrases and specific mathematics vocabulary across the majority of questions. In phase 2, the analysis of 106 learners’ written responses for the 2013 mathematics ANA questions revealed that for many of the questions the language used was unfamiliar for Grade 4 learners using English as an additional language. This was aggravated by the inclusion in the ANAs of linguistic forms learners would not have encountered in their workbooks or exemplars intended to prepare the learners for the assessments. Therefore, linguistic complexity of items was a key contributing factor to learners’ poor performance in the test. In the third phase, the quantitative and qualitative analysis of the 26 learners’ interviews revealed that during the task-based interviews, learners experienced difficulties in the following skills: reading, comprehension, transformation, process and encoding. The greatest difficulties were experienced in comprehension and in reading, especially in the two classes where the learners were less proficient in the English language. The fourth phase, in which two Grade 4 mathematics teachers’ perceptions of the linguistic demands of the Grade 4 mathematics ANAs were presented and analysed, the teachers’ perceptions indicated that the mathematical language was mostly too difficult for the Grade 4 learners. Teachers also were of the opinion that learners’ reading skills were poor and they struggled to comprehend what they read. A dilemma regarding whether teachers should assist learners during the ANAs, satisfying the local needs for mediating the language or whether they should comply with the ANA policy which states that they may not assist learners was expressed by one of the teachers. A range of language challenges that teachers managed with various strategies were raised. These included one teacher’s use of code-switching during the teaching of mathematics. The study concludes with implications and recommendations. These include that test designers should minimise the language complexity of test items, especially in the early transition grades of learning in English. Research should be conducted on possibilities for allowing teachers to provide linguistic mediation to ANA questions in these transition years of learners learning in English.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Investigating the role of Hsp90 and LRP1 in FN matrix dynamics
- Authors: Boël, Natasha Marie-Eraine
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Extracellular matrix , Molecular chaperones , Heat shock proteins , Cancer , Fibronectins
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/2713 , vital:20319
- Description: Fibronectin (FN), a matrix protein responsible for regulating processes including migration and differentiation, is secreted as a soluble dimer which is assembled into an insoluble extracellular matrix. The dynamics of FN matrix assembly and degradation play a large role in cell migration and invasion contributing to the metastatic potential of cancer cells. Previous studies from our group have shown the direct binding of Hsp90 and FN in vitro and that inhibition of Hsp90 with novobiocin (NOV) caused internalisation of the FN matrix. However, the receptor mediating this internalisation is currently unknown. Low density lipoprotein 1 (LRP1) is a likely candidate as it is a ubiquitous receptor responsible for regulating internalisation of diverse ligands and is known to bind both Hsp90 and FN. We used wild type and knockout LRP1 cell lines to study the endocytosis of FN via this receptor. Here, we demonstrate that LRP1-deficient cells accumulated greatly increased levels of FN and were found to be less sensitive to pharmacological inhibition of Hsp90 by NOV. LRP1-expressing MEF-1 and Hs578T breast cancer cells experienced an increase in total FN in response to NOV, at concentrations below the EC50 value, followed by a dose-dependent loss of FN. We attributed greater FN levels to a loss of extracellular FN matrix coupled with increased internalisation of FN. Cell-surface biotinylation and DOC assays showed that loss of extracellular FN was specific to LRP1-expressing MEF-1 cells. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the loss of extracellular FN is not affected by changes in FN mRNA levels as determined by qRT-PCR, and that treatment with NOV resulted in the accelerated degradation of FN in the presence of cycloheximide. Immunoprecipitation studies reveal a putative complex exists between FN, Hsp90 and LRP1 in both cancer and non-cancer cells which is not perturbed by NOV. Western analyses revealed increased proteolytic processing of LRP1 in response to NOV which we proposed, based on literature, to modulate signalling pathways as a potential mechanism for regulating FN turnover. Moreover, using wound healing assays we identified increased migration to be one of the consequences associated with loss of extracellular FN by Hsp90 inhibition but only in cells containing LRP1. In summary, this study provides new insights into the Hsp90-LRP1 mediated loss of FN matrix and also reveals for the first time the functional consequence related to FN turnover by NOV was an increase in migration in LRP1-expressing cells.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Boël, Natasha Marie-Eraine
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Extracellular matrix , Molecular chaperones , Heat shock proteins , Cancer , Fibronectins
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/2713 , vital:20319
- Description: Fibronectin (FN), a matrix protein responsible for regulating processes including migration and differentiation, is secreted as a soluble dimer which is assembled into an insoluble extracellular matrix. The dynamics of FN matrix assembly and degradation play a large role in cell migration and invasion contributing to the metastatic potential of cancer cells. Previous studies from our group have shown the direct binding of Hsp90 and FN in vitro and that inhibition of Hsp90 with novobiocin (NOV) caused internalisation of the FN matrix. However, the receptor mediating this internalisation is currently unknown. Low density lipoprotein 1 (LRP1) is a likely candidate as it is a ubiquitous receptor responsible for regulating internalisation of diverse ligands and is known to bind both Hsp90 and FN. We used wild type and knockout LRP1 cell lines to study the endocytosis of FN via this receptor. Here, we demonstrate that LRP1-deficient cells accumulated greatly increased levels of FN and were found to be less sensitive to pharmacological inhibition of Hsp90 by NOV. LRP1-expressing MEF-1 and Hs578T breast cancer cells experienced an increase in total FN in response to NOV, at concentrations below the EC50 value, followed by a dose-dependent loss of FN. We attributed greater FN levels to a loss of extracellular FN matrix coupled with increased internalisation of FN. Cell-surface biotinylation and DOC assays showed that loss of extracellular FN was specific to LRP1-expressing MEF-1 cells. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the loss of extracellular FN is not affected by changes in FN mRNA levels as determined by qRT-PCR, and that treatment with NOV resulted in the accelerated degradation of FN in the presence of cycloheximide. Immunoprecipitation studies reveal a putative complex exists between FN, Hsp90 and LRP1 in both cancer and non-cancer cells which is not perturbed by NOV. Western analyses revealed increased proteolytic processing of LRP1 in response to NOV which we proposed, based on literature, to modulate signalling pathways as a potential mechanism for regulating FN turnover. Moreover, using wound healing assays we identified increased migration to be one of the consequences associated with loss of extracellular FN by Hsp90 inhibition but only in cells containing LRP1. In summary, this study provides new insights into the Hsp90-LRP1 mediated loss of FN matrix and also reveals for the first time the functional consequence related to FN turnover by NOV was an increase in migration in LRP1-expressing cells.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Investigating the use of Arbuscular Mycorrhizas and Plant Growth Promoting Bacteria to improve the drought tolerance of maize (Zea mays L.)
- Authors: Moore, Nicolle Maureen
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/54587 , vital:26591
- Description: Maize (Zea mays L.) is a direct staple food crop in Africa and remains an essential component of global food security, with maize crops accounting for over 60% of the total harvested area of annual food crops. Stress caused by drought and high soil salinity limits crop growth and productivity more than any other single environmental factor, with grain yield reductions up to 76% depending on the severity of the drought and the plant growth stage. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi and Plant Growth Promotion Rhizobacteria (PGPR) have previously been shown to improve tolerance of plants to drought stress through a number of chemical and physiological processes. The aim of this investigation was to determine whether mycorrhizal fungi and rhizobacteria adapted to drought and saline conditions and possessing plant growth promoting (PGP) traits were able to stimulate plant growth responses when applied to Zea mays seeds growing under greenhouse conditions Bacterial isolates selected were tolerant to concentrations of NaCl up to 600 mM and maintained 50% growth at low water potentials (-1.44 MPa). They were positive for Indole Acetic Acid (IAA) production, phosphate solubilisation and secretion of siderophores. Bacterial isolates showing plant growth promoting potential were identified using 16S rDNA gene sequencing as Achromobacter xylosoxidans strains A8 and C54 and Klebsiella oxytoca strain M1. Mixed inoculum was prepared from indigenous communities of mycorrhizas in soils sampled from the Cerebos Salt Pan and the Kalahari Desert. Mycorrhizal diversity was investigated using 454-Pyrosequencing which revealed that the community composition was dominated by species in the Ambispora, Glomus and Paraglomus genera with a rare component represented by species in the Redeckera, Archaeospora and Geosiphon genera. Microscopic examination of plant roots at the end of the trial revealed the presence of diagnostic mycorrhizal structures within the root cells, confirming that colonization was successful. Plant growth response to microbial inoculation was assessed by monitoring changes in plant photosynthetic capacity over the duration of a 7 week pot trial. A significant difference in photosynthetic and biomass data was observed between drought and well-watered groups but no mycorrhizal or bacterial treatment effect was evident within the groups, despite the high levels of colonization by mycorrhizas. These results suggest that the beneficial effects of mycorrhizal colonization may be primarily attributed to improved nutrient and mineral uptake in conditions where nutrients are limiting, resulting in improved growth. The improved growth may then have secondary effects on the plant‟s ability to withstand drought. Having controlled for nutrient deficiency, it was not evident in this study that mycorrhizal fungi were able to stimulate a change in plant physiology and confer drought tolerance under the conditions imposed.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Moore, Nicolle Maureen
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/54587 , vital:26591
- Description: Maize (Zea mays L.) is a direct staple food crop in Africa and remains an essential component of global food security, with maize crops accounting for over 60% of the total harvested area of annual food crops. Stress caused by drought and high soil salinity limits crop growth and productivity more than any other single environmental factor, with grain yield reductions up to 76% depending on the severity of the drought and the plant growth stage. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi and Plant Growth Promotion Rhizobacteria (PGPR) have previously been shown to improve tolerance of plants to drought stress through a number of chemical and physiological processes. The aim of this investigation was to determine whether mycorrhizal fungi and rhizobacteria adapted to drought and saline conditions and possessing plant growth promoting (PGP) traits were able to stimulate plant growth responses when applied to Zea mays seeds growing under greenhouse conditions Bacterial isolates selected were tolerant to concentrations of NaCl up to 600 mM and maintained 50% growth at low water potentials (-1.44 MPa). They were positive for Indole Acetic Acid (IAA) production, phosphate solubilisation and secretion of siderophores. Bacterial isolates showing plant growth promoting potential were identified using 16S rDNA gene sequencing as Achromobacter xylosoxidans strains A8 and C54 and Klebsiella oxytoca strain M1. Mixed inoculum was prepared from indigenous communities of mycorrhizas in soils sampled from the Cerebos Salt Pan and the Kalahari Desert. Mycorrhizal diversity was investigated using 454-Pyrosequencing which revealed that the community composition was dominated by species in the Ambispora, Glomus and Paraglomus genera with a rare component represented by species in the Redeckera, Archaeospora and Geosiphon genera. Microscopic examination of plant roots at the end of the trial revealed the presence of diagnostic mycorrhizal structures within the root cells, confirming that colonization was successful. Plant growth response to microbial inoculation was assessed by monitoring changes in plant photosynthetic capacity over the duration of a 7 week pot trial. A significant difference in photosynthetic and biomass data was observed between drought and well-watered groups but no mycorrhizal or bacterial treatment effect was evident within the groups, despite the high levels of colonization by mycorrhizas. These results suggest that the beneficial effects of mycorrhizal colonization may be primarily attributed to improved nutrient and mineral uptake in conditions where nutrients are limiting, resulting in improved growth. The improved growth may then have secondary effects on the plant‟s ability to withstand drought. Having controlled for nutrient deficiency, it was not evident in this study that mycorrhizal fungi were able to stimulate a change in plant physiology and confer drought tolerance under the conditions imposed.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
Investigating youth perceptions of youth participation in development: a focus on community engagement as a platform for youth/student participation at Rhodes University
- Authors: Dano, Nqaba
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/1444 , vital:20058
- Description: The main objective of the study is to investigate youth perceptions of youth participation in development with a focus on the Rhodes Community Engagement programme as a platform for youth participation. The study was inspired by trying to locate the position that youth put themselves in when they regard their own participation in development. It was further motivated by trying to gain perspectives from the youth themselves because most discourses on youth rarely feature their own voices. The study utilized a qualitative methodology with an interpretive paradigm, which used semi-structured in-depth interviews as a method of data collection. The theoretical framework used was the notion of participatory development. The literature consulted was broken up into participation in development which looked at the history of participation and the need for participation, the importance of participation and the limits of participation and the type of participation. It looked at youth participation, the definition of youth as a group in society and the discourses that surround how youth are defined; lastly it looked at community engage in higher education, the role students place in community engagement and the nature of Rhodes Community engagement. The data was discussed and analysed following the above mentioned themes which were participation in development, youth participation and community engagement. From the data collected it was made evident that if youth are given more spaces and chances to actively participate they could challenge prominent discourses that treat them as irresponsible minors and exclude them from decision-making processes that directly affect them and the society within which they live.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016
- Authors: Dano, Nqaba
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/1444 , vital:20058
- Description: The main objective of the study is to investigate youth perceptions of youth participation in development with a focus on the Rhodes Community Engagement programme as a platform for youth participation. The study was inspired by trying to locate the position that youth put themselves in when they regard their own participation in development. It was further motivated by trying to gain perspectives from the youth themselves because most discourses on youth rarely feature their own voices. The study utilized a qualitative methodology with an interpretive paradigm, which used semi-structured in-depth interviews as a method of data collection. The theoretical framework used was the notion of participatory development. The literature consulted was broken up into participation in development which looked at the history of participation and the need for participation, the importance of participation and the limits of participation and the type of participation. It looked at youth participation, the definition of youth as a group in society and the discourses that surround how youth are defined; lastly it looked at community engage in higher education, the role students place in community engagement and the nature of Rhodes Community engagement. The data was discussed and analysed following the above mentioned themes which were participation in development, youth participation and community engagement. From the data collected it was made evident that if youth are given more spaces and chances to actively participate they could challenge prominent discourses that treat them as irresponsible minors and exclude them from decision-making processes that directly affect them and the society within which they live.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2016