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Towards an industrial ecology for the Nelson Mandela Bay: Metropolitan area

  • Authors: Dalindyebo, Litha
  • Date: 2016
  • Subjects: Industrial ecology -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/9263 , vital:26556
  • Description: The aim of this study is to formulate a model of industrial ecology for wider application in the Nelson Mandel Bay (NMB) Metropole. To achieve this aim, the following objectives will be pursued: • A theoretical investigation of the concept of industrial ecology – in an attempt to establish its meaning, as well as the implications thereof. • A theoretical investigation of the operational implications of industrial ecology, including existing methodologies, such as Material Flow Analysis (MFA) and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) that can be applied, in order to develop a system of industrial ecology between different companies. • The formulation of a methodology for application to the case study. • Presenting and discussing the research results produced by the application of the industrial ecology related methodology to the case study. • To present a synthesis of the research results of this study. This objective includes a critical evaluation of the research methodology and results, as well as some recommendations for the facilitation of industrial ecology. The methodology of the research involved conducting semi structured interviews, conducting a Material Flow Analysis and Life Cycle Analysis using SIMAPRO software. There interview with Goodyear management took place (see Appendix A), while the management at Sovereign Foods agreed to an interview however they didn’t honour the agreement. During the interview at Goodyear understanding of the operational process was achieved by conducting the interviews. The three areas that were discussed during the interview process were: 1. How the boiler works; 2. Current Air-Emission results; and 3. The process of steam generation. An MFA and an LCA on the production process of comparing the boiler functionality was conducted, so that there is an adequate understanding of the environmental performance of the two different boilers. The results of the MFA are presented as follows, namely: the goal and scope definition and the inventory results. Coal boiler versus fluidised boiler data where modelled. The modelling is done on comparing the flow of chemicals during steam production process, and which chemicals have a significant environmental impact. The LCA results looked at the basis of the symbiotic approach by identifying sustainable choices of design, production and consumption. The findings of this research have been obtained from the investigation of industrial ecology framework planning at Goodyear SA and Sovereign Foods. The findings have revealed that there is a synergy that exists between the two case-study areas. However, this is based on Goodyear changing the technology of the boiler they use (a boiler creates steam for the tyre-building process). The company will be required to use a fluidised boiler, instead of the current coal boiler. The use of the fluidised boiler will ensure that all waste streams at Goodyear will be reused and recycled, thereby creating the framework for industrial ecology. The results that are firstly drawn out of SIMAPRO is the Life Cycle Inventory. In this research, there is a flow of 1437 chemical materials and substances in the production of steam using both coal boiler and fluidized boiler. Due to the number of substance flow elements, the research has presented only the significant substances that influence the environmental performance of steam production using the two different feeder materials, which are coal and chicken matter (see Figure 4.4). In the coal boiler process, sulfur comprises the largest amount of chemical substance. The other top five chemical components that contribute to the steam production process are: nickel, chromium, arsenic and iodosulfuron-methyl-sodium. The scale of figure 4.4 is reduced to show the various number of chemical flows found in the steam production process through SIMAPRO software. The Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) results were presented looking at namely the following characterization, normalization, weighting, single score and damage assessment (see Figure 4.7 – 4.10 p87 – p90). The figures are presented as taken directly from the reports drawn from the SIMAPRO software. Figure 4.7 gives the characterisation results up to 100%, where 0% has a minimal environmental effect; whereas 100% has the most significant environmental effect. Oxidation of coal is compared versus the oxidation of chicken matter, the coal boiler process has higher environmental impacts. Figure 4.8 shows the normalisation results of the coal boiler versus the fluidised boiler for the functional unit steam production. The environmental degradation under normalisation between the two boilers are measured, based on three parameters, namely: human health, ecosystems and resources. In all three parameters that are measured under normalisation, the production of steam using the coal boiler has the highest impacts. The weighting results in Figure 4.9 show a mirror image of the normalisation results. Finally, a gap analysis of the theoretical requirements for industrial ecology is displayed versus what currently exists in the case study area. The gap analysis will assist in the development of recommendations. These will be presented in the next chapter. A gap analysis of findings is discussed leading into the synthesis. The value of this research is that the baseline data of planning for an industrial ecology create a platform that can be used for implementing an industrial ecology between Goodyear SA and Sovereign Foods. This will, in time, have wider applications for the entire NMB metropole.
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  • Date Issued: 2016

Towards determining the dietary lysine requirement in the South African abalone, Haliotis midae

  • Authors: Lloyd, Kyle Everett
  • Date: 2016
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/1024 , vital:20014
  • Description: Animals generally do not have a requirement for protein, but instead have a requirement for specific essential amino acids (EAAs) and non-essential amino acids (NEAAs). The NEAAs are those that can be synthesised by the animal, however, EAAs cannot be synthesised and must therefore be supplied as part of the diet. When these amino acids (AAs) are supplied in the correct ratios and with the correct level of digestible energy, nutritionists can maximise somatic growth from proteins. This has resulted in increased research into the use of crystalline AAs as a tool in feed formulation research in order to quantify the AA requirements in aquaculture species, and allow for alternative protein sources (other than fishmeal) to be utilised. In common with other water soluble nutrients, leaching of crystalline AAs from diets prior to ingestion is of concern in an aquatic environment. Microencapsulation techniques have been successfully employed to restrict micronutrient leaching, and improve ingestion rates. In this research, LysiPEARL™ (Kemin®) was used as a means to determine the lysine requirement in Haliotis. midae. This encapsulated lysine product is used in the dairy cattle industry as an effective source of rumen bypass for intestinal release of lysine. It has previously been proposed that crystalline AAs are not suitable for AA studies in H. midae due to the slow feeding rates of the species as well as the solubility of these AAs. However, 90.00 % of supplemented lysine was maintained in this study after a six hour period of leaching, showing that if effective microencapsulation techniques are used, it is possible to use crystalline amino acids to supplement protein bound lysine in abalone feeds. Six isoenergetic (15.90 MJ/kg), isolipidic (6.00 %) and isonitrogenous (29.00 %) diets enriched with 5.52, 6.40, 7.28, 8.14, 9.00 and 9.86 % lysine (as a % of protein) were fed to triplicate groups of 20 H. midae (20.41 ± 1.95 mm SL 1.51 ± 0.44 g w.wt) for 90 days. Wet weight and shell length measurements were taken every 30 days and specific growth rate (SGR) (% body weight.day-1), feed conversion ratio (FCR), protein efficiency ratio (PER), feed consumption (% body weight.day-1) and condition factor were calculated for each dietary treatment. Linear regression showed that FCR increased as dietary lysine increased (Regression analysis, p=0.031), and that PER reduced as dietary lysine increased (Regression analysis, p=0.026). Feed consumption also increased as dietary lysine increased (Regression analysis, p<0.001). The inclusion of lysine at 7.28 % of the total protein in the diet resulted in significantly superior SGR (0.57±0.01 % body weight.day-1) to that of 5.52 % (0.42±0.05 % body weight.day-1), FCR (1.51±0.05) to that of 8.14 % (1.99±0.21) and PER (2.45±0.07) to that of 8.14 % (1.99±0.18; ANOVA, p<0.05). There was a significant difference found in feed consumption (% body wt.d-1), with consumption increasing significantly between the first three dietary treatments and the last three dietary treatments (ANOVA, p<0.001). There was no significant improvement in SGR when dietary lysine increased above 7.28 % of the dietary protein in the diet, indicating that dietary lysine requirement was being met at 7.28 %, after which excess lysine promoted no growth response. The diet producing the best SGR, PER and FCR in this study was diet 3 which had a measured lysine content of 6.90 %. The results of the present study suggest that the lysine requirement in H. midae is in the range of 6.00 - 7.00 % of dietary protein. From these data amino acid ratios were used to estimate optimum inclusion levels of other essential amino acids. However, lysine availability in LysiPEARL™ may have resulted in over estimations due to the lipid encapsulation technique used, and haliotids limited ability to efficiently digest lipids. For this reason EAA requirements were suggested based on three different hypothetical scenarios of lysine availability from LysiPEARL™.
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  • Date Issued: 2016

Trade liberalisation, the real exchange rate and sectoral employment : a case study of South Africa

  • Authors: Sibanda, Kin
  • Date: 2016
  • Subjects: Foreign exchange rates Employment (Economic theory) Free trade -- South Africa
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/12777 , vital:39360
  • Description: This study examined the relationship between trade liberalisation, the real exchange rate and sectoral employment in South Africa for the period 1994 to 2014. Firstly, using quarterly time series data, the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) technique was employed to formally check if South African real exchange rates are responsive to trade liberalisation. This was done to see if trade liberalisation impacts real exchange rates in South Africa, to the extent that they cannot be controlled concurrently in the subsequent models. Based on the ARDL results, trade liberalisation does not have a significant effect on the exchange rate. However, when the real exchange rate is an independent variable of trade liberalisation, the results show that real exchange rates affect trade, specifically the export propensity index. The next step was to assess the impact of trade liberalisation and real exchange rate on sectoral employment using quarterly panel data for South Africa from 1994 to 2014 controlling for both sector-specific and macro-economic variables. The study employed diverse panel data analysis techniques to separate the sectoral effects, starting with broad sectors followed by the disaggregated sectors, to identify the sectors most affected by real exchange rates and trade liberalisation. The Generalised method of Moments (GMM) results reveal that a unit increase in exchange rate (implying appreciation), causes employment to go down by about 9 percent in South Africa. The same relationship is depicted from the Pooled Mean Group (PMG) estimations in both the short run and long run. Random coefficients (betas) show that the real exchange rate negatively affects the primary and secondary sector with a positive but insignificant effect on the tertiary sector. The sub-sectors negatively hit hard by real exchange rates are communication, mining and transport. The results also show that trade liberalisation is linked to both job destruction and job creation. The static models reveal that trade openness has a statistically positive and significant impact on employment in the short run while the PMG estimator results show that the effect is negative and only significant in the short run. The dynamic models (GMM and PMG) showed trade liberalisation (as proxied by trade openness and import propensity) has a statistical and significantly positive short run impact on employment. This implies that selective trade liberalisation strategies are needed in order for South Africa to maximise the gains from trade.
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  • Date Issued: 2016

Traditional and cultural practices and the rights of women : a study of widowhood practices among the Akans in Ghana

  • Authors: Afari-Twumasi, Lucy
  • Date: 2016
  • Subjects: Widows -- Legal status, laws, etc. -- Ghana Widowhood -- Ghana Akan (African people) -- Social life and customs
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MPhil
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/2844 , vital:28106
  • Description: The study investigates the human rights violations that underlie widowhood practices in Cape Coast and Komenda in the Central Region of Ghana. Review of the relevant literature on widowhood practices suggests that widowhood practices are a global cultural phenomenon, which is not confined to Sub-Sahara Africa. A survey of relevant studies on the phenomenon suggests that there are two competing perceptions on African widowhood practices: (1) a dominant negative perspective and (2) a minor positive perspective. The dominant negative perspective, which receives overwhelming research attention, focuses only on the negative characteristics of widowhood while the minor positive perspective which receives scanty research attention, rejects the criticisms levelled against widowhood practices as being externally influenced by Christianity and Western Feminism. Various stakeholders within the Akan community were given an opportunity to retell their own versions of widowhood practices. In order to achieve this purpose, the research extracted competing narratives from all the multiple sample subgroups of the proposed study: widows; widow family heads; chiefs; widowhood ritual practitioners; elderly female supervisors of widowhood practices; an official from the Commission for Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ); an official from the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs (MOWAC); and an official from the Domestic Violence and Victims Support Unit (DOVVSU) of Ghana. The study found out that despite legislative intervention and policy frameworks, the practice still persist among the Akan communities in Ghana. The reasons for the continued existence of such rituals are explained followed by recommendations for possible solutions.
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  • Date Issued: 2016

Transitions into informal employment: an analysis of South African panel data: 2008-2012

  • Authors: Muttze, Takudzwa
  • Date: 2016
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MEcon
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/4498 , vital:20682
  • Description: South Africa’s labour market is characterised by high unemployment but relatively low levels of informal employment, making it distinct from other developing countries. The existing literature appears to show evidence of high mobility rates of labour across labour market states. The coexistence of high labour mobility rates, yet high unemployment and weak informal employment in South Africa’s labour market is therefore puzzling. Considerable research has been done to explain this phenomenon and has suggested that barriers to informal entrepreneurship form the key reason why informal employment is relatively low in South Africa compared to other developing countries. Worker transitions have however not been a focal question in the literature. Using data from the National Tncome Dynamics Study (NTDS 2008-2012), this study sought to examine the characteristics of workers who move into informal employment, attaching importance to those who become self-employed. Transition matrices are constructed showing the proportion of workers who stayed or moved into different labour market states between 2008 and 2012, and linking the movements to 2008 personal characteristics. Churning between labour market states was found to be relatively high, albeit formal wage employment exhibiting immobility. Transitions out of informal employment were high, reflecting its survivalist nature. Conversely, those from unemployment into informal employment, particularly self-employment were low. Using the probit regression model, transitions to informal employment were found to be more associated with workers who are generally marginalised from formal employment opportunities. The results suggest that the South African labour market is to a larger extent not reflective of the Dualist narrative of ease of movement of workers from unemployment into informal employment and barriers into informal entrepreneurship are high. To date, policies which have sought to encourage informal entrepreneurship have not been a success. A central challenge to policymakers is to create an enabling environment for the unemployed to start their own informal businesses. This has the potential of reducing unemployment and poverty rates in the country.
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  • Date Issued: 2016

Trends in the game industry in the Eastern Cape

  • Authors: Ferreira, Janene
  • Date: 2016
  • Subjects: Game farms -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Management , Wildlife management -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/5451 , vital:20846
  • Description: The game industry has become one of the fastest-growing industries in South Africa and consequently, during recent years, a growing number of stock farms have been converted to game farms. All forms of utilization within the game industry play a vital role with regards to sustainability and simultaneously contributing a significant boost to the national economy. It is therefore important to ensure that game ranchers are as well-informed as possible in their decision-making, as well as in assessing their outputs and endeavours. However, the information available on the game industry in the Eastern Cape is limited. This research study therefore focuses on the emerging trends in the game industry in the province. The objectives of the research are to examine various pertinent factors associated with the game industry, investigate the trends and discuss whether these trends have any implications for future purposes. The research commenced with a literature review, as well as information from earlier survey studies of the Eastern Cape game industry. For the current study, a replicate survey was conducted throughout the Eastern Cape, involving as many game ranchers as possible, and data were collected by means of self-administered questionnaires. The dilemma confronting the black wildebeest in the Eastern Cape was thoroughly investigated, together with farmers’ opinions and trends for the future of the species. It was important to include this particular aspect in the research, as at the time of the survey, widespread concerns were expressed with regards to new legislation which emerged during that time. The research cast light on several aspects associated with the industry which could positively assist game ranchers towards improved management and planning, as well as provide guidelines for future development purposes. Furthermore, the research identified crucial issues that should receive immediate attention from stakeholders across the industry as well as government.
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  • Date Issued: 2016

Two uses of DNA sequence variation in tracing evolutionary processes in Old World primates (Primates: Catarrhini)

  • Authors: Dosi, Banele
  • Date: 2016
  • Subjects: Primates -- Evolution Monkeys Cercopithecidae
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/8022 , vital:31464
  • Description: Primate evolution is particularly interesting to humans, because it includes our own history. Molecular genetics is by far the most dynamic field in contemporary biology, and offers a host of new techniques for investigating evolutionary processes and patterns. In the mid-twentieth century molecular genetics evolved from being a means of visualising hidden variation (e.g. allozymes) to tracing phylogenetic relationships between and among species (evolutionary histories of populations), and now has a wide variety of applications in medicine, species identification and relationships, and even wildlife forensics. For my Master’s project I investigated two applications of molecular genetic analysis to questions regarding the evolution of Old World monkeys (Catarrhini). First, I participated in a study designed to test the hypothesis that different primate social structures – particularly mating systems – may be reflected in the structure of a species genome. We investigated whether increased sperm production as a result of sexual selection increases the number of copy number variations (CNVs) that can be detected by comparing the male specific region Y (MSY) located on the Y chromosome in a sample of primate species. We did not find a clear differentiation between the primate species as hypothesised, which thus requires a more complex explanation, e.g. in terms of the type of environment rather than the mating system of the species, or possibly the active/inactive status of the genes. The second part of my study was phylogeographic in approach. I collaborated with researchers studying the distribution of Afromontane samango monkeys (Cercopithecus albogularis labiatus) in the Eastern Cape. I sequenced tissues from 5 samango monkey specimens found opportunistically in the Hogsback and coastal forests and analysed their genetic variation relative to the data published by Dalton et al. 2015. The Hogsback sample was not monophyletic relative to the sample from the coastal forests, indicating that, on the basis of this very small sample size, these populations have not been separated historically. In order to validate this conclusion, I will need to investigate a larger sample size. From this study I developed valuable skills in the areas of the laboratory techniques involved in molecular sequence analysis, and an appreciation for the importance of large sample sizes in deriving reliable results. I intend to continue in the future with a phylogeographic study of samango monkeys.
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  • Date Issued: 2016

Uhlalutyo ngokwesithako sobunzululwazi nkcubeko-ntlalo yaseAfrika kwinoveli yesiXhosa: Inkululeko isentabeni

  • Authors: Bali, Nolundi Monica
  • Date: 2016
  • Subjects: Xhosa literature -- History and criticism
  • Language: Xhosa
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/9077 , vital:26462
  • Description: Kule ngxoxo kuqwalaswele indlela amasiko nezithethe asetyenziswe ngayo kwincwadi kaSaule, ethi, Inkululeko isentabeni. Le ngxoxo ijolise ekuncomeni indlela lo kaSaule awasebenzise ngayo amasiko kunye nezithethe zakwaNtu ukwakha isizwe esimnyama. Konke oku kudandalazisa ukubaluleka kokusetyenziswa kwawo ukwakha isizwe. Injongo yolu phando kukuphendla indlela umtshato, isithembu, ulwaluko, imbeleko, intonjane, ukufa, ukukhapha, ukubuyisa nokungenwa ezaziqhutywa ngayo nezizathu zoko. Le ngxoxo iza kuphonononga ixhaswe ngezithako eziziimbono zeengcali zohlalutyo kwintlalo kaNtu. Ingxoxo le yahlulwe yazizahluko ezintandathu. Isahluko sokuqala sivula ngentshayelelo, ze sidandalazise intsusamabandla yolu phando, kushukuxwe imbangeli yophando, ze kwenziwe uphengululo lweencwadi zeengcali kwisithako sobuNzululwazi Nkcubeko-Ntlalo. Isahluko sesibini, siqwalasela ukuxabiseka kolwendo ngokwengcinga yesiNtu kwincwadi kaSaule. Indlela isiko lokuthwala lalisenziwa ngalo mandulo xa kuthelekiswa kweyangoku, nemiceli-mngeni elijamelene nalo eli siko. Isahluko sesithathu, sijongene nesithembu, iimeko ezazinyanzelisa ukuthathwa komfazi wesibini nangaphezulu nemiceli-mngeni ekhoyo kwesi sithethe. Isahluko sesine, singolwaluko ngemihla yamandulo size sithelekiswe nale mihla siphila kuyo. Iingxaki ezikhoyo kweli siko ezibangelwa kukungakhathali kwengcibi, namakhankatha. Esesihlanu, isahluko singamasiko nezithethe, iindlela ezazisaya kusetyenziswa mandulo kuthelekiswa nezeli xesha lokhanyo ekwenzeni la masiko nezi zithethe. Isahluko sesithandathu, sesokuphetha, siyintyilazwi yeengxoxo ezikolu hlalutyo, kuxilongwa ubuzaza besithako sobunzululwazi nkcubeko-ntlalo.
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  • Date Issued: 2016

Ukuzotywa kwabalinganiswa ababhinqileyo abaziintloko kwiidrama zolwimi lwesiXhosa bezotywa ngababhali abasini sobuduna kwakunye nabo babhinqileyo

  • Authors: Bukula, Andiswa
  • Date: 2016
  • Subjects: Xhosa literature -- Research Gender identity in literature , Gender nonconformity Women -- South Africa -- Drama
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/18431 , vital:28645
  • Description: Eli phepha lithiywe “Ukuzotywa kwabalinganiswa ababhinqileyo, abazintloko kwidrama zolwimi lwesiXhosa, bezotywa ngababhali besini sobuduna nesini sobukhomokazi liza kube lijongene nendlela apho ababhali abasini esohlukileyo, abathi babazobe ngayo abalinganiswa abayintloko, abangamabhinqa kwizibhalo zabo zedrama zelwimi lwesiXhosa. Apha kuzobe kujongwe ingakumbi ababhali abasini sobuduna, ngenjongo yokuveza umba wokuba ababhali besini sobukhomokazi babazoba abalinganiswa ababhinqileyo nje ngabantu abangenamiqolo okuzimela ngaphandle kokuba kubekho indoda obomini babo. Aba babhali babazoba abalinganiswa ababhiqileyo phansti kwala ngcamango yokuba, apho umntu obhinqileyo ekumela afumaneke khona kusezimbizeni apho baphekela usapho lwabo rhoqo, ekucoceni umzi nasekukhuliseni abantwana, hayi enye into engaphaya koko. Ngoko ke eli phepha libhalwe ngenjongo yokuphelisa oku dodobalisa loo ngcamango. Baninzi kea bantu abaphikisana nale ndlela yaphotho lwamabhinqa ngamadoda abo, nangamanye amadoda nje jikilele, eli phepha lizobe lingqinelana nolo ninzi lwabantu abathi loo mpatho mbi yamabhinqa mayiphele, kuvezwe imeko yokuba kukho ulingano phakathi kwamabhinqa kunye nababt abasini sobukhomakazi. Int ethetha ukuba eli phepha lizakuti ligqithele lijonge kwaye liveze indlela apho kungati kuekho ulingwano phathi kwezini zimbini, nendlela apho uwonke wonke angakwazi ukuphila ngentlonipho omnye komnye kungekho zimpatho mbi, okanye sini sinesikhundla esiphakamileyo kunesinye.
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  • Date Issued: 2016

Ultra-high precision grinding of BK7 glass

  • Authors: Onwuka, Goodness Raluchukwu
  • Date: 2016
  • Subjects: Machining , Machine-tools -- Monitoring , Acoustic emission
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MEngineering
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/5203 , vital:20820
  • Description: With the increase in the application of ultra-precision manufactured parts and the absence of much participation of researchers in ultra-high precision grinding of optical glasses which has a high rate of demand in the industries, it becomes imperative to garner a full understanding of the production of these precision optics using the above-listed technology. Single point inclined axes grinding configuration and Box-Behnken experimental design was developed and applied to the ultra-high precision grinding of BK7 glass. A high sampling acoustic emission monitoring system was implemented to monitor the process. The research tends to monitor the ultra-high precision grinding of BK7 glass using acoustic emission which has proven to be an effective sensing technique to monitor grinding processes. Response surface methodology was adopted to analyze the effect of the interaction between the machining parameters: feed, speed, depth of cut and the generated surface roughness. Furthermore, back propagation Artificial Neural Network was also implemented through careful feature extraction and selection process. The proposed models are aimed at creating a database guide to the ultra-high precision grinding of precision optics.
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  • Date Issued: 2016

Ulwaluko kwa Xhosa: young Xhosa men's lived experiences in the context of traditional male initiation

  • Authors: Siswana, Anele
  • Date: 2016
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: vital:3271 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020840
  • Description: This thesis explores the lived experiences of young amaXhosa men in relation to U!walukokwa Xhosa (traditional male initiation [TMI]) and its impact on their sense of masculinity. The conceptual framework of this study is located within African epistemology focusing on indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) in South Africa. The study aimed at enabling young amaXhosa men who had undergone TMI to reflect on their first-hand, personal accounts of Ulwa/ukokwa Xhosa and manhood. Six semistructured interviews and a follow up focus group discussion were held with 23-27 years old amaXhosa men residing in Joza Township in Grahamstown, Eastern Cape. Participants were identified through purposive sampling. The thesis reports on the following findings: (a) the significance of the place/location of initiation, and the guise of modernity; (b) feelings of anticipation experienced by the young men; (c) the theme on ubudoda(manhood) affirmation Ndiyindoda!; (d) the theme on the concealment of pain (perseverance); (e) the theme on respect for self and others and ubuntu;(f) Uzimelegeqe (independence and autonomy) and (g) social role and responsibility. The paper argues for the relevance of TMI as a significantrite of passage from boyhood to manhood among amaXhosa men.
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  • Date Issued: 2016

Understanding how grade 8 Physical Science teachers make use of learners’ prior everyday knowledge when teaching static electricity: A case study

  • Authors: Iyambo, Toini
  • Date: 2016
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/1320 , vital:20046
  • Description: Over the last decade of my teaching I have been grappling with how to incorporate learners’ prior everyday knowledge into my Physical Science lessons to enable me to close the gap between school science and everyday knowledge. I conducted this case study in two schools, one in Omusati region and one in Ohangwena Region, Namibia. Its purpose was to investigate how grade 8 Physical Science teachers make use of learners’ prior everyday knowledge when teaching the topic of static electricity. Underpinned by an interpretive paradigm, the study made use of document analysis, observation (lessons were also video-taped) and semi-structured interviews to generate the data. Three data generating techniques were used for triangulation and validation purposes. To further validate the data, transcripts of video-taped lessons and interviews were sent back to the research participants for member checking. The main findings of my study are that teachers did incorporate learners’ prior knowledge in the lesson presentation on static electricity. It emerged from the study that, learners possess a great deal of prior everyday scientific and non-scientific knowledge and experiences about static electricity that they had acquired from their communities. Also, mobilization of learners' everyday knowledge and experiences about static electricity enabled learner engagement during the science lessons. Likewise, engaging learners in demonstrations on static electricity helped them to make meaning of the scientific concepts involved in the topic. It also emerged from this study that teachers face challenges of lack of documentation of indigenous knowledge which is potentially a form of prior knowledge, language barriers and a lack of resources. Based on my research findings, I therefore, recommend that learners' prior everyday knowledge and experiences about static electricity should be incorporated during the teaching and learning process.
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  • Date Issued: 2016

Understanding how the incorporation of indigenous knowledge (IK) enables or constrains the teaching and learning of alcoholic fermentation in Life Sciences in Grade 11

  • Authors: Mutanho, Chrispen
  • Date: 2016
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/1264 , vital:20041
  • Description: There is growing interest in the role of indigenous knowledge (IK) in science education in many parts of the world. In South Africa, this comes against the backdrop of a long history of cultural alienation, neglect and suppression of the IK of the indigenous people by colonial governments. Hence, the first post-independence National Curriculum Policy Statement (Curriculum, 2005) and its subsequent modified versions emphasised the need to redress the imbalances of the past so as to make science accessible to learners from diverse cultural backgrounds. However, literature reveals that the efforts to implement an IK-based curriculum are constrained by the lack of clarity, knowledge and skills on how to effectively make use of IK in the classroom situation so as to bring about effective teaching and learning. Against this background, this study sought to understand how the incorporation of IK enables or constrains the teaching and learning of alcoholic fermentation. Underpinned by an interpretive paradigm, a qualitative case study was conducted at a high school in Mthatha District in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The study comprised of a sample of ten Life Sciences teachers from four neighbouring high schools, two Grade 11 Life Sciences teachers and their classes and two focus groups of six learners from each class. Convenience and purposive sampling were used to select the participants and the research site. The study made use of a questionnaire, document analysis, lesson observation, stimulated recall interviews and focus group interviews to generate data. The questionnaire sought to get an overview of Life Sciences teachers’ attitudes, opinions and experiences on incorporating IK in science teaching. The data gathered were then used as baseline information to inform the main study. The lesson observations, stimulated recall interviews and the focus group interviews sought to understand how the incorporation of IK enables or constrains the teaching and learning of alcoholic fermentation. Document analysis, lesson observation, stimulated recall interviews and focus group interviews were conducted to understand the experience of incorporating IK in a real life classroom situation. The study was informed by Vygotsky’s socio-cultural constructivism and Shulman’s pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) theory. From Vygotsky’s theory I borrowed the idea of mediated learning, scaffolding (Bruner, 1986), zone of proximal development (ZPD), as well as the use of language and cultural artefacts as tools of analysis of the classroom interaction between the teacher and the learners during the teaching-learning process. Shulman’s theory of PCK was also used to analyse how teachers apply IK in teaching Science. The data obtained were coded inductively and presented in tables, graphs and thick descriptive texts to make it easy to understand. The findings of this research show that incorporating IK improved the teaching-learning process by arousing learners’ interest in science, increasing learners’ participation and motivation, meaning making, language use, questioning and engagement in the learning process. Teaching became learner-centred, for it was directed by learners’ questions. Collaborative learning through group discussions, debates, arguments and brainstorming emerged to be an effective way of engaging learners in learning. The teachers used probing to encourage critical thinking before scaffolding learners. However, even though teachers generally accept IK as valuable in their teaching they lack the pedagogical content knowledge to effectively incorporate it into meaningful teaching and learning. Furthermore, teachers viewed cultural diversity as a constraint to their efforts to incorporate IK in teaching science. On the contrary, their learners held the view that having cultural diversity in classrooms created an opportunity to learn from other people’s cultures. Variables such as experience and difference in the cultural background of learners and teachers alike, tended to affect the teachers’ ability to incorporate IK.
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  • Date Issued: 2016

Understanding sexual concurrency and HIV/AIDS: implicit and explicit attitudes in a South African student population

  • Authors: Malataliana, Maleeto Lucy
  • Date: 2016
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/3335 , vital:20484
  • Description: There are more people infected with HIV in South Africa, than in any other country in the world. Studies indicate a plausible relationship between concurrently organised sexual partnership and the spread of STIs, with concurrency being accountable for as much as 74% of HIV infections in South Africa. Understanding sexual concurrency is therefore of vital importance, especially in the South African perspective. It has, however, become increasingly unreliable to rely solely on explicit self-measures to study sexual concurrency, and research has suggested that implicit cognition is a reliable alternative to understanding sexual behaviour and attitudes towards sexuality, which cannot be directly measured by explicit means. The purpose of this study was to understand sexual concurrency among a population of university students by researching their implicit and explicit attitudes towards sexual concurrency; and thereby to aid in understanding sexual concurrency in relation to the spread of HIV. A quantitative research methodology was used to analyse results from explicit measures of sexual concurrency in the form of a questionnaire, and implicit measures of sexual concurrency in the form of the Implicit Association Test (IAT). Although no correlation existed between implicit and explicit measures attitudes towards sexual concurrency, it was, however, observed that sexual concurrency has and is being broadly practiced, and that age is a key determinant for sexual concurrency.
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  • Date Issued: 2016

Uphicotho nzulu lwendima yepragmatiki ekuphononongeni incwadi ezikhethiweyo zesiXhosa

  • Authors: Cutalele, Pumla Pamella
  • Date: 2016
  • Subjects: Xhosa literature , Pragmatics , Translating and interpreting
  • Language: Xhosa
  • Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/5442 , vital:20845
  • Description: Olu phando luqwalasela indima yepragmatiki ekuphononongeni iincwadi ezikhethiweyo zesiXhosa. Isahluko sokuqala sinika okuqulathwe lolu phando, iinjongo zolu phando nezibe ngunobangela wokuba kukhethwe esi sihloko, imethodi yophando, imo yophando, ulwakhiwo lophando nalapho kukrotyiswa kokuqulathwe sisahluko ngasinye. Uphengululo lweencwadi lwenziwe eziqulathe umxholo wepragmatiki lwenziwe kwakuso esi sahluko. Ingcaciso yamagama aya kuthi asetyenziswe rhoqo inikiwe kwakuso esi sahluko Isahluko sesibini sijonga nzulu iingcingane eziya kuthi zisetyenziswe njengesikhokelo ekwenzeni olu phando. Ingcingane yolwimi kunye nengcingane yoncwadi zijongiwe kwesi sahluko. Ingcingane zepragmatiki eziquka leyo kaGrice nengundoqo kwipragmatiki nayo ithe yaqwalaselwa. Le ngcingane iye izise iindidi zeentsingiselo namasolotya azo. Ingcingane kaGrice ethi iphuhlise intsingiselo efihlakeleyo, intsingiselo ethe ngqo kunye nocingelo ziya- jongwa gabalala kwesi sahluko. Ingcingane yentetho ntshukumo iya kuthi ijongwe ze kujongwe nonxibelelo lwayo kuncwadi. Isahluko sesithathu sijonga nzulu ukusetyenziswa kwentsingisselo efihlakeleyo kwiincwadi ezikhethelwe esi sifundo. Umgaqo wonxibelelwano nezaci zawo ezizezi; isaci somgangatho, isaci sokungakanani, isaci sonxulumano kunye nesaci sobunjani zijongiwe kwiintetho zabalinganiswa nakwizimvo zombhali. Isaci esizihambelayo nesivela kakhulu ngokusetyenziswa kwesigqebelo namaqhalo naso sithe sajongwa ngokubhekiselele kwiincwadi ezikhethelwe esi sifundo.Isahluko sesine siqwalasele ukusetyenziswa kocingelo. Ucingelo nelilelinye isolotya lepragmatiki. Iindidi zocingelo zithe zajongwa, nezizezi: ucingelo lokukhoyo nokunokwenzeka, ucingelo lokuqonda, ucingelo lonobangela nesiphumo kunye nocingelo lwezichazi nezihlomelo. Izichukumisi zocingelo zijongiwe kugxilwe kwiincwadi zesiXhosa ezikhwethelwe esi sifundo. Isahluko sesihlanu siqwalasele intsingiselo ethe ngqo. Imiba yentsingiselo ethe ngqo efana nokuzigqibela, ukuvala isikhewu, ukunqanda ubumbaxa kunye nokusetyenziswa kwemiqondiso kuthe kwaqwalaselwa kwesi sahluko. Indlela ethe ngqo abalinganiswa abathile abathiywe ngayo ngababhali kwiincwadi ezikhethelwe esi sifundo iye izise intsingiselo ethe ngqo, oko ke kuthe kwaqwalaselwa kwesi sahluko.
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  • Date Issued: 2016

Urban agriculture and access to microfinance in Snake Park, Zimbabwe

  • Authors: Makoni, Charmaine Tafadzwa
  • Date: 2016
  • Subjects: Urban agriculture -- Zimbabwe , Economic development -- Zimbabwe -- Finance , Economic development projects -- Zimbabwe -- Finance
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/8099 , vital:24993
  • Description: The role that urban farming plays in the food supply of cities and towns to compliment rural agriculture is increasingly gaining traction. In Zimbabwe, urban agriculture has equally become an important contributor of urban food, particularly for low income households. Urban agriculture is increasingly being viewed as a viable measure to ameliorate urban food insecurity. In spite of the important role it serves in the urban landscape, it is yet to attain political legitimacy and more importantly to gain recognition from the formal financial economy. This in turn has limited the contribution that the urban agriculture can make towards poverty alleviation and inequality for the urban poor. Access to finance and lines of credit for the urban poor can have a significant impact towards not only their agricultural productivity but also their ability to weather economic shocks. This study therefore sought to investigate factors that limit access of small scale urban farmers to agricultural microcredit. The findings of this study are derived from qualitative and quantitative data collected from small scale urban farmers in Snake Park and key informant interviews conducted in Harare, Zimbabwe. The study establishes that the lack of information on credit opportunities, loan apathy and too high interest rates were some of the reasons divulged by farmers in not seeking credit from financial institutions. The results reveal that married women have an added constraint to accessing finance by virtue of husband being head of the house, mean that they hold power to cede assets as collateral. The findings from the financial institution indicated that though the majority of firms focused on large scale commercial farming ventures, some did offer microcredit for small scale urban farmers. The results also showed that though collateral facilitated access to credit and finance for urban agriculture, proven business record, group solidarity (a form of guarantee) and character were equally important. The study recommends amongst others that farmers form groups and embark on savings schemes. Added to this, bankers and farmer associations need to meet to arrive at realistic forms of security for small loans.
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  • Date Issued: 2016

Urban agriculture and the enhancement of food security and household Income in Grahamstown, Makana Municipality

  • Authors: Mahandana, Funzani Nicholas
  • Date: 2016
  • Subjects: Urban agriculture -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , Income -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , Food security -- South Africa -- Grahamstown
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/8467 , vital:26367
  • Description: This study draws on the relationship between household food security and household income through small scale community gardens and backyard vegetable gardens in Grahamstown Townships within Makana Municipality of the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. The study explores the contribution of vegetable gardens in household food security and income and finding ways in which this contribution may be enhanced. This study offers insights into the relationships among individuals, households, stakeholders (Government institutions, NGOs, Municipalities, Farmers Associations etc.), and broader community dynamics that are central to understanding the local gardening projects and the dynamics of food security and household income. The implications of this research includes and understanding of how the challenges faced by the community and backyards gardens could be addressed.
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  • Date Issued: 2016

User experience factors for mobile banking adoption: South African case study

  • Authors: Louw, Jacques Gerrit
  • Date: 2016
  • Subjects: Consumer satisfaction -- South Africa , Banks and banking -- Technological innovations -- South Africa , Mobile commerce -- South Africa , Telecommunication -- South Africa -- Finance
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/39207 , vital:35059
  • Description: Smartphone devices are driving the transformation of online banking to satisfy the needs and desires of the consumer. This has led South African commercial banks to launch mobile banking applications on smartphones to enhance the growth of the economy and to provide more opportunities to improve the deprived sector of the economy, at acceptable rates. Moreover, opportunities exist for revenue growth, such as the delivery of greater real-time access to products and the offering of a wide variety of banking services. South African commercial banks could realise opportunities for economical and revenue growth should they focus on specific criteria that could enhance mobile banking adoption. Such criteria could not until recently, be realised by commercial banks in South Africa as the adoption rate of mobile banking remained low at 9%. Numerous South African studies have attempted to determine factors that could enhance mobile banking adoption in South Africa. There is, however, a lack of South African studies attempting to identify user experience factors that could enhance mobile banking adoption in South Africa. User experience refers to the subjective feeling of the user that results from their interaction or intention to interact with a product, to perform a specific task in a specific environment. One of the most important components for the success of any product is a positive user experience. When the user interface and functionality of a product match the expectations of the users and make the users effective and efficient, feel safe and attain some level of self-worth from using or possessing the product, their interaction with the product becomes more satisfactory. Consequently, the importance of designing for a positive user experience opens up the potential for identifying potential user experience factors that could enhance mobile banking adoption in South Africa. The user experience factors identified in this study infer their components from the user experience aspect of persuasive design and its elements, namely persuasion and trust, that led to the emergence of scarcity, reciprocation and security factors that could enhance mobile banking adoption in South Africa. A case study was employed to confirm the factors that could enhance mobile banking adoption in South Africa. The findings from the case study and the extensive literature review culminated in a set of user experience factors that in future could enhance the adoption of mobile banking in South Africa.
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  • Date Issued: 2016

User interface design guidelines for digital television virtual remote controls

  • Authors: Wentzel, Alicia Veronica
  • Date: 2016
  • Subjects: Remote control , User interfaces (Computer systems) , Television broadcasting , Human-computer interaction
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
  • Identifier: vital:1158 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020617
  • Description: The remote control is a pivotal component in households worldwide. It helps users enjoy leisurely television (TV) viewing. The remote control has various user interfaces that people interact with. For example, the physical user interface includes the shape of the remote and the physical buttons; the logical user interface refers to how the information is laid out; and the graphical user interface refers to the colours and aesthetic features of the remote control. All of the user interfaces together with the context of use, cultural factors, social factors, and prior experiences of the user influences the ways people interact with their remote control and ultimately has an effect on their user experiences. Advances in the broadcasting sector and transformations of the TV physical remote control have compounded the simple remote control into a multifaceted, indispensable device, overcrowded with buttons. The usability and ultimately the user experience of physical remote controls (PRCs) have been affected by the overloaded functionality and small button sizes. The usability issues with current PRCs, the evolution of mobile phones into touchscreen smartphones, and the trend of global companies moving towards virtual remote controls (VRCs) have prompted this research to discover what user interface design features will contribute towards an enhanced user experience for digital TV VRCs. This research used the design science research process model (DSRP), which comprised six steps, to investigate this topic area further. A review of the domain literature pertaining to mobile user experiences (MUX) and all the encompassing factors, mobile human computer interaction (MHCI) and the physical, logical, graphical and natural user interfaces was completed, as well as a review of the literature regarding the usability issues of PRCs and VRCs. A contextual task analysis (CTA) of a single South African digital TV PRC was used to identify how users utilise PRCs to perform tasks, and the usability issues they encountered during the tasks. Brainstorming focus groups were used to understand how to represent certain user interface elements and attempted to source ideas from users about what potential functionality digital TV VRCs should contain. Together with all the other results gathered from the previous chapters amalgamated into a set of user interface design guidelines for digital TV VRCs. The proposed user interface guidelines were used to instantiate a digital TV VRC prototype that underwent usability testing in order to validate the proposed user interface design guidelines. The results of the usability testing revealed that the user interface design guidelines for digital TV VRCs were successful, with the addition of one guideline that was discovered during the usability testing.
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  • Date Issued: 2016

Using bioinformatics tools to screen for trypanosomal cathepsin B cysteine protease inhibitors from the SANCDB as a novel therapeutic modality against Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT)

  • Authors: Mokhawa, Gaone
  • Date: 2016
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/3304 , vital:20470
  • Description: Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT), also known as sleeping sickness, is a fatal chronic disease that is caused by flagellated protozoans, Trypanosoma brucei gambiense and Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense. HAT is spread by a bite from an infected tsetse fly of the Glosina genus. Up to 60 million people in 36 countries in sub-Saharan Africa are at a risk of infection from HAT with up to 30 000 deaths reported every year. Current chemotherapy for HAT is insufficient since the available drugs exhibit unacceptable side effects (toxicity) and parasite resistance. Novel treatments and approaches for development of specific and more potent drugs for HAT are therefore required. One approach is to target vital proteins that are essential to the life cycle of the parasite. The main interest of this study is to explore Trypanosoma brucei cathepsin B-like protease (TbCatB) structural and functional properties with the primary goal of discovering non peptide small molecule inhibitors of TbCatB using bioinformatics approaches. TbCatB is a papain family C1 cysteine protease which belongs to clan CA group and it has emerged as a potential HAT drug target. Papain family cysteine proteases of Clan CA group of Trypanosoma brucei (rhodesain and TbCatB) have demonstrated potential as chemotherapeutic targets using synthetic protease inhibitors like Z-Phe-Ala-CHN2 to kill the parasite in vitro and in vivo. TbCatB has been identified as the essential cysteine protease of T. brucei since mRNA silencing of TbCatB killed the parasite and resulted in a cure in mice infected with T. brucei while mRNA silencing of rhodesain only extended mice life. TbCatB is therefore a promising drug target against HAT and the discovery and development of compounds that can selectively inhibit TbCatB without posing any danger to the human host represent a great therapeutic solution for treatment of HAT. To understand protein-inhibitor interactions, useful information can be obtained from high resolution protease-inhibitor crystal structure complexes. This study aims to use bioinformatics approaches to carry out comparative sequence, structural and functional analysis of TbCatB protease and its homologs from T. congolense, T, cruzi, T. vivax and H. sapien as well as to identify non-peptide small molecule inhibitors of TbCatB cysteine proteases from natural compounds of South African origin. Sequences of TbCatB (PDB ID: 3HHI) homologs were retrieved by a BLAST search. Human cathepsin B (PDB ID: 3CBJ) was selected from a list of templates for homology modelling found by HHpred. MODELLER version 9.10 program was used to generate a hundred models for T. congolense, T, cruzi and T. vivax cathepsin B like proteases using 3HHI and 3CBJ as templates. The best models were chosen based on their low DOPE Z scores before validation using MetaMQAPII, ANOLEA, PROCHECK and QMEAN6. The DOPE Z scores and the RMSD (RMS) values of the calculated models indicate that the models are of acceptable energy (stability) and fold (conformation). Results from the different MQAPs indicate the models are of acceptable quality and they can be used for docking studies. High throughput screening of SANCDB using AutoDock Vina revealed nine compounds, SANC00 478, 479, 480, 481, 482, 488, 489, 490 and 491, having a strong affinity for Trypanosoma spp. cathepsin B proteases than HsCatB. SANC00488 has the strongest binding to Trypanosoma spp. cathepsin B proteases and the weakest binding to HsCatB protease. Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations show that the complexes between SANC00488 and TbCatB, TcCatB, TcrCatB and TvCatB are stable and do not come apart during simulation. The complex between this compound and HsCatB however is unstable and comes apart during simulation. Residues that are important for the stability of SANC00488-TbCatB complex are Gly328 of the S2 subsite, Phe208, and Ala256. In conclusion SANC00488 is a good candidate for development of a drug against HAT.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2016
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