Synthesis and characterization of quantum dots designed for biomedical use
- Authors: Kuzyniak, Weronika , Adegoke, Oluwasesan , Sekhosana, Kutloana E , D'Souza, Sarah , Tshangana, Sesethu Charmaine , Hoffmann, Björn , Ermilov, Eugeny A , Nyokong, Tebello , Höpfner, Michael
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/241516 , vital:50946 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpharm.2014.03.037"
- Description: Semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) have become promising nanoparticles for a wide variety of biomedical applications. However, the major drawback of QDs is their potential toxicity. Here, we determined possible cytotoxic effects of a set of QDs by systematic photophysical evaluation in vitro as well as in vivo. QDs were synthesized by the hydrothermal aqueous route with sizes in the range of 2.0–3.5 nm. Cytotoxic effects of QDs were studied in the human pancreatic carcinoid cell line BON. Cadmium telluride QDs with or without zinc sulfide shell and coated with 3-mercaptopropionic acid (MPA) were highly cytotoxic even at nanomolar concentrations. Capping with L-glutathione (GSH) or thioglycolic acid (TGA) reduced the cytotoxicity of cadmium telluride QDs and cadmium selenide QDs. Determination of the toxicity of QDs revealed IC50 values in the micromolar range. In vivo studies showed good tolerability of CdSe QDs with ZnS shell and GSH capping. We could demonstrate that QDs with ZnS shell and GSH capping exhibit low toxicity and good tolerability in cell models and living organisms. These QDs appear to be promising candidates for biomedical applications such as drug delivery for enhanced chemotherapy or targeted delivery of light sensitive substances for photodynamic therapy.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Synthesis of ytterbium bisphthalocyanines
- Authors: Sekhosana, Kutloana E , Nyokong, Tebello
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/189887 , vital:44943 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.optmat.2014.05.013"
- Description: Herein we report on the syntheses, photophysico-chemical properties and nonlinear absorption parameters of bis-{1(4), 8(11), 15(18), 22(25)-(tetrapyridin-2-yloxy phthalocyaninato)} ytterbium (III) (3) and bis-{1(4), 8(11), 15(18), 22(25)-(tetrapyridin-4-yloxy phthalocyaninato)} ytterbium (III) (4). The fluorescence and singlet oxygen quantum yields obtained for complexes 3 and 4 are low. The triplet quantum yield obtained for complex 3 is high at ΦT = 0.89 whereas for complex 4 ΦT = 0.48. The third order optical susceptibility values are of the order: 10−11 esu (for complex 3), and 10−13 esu (for complex 4) while the hyperpolarizability values are of the order: 10−28 esu (for complex 3) and 10−31 esu (for complex 4). Complexes 3 and 4 show two-photon absorption coefficients of the order of 10−46 cm4 s/photon and 10−48 cm4 s/photon, and threshold intensities as low as 0.3 J cm−2 and 0.0045 J cm−2, respectively.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Synthesis, characterization and photodynamic therapy properties of an octa-4-tert-butylphenoxy-substituted phosphorus (V) triazatetrabenzcorrole
- Authors: Shi, Maohu , Tian, Jiangwei , Mkhize, Colin , Kubheka, Gugu , Zhou, Jinfeng , Mack, John , Nyokong, Tebello , Shen, Zhen
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/241494 , vital:50944 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1142/S1088424614500436"
- Description: A novel octa-4-tert-butylphenoxy-substituted phosphorus(V) triazatetrabenzcorrole (PVTBC), has been synthesized and characterized by MALDI-TOF MS and NMR, FT-IR and MCD spectroscopy. The fluorescence emission spectrum was used to determine the fluorescence quantum yield and the quantum yield for singlet oxygen generation was calculated by using 1,3-diphenylisobenzofuran as a scavenger. The photocytoxicity against U87MG cells was measured. The results indicated that PVTBC is potentially useful as an NIR region photosensitizer for photodynamic therapy (PDT).
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- Date Issued: 2014
Synthesis, photophysicochemical properties and TD-DFT calculations of tetrakis (2-benzoyl-4-chlorophenoxy) phthalocyanines
- Authors: Yilmaz, Yusuf , Mack, John , Sener, M Kasim , Sönmez, Mehmet , Nyokong, Tebello
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/241538 , vital:50948 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1142/S1088424614500047"
- Description: The synthesis of metal free, magnesium and zinc tetrakis(2-benzoyl-4-chlorophenoxy) phthalocyanine derivatives (2–4) is described along with their characterization by elemental analysis, IR, UV-visible absorption, and 1H NMR spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. Trends observed in the fluorescence, triplet state, singlet oxygen and photodegradation quantum yields and the triplet state lifetimes are also analyzed. The compounds exhibit high solubility in a wide range of organic solvents and no evidence of aggregation was observed over a wide concentration range. The Zn(II) complex (4) was found to have a very high singlet oxygen quantum yield (ΦΔ = 0.78) in dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) and a reasonably large triplet state quantum yield (ΦT = 0.82). The photophysical and photochemical properties clearly demonstrate that these compounds could prove useful in singlet oxygen applications such as photodynamic therapy (PDT). DFT and TD-DFT calculations were used to assess the impact of the positional isomerism of the 2-benzoyl-4-chlorophenoxy substituents on the electronic structures and optical spectroscopy.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Testing antivirus engines to determine their effectiveness as a security layer
- Authors: Haffejee, Jameel , Irwin, Barry V W
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/429673 , vital:72631 , 10.1109/ISSA.2014.6950496
- Description: This research has been undertaken to empirically test the assumption that it is trivial to bypass an antivirus application and to gauge the effectiveness of antivirus engines when faced with a number of known evasion techniques. A known malicious binary was combined with evasion techniques and deployed against several antivirus engines to test their detection ability. The research also documents the process of setting up an environment for testing antivirus engines as well as building the evasion techniques used in the tests. This environment facilitated the empirical testing that was needed to determine if the assumption that antivirus security controls could easily be bypassed. The results of the empirical tests are also presented in this research and demonstrate that it is indeed within reason that an attacker can evade multiple antivirus engines without much effort. As such while an antivirus application is useful for protecting against known threats, it does not work as effectively against unknown threats.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Thaumatotibia leucotreta and the Navel orange: ovipositional preferences and host susceptibility
- Authors: Love, C N , Hill, Martin P , Moore, Sean D
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/423811 , vital:72095 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1111/jen.12126"
- Description: False codling moth, Thaumatotibia leucotreta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), presents a significant threat to the South African citrus industry. To limit income loss due to direct larval damage or from fruit rejection due to the phytosanitary status of this pest, additional pre-harvest control techniques are required for Navel oranges, which are known to be susceptible to T.leucotreta damage. A number of Navel orange cultivars have been developed, and differences in female T. leucotretaovi positional preference and susceptibility of cultivars to larval penetration are known to exist. Navel orange cultivars were grouped according to time of maturity (early, mid- and late season). Female T.leucotreta were subjected to choice and no-choice tests with these cultivars, measured by oviposition. Host susceptibility was tested by allowing neonate T. leucotreta larvae to penetrate the different Navel cultivars. In the early maturing group, Fischer Navels were least preferred for oviposition and the least susceptible to larval penetration. The mid- and late season maturing groupings showed limited differences in oviposition preference, although host susceptibility did appear to be an important factor in assessing the vulnerability of fruit to T. leucotreta. Despite being widely planted in South Africa, the mid-season Palmer Navels were highly susceptible to larval penetration, while for the late season cultivars, Cambria and Glen Ora Late were the least susceptible to T. leucotreta. As a result of these laboratory trials, it is recommended that farmers increase cultivation of Fischer Navels as the principal early season cultivar, avoid Palmer Navels in favour of other mid-season maturing cultivars and give preference to the late maturing Cambria and Glen Ora Late cultivars, to limit T. Leucotreta damage.
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- Date Issued: 2014
The comparative growth rates of indigenous street and garden trees in Grahamstown, South Africa
- Authors: De Lacy, Peter J G , Shackleton, Charlie M
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/180943 , vital:43672 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sajb.2014.02.007"
- Description: Urban forestry is advocated worldwide as a means of enhancing the liveability of towns and cities, and mitigating some of the anticipated impacts of climate change. Optimisation of the benefits of trees in urban areas is dependent upon knowledge of tree form, growth, and the products and benefits that trees provide. Growth rates are a vital variable for modelling benefits, yet there is a significant gap in knowledge pertaining to growth rates of trees in urban areas, especially indigenous species in developing world countries. Here we report on growth rates of indigenous street and garden trees in Grahamstown, South Africa, using two approaches; tree ring counts on increment cores and mean rates from trees of known planting age. Growth equations for both street and garden trees were derived. There was no significant difference in mean growth rates determined via the two methods. For both methods street trees grew approximately 30% slower than trees in gardens.
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- Date Issued: 2014
The effect of sap-sucking by Falconia intermedia (Hemiptera: Miridae) on the emission of volatile organic compounds from the leaves of Lantana camara varieties
- Authors: Heshula, Lelethu U , Hill, Martin P
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/406141 , vital:70242 , xlink:href="https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC150957"
- Description: Evidence from more than 100 plant species has confirmed that plants emit volatile organic chemicals (VOC) in response to herbivory (Karban and Baldwin 1997; Dicke et al. 2003; Arimura et al. 2005). Feeding-induced plant responses may result in higher levels of volatiles, and different bouquets of compounds being emitted by plants following herbivore damage (Wei et al. 2006). The emission of volatile chemicals may be beneficial to plants in two ways; undamaged plants may interpret the chemical signals from damaged plants and in turn prime themselves for defence (Arimura et al. 2000; Dicke et al. 2003; Agrawal 2005), or volatiles emitted by damaged plants may attract natural enemies of the herbivores, which may reduce further damage to the plants (Tumlinson et al. 1993; De Moraes et al. 1998; Dicke and Vet 1999).
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- Date Issued: 2014
The ethical function of research and teaching
- Authors: Tabensky, Pedro
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/305738 , vital:58608 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-5812.2011.00813.x"
- Description: It is the epistemic as well as the ethical responsibility of academics to aim to approach their research and teaching with a proper understanding of the ultimate ethical purpose or telos of their defining activities and products,which is the practical aim of promoting human flourishing. Minimally, academics should aim at understanding, and a key component of understanding is to understand the ideal ethical purpose of what is being researched and taught. For instance, sadistic Nazi medical researchers and teachers—Mengeles of sorts—in addition to having reprehensible commitments,would be significantly ignorant about their own intellectual concerns by virtue of their abject (belief-expressing) commitments. I will show that insights drawn from extreme cases such as this one apply across disciplines and in less extreme cases.
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- Date Issued: 2014
The extent and perceptions of vandalism as a cause of street tree damage in small towns in the Eastern Cape, South Africa
- Authors: Richardson, Emma , Shackleton, Charlie M
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/180954 , vital:43676 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2014.04.003"
- Description: Street trees are important foundations of urban sustainability due to the ecosystem services that they provide society and the environment. However, street trees are vulnerable to vandalism and damage, especially when small, which constraints the flow of benefits they provide and also increases the costs of planting programmes. Despite being a common phenomenon, there is limited knowledge regarding the extent of vandalism and the reasons for it. Here we seek to understand the causes and extent of street tree damage in eleven small Eastern Cape (South Africa) towns and to assess the perceptions of residents and officials. The condition of newly planted street trees was assessed in each town and residents were interviewed in the two towns with the highest number of newly planted street trees. Almost half (42%) of recently planted street trees were totally snapped, ranging between 0% and 63% per town. There was no difference in the prevalence of trees being snapped between those with protective structures and those without. Each town used different structures around newly planted street trees, but in only two towns were all the structures intact. The prevalence of damage declined with increasing trunk thickness and increasing town size. According to residents, boredom, misbehaviour, lack of appreciation of trees and collection for wood were the main factors for tree vandalism by people along with damage by livestock. Ward councillors recognised the presence of vandalism, but indicated that it was not a priority topic in their ward meetings. Suggestions by residents to prevent vandalism included: planting in sensible areas, re-designing the protective structures, re-locating livestock and engendering community participation and ownership in all aspects of street tree planting.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
The herbivorous arthropods associated with the invasive alien plant, Arundo donax, and the native analogous plant, Phragmites australis, in the Free State Province, South Africa s
- Authors: Canavan, Kim N , Paterson, Iain D , Hill, Martin P
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/406155 , vital:70243 , xlink:href="https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC155690"
- Description: The Enemy Release Hypothesis (ERH) predicts that when plant species are introduced outside their native range there is a release from natural enemies resulting in the plants becoming problematic invasive alien species (Lake and Leishman 2004; Puliafico et al. 2008). The release from natural enemies may benefit alien plants more than simply reducing herbivory because, according to the Evolution of Increased Competitive Ability (EICA) hypothesis, without pressure from herbivores more resources that were previously allocated to defence can be allocated to reproduction (Blossey and Notzold 1995). Alien invasive plants are therefore expected to have simpler herbivore communities with fewer specialist herbivores (Frenzel and Brandl 2003; Heleno et al. 2008; Heger and Jeschke 2014).
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
The impact of manufacturing variables on in vitro release of clobetasol 17-propionate from pilot scale cream formulations
- Authors: Fauzee, Ayesha F B , Khamanga, Sandile M , Walker, Roderick B
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/183872 , vital:44077 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.3109/03639045.2013.842579"
- Description: The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effect of different homogenization speeds and times, anchor speeds and cooling times on the viscosity and cumulative % clobetasol 17-propionate released per unit area at 72 h from pilot scale cream formulations. A 24 full factorial central composite design for four independent variables were investigated. Thirty pilot scale batches of cream formulations were manufactured using a Wintech® cream/ointment plant. The viscosity and in vitro release of CP were monitored and compared to an innovator product that is commercially available on the South African market, namely, Dermovate® cream. Contour and three-dimensional response surface plots were produced and the viscosity and cumulative % CP released per unit area at 72 h were found to be primarily dependent on the homogenization and anchor speeds. An increase in the homogenization and anchor speeds appeared to exhibit a synergistic effect on the resultant viscosity of the cream whereas an antagonistic effect was observed for the in vitro release of CP from the experimental cream formulations. The in vitro release profiles were best fitted to a Higuchi model and diffusion proved to be the dominant mechanism of drug release that was confirmed by use of the Korsmeyer–Peppas model. The research was further validated and confirmed by the high prognostic ability of response surface methodology (RSM) with a resultant mean percentage error of (±SD) 0.17 ± 0.093 suggesting that RSM may be an efficient tool for the development and optimization of topical formulations.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
The influence of gold nanoparticles on the electroactivity of nickel tetrasulfonated phthalocyanine
- Authors: Maringa, Audacity , Nyokong, Tebello
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/189774 , vital:44930 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1142/S1088424614500333"
- Description: We report on the electrodeposition of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) on a glassy carbon electrode (GCE) followed by deposition of nickel tetrasulfonated phthalocyanine (NiTSPc) film by electropolymerization (poly-NiTSPc-GCE) to form Poly-NiTSPc/AuNPs-GCE. The presence of the gold nanoparticles caused a lowering of the anodic and cathodic peak separation (ΔEp) of ferricyanide from 126 mV on poly-NiTSPc to 110 mV on poly-NiTSPc/AuNPs. The electrooxidation of nitrite improved on modified electrodes compared to GCE, with the latter giving Ep = 0.78 V and the modified electrodes gave Ep = 0.62 V or 0.61 V. Poly-NiTSPc/AuNPs-GCE had higher currents compared to poly-NiTSPc-GCE. This indicates the enhancement effect caused by the AuNPs. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and chronoamperometric studies also showed that poly-NiTSPc/AuNPs-GCE was a better electrocatalyst than poly-NiTSPc-GCE or AuNPs-GCE.
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- Date Issued: 2014
The life history traits of the arctiine moth Pareuchaetes insulata, a biological control agent of Chromolaena odorata in South Africa
- Authors: Uyi, Osariyekemwen , Zachariades, Costas , Hill, Martin P
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/406170 , vital:70244 , xlink:href="https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC160238"
- Description: Pareuchaetes insulata (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Erebidae: Arctiinae) was released in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, as a biological control agent against Chromolaena odorata (L.) King and Robinson (Asteraceae) between 2001 and 2009. Although the moth did establish at one out of some 30 release sites, its population level is generally low in the field. Two closely related biological control agents, P. pseudoinsulata Rego Barros and P. aurata aurata (Butler) had previously failed to establish despite several years of releases. Studies of life history traits of P. insulata (males and females) were conducted to determine whether several aspects of its developmental and reproductive biology can explain its poor performance, and to compare the development and reproductive biology of P. insulata with the two other closely related species. At 25 °C, overall mortality of immature stages was generally low (below 12 %). Although the duration of the larval life stage was statistically longer for females, overall they eclosed as adults before the males (i.e. protogyny). Pupal mass, growth rate and total leaf area consumed were higher in females. Mated females laid 74% of their eggs on the first four nights following eclosion and lived an average of 5.92 ± 0.19 days. The moth also showed good biological attributes such as high fecundity (number of eggs), egg hatchability and female mating success (the number of matings that resulted in fertile eggs). Significant positive correlations were detected between insect performance metrics and leaf consumption and between fecundity and pupal mass. A 23 % greater lifetime reproductive output (387.62 ± 19.50 eggs per female) for P. insulata compared with P. aurata aurata was recorded. We hypothesize that the absence of protandry in P. insulata might have contributed to the low population levels of the moth in the field. The results of this study contribute to our understanding of the life history traits of erebid moths in the subfamily Arctiinae deployed for the biological control of C. odorata.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
the programmable bride
- Authors: Krueger, Anton
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/229698 , vital:49701 , xlink:href="https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC156969"
- Description: the man gently opens his machine and finding an agreeable port for his firm flash, he eagerly installs the software he's been waiting on for so very long... once booted up, the man takes his first tentative steps, finding his bride perfect in every way, already completely in love with him, and dreamy... the man tenderly reaches out for her-she understands him so well, she's concerned about his needs, she wants to know how he feels, wants only to please him, she only-/but-there's an interruption/somebody's on the stairs, someone's knocking at his door-the man is forced to close her down a little too abruptly, shutting the machine to attend to other matters while he's away he can't wait to get back, he thinks about her all the time; he longs to flip his laptop lid up, to open her again... but when finally he silently prises open the instrument of his heart's desires, she seems a little disorientated... he didn't shut her down properly …
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- Date Issued: 2014
The role of knowledge in a democratic society: investigations into mediation and change-oriented learning in water management practices
- Authors: Burt, Jane C , Lotz-Sisitka, Heila , Rivers, Nina , Berold, Robert , Ntshudu, Monde , Wigley, Tim , Stanford, Mindy , Jenkin, Treve , Buzani, Mangalisa , Kruger, Ewald
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , report
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/436770 , vital:73300 , ISBN 978-1-4312-0519-6 , https://wrcwebsite.azurewebsites.net/wp-content/uploads/mdocs/2074-1-13.pdf
- Description: This project emerged from two previous Water Research Commission (WRC) research projects. In 2006 Heila Lotz-Sisitka and Jane Burt (Lotz-Sisitka, 2006) undertook research on participation in the establishment of integrated water resources management (IWRM) structures. They found that while much emphasis had gone into the establishment of water re-sources management structures, very little attention was being given to building people’s capacity to participate effectively in these structures. Access to and the ability to make use of knowledge resources about wa-ter resources management is a key aspect of such capacity building.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Towards a platform to visualize the state of South Africa's information security
- Authors: Swart, Ignus , Irwin, Barry V W , Grobler, Marthie
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/429688 , vital:72632 , 10.1109/ISSA.2014.6950511
- Description: Attacks via the Internet infrastructure is increasingly becoming a daily occurrence and South Africa is no exception. In response, certain governments have published strategies pertaining to information security on a national level. These policies aim to ensure that critical infrastructure is protected, and that there is a move towards a greater state of information security readiness. This is also the case for South Africa where a variety of policy initiatives have started to gain momentum. While establishing strategy and policy is essential, ensuring its implementation is often difficult and dependent on the availability of resources. This is even more so in the case of information security since virtually all standardized security improvement processes start off with specifying that a proper inventory is required of all hardware, software, people and processes. While this may be possible to achieve at an organizational level, it is far more challenging on a national level. In this paper, the authors examine the possibility of making use of available data sources to achieve inventory of infrastructure on a national level and to visualize the state of a country's information security in at least a partial manner.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Towards a Sandbox for the Deobfuscation and Dissection of PHP Malware
- Authors: Wrench, Peter M , Irwin, Barry V W
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/429700 , vital:72633 , 10.1109/ISSA.2014.6950504
- Description: The creation and proliferation of PHP-based Remote Access Trojans (or web shells) used in both the compromise and post exploitation of web platforms has fuelled research into automated methods of dissecting and analysing these shells. Current malware tools disguise themselves by making use of obfuscation techniques designed to frustrate any efforts to dissect or reverse engineer the code. Advanced code engineering can even cause malware to behave differently if it detects that it is not running on the system for which it was originally targeted. To combat these defensive techniques, this paper presents a sandbox-based environment that aims to accurately mimic a vulnerable host and is capable of semi-automatic semantic dissection and syntactic deobfuscation of PHP code.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Towards building an indigenous knowledge platform to enable culturally-sensitive education underpinned by technological pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK)
- Authors: Ntšekhe, Mathe , Terzoli, Alfredo , Thinyane, Mamello
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/431424 , vital:72773 , http://proceedings.e-skillsconference.org/2014/e-skills275-284Ntsekhe821.pdf
- Description: The everyday use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) is ingrained to the fabric of today’s society. A question open for debate is whether this use is or can be optimized to engender authentic solutions, which are aligned to the natural environment of the people? In this paper, we examine at the question from the vantage point of ed-ucating the rural African child. We engage with the sub-question: can ICTs facilitate education grounded in people's own realities, especially those of the marginalized rural poor? We believe this is possible under specific conditions, which include making Indigenous Knowledge (IK) readily available. We propose building an ICT platform that allows injec-tion of IK into the education process: develop a solution that valorizes IK, but also supports efforts to use ICTs in education driven by Tech-nology, Pedagogy, and Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework. The main goal of this framework is to facilitate effective teaching with tech-nology. TPACK partially embeds IK within pedagogical knowledge and ‘contexts’ of learning; we argue for explicit inclusion of IK within the framework to complement the other knowledges.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014
Towards developing a social science research agenda for the South African water sector
- Authors: Munnik, Victor , Burt, Jane C
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , report
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/436797 , vital:73306 , ISBN 978-1-4312-0511-0 , https://wrcwebsite.azurewebsites.net/wp-content/uploads/mdocs/KV%20325-13.pdf
- Description: The report explores what is meant by social research and introduces a synthetic, interdisciplinary framework for water research that side steps the ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ science debate by demonstrating how different disci-plines help us understand different layers of reality when dealing with complex challenges.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2014