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Audio-Visual and Cyber Evidence in the Context of Criminal Law

  • Authors: Madzika, Koshesayi
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: Electronic evidence -- Law and legislation -- South Africa
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , LLM
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/47380 , vital:39967
  • Description: In the past decade technology has advanced significantly and at a very rapid pace. This advancement and rapid growth of technology has affected many aspects of life, including legal systems. An area of law particularly affected by the rapid changes in technology is the law of electronic evidence, especially as far as criminal matters are concerned. This is largely due to an increase in crimes committed over the internet. The growth of technology, such as cyber communications and mass media, has made audio visual and electronic messages important forms of evidence. The purpose of this research is to show the complications that technology has brought about as far as electronic evidence in the context of criminal law is concerned. It is acknowledged that South Africa has an existing legislative framework regulating electronic evidence, but it is submitted that there are lacunae in such legislation. The aim of the dissertation is therefore to expose the lack of adequate regulation in South Africa in dealing with electronic evidence. A further aim of the research is to seek to provide solutions to problems related to the regulation of electronic evidence. It is important to determine the current laws regulating electronic evidence in order to expose the lacunae within those laws. An outline of the current legal framework regulating electronic evidence shall be given. This consists of the historical background on the admissibility of electronic evidence; the constitutional basis for admitting such evidence and legal principles governing electronic evidence. Inadequate regulation of electronic evidence is a serious problem, as technology has overtaken some areas of the physical world. The criminal justice system has also been affected especially in the admissibility of electronic evidence. The problems regarding electronic evidence in criminal law matters shall be fully assessed in order to reflect how the criminal justice system has been affected and the consequences of inadequate regulation. In seeking solutions to the problems of inadequate regulation of electronic evidence, reliance is placed on recommendations by the South African Law Reform Commission; international and foreign law. A conclusion is drawn from the dissertation that, whilst technology has been rapidly advancing, the South African law regulating electronic evidence has remained largely unchanged, rendering it incapable of sufficiently regulating matters in which electronic evidence plays a key role. The demand for adequate legislation on electronic evidence is therefore apparent in this regard.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

Audit of intravenous antifungal therapy used for Candida infections at a South African private hospital

  • Authors: Van Dyk, Jacklyn Kate
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: Candidiasis
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MPharm
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/46380 , vital:39600
  • Description: The epidemiological landscape of the candida species has changed with the emergence of MDR strains globally and in South Africa. The aim of this study was to critically evaluate the compliance to guidelines in the use of intravenous antifungal therapy when treating invasive Candidainfections in a South African private hospital.Objective One was to determine the prevalence of Candida auris(C.auris) in the sample. Objective Two examined the relationship between high-risk patients and positive microbiological cultures. Objective Three studied the prescribing utilisation of the intravenous antifungalsin the form of a clinical audit. Objective Four compared these prescribing patternsto current guidelines by evaluating whether the antifungal course was non-compliant, of suboptimal compliance or compliant. Objective Five was to design a protocol for ward pharmacists to use when assessing antifungal treatment for candidiasis. The research design consisted of a retrospective, non-experimental, cross-sectional analysis of intravenous antifungal use in the management of systemic Candida infections in a private sector hospital in the Gauteng province, South Africa.A positive research paradigm with a quantitative clinical audit was used in this study. The most prevalent species cultured was C.auris with 31 of the 77 positive cultures. Risk stratifying patients was validated with 70% of high risk patients (Candida Score >2.5 and positive β-D-glucan) having a corresponding positive culture. Echinocandins were the most frequently utilised antifungal class, with caspofungin being the most used antifungal in the sample. The average duration of therapy for the echinocandins ranged between 11 and 16 days. Compliance to guidelines was evaluated accordingto: reason for initiation; drug choice and drug dose. Three levels of compliance were determined: non-compliant, sub-optimal compliance and compliant. xivThe overall compliance,according to recommended treatment guidelines,was found to be suboptimal, with anidentified need foranintervention which targets thedosing of the antifungals used. In conclusion, the research findings highlight the importance of reviewing antifungal prescribing habits and the need for antifungal stewardship programmes.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

Awareness, knowledge and practices with regards to alcohol use of pregnant women in the Missionvale area

  • Authors: Du Preez, Mingon
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: Pregnant women -- Alcohol use
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/46404 , vital:39572
  • Description: South African statistics, when compared to global statistics, has an above-average occurrence of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder(FASD). Alcohol use during pregnancy is on the rise globally and has far-reaching consequences. FASD is an umbrella term that describes the range of effects that can occur in an individual whose mother consumed alcohol during pregnancy.FASDnot only has an abiological, social and emotional negative impact on the individual, but also creates an added burden on the family caring for such an individual. When this condition occurs in a third world country, like South Africa, there is an economic impact as this country has limited physical and human resources to deal with the multitude of repercussions associated with this condition. This study was conducted in the Missionvale Community, an impoverished area of Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape. Participants were selected from this community, as clients attending the psychology clinic in the area frequently present with diagnosed FASD and co-concurring conditions, such as scholastic underachievement and behavioural conditions. These factors perpetuate an individuals inability to rise above their current circumstances as they are frequently unable to complete their schooling and are consequently unable to find unemployment. Prevention of FASD is a social, public and personal health issue that requires a multifaceted approach to intervention. The present study aimed to determine participants’ awareness, knowledge levels and practices with regard to alcohol use during pregnancy. Previous studies conducted in the Eastern Cape have primarily focused on the outcomes of prenatal alcohol exposure rather than the contributing factors, thus making this study the first of its kind to be conducted in the Eastern Cape. The study was quantitative in nature and participants were obtained through purposive sampling. A questionnaire, comprising of four different sections was used to obtain the necessary information. The sections in the questionnaire tapped information about the following concepts: Demographics, awareness, knowledge, and practices of alcohol use by pregnant women. The statistical results and additional comments by the participants assisted the researcher to gain a better understanding of the awareness levels, knowledge, and practices with regard to alcohol use of pregnant women residing in the Missionvale area. The results from the study indicate that participants have a general awareness that alcohol use during pregnancy could be harmful to an unborn baby but lack in-depth specific knowledge of the adverse effects of prenatal alcohol exposure.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

Azadipyrromethenes for applications in photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy, photodynamic therapy and optical limiting

  • Authors: Dubazana, Nadine
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: Dyes and dyeing -- Chemistry , Photochemotherapy , Cancer -- Photochemotherapy , Anti-infective agents , Staphylococcus aureus , Nonlinear optics , Azadipyrromethenes , BODIPY
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSc
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/166150 , vital:41333
  • Description: Azadipyrromethenes, azaBODIPYs and zinc azadipyrromethene complexes were prepared and characterised to examine the effect on their photophysical properties of incorporating phenyl groups at the 1,3,5,7-positions with electron-donating and withdrawing groups at the para-positions. To enhance their ability to generate singlet oxygen, appropriate structural modifications were made through the addition of a Zn(II) ion or halogenation at the 2,6 positions. In vitro photodynamic therapy (PDT) studies targeting MCF-7 human breast cancer cells were carried out. To evaluate and understand the effectiveness of the dyes as photosensitisers, cellular uptake, phototoxicity and the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values were analysed. Photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy (PACT) studies were also carried out to study the effectiveness of the dyes against Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). Dyes with donor-π-acceptor (D-π-A) properties were synthesised and tested against the second harmonic of the Nd:YAG laser in optical limiting (OL) studies. The second-order hyperpolarisability, third-order susceptibility and nonlinear absorption coefficient values were determined. The results suggest that 1,3,5,7-azaBODIPY dyes may be less suitable for use in this context than analogous D-π-A 3,5-distyrylBODIPY dyes. Molecular modelling was carried out to identify the structure-property relationships of the synthesised dyes by analysing trends in the energies of the frontier molecular orbitals (MOs) and spectroscopic properties.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

Bacterial degradation of coal discard and geologically weathered coal:

  • Authors: Olawale, Jacob T , Edeki, Oghenekume G , Cowan, Keith A
  • Date: 2020
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/178694 , vital:40097 , https://doi.org/10.1007/s40789-020-00306-3
  • Description: The biodegradation of coal discard is being intensively studied in South Africa in an effort to develop passive methods for the successful revegetation and rehabilitation of waste dumps, to mitigate pollution, and facilitate mine closure. Bacteria were isolated from slurries of coal tailings and diesel-contaminated soil, screened for coal biodegradation competence, characterized, and the colonization and degradation of coal discard and geologically weathered coal investigated using individual isolates and consortia. Ten novel coal-degrading bacterial strains were isolated and characterized, the gene sequences deposited with GenBank, and the (wild-type) strains deposited at Microbial Culture Collection, India.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

Bail applications in Nigeria and South Africa

  • Authors: Babalola, Abdulateef Taiwo
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: Bail -- South Africa
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , LLM
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/47325 , vital:39847
  • Description: Between the point of arrest and conviction, an accused person has a right to be released on bail based on his or her Constitutional right to liberty as well as the right to be presumed innocent. To grant bail to an accused person serves as a form of contract of insurance or a guarantee that if the accused person is released pending the determination of the case against him, he will not frustrate the course of justice and will appear at a later date to face trial. The essence of bail is to allow the accused person enjoy his right to liberty pending the determination of the criminal charge if the interest of justice will permit for his or her release. This study aims at comparing bail proceedings in both the Nigerian and South African criminal justice systems. The constitutions of both jurisdictions make provision for bail, as well as the Administration of Criminal Justice Act applicable in Nigeria and the Criminal Procedure Act which is applicable in South Africa. By comparing both jurisdictions, the similarities and differences that exist between both systems will become evident, which makes them unique and distinct of each other. During the course of this study, it will be discovered that the Nigerian bail procedure do not meet up to international standards in protecting the right to personal liberty of accused persons. It is believed that the recommendations that will be suggested in this study will improve the Nigerian bail procedure and make it more effective and efficient.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

Barriers to, and enablers of urban tree planting in low-cost housing areas: lessons from participatory learning processes in South Africa

  • Authors: Gwedla, Nanamhla
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: Urban ecology (Sociology) -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Tree planting -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Trees in cities -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Urban forestry -- Law and legislation -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Low-income housing -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT)
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/167065 , vital:41434
  • Description: The recent pronouncement of low-cost housing areas as sustainable human settlements came with an expectation for their development in line with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 11. Unfortunately, the historical legacy and various socio-economic, socio-political, and socio-cultural dynamics characteristic of these areas have proven it challenging for them to conform to all requirements of urban sustainability, as evidenced in part by the virtual lack of greenspaces and urban trees. Through a three-tier inquiry of urban tree planting in low-cost housing areas using inductive and deductive mixed methods approaches, the aim of this research was to investigate the barriers to, and enablers of, tree planting in low-cost housing areas, and explore participatory learning opportunities to address the challenges and enhance the enablers. In the first segment, a participatory urban forest governance conceptual framing lens was used to situate the various actors in the development of the low-cost housing area urban forest and the dynamics of their involvement in that regard. Inquiry focused on an overview of tree planting across South Africa using key informant interviews, observations and document analysis. Secondly, distribution of trees, and barriers and enablers of tree planting in selected low-cost housing areas in the Eastern Cape province using household surveys, observations, key informant interviews and document analysis were investigated. Finally, drawing on interventionist methodology and adoption of Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT), the third segment tested scenarios of tree planting in three different small towns through focus group discussions and knowledge-sharing awareness events about trees and tree planting using an activity systems approach. Findings from the first segment ascertain the national Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF) as the custodian of forestry, and by extension urban forestry in South Africa. Municipalities are tasked with implementing greening plans and strategies for public space planting, while private businesses collaborate with entities to contribute to tree-planting as part of their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Civil society, including residents and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) also contribute, especially for private space planting. However, there are currently very few initiatives implemented in low-cost housing areas. An assessment of ten tree planting initiatives revealed that the DEFF is the most common partner and stakeholder, and normally provides resources such as funding and trees. Most programs reported having undertaken community engagement before and during the tree planting. The general outcomes of these initiatives were centred on the survival rate of trees, job creation, and development of parks and gardens. Findings from the first part of the second segment, conducted in eight small-medium sized towns in the Eastern Cape, revealed a general lack of trees along streets of both the newly developed and old low-cost housing areas. In the private spaces, most households (52 %) reported having at least one tree in their yard, with households in the older suburbs (60 %) reporting more trees than the newer ones (44 %). Most of these trees (66 %) had been planted as opposed to natural regeneration. Previous participation in urban tree planting programs was low, but 75 % of residents expressed willingness to participate in the future. Municipal officials from these towns corroborated that they do not host tree planting events or initiatives, which was demonstrated by the limited incorporation of urban forestry and urban greening in municipal Integrated Development Plans (IDP). In the second part of the second segment, three groupings of barriers and enablers into biophysical, social, and resources revealed that the most mentioned barriers for the private space were resource barriers. The most prominent barriers were limited space in people’s yards, insufficient funds for tree purchases and associated resources, the lack of equipment, and damage to planted trees. Private space enablers of tree planting suggested include the availability of funds, allocation of space, and changes in attitudes towards trees. According to residents, the most prominent barriers to public space planting include the perceived incompetence of municipalities, limited space on the street, insufficient funds for tree planting programmes, damage to trees in public spaces, crime associated with street trees, and politics. Additionally, municipal officials reported that their efforts to plant trees were hindered by lack of communication and coordination between municipal departments. Residents suggested that enlisting the skills of residents for tree planting, engaging in education and awareness initiatives about trees and tree planting, and changing attitudes towards trees could enable tree planting. Municipal officials opined that education and awareness, revisions to and implementation of Environmental Management Plans, and inter-departmental collaborations and partnerships could improve the prospects for public space planting. Drawing on key findings from the second segment, an intervention to involve communities in tree planting using a case study approach in three towns ensued. Here an activity systems analysis of participatory tree planting initiatives was used. Findings revealed an array of multi-activity systems with multiple and partially overlapping objectives related to tree planting. Residents demonstrated that, with support, they can champion urban tree planting for their suburbs. However, contradictions and tensions within and between various activity systems emerged, creating opportunities for the expansive transformation of an activity that was previously not a priority. This study highlights the current distribution of power and resources in the governance system of the urban forest, ascertains the spatial heterogeneity of urban trees in areas of a similar socio-economic context, and provides lessons for best-practice in tree planting that involves multiple actors. It provides in-depth insights into what constrains tree planting, and highlights the importance of residents in the governance system of urban forests and how this can constrain or advance tree planting. Further research in participatory urban forest governance for a developing country, low-income context could utilize an expansive learning platform as this will provide first-hand experiences into learning what is not yet there, and provide communities with the opportunities to explore and devise localized solutions to the lack of trees in their residential areas.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

Bat species richness and community composition along a mega-transect in the Okavango river basin:

  • Authors: Weier, Sina M , Keith, Mark , Neef, Götz G , Parker, Daniel M , Taylor, Peter J
  • Date: 2020
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/149264 , vital:38820 , https://doi.org/10.3390/d12050188
  • Description: The Okavango River Basin is a hotspot of bat diversity that requires urgent and adequate protection. To advise future conservation strategies, we investigated the relative importance of a range of potential environmental drivers of bat species richness and functional community composition in the Okavango River Basin. During annual canoe transects along the major rivers, originating in the central Angolan highlands, we recorded more than 25,000 bat echolocation calls from 2015 to 2018. We corrected for possible biases in sampling design and effort.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

Bayesian accelerated life tests for the Weibull distribution under non-informative priors

  • Authors: Mostert, Philip
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: Accelerated life testing -- Statistical methods , Accelerated life testing -- Mathematical models , Failure time data analysis , Bayesian statistical decision theory , Monte Carlo method , Weibull distribution
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSc
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/172181 , vital:42173
  • Description: In a competitive world where products are designed to last for long periods of time, obtaining time-to-failure data is both difficult and costly. Hence for products with high reliability, accelerated life testing is required to obtain relevant life-data quickly. This is done by placing the products under higher-than-use stress levels, thereby causing the products to fail prematurely. Part of the analysis of accelerated life-data requires a life distribution that describes the lifetime of a product at a given stress level and a life-stress relationship – which is some function that describes the way in which the life distribution changes across different stress levels. In this thesis it is assumed that the underlying life distribution is the wellknown Weibull distribution, with shape parameter constant over all stress levels and scale parameter as a log-linear function of stress. The primary objective of this thesis is to obtain estimates from Bayesian analysis, and this thesis considers five types of non-informative prior distributions: Jeffreys’ prior, reference priors, maximal data information prior, uniform prior and probability matching priors. Since the associated posterior distribution under all the derived non-informative priors are of an unknown form, the propriety of the posterior distributions is assessed to ensure admissible results. For comparison purposes, estimates obtained via the method of maximum likelihood are also considered. Finding these estimates requires solving non-linear equations, hence the Newton-Raphson algorithm is used to obtain estimates. A simulation study based on the time-to-failure of accelerated data is conducted to compare results between maximum likelihood and Bayesian estimates. As a result of the Bayesian posterior distributions being analytically intractable, two methods to obtain Bayesian estimates are considered: Markov chain Monte Carlo methods and Lindley’s approximation technique. In the simulation study the posterior means and the root mean squared error values of the estimates under the symmetric squared error loss function and the two asymmetric loss functions: the LINEX loss function and general entropy loss function, are considered. Furthermore the coverage rates for the Bayesian Markov chain Monte Carlo and maximum likelihood estimates are found, and are compared by their average interval lengths. A case study using a dataset based on accelerated time-to-failure of an insulating fluid is considered. The fit of these data for the Weibull distribution is studied and is compared to that of other popular life distributions. A full simulation study is conducted to illustrate convergence of the proper posterior distributions. Both maximum likelihood and Bayesian estimates are found for these data. The deviance information criterion is used to compare Bayesian estimates between the prior distributions. The case study is concluded by finding reliability estimates of the data at use-stress levels.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

BEd foundation phase fourth year student teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs towards teaching mathematics and the self-reported factors that influence these self-efficacy beliefs

  • Authors: Harrison, Chloe
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: Mathematics -- Study and teaching (Elementary) -- South Africa , Mathematics teachers -- Training of -- South Africa , Educational evaluation -- South Africa , Student teachers -- Training of -- South Africa , Student teachers -- Rating of -- South Africa , Social cognitive theory , Self-efficacy
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/147004 , vital:38584
  • Description: The underperformance of mathematics teaching and learning is a pressing concern in South Africa. Many foundation phase in-service teachers show inadequate mathematics content knowledge which creates barriers to their learners acquiring adequate mathematics skills. Teacher training programmes offer a key opportunity to improve the instructional practices of teachers at foundation phase level. In order to improve the teaching skills of in-service teachers, one focus must be on teacher training programmes. Unfortunately, there are many foundation phase student teachers who are leaving the profession within the first few years of teaching reportedly due to low levels of motivation. This research investigates the self-efficacy beliefs of pre-service student teachers. It also focuses on foundation phase student teachers as they experience significant challenges to their self-efficacy beliefs in mathematics and mathematics teaching. Self-efficacy is the key theory of the study. It stems from Bandura’s social cognitive theory and is an individual’s judgments about their capabilities, skills and perceived performance. This qualitative research adopts an interpretivist approach which seeks to identify Bed foundation phase fourth year student teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs towards teaching mathematics and the self-reported factors influencing such beliefs. This research found that BEd foundation phase fourth year student teachers have low self-efficacy beliefs towards teaching mathematics. The purpose of this research is to raise awareness of the BEd student teachers’ low self-efficacy beliefs towards teaching mathematics. The results from this research will provide a platform for future intervention research, as well as potentially influencing student teacher training programmes.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

Beef quality, oxidative stability and fatty acid composition of Nguni heifers fed diets with incremental levels of Opuntia ficus-indica (cactus) cladodes

  • Authors: Mkhosi, Silungile
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: Meat -- Quality
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc (Animal Science )
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/18732 , vital:42728
  • Description: The objective of the study was to determine meat quality, fatty acid (FA) composition and shelf-life stability of longissimus muscle of Nguni heifers fed incremental levels of Opuntia ficus-indica (cactus) cladodes. A total of 32 heifers aged 36 months were allocated randomly to four dietary treatments: 10% cactus, 20% cactus, commercial and control diets for 90 days. The longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LTL) samples were taken from each carcass for the determination of meat quality, retail shelf-life stability and FA composition. Diet had no effect (P > 0.05) on pH and drip display, however, there was an increase in drip display with ageing time (P ≤ 0.05). Meat colour attributes (L* a* b* and C*) were influenced by diet, with 20% cactus diet having lower L* values compared to other diets (P ≤ 0.05). During a 14-day retail display, a diet  day interaction was observed for hue angle with the cactus diets having the lowest values at day 14 of display compared to the other diets (P ≤ 0.05). Differences in meat from heifers fed different diets were observed with 20% cactus accounting for significantly (P ≤ 0.05) higher levels of deoxymyoglobin and the lowest levels of oxymyoglobin. Thawing loss and Warner Bratzler shear force decreased (P ≤ 0.05) with ageing period. Meat from heifers fed cactus diets had lower (P ≤ 0.05) proportions of oleic acid (C18:1n9c) and total MUFA, higher (P ≤ 0.05) proportions of total SFA, C15:1, C17:1, linoleic acid (C18:2n6c) and total PUFA. The control diet produced meat with the highest thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) values compared to other diets (P ≤ 0.05) and with ageing TBARS values increased (P ≤ 0.05). Diet showed an effect (P ≤ 0.05) on sensory attributes such as overall tenderness and mouth feel with cactus diets accounting for lower scores. However, juiciness, overall tenderness, grassy and animal like attributes increased with ageing (P ≤ 0.05). Inclusion of cactus in the diet did not produce any adverse effects on meat quality, fatty acid composition, lipid oxidation and sensory quality. Therefore, it can be concluded that inclusion of cactus in Nguni heifer finisher diets up to 20% can improve meat quality.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

Best practices to address medical identity theft awareness : the case of South African medical aid members

  • Authors: Ah Why, Brandon Lawrence
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: Medical records -- Access control -- South Africa Identity theft -- South Africa
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MIT
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/49396 , vital:41708
  • Description: The prevalence of medical identity theft continues to increase. This is a concern for medical aid members within the South African private healthcare sector. Medical identity theft can be caused by various individuals, including internal and external role players. The deceptions involved in medical identity theft can affect medical aid members, the healthcare industry, and medical aids. Medical aid members remain unaware that they are victims of medical identity theft until they receive high medical bills or are notified by their healthcare providers. This research study focused on the lack of awareness of medical identity theft among medical aid members. The main objective of this research study was to propose best practices that can be used to address medical aid members’ awareness of medical identity theft in the South African private healthcare sector. Sub-objectives were used to achieve the main objective. The first sub-objective was to identify the parties causing and the parties affected by medical identity theft. The second sub-objective was to determine the level of medical identity theft awareness among medical aid members in the South African private healthcare sector. The third sub-objective was to identify best practices to address medical identity theft awareness. The methodology used by this exploratory research study included a convergent mixed method design, which was used to obtain quantitative and qualitative data. Data collection was completed using a literature review and a questionnaire. Data analysis and reporting made use of a qualitative content analysis, descriptive statistics, and logical argumentation. Respondents’ answers to a questionnaire about their experiences with medical identity theft provided insight into South African medical aid members’ awareness of medical identity theft. The data gathered from the respondents was analysed, and themes emerged that emphasised a lack of awareness of medical identity theft among South African medical aid members. Twenty-six pre-emptive and nine retroactive best practices to address medical identity theft awareness were identified from existing literature. These best practices were cross-referenced to determine their relevance to the list of concerns about medical identity theft that emanated from the survey completed by South African medical aid members.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

Between nationalism and transnationalism: entanglements of history, individual narrative, and memory in diaspora spaces in selected transnational fiction

  • Authors: Bosman, Sean James
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: Literature and transnationalism , Gurnah, Abdulrazak, 1948- , Gurnah, Abdulrazak, 1948- -- By the sea , Gurnah, Abdulrazak, 1948- -- Gravel heart , Nguyen, Viet Thanh, 1971- , Nguyen, Viet Thanh, 1971- -- The sympathizer , Nguyen, Viet Thanh, 1971- -- The refugees , Urrea, Luis Alberto , Urrea, Luis Alberto -- The house of broken angels , Urrea, Luis Alberto -- The water museum
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/140932 , vital:37930
  • Description: This thesis offers close readings and a comparative analysis of selected works by Abdulrazak Gurnah, Viet Thanh Nguyen, and Luis Alberto Urrea. The selected primary texts used are Gurnah’s By the Sea (2000) and Gravel Heart (2017), Nguyen’s The Sympathizer (2015) and The Refugees (2017), and Urrea’s The Water Museum (2015) and The House of Broken Angels (2018). Analyses are informed by a conceptual framework that draws on critical works by Avtar Brah, J. U. Jacobs, Sarah Nuttall, Homi K. Bhabha, Judith Butler, Stuart Hall, Paul Ricoeur, Viet Thanh Nguyen, and Christopher B. Patterson. These theories are deployed to analyse how the selected works engage with the entanglements of history, individual narratives, and memory in the diaspora spaces they articulate. The thesis argues that the selected works indicate an emerging subgenre within the broader category of transnational literature. This subgenre rejects disempowering interpolations of transnational identities. Instead, it prioritises ethical forms of memory. These acknowledge that transnational subjects share at least partial accountability for the precarity they experience in diaspora spaces. The selected literature limns how this may be accomplished by rejecting the label of victim. In so doing, the selected literature also suggests that the elevation of transnationals to full ethical agency would enable them to exercise power in their diaspora spaces. All three authorial projects studied here also give rise to uncomfortable juxtapositions that suggest a mounting fear that, as nationalisms become more pronounced in the UK and the USA, transnationals may have to re-experience conditions from which they have already fled. The thesis concludes by identifying four additional areas of confluence amongst the selected literature worthy of future study.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

Between past and future: memory and mourning in the stories of Okwiri Oduor and Ndinda Kioko

  • Authors: Awuor, Nicholas Amol
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: Oduor, Okwiri -- Criticism and interpretation , Oduor, Okwiri -- The plea bargain , Oduor, Okwiri -- My father's head , Oduor, Okwiri -- Rag doll , Kioko, Ndinda -- Criticism and interpretation , Kioko, Ndinda -- Sometime Before Maulidi , Kioko, Ndinda -- Some Freedom Dreams , Authors, Kenyan -- Criticism and interpretation , Kenyan fiction (English) -- History and criticism , Kenyan literature (English) -- History and criticism
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/163168 , vital:41015
  • Description: This study investigates the literary activities of two emerging female Kenyan writers, Claudette Okwiri Oduor and Jacqueline Ndinda Kioko, both of whom are award-winning authors. Oduor won the 2014 Caine Prize for African Writing while Kioko bagged the Wasafiri New Writing Fiction Award 2017. It examines specifically how the writers deal with memory and mourning in negotiating between the past and future. I explore how their fictional and non-fictional narratives assist individuals and groups to confront loss, reconstruct new identities, and renegotiate belonging amidst personal and social upheaval. The fictional narratives at the centre of this research are Oduor’s “The Plea Bargain” (2011), “My Father’s Head” (2013) and “Rag Doll” (2014), and Kioko’s “Sometime Before Maulidi” (2014) and “Some Freedom Dreams” (2017). The study explores the themes of mental illness, existential crisis, and fragmentation, and considers bereavement, queer relationships, cultural freedom, and social recognition. The research further considers the active participation of these two writers in Kenya’s contemporary literary-cultural conversations, which span different genres and various media platforms, including blogs, YouTube clips, online magazines, and social media networks in dialogue with other writers. I trace the significance of the literary-cultural link these authors have with their local, continental, and global counterparts in countries like Uganda, Nigeria, and South Africa. The link finds expression through their (in)direct association with some of the new online publishing outlets in Kenya like Jalada Africa, Enkare Review, and Kikwetu. More importantly, their shared participation in and association with such international awards and scholarships as the Commonwealth Short Story Prize, Kwani Trust Manuscript Project, and Miles Morland Foundation is integral in apprehending contemporary literary exchanges and multidirectional flows of publishing in Africa and beyond. I equally illustrate how mentorship of younger writers through local writers’ organisations and collectives like AMKA and Writivism help in the formation of an alternative canon other than the mainstream. The study affirms that the authors seem to transcend the boundaries of production and circulation by fluidly moving between electronic and non-electronic platforms, thus mimicking the memory production of remembering, repeating, and working through.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

Between past and future: memory and mourning in the stories of Okwiri Oduor and Ndinda Kioko

  • Authors: Awuor, Nicholas Amol
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: Women authors, Kenyan , Oduor, Okwiri -- The plea bargain , Oduor, Okwiri -- My father's head , Oduor, Okwiri -- Rag doll , Kioko, Ndinda -- Sometime before Maulidi , Kioko, Ndinda -- Some freedom dreams , Women and literature -- Africa , Bereavement -- Fiction , Culture in literature , Liberty in literature
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/161229 , vital:40608
  • Description: This study investigates the literary activities of two emerging female Kenyan writers, Claudette Okwiri Oduor and Jacqueline Ndinda Kioko, both of whom are award-winning authors. Oduor won the 2014 Caine Prize for African Writing while Kioko bagged the Wasafiri New Writing Fiction Award 2017. It examines specifically how the writers deal with memory and mourning in negotiating between the past and future. I explore how their fictional and non-fictional narratives assist individuals and groups to confront loss, reconstruct new identities, and renegotiate belonging amidst personal and social upheaval. The fictional narratives at the centre of this research are Oduor’s “The Plea Bargain” (2011), “My Father’s Head” (2013) and “Rag Doll” (2014), and Kioko’s “Sometime Before Maulidi” (2014) and “Some Freedom Dreams” (2017). The study explores the themes of mental illness, existential crisis, and fragmentation, and considers bereavement, queer relationships, cultural freedom, and social recognition. The research further considers the active participation of these two writers in Kenya’s contemporary literary-cultural conversations, which span different genres and various media platforms, including blogs, YouTube clips, online magazines, and social media networks in dialogue with other writers. . I trace the significance of the literary-cultural link these authors have with their local, continental, and global counterparts in countries like Uganda, Nigeria, and South Africa. The link finds expression through their (in)direct association with some of the new online publishing outlets in Kenya like Jalada Africa, Enkare Review, and Kikwetu. More importantly, their shared participation in and association with such international awards and scholarships as the Commonwealth Short Story Prize, Kwani Trust Manuscript Project, and Miles Morland Foundation is integral in apprehending contemporary literary exchanges and multidirectional flows of publishing in Africa and beyond. I equally illustrate how mentorship of younger writers through local writers’ organisations and collectives like AMKA and Writivism help in the formation of an alternative canon other than the mainstream. The study affirms that the authors seem to transcend the boundaries of production and circulation by fluidly moving between electronic and non-electronic platforms, thus mimicking the memory production of remembering, repeating, and working through.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2020

Binge drinking: challenges faced by high school youth in Bonxa village, Ntabankulu, Eastern Cape

  • Authors: Ntshingose, Unathi
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: Binge drinking Alcoholism
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Master , MSW
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/18245 , vital:42245
  • Description: This study explored ‘’Binge drinking: challenges faced by high school youth in Bonxa village in Ntabankulu in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa’’. The study sought to achieve the following specific objectives; to determine factors that lead to binge drinking among high school youth, to examine the high school youth perceptions of binge drinking on their school performance and to establish gaps inherent in the laws and policies that governs alcohol consumption among the youth in South Africa. The study was premised on the theoretical lens of alcohol myopic theory by Steele and Josephs. Methodologically, the study used the qualitative approach. It also adopted exploratory and descriptive types of research design, and the case study as a specific study design. Data was gathered through in-depth one-on-one interviews, complimented by focus group discussions and key informant interviews data collection methods. Non-probability sampling was employed in selecting the study sample, which was done through both snowballing and purposive sampling techniques. This study used a sample of Thirty five (35) participants; six (6) parents, thirteen (17) school going youth, four (4) social workers, five (5) teachers and three (3) police officers who came in as key informants. Thematic analysis was used to analyze data since the study itself was qualitative. The findings of the study revealed the following issues as causal factors of binge drinking among high school youth; psychological deficit, dysfunctional families, negative role modelling, discrimination by teachers, cognitive impairment, poor academic performance, fear of rejection, poor socio-economic conditions and cultural rituals. The findings discovered gaps in policy formulation; although the country has laws governing alcohol consumption, there seems to be less monitoring in rural areas, as taverns operate without licensing. Further, awareness campaigns through advertisement in the media on the dangers of alcohol, as well as educational campaigns at schools are needed. Based on the evidence gathered in this study, the following recommendations are made; the need for deliberate programs to help youth who have binge drinking problems, stronger policy iv formulation, and strengthening of social worker services in order to address and alleviate the problem of binge drinking.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

Biocompatibility of biomaterials for nanoencapsulation: Current approaches

  • Authors: Witika, Bwalya A , Makoni, Pedzisai A , Matafwali, Scott K , Chabalenge, Billy , Mwila, Chiluba , Kalungia, Aubrey C , Nkanga, Christian I , Bapolisi, Alain M , Walker, Roderick B
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/183289 , vital:43939 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.3390/nano10091649"
  • Description: Nanoencapsulation is an approach to circumvent shortcomings such as reduced bioavailability, undesirable side effects, frequent dosing and unpleasant organoleptic properties of conventional drug delivery systems. The process of nanoencapsulation involves the use of biomaterials such as surfactants and/or polymers, often in combination with charge inducers and/or ligands for targeting. The biomaterials selected for nanoencapsulation processes must be as biocompatible as possible. The type(s) of biomaterials used for different nanoencapsulation approaches are highlighted and their use and applicability with regard to haemo- and, histocompatibility, cytotoxicity, genotoxicity and carcinogenesis are discussed.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

Biodiversity conservation and rural livelihoods across four nature reserves in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa: Striving towards a balance between livelihoods and conservation

  • Authors: Angwenyi, Daniel
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: National parks and reserves -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Nature conservation -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Biodiversity conservation -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Rural population -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Sustainable development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/138551 , vital:37649
  • Description: The realisation that biodiversity is being lost at alarming rates, and that intact ecosystems are essential for ecological functioning and sustenance of human life, has led to biodiversity taking centre stage in national and international agencies’ environmental talks agendas. Protected areas are viable option to stem biodiversity loss. However, the establishment of protected areas might have negative impacts on communities living adjacent to them, leading to poor relations and frequent conflicts between these communities and the managers of protected areas. The Eastern Cape Province has twenty-one nature reserves and three national parks. Since the province is rural, the assumption was likelihood that households in the province depended on natural resources, specifically non-timber forest products for their day-to-day needs. Therefore, it was hypothesised that conserving natural resources, was likely to negatively impact on the livelihoods of most households adjacent to these areas, which in turn would influence their perceptions towards these resources and eventually the effectiveness of conservation efforts. This study aimed at examining the relationship between biodiversity conservation and rural livelihoods in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa, focusing on four nature reserves – Tsolwana, Hluleka, Mkambati and Great Fish River. The objectives of the study were to: I I. Compare the vegetation productivity inside and outside, as well as land cover change in four nature reserves, as an indicator of conservation effectiveness. II II. Evaluate the relationship between biodiversity conservation and livelihoods in four nature reserves. III III. Evaluate how people’s expectations of nature reserves and perceptions towards nature reserve influence their support of conservation activities. Four hundred semi-structured questionnaires were administered to household heads of communities living at various distances from the four nature reserves, using a gradient design (based on distance). The motive of using distance was to assess whether livelihood status varied with distance from the nature reserves, since data on livelihood before the reserves’ establishment could not be obtained. Through a questionnaire survey, data on demographic information, livelihood assets, livelihood activities, livelihood strategies, livelihood trends, and impacts of the reserves on local communities were gathered. Focus group interviews were also conducted to complement the household surveys. A chi-square test was used to test if there was a relationship between distance from the reserves’ boundaries and local communities’ state of livelihoods. NVivo was used to analyse qualitative data Themes substantiated using literature. The study finds that the reserves did not have any impact on livelihood assets because most households in the study area did not directly depend on the resources found in the reserves. These households depended mostly on government grants and remittances from relatives working in other areas in the country. The reserves, however, supplied some goods and services to local communities, including meat, jobs, water, building materials, security from wild animals, education, skills development, and recreation. There were also a number of negative impacts associated with the reserves including resource use restrictions, harassment by reserves management, killing of domestic animals, and attacks on humans by wild animals escaping from the reserve. The majority (60%) of locals had substantive knowledge of the reserves’ role because of this awareness, 79% were supportive of reserves. However, there were mixed views by locals on the best way to manage these reserves. The most dominant view was that natural resources should be preserved for future generations, while meeting the current generation’s livelihood needs. Other lesser views included that the reserves’ management should involve locals in the management structures, either as active members or through consultation. Similarly, there were people feeling that the reserve is an obstacle to their livelihoods and should be closed and the land returned to the rightful owners. The vegetation productivity was better inside as compared to the outside the reserves. This activity also improved in the sixteen (16) years under assessment. This imply that the ecological functionality of the reserves is better than the surrounding areas and is improving with time. The research recommended that local communities could be an asset in conservation since most of them were in favour of the reserves. This, however, will need reserve managers to form workable partnerships with these communities, where the rights and responsibilities for both parties are defined. Besides these partnerships, lease agreements between local communities and reserves management to enhance benefits to the communities could encourage local communities to take pride in the natural resources within the reserves. This will ultimately becoming stewards to these resources. Development of tourism infrastructure such as curio shops and convenience stores to enhance livelihood opportunities could also help. For the local communities to be well represented it is important that the committees representing them in the various reserve matters be expanded and democratically elected. Where necessary, community awareness programmes on the importance of the reserves and the roles of local communities should be implemented.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

Bioelectrocatalysis and surface analysis of gold coated with nickel oxide/hydroxide and glucose oxidase towards detection of glucose:

  • Authors: Njoko, Nqobile , Louzada, Marcel , Britton, Jonathan , Khene, Samson M , Nyokong, Tebello , Mashazi, Philani N
  • Date: 2020
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/150071 , vital:38937 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colsurfb.2020.110981
  • Description: The fabricating of metal oxide thin films onto conducting surfaces continues to grow and their potential applications as surfaces for biosensor applications is of paramount importance. The correct orientation of glucose oxidase redox enzymes yields very important biointerfaces capable of selectively detecting D-glucose as a measure of blood sugar for healthy and diabetic sick patients. The electrodeposition of redox enzymes, such as glucose oxidase enzymes, onto gold electrode surfaces pre-modified with nickel oxide was investigated in this work.
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  • Date Issued: 2020

Biogeographic patterns of endolithic cyanobacteria and their negative impacts on mussels along the South African coast

  • Authors: Ndhlovu, Aldwin
  • Date: 2020
  • Subjects: Cyanobacteria -- South Africa , Cyanobacteria -- Geographical distribution , Prokaryotes -- South Africa , Mexilhao mussel -- South Africa , Mytilus galloprovincialis -- South Africa , Coastal biology -- South Africa , Coastal ecology -- South Africa , Mussels -- Geographical distribution , Mussels -- Predators of , Mussels -- Mortality -- South Africa , Mussels -- Ecology -- South Africa , Mussels -- Growth -- South Africa , Mussels -- Fertility -- South Africa
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/144656 , vital:38367
  • Description: Endolithic cyanobacterial species occur in a wide range of environments including cold and hot deserts as well as marine systems where they attack biological material such as corals and the shells of molluscs including limpets, mussels and abalone. Endoliths live as parasites in mussel shells, where they erode and extract calcium carbonate leading to shell weakening, creating fracture holes that lead to shell collapse and death, but they also have positive effects when they lead to discolouration of mussel shells hence giving them the ability to reduce stressful heat gain during periods of extreme heat stress. Mussels are ecological engineers on which the abundance and diversity of associated species assemblages depend. Understanding how endolithic cyanobacteria affect mussels will not only help in predicting future patterns of mussel abundances, but also future patterns of the infauna that depend on them. Firstly, I identified endolithic species infesting mussels and assessed the prevalence of endolithic parasitism in two intertidal mussel species in South Africa, the native Perna perna and the invasive Mytilus galloprovincialis. Large-scale surveys of endolithic infestation of mussels were conducted along 2500 km of the South African coast, covering three biogeographic regions: the subtropical east coast, dominated by P. perna, the warm temperate south coast where the indigenous species coexists with M. galloprovincialis, and the cool temperate west coast which is dominated by M. galloprovincialis. The prevalence of endolithic infestation was higher in the cool temperate bioregion than in the warm temperate and subtropical bioregions which did not differ and for P. perna endolithic species assemblages revealed clear groupings by bioregion. Results for endolithic induced mortality followed the same trend, with no significant difference between the two mussel species where they coexist and these results attribute biogeography of endoliths to environmental factors rather than host identity. Secondly, I assessed energy budgets of infested and clean mussels, to evaluate the energetic cost of infestation. This involved measuring energy acquisition, expenditure, calculating scope for growth and lethal temperatures (LT50s). The results revealed that endolithic cyanobacteria have a negative effect on scope for growth due to increased metabolic rates for infested mussels, with no effect of endoliths on the rates or efficiency of energy acquisition through filtration and no effect on lethal temperatures. The effects of infestation were then examined in more detail through a qualitative and quantitative analysis of mussel gonads and byssal attachment strength to the substratum. Endolithic infestation was found to affect reproduction by affecting the size (mass) of gonads, but not the density of eggs within them. Attachment strength was affected by endolithic infestation with very infested mussels requiring much less force to detach them from the substratum compared to mussels with low or no infestation. These results show that endolithic infestation affects mussel fitness by directly affecting attachment strength and by reducing their reproductive output. Thirdly, endolithic succession within mussel shells was examined by assessing endolithic species composition in different regions of the shell and as a function of time. The results on the spatial distribution of endolith species within a shell supported those for temporal succession in shells deployed in the field. Endolithic species that were early colonists of clean shells were similar to those that were found in the distal edge, the new and growing region of the shell and species that arrived late in succession were similar to endolithic species found near the umbo, the oldest region of the shell. Overall, the study shows that endolithic cyanobacteria show the effects of biogeography on species distribution and clear patterns of succession within mussel shells. Cyanobacteria affect mussels negatively; they lead to low scope for growth and hence low growth rates, low reproductive output and reduced attachment strength for infested mussels. This, in turn is expected to have indirect consequences for other species that rely on mussels as ecological engineers for their survival.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2020
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