Investigating the role of media in the identity construction of ethnic minority language speakers in Botswana : an exploratory study of the Bakalanga
- Authors: Thothe, Oesi
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Linguistic minorities -- Botswana , Kalanga language (Botswana and Zimbabwe) , Kalanga (African people) -- Ethnic identity , Language policy -- Botswana , Mass media and language -- Botswana , Mass media and ethnic relations -- Botswana , Mass media -- Audiences , Mass media -- Social aspects -- Botswana
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3547 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017788
- Description: This dissertation investigates the role of media in the identity construction of minority language speakers in Botswana, with a focus on the Bakalanga. The study is informed by debates around the degree to which the media can be seen to play a central role in the way the Bakalanga define their own identity. As part of this, it considers how such individuals understand their own sense of identity to be located within processes of nation-building, and in particular in relation to the construction of a national identity. It focuses, more particularly, on the extent to which the absence of particular languages within media can be said to impact on such processes of identity formation. The study responds, at the same time, to the argument that people’s more general lived experiences and their broader social environment have a bearing on how they make sense of the media. As such, it can be seen to critique the assumption that the media necessarily play a central and defining role within processes of socialisation. In order to explore the significance of these debates for a study of the Bakalanga, the dissertation includes a contextual discussion of language policy in Botswana, the impact of colonial history on such policy and the implications that this has had for the linguistic identity of the media. It also reviews theoretical debates that help to make sense of the role that the media plays within the processes through which minority language speakers construct their own identity. Finally, it includes an empirical case study, consisting of qualitative interviews with individuals who identify themselves as Bakalanga. It is argued that, because of the absence of their own language from the media, the respondents do not describe the media as central to their own processes of identity formation. At the same time, the respondents recognise the importance of the media within society, and are preoccupied with their own marginalisation from the media. The study explores the way the respondents make sense of such marginalisation, as demonstrated by their attempts to seek alternative media platforms in which they can find recognition of their own language and social experience. The study thus reaffirms the significance of media in society – even for people who feel that they are not recognised within such media.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Thothe, Oesi
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Linguistic minorities -- Botswana , Kalanga language (Botswana and Zimbabwe) , Kalanga (African people) -- Ethnic identity , Language policy -- Botswana , Mass media and language -- Botswana , Mass media and ethnic relations -- Botswana , Mass media -- Audiences , Mass media -- Social aspects -- Botswana
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3547 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017788
- Description: This dissertation investigates the role of media in the identity construction of minority language speakers in Botswana, with a focus on the Bakalanga. The study is informed by debates around the degree to which the media can be seen to play a central role in the way the Bakalanga define their own identity. As part of this, it considers how such individuals understand their own sense of identity to be located within processes of nation-building, and in particular in relation to the construction of a national identity. It focuses, more particularly, on the extent to which the absence of particular languages within media can be said to impact on such processes of identity formation. The study responds, at the same time, to the argument that people’s more general lived experiences and their broader social environment have a bearing on how they make sense of the media. As such, it can be seen to critique the assumption that the media necessarily play a central and defining role within processes of socialisation. In order to explore the significance of these debates for a study of the Bakalanga, the dissertation includes a contextual discussion of language policy in Botswana, the impact of colonial history on such policy and the implications that this has had for the linguistic identity of the media. It also reviews theoretical debates that help to make sense of the role that the media plays within the processes through which minority language speakers construct their own identity. Finally, it includes an empirical case study, consisting of qualitative interviews with individuals who identify themselves as Bakalanga. It is argued that, because of the absence of their own language from the media, the respondents do not describe the media as central to their own processes of identity formation. At the same time, the respondents recognise the importance of the media within society, and are preoccupied with their own marginalisation from the media. The study explores the way the respondents make sense of such marginalisation, as demonstrated by their attempts to seek alternative media platforms in which they can find recognition of their own language and social experience. The study thus reaffirms the significance of media in society – even for people who feel that they are not recognised within such media.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Barriers to and enablers of climate change adaptation in four South African municipalities, and implications for community based adaptation
- Authors: Spires, Meggan Hazel
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Climatic changes -- South Africa , Climatic changes -- Risk management -- South Africa , Climatic changes -- Social aspects -- South Africa , Climate change mitigation -- South Africa , Climatic changes -- Government policy -- South Africa , Municipal government -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:4787 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1018913
- Description: The focus of this study is on understanding the multiple and interacting factors that hinder or enable municipal planned climate change adaptation, here called barriers and enablers respectively, and their implications for community based adaptation. To do this I developed a conceptual framework of barriers to and enablers of planned climate change adaptation, which informed a systematic literature review of barriers to planned community based adaptation in developing countries. In this framework barriers were grouped into resource, social and physical barriers. I then conducted empirical case study analysis using qualitative research methods in four South African municipalities to understand what barriers and enablers manifested in these contexts. In light of the reflexive nature of my methodology, my framework was adjusted based on my empirical findings, where contextual barriers were found to better represent the empirical results and subsumed physical barriers. I found my framework useful for analysis, but in the empirical cases, barriers and enablers overlaid and interacted so significantly that in reality it was often difficult to separate them. A key finding was that enablers tended to be more about the way things are done, as opposed to direct opposites of barriers. Comparison of barriers and enablers across the case studies revealed a number of key themes. Municipalities struggle to implement climate change adaptation and community based adaptation within contexts of significant social, economic and ecological challenges. These contextual barriers, when combined with certain cognitive barriers, lead to reactive responses. Existing municipal systems and structures make it difficult to enable climate change adaptation, which is inherently cross‐sectoral and messy, and especially community based adaptation that is bottom‐up and participatory. Lack of locally applicable knowledge, funding and human resources were found to be significant resource barriers, and were often underlain by social barriers relating to perceptions, norms, discourses and governance challenges. Enablers of engaged officials, operating within enabling organisational environments and drawing on partnerships and networks, were able to overcome or circumvent these barriers. When these enablers coincided with windows of opportunity that increased the prioritisation of climate change within the municipality, projects with ancillary benefits were often implemented. Analysis of the barriers and enablers identified in the literature and case studies, informed discussion on whether municipalities are able to implement community based adaptation as defined in the literature, as well as the development of recommendations for how municipal planned climate change adaptation and community based adaptation can be further understood and enabled in the future. These recommendations for practice and research include: (a) To acknowledge and understand the conceptual framings of municipal climate change work, as these framings inform the climate change agenda that is pursued, and hence what municipal climate change adaptation work is done and how it was done. (b) The need for further research into the social barriers that influence the vital enablers of engaged officials, enabling organisational environments, and partnerships and networks. (c) To learn from pilot community‐level interventions that have been implemented by municipalities, as well as from other disciplines and municipalities. (d) To develop top‐down/bottom‐up approaches to enable municipal planned climate change adaptation and community based adaptation, that benefits from high level support and guidance, as well as local level flexibility and learning‐by‐doing. (e) To develop viable mechanisms for municipalities to better engage with the communities they serve.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Spires, Meggan Hazel
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Climatic changes -- South Africa , Climatic changes -- Risk management -- South Africa , Climatic changes -- Social aspects -- South Africa , Climate change mitigation -- South Africa , Climatic changes -- Government policy -- South Africa , Municipal government -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:4787 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1018913
- Description: The focus of this study is on understanding the multiple and interacting factors that hinder or enable municipal planned climate change adaptation, here called barriers and enablers respectively, and their implications for community based adaptation. To do this I developed a conceptual framework of barriers to and enablers of planned climate change adaptation, which informed a systematic literature review of barriers to planned community based adaptation in developing countries. In this framework barriers were grouped into resource, social and physical barriers. I then conducted empirical case study analysis using qualitative research methods in four South African municipalities to understand what barriers and enablers manifested in these contexts. In light of the reflexive nature of my methodology, my framework was adjusted based on my empirical findings, where contextual barriers were found to better represent the empirical results and subsumed physical barriers. I found my framework useful for analysis, but in the empirical cases, barriers and enablers overlaid and interacted so significantly that in reality it was often difficult to separate them. A key finding was that enablers tended to be more about the way things are done, as opposed to direct opposites of barriers. Comparison of barriers and enablers across the case studies revealed a number of key themes. Municipalities struggle to implement climate change adaptation and community based adaptation within contexts of significant social, economic and ecological challenges. These contextual barriers, when combined with certain cognitive barriers, lead to reactive responses. Existing municipal systems and structures make it difficult to enable climate change adaptation, which is inherently cross‐sectoral and messy, and especially community based adaptation that is bottom‐up and participatory. Lack of locally applicable knowledge, funding and human resources were found to be significant resource barriers, and were often underlain by social barriers relating to perceptions, norms, discourses and governance challenges. Enablers of engaged officials, operating within enabling organisational environments and drawing on partnerships and networks, were able to overcome or circumvent these barriers. When these enablers coincided with windows of opportunity that increased the prioritisation of climate change within the municipality, projects with ancillary benefits were often implemented. Analysis of the barriers and enablers identified in the literature and case studies, informed discussion on whether municipalities are able to implement community based adaptation as defined in the literature, as well as the development of recommendations for how municipal planned climate change adaptation and community based adaptation can be further understood and enabled in the future. These recommendations for practice and research include: (a) To acknowledge and understand the conceptual framings of municipal climate change work, as these framings inform the climate change agenda that is pursued, and hence what municipal climate change adaptation work is done and how it was done. (b) The need for further research into the social barriers that influence the vital enablers of engaged officials, enabling organisational environments, and partnerships and networks. (c) To learn from pilot community‐level interventions that have been implemented by municipalities, as well as from other disciplines and municipalities. (d) To develop top‐down/bottom‐up approaches to enable municipal planned climate change adaptation and community based adaptation, that benefits from high level support and guidance, as well as local level flexibility and learning‐by‐doing. (e) To develop viable mechanisms for municipalities to better engage with the communities they serve.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Identification of novel SNPSTRs by 454 sequencing in Nguni and Sotho-Tswana populations
- Authors: Laurence, Jo-Anne Elizabeth
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/55885 , vital:26752
- Description: DNA profiling is currently performed by analysis of the electropherogram that results following the amplification of a panel of Short Tandem Repeat (STR) loci. A need has arisen, however, for the development of a typing method that generates results which are compatible and comparable with existing databases, but that have a higher discrimination power by supplying sequence data as well as repeat-number data. Recent studies that explore these alternative typing methodologies have revealed the existence of a number of STR variants. There is, however, little information about the exact nature and prevalence of these sub-alleles. There have also been limited population studies of the genetic profiles of sub-Saharan African populations, despite the fact that evidence suggests that there is greater genetic structure and genetic diversity in these populations. In this study, a processing protocol for the generation of 454 sequencing-ready amplicons of vWA, D2S441, D3S1358, D13S317, D21S11 and D7S820 loci was developed. This protocol was applied to buccal swabs collected from 144 individuals of the Nguni and Sotho-Tswana population groups. A total of 145 485 reads were obtained from the sequencing of these amplicons, of which 97 400 and 48 085 reads were obtained for the Nguni and Sotho-Tswana populations respectively. The proportional representation for each locus ranged from 8-20%, and the allele calls and observed frequencies of these alleles suggested a high degree of relatedness between population groups. The sequencing results, furthermore, enabled the identification of a number of previously undescribed STR variants and SNPSTRs; with allele 13´ for D13S317 representing a SNP that may be predictive of Nguni-ancestry. The results also demonstrated the usefulness of next generation sequencing for increasing the number of discernible alleles for STR profiling.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Laurence, Jo-Anne Elizabeth
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/55885 , vital:26752
- Description: DNA profiling is currently performed by analysis of the electropherogram that results following the amplification of a panel of Short Tandem Repeat (STR) loci. A need has arisen, however, for the development of a typing method that generates results which are compatible and comparable with existing databases, but that have a higher discrimination power by supplying sequence data as well as repeat-number data. Recent studies that explore these alternative typing methodologies have revealed the existence of a number of STR variants. There is, however, little information about the exact nature and prevalence of these sub-alleles. There have also been limited population studies of the genetic profiles of sub-Saharan African populations, despite the fact that evidence suggests that there is greater genetic structure and genetic diversity in these populations. In this study, a processing protocol for the generation of 454 sequencing-ready amplicons of vWA, D2S441, D3S1358, D13S317, D21S11 and D7S820 loci was developed. This protocol was applied to buccal swabs collected from 144 individuals of the Nguni and Sotho-Tswana population groups. A total of 145 485 reads were obtained from the sequencing of these amplicons, of which 97 400 and 48 085 reads were obtained for the Nguni and Sotho-Tswana populations respectively. The proportional representation for each locus ranged from 8-20%, and the allele calls and observed frequencies of these alleles suggested a high degree of relatedness between population groups. The sequencing results, furthermore, enabled the identification of a number of previously undescribed STR variants and SNPSTRs; with allele 13´ for D13S317 representing a SNP that may be predictive of Nguni-ancestry. The results also demonstrated the usefulness of next generation sequencing for increasing the number of discernible alleles for STR profiling.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Prediction of interacting motifs within the protein subunits of Picornavirus capsids
- Authors: Ross, Caroline Jane
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Picornaviruses , Antiviral agents , Poliovirus , Coxsackieviruses , Hepatitis A virus , Foot-and-mouth disease virus , Viral proteins
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:4151 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017912
- Description: The Picornaviridae family contains a number of pathogens which are economically important including Poliovirus, Coxsakievirus, Hepatitis A Virus, and Foot-and-Mouth-Disease-Virus. Recently the emergence of novel picornaviruses associated with gastrointestinal, neurological and respiratory diseases in humans has been reported. Although effective vaccines for viruses such as FMDV, PV and HAV have been developed there are currently no antivirals available for the treatment of picornavirus infections. Picornaviruses proteins are classified as: the structural proteins VP1, VP2, VP3 and VP4 which form the subunits of the viral capsid and the replication proteins which function as proteases, RNA-polymerases, primers and membrane binding proteins. Although the host specificity and viral pathogenicity varies across members of the family, the icosahedral capsid is highly conserved. The capsid consists of 60 protomers, each containing a single copy of VP1, VP2 and VP3. A fourth capsid protein, VP4, resides on the internal side of the capsid. Capsid assembly is integral to life-cycle of picornaviruses; however the process is complex and not fully-understood. The overall aim of the study was to broaden the understanding of the evolution and function of the structural proteins across the Picornaviridae family. Firstly a comprehensive analysis of the phylogenetic relationships amongst the individual structural proteins was performed. The functions of the structural proteins were further investigated by an exhaustive motif analysis. A subsequent structural analysis of highly conserved motifs was performed with respect to representative enteroviruses, Foot-and-Mouth-Disease-Virus and Theiler’s Virus. This was supplemented by the in silico prediction of interacting residues within the crystal structures of these protomers. Findings in this study suggest that the capsid proteins may be evolving independently from the replication proteins through possible inter-typic recombination of functional protein regions. Moreover the study predicts that protomer assembly may be facilitated through a network of multiple subunit-subunit interactions. Multiple conserved motifs and principle residues predicted to facilitate capsid subunit-subunit interactions were identified. It was also concluded that motif conservation may support the theory of inter-typic recombination between closely related virus sub-types. As capsid assembly is critical to the viral life-cycle, the principle interacting motifs may serve as novel drug targets for the antiviral treatment of picornavirus infections. Thus the findings in the study may be fundamental to the development of treatments which are more economically feasible or clinically effective than current vaccinations.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Ross, Caroline Jane
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Picornaviruses , Antiviral agents , Poliovirus , Coxsackieviruses , Hepatitis A virus , Foot-and-mouth disease virus , Viral proteins
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:4151 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017912
- Description: The Picornaviridae family contains a number of pathogens which are economically important including Poliovirus, Coxsakievirus, Hepatitis A Virus, and Foot-and-Mouth-Disease-Virus. Recently the emergence of novel picornaviruses associated with gastrointestinal, neurological and respiratory diseases in humans has been reported. Although effective vaccines for viruses such as FMDV, PV and HAV have been developed there are currently no antivirals available for the treatment of picornavirus infections. Picornaviruses proteins are classified as: the structural proteins VP1, VP2, VP3 and VP4 which form the subunits of the viral capsid and the replication proteins which function as proteases, RNA-polymerases, primers and membrane binding proteins. Although the host specificity and viral pathogenicity varies across members of the family, the icosahedral capsid is highly conserved. The capsid consists of 60 protomers, each containing a single copy of VP1, VP2 and VP3. A fourth capsid protein, VP4, resides on the internal side of the capsid. Capsid assembly is integral to life-cycle of picornaviruses; however the process is complex and not fully-understood. The overall aim of the study was to broaden the understanding of the evolution and function of the structural proteins across the Picornaviridae family. Firstly a comprehensive analysis of the phylogenetic relationships amongst the individual structural proteins was performed. The functions of the structural proteins were further investigated by an exhaustive motif analysis. A subsequent structural analysis of highly conserved motifs was performed with respect to representative enteroviruses, Foot-and-Mouth-Disease-Virus and Theiler’s Virus. This was supplemented by the in silico prediction of interacting residues within the crystal structures of these protomers. Findings in this study suggest that the capsid proteins may be evolving independently from the replication proteins through possible inter-typic recombination of functional protein regions. Moreover the study predicts that protomer assembly may be facilitated through a network of multiple subunit-subunit interactions. Multiple conserved motifs and principle residues predicted to facilitate capsid subunit-subunit interactions were identified. It was also concluded that motif conservation may support the theory of inter-typic recombination between closely related virus sub-types. As capsid assembly is critical to the viral life-cycle, the principle interacting motifs may serve as novel drug targets for the antiviral treatment of picornavirus infections. Thus the findings in the study may be fundamental to the development of treatments which are more economically feasible or clinically effective than current vaccinations.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Environmental conflict resolution: a critical analysis of the role of interests and value
- Authors: Mweshi, John
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/55842 , vital:26740
- Description: This thesis intends to contribute to an enhanced understanding of environmental conflicts and their resolution. To accomplish this task the thesis will ascertain the role that value and interests play in environmental conflicts in order to establish an adequate basis upon which they can be resolved. In the process, the thesis will also examine three different approaches, namely, the Standard Approach; the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) framework; and the Structured Decision Making (SDM) approach. First, the standard approach is informed by the understanding that focusing on interests instead of human values makes the resolution of conflicts more tractable. In contrast, this thesis argues that an exclusive focus on interests, in the context of environmental conflict resolution, is inadequate in some important respects because there are other factors to be considered such as the environmental impacts at the root of the conflict. Second, the thesis examines the focus on impacts that characterises EIAs. It argues that this approach remedies the limitations of the standard approach insofar as impacts are understood in terms of object value. However, the EIA approach does not provide much guidance on how to deal with conflicting human values. Third, taking into account the fact that the standard approach does not address the question of object value, while the EIA addresses object value but does not deal directly with human values, the thesis examines the SDM approach to environmental risk decisions. The thesis argues that while the SDM approach claims to deal with conflicts involving human values head-on, it does not provide a viable alternative in terms of environmental conflict resolution. This is because it fails to recognise the key distinction between human values and object value despite acknowledging the presence of multiple value dimensions as a major obstacle to value trade-offs and therefore to the resolution of value conflicts. Finally, the thesis recommends an adequate basis upon which environmental conflicts can be resolved.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Mweshi, John
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/55842 , vital:26740
- Description: This thesis intends to contribute to an enhanced understanding of environmental conflicts and their resolution. To accomplish this task the thesis will ascertain the role that value and interests play in environmental conflicts in order to establish an adequate basis upon which they can be resolved. In the process, the thesis will also examine three different approaches, namely, the Standard Approach; the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) framework; and the Structured Decision Making (SDM) approach. First, the standard approach is informed by the understanding that focusing on interests instead of human values makes the resolution of conflicts more tractable. In contrast, this thesis argues that an exclusive focus on interests, in the context of environmental conflict resolution, is inadequate in some important respects because there are other factors to be considered such as the environmental impacts at the root of the conflict. Second, the thesis examines the focus on impacts that characterises EIAs. It argues that this approach remedies the limitations of the standard approach insofar as impacts are understood in terms of object value. However, the EIA approach does not provide much guidance on how to deal with conflicting human values. Third, taking into account the fact that the standard approach does not address the question of object value, while the EIA addresses object value but does not deal directly with human values, the thesis examines the SDM approach to environmental risk decisions. The thesis argues that while the SDM approach claims to deal with conflicts involving human values head-on, it does not provide a viable alternative in terms of environmental conflict resolution. This is because it fails to recognise the key distinction between human values and object value despite acknowledging the presence of multiple value dimensions as a major obstacle to value trade-offs and therefore to the resolution of value conflicts. Finally, the thesis recommends an adequate basis upon which environmental conflicts can be resolved.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Network simulation for professional audio networks
- Authors: Otten, Fred
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Sound engineers , Ethernet (Local area network system) , Computer networks , Computer simulation
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:4713 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017935
- Description: Audio Engineers are required to design and deploy large multi-channel sound systems which meet a set of requirements and use networking technologies such as Firewire and Ethernet AVB. Bandwidth utilisation and parameter groupings are among the factors which need to be considered in these designs. An implementation of an extensible, generic simulation framework would allow audio engineers to easily compare protocols and networking technologies and get near real time responses with regards to bandwidth utilisation. Our hypothesis is that an application-level capability can be developed which uses a network simulation framework to enable this process and enhances the audio engineer’s experience of designing and configuring a network. This thesis presents a new, extensible simulation framework which can be utilised to simulate professional audio networks. This framework is utilised to develop an application - AudioNetSim - based on the requirements of an audio engineer. The thesis describes the AudioNetSim models and implementations for Ethernet AVB, Firewire and the AES- 64 control protocol. AudioNetSim enables bandwidth usage determination for any network configuration and connection scenario and is used to compare Firewire and Ethernet AVB bandwidth utilisation. It also applies graph theory to the circular join problem and provides a solution to detect circular joins.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Otten, Fred
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Sound engineers , Ethernet (Local area network system) , Computer networks , Computer simulation
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:4713 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017935
- Description: Audio Engineers are required to design and deploy large multi-channel sound systems which meet a set of requirements and use networking technologies such as Firewire and Ethernet AVB. Bandwidth utilisation and parameter groupings are among the factors which need to be considered in these designs. An implementation of an extensible, generic simulation framework would allow audio engineers to easily compare protocols and networking technologies and get near real time responses with regards to bandwidth utilisation. Our hypothesis is that an application-level capability can be developed which uses a network simulation framework to enable this process and enhances the audio engineer’s experience of designing and configuring a network. This thesis presents a new, extensible simulation framework which can be utilised to simulate professional audio networks. This framework is utilised to develop an application - AudioNetSim - based on the requirements of an audio engineer. The thesis describes the AudioNetSim models and implementations for Ethernet AVB, Firewire and the AES- 64 control protocol. AudioNetSim enables bandwidth usage determination for any network configuration and connection scenario and is used to compare Firewire and Ethernet AVB bandwidth utilisation. It also applies graph theory to the circular join problem and provides a solution to detect circular joins.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
University students’ drinking motives : relationship with alcohol use
- Authors: Maphisa, Jabulani Maphisa
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: College students -- Alcohol use -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , College students -- South Africa -- Grahamstown -- Conduct of life , College students -- South Africa -- Grahamstown -- Attitudes , Motivation (Psychology) -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , Social integration -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , Adjustment (Psychology) -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , Conformity -- South Africa -- Grahamstown
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3266 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1019760
- Description: Alcohol use among university students is a worldwide social and clinical reality. Understanding and addressing this phenomena is an imperative recognised by the government of South Africa and its Higher Education institutions, where student drinking has a plethora of negative consequences. This study builds on the work of Young and de Klerk (2012) with Rhodes University students by adding drinking motives to their findings of demographic correlates. The motivational model of alcohol use (Cox & Klinger, 1988) posits that drinking motives are a proximal predictor of alcohol use. The model further delineates four drinking motives (social, enhancement, coping, and conformity) which are hypothesized to lead to phenomenological distinct patterns of alcohol use. An online survey method was utilized to collect data and a representative sample of 501 students participated. Descriptive and inferential statistics were computed to address five research questions: (1) to establishing the current alcohol use trend; (2) to investigate the demographic factors associated with alcohol use; (3) to describe students‘ drinking motives; (4) to explore the correlates of drinking motives; and, finally, the primary aim was (5) to investigate whether students‘ drinking motives predicted alcohol use when controlling for the effects of descriptive drinking norms and demographic variables. The results indicate that 68.5% of participants currently consume alcohol, and 51.0 % of these drinking students consume five or more drinks during a drinking session. 20.7 % of the drinking students used alcohol at the harmful or alcohol dependent levels. Increased alcohol use was associated more with males, undergraduates, early onset drinkers, more disposable income, and students‘ perceptions of their peers‘ drinking. Students endorsed enhancement motives marginally more than social motives, followed by coping and conformity motives. Males, early onset drinkers, black students, and at risk (of alcohol use disorders) students endorsed more motives, especially social and enhancement motives. Of primary concern was the role of drinking motives on alcohol use after controlling for the effects of descriptive drinking norms. The four block hierarchical regression model which was run explained 38% of the variance in alcohol use. Drinking motives, particularly enhancement motives, displayed a statistically significant impact on alcohol use adding 11% to the variance. Additionally, age of alcohol use onset, monthly pocket money, age, and gender predicted alcohol use separately. The results of this study indicate that alcohol use has multi-factorial influences. Of note, the results confirmed the motivational model of alcohol use by indicating that alcohol use is partially motivational and that drinking behaviour is not a unitary phenomenon but instead it represents heterogeneity based on the affective change individuals anticipate to gain by drinking. The high binging rate (51%) among this sample may speak to the greater endorsement of enhancement motives, which have been shown in previous studies to be associated with heavy drinking. Enhancement motives are attempts to attain positive affect which, due to the psychoactive properties of alcohol, require greater consumption and intoxication. Additionally, as a result of the greater quantities of alcohol, individuals who drink for enhancement motives would be more prone to alcohol consequences. The results suggest that a multi-level intervention framework targeting individual students, the university community, and the surrounding community, is indicated. Furthermore, intervention may be tailored-made to address specific drinking motives.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Maphisa, Jabulani Maphisa
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: College students -- Alcohol use -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , College students -- South Africa -- Grahamstown -- Conduct of life , College students -- South Africa -- Grahamstown -- Attitudes , Motivation (Psychology) -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , Social integration -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , Adjustment (Psychology) -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , Conformity -- South Africa -- Grahamstown
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3266 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1019760
- Description: Alcohol use among university students is a worldwide social and clinical reality. Understanding and addressing this phenomena is an imperative recognised by the government of South Africa and its Higher Education institutions, where student drinking has a plethora of negative consequences. This study builds on the work of Young and de Klerk (2012) with Rhodes University students by adding drinking motives to their findings of demographic correlates. The motivational model of alcohol use (Cox & Klinger, 1988) posits that drinking motives are a proximal predictor of alcohol use. The model further delineates four drinking motives (social, enhancement, coping, and conformity) which are hypothesized to lead to phenomenological distinct patterns of alcohol use. An online survey method was utilized to collect data and a representative sample of 501 students participated. Descriptive and inferential statistics were computed to address five research questions: (1) to establishing the current alcohol use trend; (2) to investigate the demographic factors associated with alcohol use; (3) to describe students‘ drinking motives; (4) to explore the correlates of drinking motives; and, finally, the primary aim was (5) to investigate whether students‘ drinking motives predicted alcohol use when controlling for the effects of descriptive drinking norms and demographic variables. The results indicate that 68.5% of participants currently consume alcohol, and 51.0 % of these drinking students consume five or more drinks during a drinking session. 20.7 % of the drinking students used alcohol at the harmful or alcohol dependent levels. Increased alcohol use was associated more with males, undergraduates, early onset drinkers, more disposable income, and students‘ perceptions of their peers‘ drinking. Students endorsed enhancement motives marginally more than social motives, followed by coping and conformity motives. Males, early onset drinkers, black students, and at risk (of alcohol use disorders) students endorsed more motives, especially social and enhancement motives. Of primary concern was the role of drinking motives on alcohol use after controlling for the effects of descriptive drinking norms. The four block hierarchical regression model which was run explained 38% of the variance in alcohol use. Drinking motives, particularly enhancement motives, displayed a statistically significant impact on alcohol use adding 11% to the variance. Additionally, age of alcohol use onset, monthly pocket money, age, and gender predicted alcohol use separately. The results of this study indicate that alcohol use has multi-factorial influences. Of note, the results confirmed the motivational model of alcohol use by indicating that alcohol use is partially motivational and that drinking behaviour is not a unitary phenomenon but instead it represents heterogeneity based on the affective change individuals anticipate to gain by drinking. The high binging rate (51%) among this sample may speak to the greater endorsement of enhancement motives, which have been shown in previous studies to be associated with heavy drinking. Enhancement motives are attempts to attain positive affect which, due to the psychoactive properties of alcohol, require greater consumption and intoxication. Additionally, as a result of the greater quantities of alcohol, individuals who drink for enhancement motives would be more prone to alcohol consequences. The results suggest that a multi-level intervention framework targeting individual students, the university community, and the surrounding community, is indicated. Furthermore, intervention may be tailored-made to address specific drinking motives.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Photo-physicochemical studies and photodynamic therapy activity of indium and gallium phthalocyanines
- Tshangana, Charmaine Sesethu
- Authors: Tshangana, Charmaine Sesethu
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Quantum dots , Nanoparticles , Photochemotherapy , Phthalocyanines
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:4548 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017928
- Description: The potential toxicity of seven different types of quantum dots without shell (L-cysteine-CdTe, TGA-CdTe, MPA-CdTe, TGA-CdSe) and with the shell (GSH-CdSe@ZnS, GSH-CdTe@ZnS,) with different capping agents were evaluated. The growth inhibitory effects of the various quantum dots on human pancreatic BON cancerous cells were determined. The least cytotoxic of the various quantum dots synthesized and the one displaying the lowest growth inhibitory potential and no embryotoxicity was determined to be the GSH-CdSe@ZnS quantum dots. The GSH-CdSe@ZnS quantum dots were then conjugated to gallium, aluminium and indium octacarboxy phthalocyanine and the photophysical behaviour of the conjugates studied for potential use in photodynamic therapy and imaging applications. The sizes, morphology, thermal stability and confirmation of successful conjugation was determined using X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), respectively. The study was extended by conjugating amino functionalized magnetic nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄) to indium octacarboxy phthalocyanine to study the photophysical behaviour of the conjugate as a potential bi-functional anti-cancer agent (hyperthermia and photodynamic therapy applications). A three-in-one multifunctional nanocomposite comprising of the quantum dots, magnetic nanoparticles and indium octacarboxy phthalocyanine was developed with the aim of developing a multifunctional composite that is able detect, monitor and treat cancer. All conjugates showed improved and enhanced photophysical behaviour. Finally, GSH-CdSe@ZnS conjugated to aluminium octacarboxy phthalocyanine was applied in human pancreatic carcinoid BON cells. The conjugates induced cell death dose-dependently.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Tshangana, Charmaine Sesethu
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Quantum dots , Nanoparticles , Photochemotherapy , Phthalocyanines
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:4548 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017928
- Description: The potential toxicity of seven different types of quantum dots without shell (L-cysteine-CdTe, TGA-CdTe, MPA-CdTe, TGA-CdSe) and with the shell (GSH-CdSe@ZnS, GSH-CdTe@ZnS,) with different capping agents were evaluated. The growth inhibitory effects of the various quantum dots on human pancreatic BON cancerous cells were determined. The least cytotoxic of the various quantum dots synthesized and the one displaying the lowest growth inhibitory potential and no embryotoxicity was determined to be the GSH-CdSe@ZnS quantum dots. The GSH-CdSe@ZnS quantum dots were then conjugated to gallium, aluminium and indium octacarboxy phthalocyanine and the photophysical behaviour of the conjugates studied for potential use in photodynamic therapy and imaging applications. The sizes, morphology, thermal stability and confirmation of successful conjugation was determined using X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), respectively. The study was extended by conjugating amino functionalized magnetic nanoparticles (Fe₃O₄) to indium octacarboxy phthalocyanine to study the photophysical behaviour of the conjugate as a potential bi-functional anti-cancer agent (hyperthermia and photodynamic therapy applications). A three-in-one multifunctional nanocomposite comprising of the quantum dots, magnetic nanoparticles and indium octacarboxy phthalocyanine was developed with the aim of developing a multifunctional composite that is able detect, monitor and treat cancer. All conjugates showed improved and enhanced photophysical behaviour. Finally, GSH-CdSe@ZnS conjugated to aluminium octacarboxy phthalocyanine was applied in human pancreatic carcinoid BON cells. The conjugates induced cell death dose-dependently.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Female identity in the post-millennial Nigerian novel: a study of Adichie, Atta, and Unigwe
- Authors: Wambui, Mary Theru
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi, 1977- -- Criticism and interpretation , Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi, 1977-. Purple hibiscus , Atta, Sefi -- Criticism and interpretation , Atta, Sefi -- Everything good will come , Unigwe, Chika. Criticism and interpretation , Unigwe, Chika. Fata Morgana -- English , Nigerian fiction -- History and criticism , Women -- Identity , Women in literature , Feminism in literature
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2330 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020013
- Description: This thesis project examines the work of three female Nigerian authors: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Sefi Atta and Chika Unigwe. They are part of a growing number of young African writers who are receiving international acclaim and challenging narratives that have long defined the continent in pejorative terms. They question what it means to be female and African in a transcultural, global world but counter discourses that are both restrictive and prescriptive. Their female characters are not imaged in binary terms as either victims or villains. For all three writers, the African story has to be told in its entirety incorporating what some may argue are negative stereotypes but doing so in a manner that examines and undermines those same stereotypes. For the purposes of the thesis, I focus on their first novels: Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus, Atta’s Everything Good Will Come and Unigwe’s On Black Sisters’ Street. Chapter One examines Purple Hibiscus and argues that the novel is much more than a coming of age story or, as some critics have posited, an allegory of the postcolonial state. Chapter Two highlights Atta’s use of fairly familiar feminist theories but grounds them in the lived realities of the African city. All three authors are concerned with issues of violence and death. Unigwe’s novel, which forms the focus of Chapter Three, offers a critical perspective on how both of those themes intersect with the increasing commercialisation of global culture. Her characters are female sex workers whose lives are irrevocably altered by the murder of one of their colleagues. I conclude by arguing that the three novels offer a nuanced if not necessarily new understanding of the various social, economic and political forces that continue to shape the lives of women on the continent.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Wambui, Mary Theru
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi, 1977- -- Criticism and interpretation , Adichie, Chimamanda Ngozi, 1977-. Purple hibiscus , Atta, Sefi -- Criticism and interpretation , Atta, Sefi -- Everything good will come , Unigwe, Chika. Criticism and interpretation , Unigwe, Chika. Fata Morgana -- English , Nigerian fiction -- History and criticism , Women -- Identity , Women in literature , Feminism in literature
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2330 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020013
- Description: This thesis project examines the work of three female Nigerian authors: Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Sefi Atta and Chika Unigwe. They are part of a growing number of young African writers who are receiving international acclaim and challenging narratives that have long defined the continent in pejorative terms. They question what it means to be female and African in a transcultural, global world but counter discourses that are both restrictive and prescriptive. Their female characters are not imaged in binary terms as either victims or villains. For all three writers, the African story has to be told in its entirety incorporating what some may argue are negative stereotypes but doing so in a manner that examines and undermines those same stereotypes. For the purposes of the thesis, I focus on their first novels: Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus, Atta’s Everything Good Will Come and Unigwe’s On Black Sisters’ Street. Chapter One examines Purple Hibiscus and argues that the novel is much more than a coming of age story or, as some critics have posited, an allegory of the postcolonial state. Chapter Two highlights Atta’s use of fairly familiar feminist theories but grounds them in the lived realities of the African city. All three authors are concerned with issues of violence and death. Unigwe’s novel, which forms the focus of Chapter Three, offers a critical perspective on how both of those themes intersect with the increasing commercialisation of global culture. Her characters are female sex workers whose lives are irrevocably altered by the murder of one of their colleagues. I conclude by arguing that the three novels offer a nuanced if not necessarily new understanding of the various social, economic and political forces that continue to shape the lives of women on the continent.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
The value of locally isolated freshwater micro-algae in toxicity testing for water resource management in South Africa
- Authors: Gola, Nontutuzelo Pearl
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Microalgae -- South Africa , Toxicity testing , Water resources development -- South Africa , Aquatic habitats -- South Africa , Water -- Pollution -- Toxicology , Water quality management -- South Africa , Sewage disposal in rivers, lakes, etc. -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:6049 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017873
- Description: The ecological position of micro-algae at the base of the aquatic food web makes them critical components of aquatic ecosystems. Their short generation time also makes them useful biological indicators because they respond quickly to changes in environmental condition, enabling timely identification and assessment of water quality changes. The inclusion of micro-algae as indicators in water resource regulation and management in South Africa has started recently, their more extensive use in biomonitoring and ecotoxicology programmes for water resource management would contribute to the South African policy if water resource protection. The standard algal growth inhibition assay with the species Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata is currently used for monitoring toxicity of in-stream and industrial wastewater discharges to freshwater micro-algae. The relevance of the data generated by standard toxicity bioassays has been questioned, since micro-algae in particular are extremely variable in their sensitivity to a range of contaminants and these standard species used may not occur in the local aquatic environment. As a result, international regulatory agencies, have recommended algal growth inhibition tests be changed from a single standard species to tests with a number of species. One recommendation, in addition to the use of standard toxicity tests, is the use of species isolated from the local environment which may be more relevant for assessing site specific impacts. This study investigated the value and application of locally isolated South African freshwater micro-algae in toxicity tests for water resource management and was carried out in three phases. The first phase involved isolating micro-algae from South African aquatic resources. Micro-algae suitable for toxicity testing were identified and selected using as set of criteria. Three (Scenedesmus bicaudatus, Chlorella sorokiniana and Chlorella vulgaris) out of eight successfully isolated species satisfied the prescribed selection criteria and these were selected as potential toxicity test species. The second phase focused on refining and adapting the existing algal toxicity test protocol (the algal growth inhibition assay) for use on the locally isolated algal species. The refinement of the test protocol was achieved by exposing the locally isolated species to reference toxicants in order to assess and compare their growth and sensitivity to the toxicants under the prescribed toxicity test conditions with that of the standard toxicity test species (Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata) and a commercial laboratory species (Chlorella protothecoides). During this phase, one of the three local species (Scenedesmus bicaudatus) was eliminated as a potential toxicity test species due to inconsistent growth. The third phase of the study involved assessing the sensitivity of the two remaining species (C. vulgaris and C. sorokiniana) to a range of toxicants (reference toxicants, salts, effluents and a herbicide) and comparing it to that of the standard toxicity test species P. subcapitata and C. protothecoides. The toxicants were selected based on their relative importance in the South African context, as well as the practicality of using these local micro-algae to routinely determine the impact of these toxicants on local aquatic resources. The growth of the four micro-algae was stimulated by the selected effluents. The standard toxicity test species P. subcapitata was ranked the most sensitive and of the four species to two reference toxicants and two inorganic salts. Chlorella sorokiniana was ranked the most sensitive of the three Chlorella species to two reference toxicants and two inorganic salts. The herbicide stimulated the growth of C. vulgaris while inhibiting the growth of the other species. Pseudokirchneriela subcapitata and C. sorokiniana showed high intra-specific variability in growth, which made it difficult to determine the effective concentrations of the herbicide and therefore compare the sensitivity of the species. This varied response of micro-algal species to toxicants may result in the biodiversity shifts in aquatic ecosystems, and also supports the recommendation of using a battery of different species to support more informed decisions in water resource management.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Gola, Nontutuzelo Pearl
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Microalgae -- South Africa , Toxicity testing , Water resources development -- South Africa , Aquatic habitats -- South Africa , Water -- Pollution -- Toxicology , Water quality management -- South Africa , Sewage disposal in rivers, lakes, etc. -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:6049 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017873
- Description: The ecological position of micro-algae at the base of the aquatic food web makes them critical components of aquatic ecosystems. Their short generation time also makes them useful biological indicators because they respond quickly to changes in environmental condition, enabling timely identification and assessment of water quality changes. The inclusion of micro-algae as indicators in water resource regulation and management in South Africa has started recently, their more extensive use in biomonitoring and ecotoxicology programmes for water resource management would contribute to the South African policy if water resource protection. The standard algal growth inhibition assay with the species Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata is currently used for monitoring toxicity of in-stream and industrial wastewater discharges to freshwater micro-algae. The relevance of the data generated by standard toxicity bioassays has been questioned, since micro-algae in particular are extremely variable in their sensitivity to a range of contaminants and these standard species used may not occur in the local aquatic environment. As a result, international regulatory agencies, have recommended algal growth inhibition tests be changed from a single standard species to tests with a number of species. One recommendation, in addition to the use of standard toxicity tests, is the use of species isolated from the local environment which may be more relevant for assessing site specific impacts. This study investigated the value and application of locally isolated South African freshwater micro-algae in toxicity tests for water resource management and was carried out in three phases. The first phase involved isolating micro-algae from South African aquatic resources. Micro-algae suitable for toxicity testing were identified and selected using as set of criteria. Three (Scenedesmus bicaudatus, Chlorella sorokiniana and Chlorella vulgaris) out of eight successfully isolated species satisfied the prescribed selection criteria and these were selected as potential toxicity test species. The second phase focused on refining and adapting the existing algal toxicity test protocol (the algal growth inhibition assay) for use on the locally isolated algal species. The refinement of the test protocol was achieved by exposing the locally isolated species to reference toxicants in order to assess and compare their growth and sensitivity to the toxicants under the prescribed toxicity test conditions with that of the standard toxicity test species (Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata) and a commercial laboratory species (Chlorella protothecoides). During this phase, one of the three local species (Scenedesmus bicaudatus) was eliminated as a potential toxicity test species due to inconsistent growth. The third phase of the study involved assessing the sensitivity of the two remaining species (C. vulgaris and C. sorokiniana) to a range of toxicants (reference toxicants, salts, effluents and a herbicide) and comparing it to that of the standard toxicity test species P. subcapitata and C. protothecoides. The toxicants were selected based on their relative importance in the South African context, as well as the practicality of using these local micro-algae to routinely determine the impact of these toxicants on local aquatic resources. The growth of the four micro-algae was stimulated by the selected effluents. The standard toxicity test species P. subcapitata was ranked the most sensitive and of the four species to two reference toxicants and two inorganic salts. Chlorella sorokiniana was ranked the most sensitive of the three Chlorella species to two reference toxicants and two inorganic salts. The herbicide stimulated the growth of C. vulgaris while inhibiting the growth of the other species. Pseudokirchneriela subcapitata and C. sorokiniana showed high intra-specific variability in growth, which made it difficult to determine the effective concentrations of the herbicide and therefore compare the sensitivity of the species. This varied response of micro-algal species to toxicants may result in the biodiversity shifts in aquatic ecosystems, and also supports the recommendation of using a battery of different species to support more informed decisions in water resource management.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
The influence of organisational culture on a high commitment work system and organisational commitment : the case of a Chinese multinational corporation in South Africa
- Authors: Mabuza, Linda Tengetile
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Corporate culture -- South Africa , Corporate culture -- Cross-cultural studies , International business enterprises -- South Africa , Investments, Chinese -- South Africa , Organizational commitment -- South Africa , Performance -- Management , Host countries (Business) , Personnel management -- South Africa , South Africa -- Foreign economic relations -- China
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:1205 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017768
- Description: Chinese presence in Africa has been rapidly increasing in the past few years and has been speculated to be mainly due to China seeking Africa’s political alliance and access to Africa’s natural resources and growing consumer markets. The growing presence of Chinese organisations in Africa, however, has not been without its challenges. In particular, Chinese multinational corporations (MNCs) in search of consumer markets in Africa have been cited as facing human resource (HR) challenges which may affect their organisational performance. In this regard, literature on human resource management has already established the important role of organisational culture, HR practices and organisational commitment in enabling organisations to achieve superior organisational performance. Given the fact that there is currently little research knowledge of Chinese presence in Africa at the organisational level, this research aimed to contribute empirical knowledge to the growing body of research in this area. Specifically, the main purpose of this research was to examine how the organisational culture of a Chinese MNC’s South African subsidiary has shaped the nature of its high commitment work system (HCWS) and to assess the consequences thereof on organisational commitment. In alignment with the phenomenological paradigm, the research applied a descriptive and explanatory case study methodology in order to generate rich, qualitative data which was required for in-depth descriptions and to uncover the underlying interactions of the researched phenomena at the subsidiary. The selected case for the research was, therefore, a Chinese MNC operating in the personal computer (PC) industry, which had expanded its operations to South Africa in order to reach Africa’s growing consumer markets. In particular, the South African subsidiary served as a PC sales and distribution organisation for the Chinese MNC. There were about 40 employees at the subsidiary who were all South African employees. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with twelve employees from different job functions and across different job levels. Data collection was guided by the theoretical frameworks by Cameron and Freeman (1991) for organisational culture and Xiao and Bjorkman (2006) for the HCWS and organisational commitment. The data collected from interviews was then analysed through a qualitative, content analysis process. The findings of the research thus pointed to the market culture as the dominant organisational culture type at the South African subsidiary of the Chinese MNC; characteristics of the adhocracy and clan cultures were also discovered. The externally oriented market culture was found to be the most relevant for the high performance and market leadership aspirations of the subsidiary. The market culture also appears to be the most appropriate organisational culture that would enable the subsidiary to deal with the competitive nature of the PC industry. Furthermore, it was found that certain cultural values emphasised by the Confucian and Ubuntu value systems could have had a part to play in the formation of the subsidiary’s organisational culture. The market culture was also found to have had the greatest influence in shaping the primarily performance oriented HCWS practices. Of the investigated HR practices at the subsidiary, all were found to be consistent with HCWS practices, with the exception of ownership practices and the performance appraisal system. Finally, although there were generally high levels of organisational commitment reported at the subsidiary, other job and organisational context factors besides the HCWS practices were found to be the major contributors to those feelings of organisational commitment. By investigating the organisational culture, HCWS and organisational commitment of a Chinese MNC in South Africa, this research has added to the body of knowledge concerning the growing presence of Chinese organisations in Africa. Based on the empirical findings of this study, several recommendations have been made in an attempt to assist the Chinese MNC manage the organisational commitment of its South African employees towards superior organisational performance.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Mabuza, Linda Tengetile
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Corporate culture -- South Africa , Corporate culture -- Cross-cultural studies , International business enterprises -- South Africa , Investments, Chinese -- South Africa , Organizational commitment -- South Africa , Performance -- Management , Host countries (Business) , Personnel management -- South Africa , South Africa -- Foreign economic relations -- China
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:1205 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017768
- Description: Chinese presence in Africa has been rapidly increasing in the past few years and has been speculated to be mainly due to China seeking Africa’s political alliance and access to Africa’s natural resources and growing consumer markets. The growing presence of Chinese organisations in Africa, however, has not been without its challenges. In particular, Chinese multinational corporations (MNCs) in search of consumer markets in Africa have been cited as facing human resource (HR) challenges which may affect their organisational performance. In this regard, literature on human resource management has already established the important role of organisational culture, HR practices and organisational commitment in enabling organisations to achieve superior organisational performance. Given the fact that there is currently little research knowledge of Chinese presence in Africa at the organisational level, this research aimed to contribute empirical knowledge to the growing body of research in this area. Specifically, the main purpose of this research was to examine how the organisational culture of a Chinese MNC’s South African subsidiary has shaped the nature of its high commitment work system (HCWS) and to assess the consequences thereof on organisational commitment. In alignment with the phenomenological paradigm, the research applied a descriptive and explanatory case study methodology in order to generate rich, qualitative data which was required for in-depth descriptions and to uncover the underlying interactions of the researched phenomena at the subsidiary. The selected case for the research was, therefore, a Chinese MNC operating in the personal computer (PC) industry, which had expanded its operations to South Africa in order to reach Africa’s growing consumer markets. In particular, the South African subsidiary served as a PC sales and distribution organisation for the Chinese MNC. There were about 40 employees at the subsidiary who were all South African employees. Semi-structured, in-depth interviews were conducted with twelve employees from different job functions and across different job levels. Data collection was guided by the theoretical frameworks by Cameron and Freeman (1991) for organisational culture and Xiao and Bjorkman (2006) for the HCWS and organisational commitment. The data collected from interviews was then analysed through a qualitative, content analysis process. The findings of the research thus pointed to the market culture as the dominant organisational culture type at the South African subsidiary of the Chinese MNC; characteristics of the adhocracy and clan cultures were also discovered. The externally oriented market culture was found to be the most relevant for the high performance and market leadership aspirations of the subsidiary. The market culture also appears to be the most appropriate organisational culture that would enable the subsidiary to deal with the competitive nature of the PC industry. Furthermore, it was found that certain cultural values emphasised by the Confucian and Ubuntu value systems could have had a part to play in the formation of the subsidiary’s organisational culture. The market culture was also found to have had the greatest influence in shaping the primarily performance oriented HCWS practices. Of the investigated HR practices at the subsidiary, all were found to be consistent with HCWS practices, with the exception of ownership practices and the performance appraisal system. Finally, although there were generally high levels of organisational commitment reported at the subsidiary, other job and organisational context factors besides the HCWS practices were found to be the major contributors to those feelings of organisational commitment. By investigating the organisational culture, HCWS and organisational commitment of a Chinese MNC in South Africa, this research has added to the body of knowledge concerning the growing presence of Chinese organisations in Africa. Based on the empirical findings of this study, several recommendations have been made in an attempt to assist the Chinese MNC manage the organisational commitment of its South African employees towards superior organisational performance.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
"I've always known this place, familiar as a room in our house" : engaging with memory, loss and nostalgia through sculpture
- Authors: Reed, Kesayne
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Memory in art , Loss (Psychology) in art , Nostalgia in art , Sculpture -- Themes, motives , Art therapy , Sculpture -- Exhibitions
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MFA
- Identifier: vital:2513 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020022
- Description: My exhibition draws on Andreas Huyssen's notion of memory sculpture to articulate my own sense of loss and trauma, due to the divorce of my parents. Within my work I explore the effects that divorce had on me and how it has disturbed my normative understanding of home and family. I have created scenarios alluding to the family home that I have manipulated in order to convey a sense of nostalgia and loss. By growing salt crystals over found objects and/or cladding them in salt, I attempt to suggest the dual motifs of preservation (a nostalgic clinging to the past) and destruction (due to the salt’s corrosive properties). In this way, the salt-crusted objects serve as a metaphor for a memory that has become stagnant, and is both destructive and regressive. The objects encapsulate the mind’s coping methods to loss. In my mini thesis, I discuss characteristics of memory sculpture as a response to trauma, drawing on Sigmund Freud's differentiation between mourning and melancholia. I also unpack how objects and traces (such as photographs) may act as nostalgic triggers, inducing a state of melancholic attachment to an idealised past. I address these concerns in relation to selected works by Doris Salcedo and Bridget Baker, and also situate them in relation to my own art practice.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Reed, Kesayne
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Memory in art , Loss (Psychology) in art , Nostalgia in art , Sculpture -- Themes, motives , Art therapy , Sculpture -- Exhibitions
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MFA
- Identifier: vital:2513 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1020022
- Description: My exhibition draws on Andreas Huyssen's notion of memory sculpture to articulate my own sense of loss and trauma, due to the divorce of my parents. Within my work I explore the effects that divorce had on me and how it has disturbed my normative understanding of home and family. I have created scenarios alluding to the family home that I have manipulated in order to convey a sense of nostalgia and loss. By growing salt crystals over found objects and/or cladding them in salt, I attempt to suggest the dual motifs of preservation (a nostalgic clinging to the past) and destruction (due to the salt’s corrosive properties). In this way, the salt-crusted objects serve as a metaphor for a memory that has become stagnant, and is both destructive and regressive. The objects encapsulate the mind’s coping methods to loss. In my mini thesis, I discuss characteristics of memory sculpture as a response to trauma, drawing on Sigmund Freud's differentiation between mourning and melancholia. I also unpack how objects and traces (such as photographs) may act as nostalgic triggers, inducing a state of melancholic attachment to an idealised past. I address these concerns in relation to selected works by Doris Salcedo and Bridget Baker, and also situate them in relation to my own art practice.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Development and manufacture of sustained release captopril beads
- Authors: Mhaka, Farai Arthur
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MPharm
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/54712 , vital:26602
- Description: Hypertension has a high mortality rate in developing countries such as South Africa. Although the prevention and control of hypertension is a health priority, efforts to decrease the global burden of hypertension and improve control over the condition are inadequate. The use of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors such as captopril (CPT) have been effective for the management of hypertension when used as first line therapy alone or in combination. Commercially available immediate release dosage forms containing 12.5, 25 and 50 mg of CPT are administered two or three times a day to treat hypertension. CPT degrades in aqueous media with the sulfhydryl functional moiety responsible for adverse effects such as hypersensitivity, taste disturbances and/or presenting with a dry hacking cough. CPT has a short elimination half-life of between 1.6 and 1.9 hours, which means that the compound is a suitable candidate for inclusion in sustained release (SR) dosage forms. Manufacturing a SR dosage form of coated beads for twice daily dosing may reduce the incidence and intensity of undesirable adverse effects, improve the stability of CPT and improve patient adherence. A stability indicating reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatographic (RP-HPLC) method was developed and optimised using a central composite design approach. As part of this approach the interactive effects of input factors, viz. pH, methanol (MeOH) content and column temperature on retention time, were investigated to achieve a separation with well-resolved and symmetrical peaks for CPT and salicylic acid. The method was validated using ICH guidelines and was found to be simple, linear, precise, accurate, selective and rapid for the in vitro quantitation of CPT. The method was successfully applied for the analysis of both commercially available and test formulations. Preformulation studies were undertaken to establish the physical and chemical properties of CPT, excipients and dosage forms to ensure the production of stabile and bioavailable products. Powder blends were assessed for flow properties using angle of repose (AOR), and bulk and tapped density, which were subsequently used to calculate Carr’s Index (CI) and the Hausner ratio (HR). The addition of talc resulted in the most powder blends with AOR, CI and HR that were within a range indicative of satisfactory to good flow properties. The use of talc was necessary to ensure that blending prior to wet granulation and extrusion-spheronisation would produce homogenous powders. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) were used for the identification and purity of CPT alone and 1:1 binary mixtures with excipients in an effort to establish if CPT was likely to undergo physical and/or chemical modification during production. The DSC thermograms for all CPT-excipient mixtures revealed the presence of a melting endotherm that was wider, occurring at 110.93 °C (Tpeak for pure CPT). The characteristic peaks for specific functional groups were present in the FT-IR spectra for powder mixtures, indicating the absence of incompatibilities. Dialysis studies were used to investigate if the ammonium oleate present in Surelease® E-7-19010 interacted with CPT. The results suggests that an interaction between CPT and Surelease® E-7-19010 during processing of CPT beads was unlikely to occur. Preliminary investigations reveal that Methocel® K100M, Methocel® E4M, Avicel® PH102, Eudragit® RS PO, Surelease® E-7-19010 and talc are compatible with CPT and could be used for the manufacture of SR CPT beads. CPT beads were manufactured using extrusion-spheronisation and coated using a fluidised bed drier fitted with a Wurster insert. The amount of granulating fluid, coating levels, curing time and formulation composition were varied to achieve CPT release with specific criteria to develop a preliminary formulation. The coated beads met all desired quality attributes in respect of micromeritic and flow properties, content uniformity and friability. Response Surface Methodology was used to further optimise the SR CPT formulation. The Plackett-Burman design was used for this process to produce an SR dosage form with desirable quality attributes achieved by altering formulation composition, extrusion-spheronisation variables and coating parameters. ANOVA data revealed significant responses for yield, aspect ratio, sphericity, coating efficiency and cumulative percent CPT released at 2 and 12 hours. Formulations in which the high molecular weight HPMC were used in increased concentrations resulted in the formation of a sticky wet mass and extrudate, resulting in a decrease in yield. The application of a permeable, but insoluble Surelease® coat onto the surface of the beads formed a barrier that complements the activity of the hydrophilic matrix in preventing rapid dissolution and retarding the release of CPT from the beads. The amount of CPT released over 12 hours revealed that increasing the Methocel® K100M content entrapped CPT and retained it more efficiently in the hydrated matrix, resulting in a slow rate of CPT release. In vitro release data were fitted to a number of models in an attempt to elucidate mechanistic aspects of transport processes specific to CPT from the coated bead formulations. The results of fitting data from optimised batches revealed that the goodness of fit based on the adjusted correlation coefficient ranged between 0.953 and 0.976 for the Higuchi model, indicating that diffusion is a predominant factor that controls CPT release from the coated beads. The results of fitting data to the Korsmeyer-Peppas model suggest that the mechanism of CPT release includes transport of the dissolution medium from the vessel reservoir into the core of the bead due to osmotic potential, dissolution of CPT, mass transfer of the dissolved CPT within the core, partitioning between the solution and polymeric film, mass transfer of dissolved CPT through the film to ultimately reach the bulk dissolution fluid. A SR CPT bead formulation that has potential for further development and optimisation for scaled-up production using RSM approaches and Design of Experiments such as CCD or Box-Behnken has been successfully developed and manufactured using extrusion, spheronisation and coating processes. Assessment of all batches of beads manufactured exhibited satisfactory to good flow properties and demonstrated SR profiles over 12 hours that met USP criteria for SR dosage forms.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Mhaka, Farai Arthur
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MPharm
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/54712 , vital:26602
- Description: Hypertension has a high mortality rate in developing countries such as South Africa. Although the prevention and control of hypertension is a health priority, efforts to decrease the global burden of hypertension and improve control over the condition are inadequate. The use of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors such as captopril (CPT) have been effective for the management of hypertension when used as first line therapy alone or in combination. Commercially available immediate release dosage forms containing 12.5, 25 and 50 mg of CPT are administered two or three times a day to treat hypertension. CPT degrades in aqueous media with the sulfhydryl functional moiety responsible for adverse effects such as hypersensitivity, taste disturbances and/or presenting with a dry hacking cough. CPT has a short elimination half-life of between 1.6 and 1.9 hours, which means that the compound is a suitable candidate for inclusion in sustained release (SR) dosage forms. Manufacturing a SR dosage form of coated beads for twice daily dosing may reduce the incidence and intensity of undesirable adverse effects, improve the stability of CPT and improve patient adherence. A stability indicating reversed-phase high performance liquid chromatographic (RP-HPLC) method was developed and optimised using a central composite design approach. As part of this approach the interactive effects of input factors, viz. pH, methanol (MeOH) content and column temperature on retention time, were investigated to achieve a separation with well-resolved and symmetrical peaks for CPT and salicylic acid. The method was validated using ICH guidelines and was found to be simple, linear, precise, accurate, selective and rapid for the in vitro quantitation of CPT. The method was successfully applied for the analysis of both commercially available and test formulations. Preformulation studies were undertaken to establish the physical and chemical properties of CPT, excipients and dosage forms to ensure the production of stabile and bioavailable products. Powder blends were assessed for flow properties using angle of repose (AOR), and bulk and tapped density, which were subsequently used to calculate Carr’s Index (CI) and the Hausner ratio (HR). The addition of talc resulted in the most powder blends with AOR, CI and HR that were within a range indicative of satisfactory to good flow properties. The use of talc was necessary to ensure that blending prior to wet granulation and extrusion-spheronisation would produce homogenous powders. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR) were used for the identification and purity of CPT alone and 1:1 binary mixtures with excipients in an effort to establish if CPT was likely to undergo physical and/or chemical modification during production. The DSC thermograms for all CPT-excipient mixtures revealed the presence of a melting endotherm that was wider, occurring at 110.93 °C (Tpeak for pure CPT). The characteristic peaks for specific functional groups were present in the FT-IR spectra for powder mixtures, indicating the absence of incompatibilities. Dialysis studies were used to investigate if the ammonium oleate present in Surelease® E-7-19010 interacted with CPT. The results suggests that an interaction between CPT and Surelease® E-7-19010 during processing of CPT beads was unlikely to occur. Preliminary investigations reveal that Methocel® K100M, Methocel® E4M, Avicel® PH102, Eudragit® RS PO, Surelease® E-7-19010 and talc are compatible with CPT and could be used for the manufacture of SR CPT beads. CPT beads were manufactured using extrusion-spheronisation and coated using a fluidised bed drier fitted with a Wurster insert. The amount of granulating fluid, coating levels, curing time and formulation composition were varied to achieve CPT release with specific criteria to develop a preliminary formulation. The coated beads met all desired quality attributes in respect of micromeritic and flow properties, content uniformity and friability. Response Surface Methodology was used to further optimise the SR CPT formulation. The Plackett-Burman design was used for this process to produce an SR dosage form with desirable quality attributes achieved by altering formulation composition, extrusion-spheronisation variables and coating parameters. ANOVA data revealed significant responses for yield, aspect ratio, sphericity, coating efficiency and cumulative percent CPT released at 2 and 12 hours. Formulations in which the high molecular weight HPMC were used in increased concentrations resulted in the formation of a sticky wet mass and extrudate, resulting in a decrease in yield. The application of a permeable, but insoluble Surelease® coat onto the surface of the beads formed a barrier that complements the activity of the hydrophilic matrix in preventing rapid dissolution and retarding the release of CPT from the beads. The amount of CPT released over 12 hours revealed that increasing the Methocel® K100M content entrapped CPT and retained it more efficiently in the hydrated matrix, resulting in a slow rate of CPT release. In vitro release data were fitted to a number of models in an attempt to elucidate mechanistic aspects of transport processes specific to CPT from the coated bead formulations. The results of fitting data from optimised batches revealed that the goodness of fit based on the adjusted correlation coefficient ranged between 0.953 and 0.976 for the Higuchi model, indicating that diffusion is a predominant factor that controls CPT release from the coated beads. The results of fitting data to the Korsmeyer-Peppas model suggest that the mechanism of CPT release includes transport of the dissolution medium from the vessel reservoir into the core of the bead due to osmotic potential, dissolution of CPT, mass transfer of the dissolved CPT within the core, partitioning between the solution and polymeric film, mass transfer of dissolved CPT through the film to ultimately reach the bulk dissolution fluid. A SR CPT bead formulation that has potential for further development and optimisation for scaled-up production using RSM approaches and Design of Experiments such as CCD or Box-Behnken has been successfully developed and manufactured using extrusion, spheronisation and coating processes. Assessment of all batches of beads manufactured exhibited satisfactory to good flow properties and demonstrated SR profiles over 12 hours that met USP criteria for SR dosage forms.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
An analysis of malware evasion techniques against modern AV engines
- Authors: Haffejee, Jameel
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:20979 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/5821
- Description: This research empirically tested the response of antivirus applications to binaries that use virus-like evasion techniques. In order to achieve this, a number of binaries are processed using a number of evasion methods and are then deployed against several antivirus engines. The research also documents the process of setting up an environment for testing antivirus engines, including building the evasion techniques used in the tests. The results of the empirical tests illustrate that an attacker can evade multiple antivirus engines without much effort using well-known evasion techniques. Furthermore, some antivirus engines may respond to the occurrence of an evasion technique instead of the presence of any malicious code. In practical terms, this shows that while antivirus applications are useful for protecting against known threats, their effectiveness against unknown or modified threats is limited.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Haffejee, Jameel
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:20979 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/5821
- Description: This research empirically tested the response of antivirus applications to binaries that use virus-like evasion techniques. In order to achieve this, a number of binaries are processed using a number of evasion methods and are then deployed against several antivirus engines. The research also documents the process of setting up an environment for testing antivirus engines, including building the evasion techniques used in the tests. The results of the empirical tests illustrate that an attacker can evade multiple antivirus engines without much effort using well-known evasion techniques. Furthermore, some antivirus engines may respond to the occurrence of an evasion technique instead of the presence of any malicious code. In practical terms, this shows that while antivirus applications are useful for protecting against known threats, their effectiveness against unknown or modified threats is limited.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Investigating and expanding learning in co-management of fisheries resources to inform extension training
- Kachilonda, Dick Daffu Kachanga
- Authors: Kachilonda, Dick Daffu Kachanga
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Fishery management -- Study and teaching -- Malawi , Environmental education -- Malawi , Social learning -- Malawi , Community-based conservation -- Malawi , Learning -- Philosophy , Critical realism , Education -- Social aspects -- Research
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:2053 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1018659
- Description: This study investigates and expands learning associated with the co-management of fisheries resources to inform extension and training in the fisheries sector in two case study sites in Malawi. The study was located in the field of environmental education with a specific focus on community learning, agency and sustainability practices in co-management of fisheries resources. It focuses on how fisheries stakeholder learning can be mediated through expansive social learning processes to inform extension and training in the Malawi fisheries sector and aims at understanding learning as an emergent, agency centred process of change through social learning models that are said to have power to mobilise community agency for change. The empirical research for the study was conducted in two Malawian fishing communities: in Lake Malombe and the south-east arm of Lake Malawi using qualitative case study research design. The two sites were selected because they were the first sites in Malawi to implement fisheries co-management programmes following the failure of centralised management of fisheries resources. Data was generated through interviews, focus group discussions, document analysis, observations and change laboratory workshops in both sites. The two sites fall under one administrative office based in Mangochi where the two important institutions of the sector – the Fisheries Research Unit of the Department of Fisheries and the Fisheries College (a government institution responsible for the training of extension services) are also based. Both sites have implemented new governance structures named Beach Village Committees which are community-based organisational structures that function in parallel with traditional authorities to manage the fishery. Contextual and literature review work showed that extension services and programmes over the past hundred years, as observed in the fisheries sector in Malawi and in extension services elsewhere, have co-evolved with approaches to natural resources management. Early approaches to natural resources management involved traditional management (associated extension services and programmes were community based); later fisheries governance practices changed to centralised management and associated extension approaches were mainly top-down involving command and control or technology transfer. These early approaches have been problematic as resource users were pushed away from their own resources and were viewed as poachers. This resulted in loss of ownership among resources users. Recently in Malawi, after the change of government to democracy in 1994, fisheries management policy focused on co-management and/or adaptive co-management approaches, an approach that has also been adopted in other African water bodies. This has implications for extension service programmes in the fisheries sector that are not yet well defined. The study’s literature review revealed that co-management approaches assume collaborative learning, or co-learning, also termed social learning, or approaches that promote the engagement of different actors who are working on shared practice. They also assume a new form of agency among co-management stakeholders and extension workers. However, the theoretical foundations for establishing co-learning or social learning approaches in support of co-management policies are not well established in the fisheries co-management sector in Malawi, nor are the practices of how to support co-learning amongst diverse stakeholders in the fisheries co-management in the Lake Malawi context. This study sought to address this gap in knowledge and practice.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Kachilonda, Dick Daffu Kachanga
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Fishery management -- Study and teaching -- Malawi , Environmental education -- Malawi , Social learning -- Malawi , Community-based conservation -- Malawi , Learning -- Philosophy , Critical realism , Education -- Social aspects -- Research
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:2053 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1018659
- Description: This study investigates and expands learning associated with the co-management of fisheries resources to inform extension and training in the fisheries sector in two case study sites in Malawi. The study was located in the field of environmental education with a specific focus on community learning, agency and sustainability practices in co-management of fisheries resources. It focuses on how fisheries stakeholder learning can be mediated through expansive social learning processes to inform extension and training in the Malawi fisheries sector and aims at understanding learning as an emergent, agency centred process of change through social learning models that are said to have power to mobilise community agency for change. The empirical research for the study was conducted in two Malawian fishing communities: in Lake Malombe and the south-east arm of Lake Malawi using qualitative case study research design. The two sites were selected because they were the first sites in Malawi to implement fisheries co-management programmes following the failure of centralised management of fisheries resources. Data was generated through interviews, focus group discussions, document analysis, observations and change laboratory workshops in both sites. The two sites fall under one administrative office based in Mangochi where the two important institutions of the sector – the Fisheries Research Unit of the Department of Fisheries and the Fisheries College (a government institution responsible for the training of extension services) are also based. Both sites have implemented new governance structures named Beach Village Committees which are community-based organisational structures that function in parallel with traditional authorities to manage the fishery. Contextual and literature review work showed that extension services and programmes over the past hundred years, as observed in the fisheries sector in Malawi and in extension services elsewhere, have co-evolved with approaches to natural resources management. Early approaches to natural resources management involved traditional management (associated extension services and programmes were community based); later fisheries governance practices changed to centralised management and associated extension approaches were mainly top-down involving command and control or technology transfer. These early approaches have been problematic as resource users were pushed away from their own resources and were viewed as poachers. This resulted in loss of ownership among resources users. Recently in Malawi, after the change of government to democracy in 1994, fisheries management policy focused on co-management and/or adaptive co-management approaches, an approach that has also been adopted in other African water bodies. This has implications for extension service programmes in the fisheries sector that are not yet well defined. The study’s literature review revealed that co-management approaches assume collaborative learning, or co-learning, also termed social learning, or approaches that promote the engagement of different actors who are working on shared practice. They also assume a new form of agency among co-management stakeholders and extension workers. However, the theoretical foundations for establishing co-learning or social learning approaches in support of co-management policies are not well established in the fisheries co-management sector in Malawi, nor are the practices of how to support co-learning amongst diverse stakeholders in the fisheries co-management in the Lake Malawi context. This study sought to address this gap in knowledge and practice.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Professional development among counselling psychology interns : exploring critical incidents
- Authors: Teixeira, Beverley
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Counseling psychologists -- Training of -- South Africa , Critical incident technique , Career development -- South Africa , Internship programs -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3265 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017888
- Description: The journey towards becoming a counselling psychologist, in South Africa, includes the completion a 12 month internship. The internship year holds many challenges and demands for novice professionals and aims to assist them in making the transition from student to professional. This study aims to explore the subjective experiences of intern counselling psychologists and the critical incidents which assist them in making this transition. In addition, it aims to identify experiences impacting on the interns’ professional development and professional identity. Three registered counselling psychologists, who completed their internship at a South African university counselling centre within the last year, were recruited and participated in individual interviews. These interviews were semi-structured and followed the Critical Incident Technique method. Each interview was voice recorded and transcribed. The data collected was analysed using thematic content analysis. As the research design is qualitative, using a phenomenological approach, the focus is on presenting information-rich and detailed descriptions of participants “lived” experiences of their internship year. It attempts to understand significant incidents or events which influenced the participants’ professional and personal development as they navigate through this ambiguous period to become independent and ethical practitioners. Four predominant themes emerged from the data collected, which include a discussion pertaining to professional boundaries and limitations, learning within the internship environment, the effects of professional and personal support and, lastly, the transition from dependent to independent professional functioning.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Teixeira, Beverley
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Counseling psychologists -- Training of -- South Africa , Critical incident technique , Career development -- South Africa , Internship programs -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3265 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017888
- Description: The journey towards becoming a counselling psychologist, in South Africa, includes the completion a 12 month internship. The internship year holds many challenges and demands for novice professionals and aims to assist them in making the transition from student to professional. This study aims to explore the subjective experiences of intern counselling psychologists and the critical incidents which assist them in making this transition. In addition, it aims to identify experiences impacting on the interns’ professional development and professional identity. Three registered counselling psychologists, who completed their internship at a South African university counselling centre within the last year, were recruited and participated in individual interviews. These interviews were semi-structured and followed the Critical Incident Technique method. Each interview was voice recorded and transcribed. The data collected was analysed using thematic content analysis. As the research design is qualitative, using a phenomenological approach, the focus is on presenting information-rich and detailed descriptions of participants “lived” experiences of their internship year. It attempts to understand significant incidents or events which influenced the participants’ professional and personal development as they navigate through this ambiguous period to become independent and ethical practitioners. Four predominant themes emerged from the data collected, which include a discussion pertaining to professional boundaries and limitations, learning within the internship environment, the effects of professional and personal support and, lastly, the transition from dependent to independent professional functioning.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Properties of traveling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs) over the Western Cape, South Africa
- Authors: Tyalimpi, Vumile Mike
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Doppler radar , Geographic information systems , Traveling ionospheric disturbances -- south Africa , Ionospheric disturbances -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:5557 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017901
- Description: Travelling Ionospheric Disturbances (TIDs) are said to be produced by atmospheric gravitational waves propagating through the neutral ionosphere. These are smaller in amplitude and period when compared to most ionospheric disturbances and hence more difficult to measure. Very little is known about the properties of the travelling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs) over the Southern Hemisphere regions since studies have been conducted mostly over the Northern Hemisphere regions. This study presents a framework, using a High Frequency (HF) Doppler radar to investigate the physical properties and the possible driving mechanisms of TIDs. This research focuses on studying the characteristics of the TIDs, such as period, velocity and temporal variations, using HF Doppler measurements taken in South Africa. By making use of a Wavelet Analysis technique, the TIDs’ characteristics were determined. A statistical summary on speed and direction of propagation of the observed TIDs was performed. The winter medium scale travelling ionospheric disturbances (MSTIDs) observed are generally faster than the summer MSTIDs. For all seasons, the MSTIDs had a preferred south-southwest direction of propagation. Most of the large scale travelling ionospheric disturbances (LSTIDs) were observed during the night and of these, the spring LSTIDs were fastest when compared to autumn and summer LSTIDs. The general direction of travel of the observed LSTIDs is south-southeast. Total Electron Content (TEC), derived from Global Positioning System (GPS) measurements, were used to validate some of the TID results obtained from the HF Doppler data. The Horizontal Wind Model (HWM07), magnetic K index, and solar terminators were used to determine the possible sources of the observed TIDs. Only 41% of the observed TIDs were successfully linked to their possible sources of excitation. The information gathered from this study will be valuable in future radio communications and will serve as means to improve the existing ionospheric models over the South African region.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Tyalimpi, Vumile Mike
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Doppler radar , Geographic information systems , Traveling ionospheric disturbances -- south Africa , Ionospheric disturbances -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:5557 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017901
- Description: Travelling Ionospheric Disturbances (TIDs) are said to be produced by atmospheric gravitational waves propagating through the neutral ionosphere. These are smaller in amplitude and period when compared to most ionospheric disturbances and hence more difficult to measure. Very little is known about the properties of the travelling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs) over the Southern Hemisphere regions since studies have been conducted mostly over the Northern Hemisphere regions. This study presents a framework, using a High Frequency (HF) Doppler radar to investigate the physical properties and the possible driving mechanisms of TIDs. This research focuses on studying the characteristics of the TIDs, such as period, velocity and temporal variations, using HF Doppler measurements taken in South Africa. By making use of a Wavelet Analysis technique, the TIDs’ characteristics were determined. A statistical summary on speed and direction of propagation of the observed TIDs was performed. The winter medium scale travelling ionospheric disturbances (MSTIDs) observed are generally faster than the summer MSTIDs. For all seasons, the MSTIDs had a preferred south-southwest direction of propagation. Most of the large scale travelling ionospheric disturbances (LSTIDs) were observed during the night and of these, the spring LSTIDs were fastest when compared to autumn and summer LSTIDs. The general direction of travel of the observed LSTIDs is south-southeast. Total Electron Content (TEC), derived from Global Positioning System (GPS) measurements, were used to validate some of the TID results obtained from the HF Doppler data. The Horizontal Wind Model (HWM07), magnetic K index, and solar terminators were used to determine the possible sources of the observed TIDs. Only 41% of the observed TIDs were successfully linked to their possible sources of excitation. The information gathered from this study will be valuable in future radio communications and will serve as means to improve the existing ionospheric models over the South African region.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
Feeding ecology, residency patterns and migration dynamics of bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas) in the southwest Indian Ocean
- Authors: Daly, Ryan
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Bull shark -- Ecology , Bull shark -- Feeding and feeds
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:5924 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017802
- Description: Bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas) are globally distributed top predators that play an important ecological role within coastal marine communities. However, little is known about how the spatial and temporal scales of their habitat use are associated with their ecological role. In this study, a population of sub-adult and adult bull sharks were investigated within a remote subtropical marine community in the southwest Indian Ocean off the coast of southern Mozambique. The main objectives of the study were to test a minimally invasive remote biopsy sampling method; to investigate the feeding ecology of bull sharks; and to investigate the temporal and spatial scales of bull shark residency patterns and migration dynamics. Biopsy tests on free-swimming bull sharks showed that the devised sampling technique provided a minimally invasive and consistent method (biopsy retention rate = 87%) to obtain muscle tissue samples sufficiently large enough (310±78mg, mean ± SD) for stable isotope analysis. Results from the stable isotope analysis showed that adult bull sharks appeared to exhibit a shift towards consistentlyhigher trophic level prey from an expanded foraging range compared to sub-adults, possibly due to increased mobility linked with size. Additionally, bull sharks had significantly broader niche widths compared to top predatory teleost assemblages with a wide and enriched range of δ13C values relative to the local marine community, suggesting that they forage over broad spatial scales along the east coast of southern Africa. Results from the passive acoustic telemetry investigation, conducted over a period between 10 and 22 months, supported these findings showing that the majority of tagged adult sharksexhibited temporally and spatially variable residency patterns interspersed with migration events. Ten individuals undertook coastal migrations that ranged between 433 and 709km (mean = 533km) with eight of these sharks returning to the study site. During migration, individuals exhibited rates of movement between 2 and 59km.d-1 (mean = 17.58km.d-1) and were recorded travelling annual distances of between 450 and 3760km (mean = 1163km). These findings suggest that adult bull sharks are not the sedentary species once thought to be but rather, consistently move over broad spatial scales on the east coast of southern Africa and play an important predatory role shaping and linking ecological processes within the southwest Indian Ocean.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Daly, Ryan
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Bull shark -- Ecology , Bull shark -- Feeding and feeds
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:5924 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017802
- Description: Bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas) are globally distributed top predators that play an important ecological role within coastal marine communities. However, little is known about how the spatial and temporal scales of their habitat use are associated with their ecological role. In this study, a population of sub-adult and adult bull sharks were investigated within a remote subtropical marine community in the southwest Indian Ocean off the coast of southern Mozambique. The main objectives of the study were to test a minimally invasive remote biopsy sampling method; to investigate the feeding ecology of bull sharks; and to investigate the temporal and spatial scales of bull shark residency patterns and migration dynamics. Biopsy tests on free-swimming bull sharks showed that the devised sampling technique provided a minimally invasive and consistent method (biopsy retention rate = 87%) to obtain muscle tissue samples sufficiently large enough (310±78mg, mean ± SD) for stable isotope analysis. Results from the stable isotope analysis showed that adult bull sharks appeared to exhibit a shift towards consistentlyhigher trophic level prey from an expanded foraging range compared to sub-adults, possibly due to increased mobility linked with size. Additionally, bull sharks had significantly broader niche widths compared to top predatory teleost assemblages with a wide and enriched range of δ13C values relative to the local marine community, suggesting that they forage over broad spatial scales along the east coast of southern Africa. Results from the passive acoustic telemetry investigation, conducted over a period between 10 and 22 months, supported these findings showing that the majority of tagged adult sharksexhibited temporally and spatially variable residency patterns interspersed with migration events. Ten individuals undertook coastal migrations that ranged between 433 and 709km (mean = 533km) with eight of these sharks returning to the study site. During migration, individuals exhibited rates of movement between 2 and 59km.d-1 (mean = 17.58km.d-1) and were recorded travelling annual distances of between 450 and 3760km (mean = 1163km). These findings suggest that adult bull sharks are not the sedentary species once thought to be but rather, consistently move over broad spatial scales on the east coast of southern Africa and play an important predatory role shaping and linking ecological processes within the southwest Indian Ocean.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
An analysis of the income tax consequences resulting from implementing the Income Tax Bill (2012) in Zimbabwe
- Authors: Kanyenze, Rumbidzai
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Income tax deductions -- Zimbabwe , Income tax -- Law and legislation -- Zimbabwe
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:914 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017536
- Description: The Income Tax Bill (2012) proposes certain changes to the existing Income Tax Act that will impact on the method used to determine the taxable income of a taxpayer in Zimbabwe. Therefore, it is important to understand the tax consequences the Income Tax Bill creates for the taxpayer. The research aimed to elaborate on and explain the tax consequences that will arise as a result of applying the Income Tax Bill in Zimbabwe. The research was based on a qualitative method which involved the analysis and the interpretation of extracts from legislation and articles written on the proposed changes. The current “gross income” of a taxpayer consists of amounts earned from a source within or deemed to be from within Zimbabwe The proposed changes to the Act will change the tax system to a residence-based system, where resident taxpayers are taxed on amounts earned from all sources. Therefore, the driving factor which determines the taxability of an amount will become the taxpayer’s residency. Clause 2 of the proposed Act provides that income earned by a taxpayer should be separated into employment income, business income, property income and other specified income. This will make it unnecessary to determine the nature of an amount because capital amounts will be subject to income tax. The current Act provides for the deduction of expenditure incurred for the purpose of trade or in the production of income. Section 31(1)(a) of the proposed Act will restrict permissible deductions to expenditure incurred in the production of income. Consequently, expenditure not incurred for the purpose of earning income will no longer be deductible when the Income Tax Bill is implemented. The proposed Income Tax Act will increase the taxable income of a taxpayer as it makes amounts that are not currently subject to tax taxable, whilst restricting the deductions claimable.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Kanyenze, Rumbidzai
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Income tax deductions -- Zimbabwe , Income tax -- Law and legislation -- Zimbabwe
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:914 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017536
- Description: The Income Tax Bill (2012) proposes certain changes to the existing Income Tax Act that will impact on the method used to determine the taxable income of a taxpayer in Zimbabwe. Therefore, it is important to understand the tax consequences the Income Tax Bill creates for the taxpayer. The research aimed to elaborate on and explain the tax consequences that will arise as a result of applying the Income Tax Bill in Zimbabwe. The research was based on a qualitative method which involved the analysis and the interpretation of extracts from legislation and articles written on the proposed changes. The current “gross income” of a taxpayer consists of amounts earned from a source within or deemed to be from within Zimbabwe The proposed changes to the Act will change the tax system to a residence-based system, where resident taxpayers are taxed on amounts earned from all sources. Therefore, the driving factor which determines the taxability of an amount will become the taxpayer’s residency. Clause 2 of the proposed Act provides that income earned by a taxpayer should be separated into employment income, business income, property income and other specified income. This will make it unnecessary to determine the nature of an amount because capital amounts will be subject to income tax. The current Act provides for the deduction of expenditure incurred for the purpose of trade or in the production of income. Section 31(1)(a) of the proposed Act will restrict permissible deductions to expenditure incurred in the production of income. Consequently, expenditure not incurred for the purpose of earning income will no longer be deductible when the Income Tax Bill is implemented. The proposed Income Tax Act will increase the taxable income of a taxpayer as it makes amounts that are not currently subject to tax taxable, whilst restricting the deductions claimable.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
“Bold Distinguished You”: a critical discourse analysis of the representation of masculinity in Destiny Man, 2012 - 2013
- Authors: Hutcheson, Lauren
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/56032 , vital:26767
- Description: Radical social and economic changes have transformed the employment opportunities available to black men in South Africa, and consumer magazines like Destiny Man have been quick to respond. Historical shifts in the configuration of an ideal black masculinity have been proposed over time in magazine representations of black men. Critiques of the representations of black men in consumer magazines pre- and post- independence interrogate the politics of the ways in which black masculinity has been, and is, configured around classed identities. In this study, I present the findings of a critical discourse analysis (CDA) on the construction and representation of masculinity within a contemporary South African’s men’s lifestyle magazine, Destiny Man. This study presents an analysis of the subject positions that this magazine constructs for its male readers. Destiny Man proposes particular kinds of discursive subjects in its sets of representations, both in word and image. The images and copy validate a neo-liberal elite masculinity achieved through self-surveillance and a variety of technologies of self, with the ultimate focus on material success. I argue that these representations have implications for the development of masculinities in a context marked by extreme inequality.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015
- Authors: Hutcheson, Lauren
- Date: 2015
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/56032 , vital:26767
- Description: Radical social and economic changes have transformed the employment opportunities available to black men in South Africa, and consumer magazines like Destiny Man have been quick to respond. Historical shifts in the configuration of an ideal black masculinity have been proposed over time in magazine representations of black men. Critiques of the representations of black men in consumer magazines pre- and post- independence interrogate the politics of the ways in which black masculinity has been, and is, configured around classed identities. In this study, I present the findings of a critical discourse analysis (CDA) on the construction and representation of masculinity within a contemporary South African’s men’s lifestyle magazine, Destiny Man. This study presents an analysis of the subject positions that this magazine constructs for its male readers. Destiny Man proposes particular kinds of discursive subjects in its sets of representations, both in word and image. The images and copy validate a neo-liberal elite masculinity achieved through self-surveillance and a variety of technologies of self, with the ultimate focus on material success. I argue that these representations have implications for the development of masculinities in a context marked by extreme inequality.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2015