List of Titles

Using the indigenous technology of dyeing and weaving African baskets as a cultural tool to mediate learning of chemical and physical changes

- Kakambi, William Mafelezo

Authors: Kakambi, William Mafelezo
Date: 2021-04
Subjects: Science -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- Namibia , Chemistry -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- Namibia , Ethnoscience -- Namibia , Culturally relevant pedagogy , Traditional ecological knowledge -- Namibia , Basket making -- Namibia , Dyes and dyeing -- Namibia , Pedagogical content knowledge
Language: English
Type: thesis , text , Masters , MEd
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/177268 , vital:42805
Description: Literature has revealed that indigenous learners, especially in many African nations are subjected to learning school science in unfamiliar contexts. Learners in Namibia where this study was conducted are no exception. In consequence, learners experience cognitive conflict between school science and the experiences learnt at home and in the community. This is exacerbated, in part, by the fact that science teachers do not seem to know how to integrate indigenous knowledge in their science teaching. As an attempt to address this problem, some scholars call for the integration of indigenous knowledge into the science curriculum to provide a much needed context for learning science. It is against this background that this study sought to use the indigenous technology of dyeing and weaving baskets as a cultural tool to mediate learning of chemical and physical changes. Underpinned by the interpretivist and Ubuntu paradigms, the study employed a qualitative case study research design. The study was conducted in the Zambezi region in Namibia. Four grade 8 Physical Science teachers, an expert community member, and a critical friend were involved as participants in this study. Data were gathered using semi-structured interviews, workshop discussions, participatory observation, and journal reflections. Vygotsky’s socio-cultural theory and Mavhunga and Rollnick’s topic specific pedagogical content knowledge were used as theoretical and analytical frameworks, respectively. A thematic approach to data analysis was employed to come up with sub-themes and themes. The findings of the study revealed that all the participating teachers in this study had never been exposed to ideas on how to integrate indigenous knowledge in their science teaching. As a result, they all embraced and valued the indigenous technology of dyeing and weaving as relevant and useful in the teaching and learning of chemical and physical changes. This study recommends that there is a need to empower science teachers on how to integrate indigenous knowledge in their science teaching in order to make science accessible and relevant to their learners’ lived worlds. , Thesis (MEd) -- Faculty of Education, Education, 2021
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Date Issued: 2021-04

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Design of pH Sensitive Electrochemical Sensor for Catecholamine Neurotransmitters Detection and the Screening Off of Ascorbic Acid

- Tshenkeng, Keamogetse Tebogo Charlotte

Authors: Tshenkeng, Keamogetse Tebogo Charlotte
Date: 2021-10-29
Subjects: Catecholamines , Electrochemical sensors , Neurotransmitters , Vitamin C , Cobalt , Phthalocyanines , Cobalt (II) tetra-(3-carboxyphenoxy) phthalocyanine (CoTCPhOPc)
Language: English
Type: thesis , text
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/176921 , vital:42772
Description: This study presents the synthesis of cobalt (II) tetra-(3-carboxyphenoxy) phthalocyanine (CoTCPhOPc) through the cyclotetramerization of 4-(3-carboxyphe-noxy)phthalonitrile and its full characterization using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, ultraviolet-visible (UV-vis) spectroscopy, magnetic circular dichroism (MCD) spectroscopy, elemental analysis and mass spectrometry. The CoTCPhOPc was then immobilized onto phenylethylamino (PEA) pre-grafted gold electrode surface, Au-PEA using amide coupling reaction through a reaction with NHS and DCC to obtain Au-PEA-CoTCPhOPc. This yielded pH sensitive thin films due to the terminal carboxylic acid (–COOH) functional groups. Electrochemical and surface characterization was conducted to confirm the modification of the bare Au with PEA thin film (Au-PEA) and amide coupling of CoTCPhOPc (Au-PEA-CoTCPhOPc). The Au-PEA-CoTCPhOPc electrode was shown to possess pH selective properties towards negatively charged [Fe(CN)6]3-/4- and positively charged [Ru(NH3)6]2+/3+ redox probes. Au-PEA-CoTCPhOPc electrode surface enabled the detection of catecholamine neurotransmitters (dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine) and the screening off of ascorbic acid by means of pH sensitive functional groups. Bare Au and Au-PEA electrodes exhibited electro-oxidation and electroreduction of catecholamine neuro-transmitters and ascorbic acid at higher potentials compared to Au-PEA-CoTCPhOPc. There was no electro-oxidation or electroreduction of ascorbic acid at Au-PEA-CoTCPhOPc. For Au-PEA-CoTCPhOPc, excellent electrocatalytic oxidation with the limit of detection (LoD) determined using 3σ was found to be 1.32 (0.95), 2.11 (1.78) and 3.08 μM for electro-oxidation and electroreduction (in brackets) of dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine respectively. The limit of quantification (LoQ) was determined using 10σ and found to be 4.41 (3.17), 7.02 (5.93) and 10.3 μM electro-oxidation and electroreduction (in brackets) for dopamine, norepinephrine and epinephrine respectively. The Au-PEA-CoTCPhOPc thin film was shown to screen off ascorbic acid as no electrocatalytic oxidation was observed for up to 100.0 μM concentration. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Department of Chemistry, 2021
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Date Issued: 2021-10-29

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The effect of sectoral foreign direct investment on sectoral growth and sectoral employment in South Africa

- Paul, Bernice Nicole

Authors: Paul, Bernice Nicole
Date: 2021-04
Subjects: Investments, Foreign -- South Africa , South Africa -- Economic conditions -- 1991- , South Africa -- Economic policy , Gross domestic product -- South Africa , UNCTAD-ICTSD Project on IPRs and Sustainable Development , Unemployment -- South Africa
Language: English
Type: thesis , text , Master , MCom
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/177964 , vital:42894
Description: Over several decades past, developing countries have received increased amounts of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). This form of investment has been welcomed because of the perceived benefits attached to it. FDI is seen as an important driver of economic development for many nations. For South Africa specifically, GDP growth rates have remained less than required, unemployment rates have reached staggering levels, poverty and inequality levels are increasing and the list goes on. Considering the perceived benefits of FDI, one may argue that FDI can play a crucial role in reducing the mentioned challenges facing the nation, however, only if directed to initiatives contributing to growth and employment. The 2015 Investment Policy Framework for Sustainable Development includes an action menu promoting investment in sectors relating to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Therefore, this study is aimed at investigating the relationship between sector FDI and sector growth in addition to investigating the effect of sector FDI on sector employment over the period 2000Q1 to 2016Q4 for six of South Africa’s economic sectors. The reason for such a study is based on the premise that developing nations such as South Africa lack sound trade and industrial policies favorable to foreign investors. This then leads to the nation failing to attract higher volumes of FDI which could be used to address structural challenges facing the country. It is therefore important to identify sectors in which FDI has resulted in growth and employment so that when policies are considered, the right FDI is targeted. A comprehensive review of existing theoretical and empirical literature showed that FDI does result in economic growth for developed and developing countries, although FDI crowds out domestic investment in the short run. Literature on the effect of FDI on employment showed diverse effects. Some studies found FDI to increase employment overall, other studies found FDI to increase employment only during periods of restructuring and some studies found FDI to result in job losses. For South African sectors, the present study finds that the financial services sector receives the highest volume of South African FDI, followed by the mining and quarrying sector and the manufacturing, however, FDI in all six sectors under study is associated with increased growth and employment. This finding suggests that the financial services sector has received increased volumes of FDI as a result of financialization of the South African economy. It is this increased FDI in the financial services sector that is directed to income redistribution from the real sector to the finance sector. This study employed econometric techniques and methods of analysis to investigate the relationship between sector FDI and sector growth, and the effect of sector FDI on sector employment. Panel cointegration tests were conducted for all six sectors included in the study to establish if long run equilibrium relationships exist among integrated variables. The Johansen-Fisher panel cointegration test revealed that there is evidence of cointegration in four of the six sectors. Since cointegration was established, the study proceeded to perform the Dumitrescu-Hurlin panel causality analysis and estimate a Panel Vector Error Correction Model (VECM). Results from the causality analysis found a unidirectional causality relationship between FDI and GDP growth, while the panel VECM found FDI to have a significant effect on growth in all sectors. The Seemingly Unrelated Regression (SUR) model employed to investigate the effect of FDI on employment found FDI to have an insignificant effect on employment in all sectors included, although the signs of the coefficients suggest that FDI is associated with increased employment and rising wages is associated with increased productivity growth. Since this study finds that FDI is associated with increased GDP growth in all six sectors under study, policy makers should devise strategies to attract FDI in sectors such as the transportation, storage and communication sector and the electricity, gas and water sector as FDI in these sectors are associated with increased growth however, they receive very low levels of FDI. There are a number of reasons for this, therefore, government institutions and policy makers should investigate the reasons for these low levels of FDI inflows into these sectors so that they can devise further strategies to address these reasons and perhaps attract higher levels of FDI into these sectors. Spillover benefits play a major role in host nations participating in FDI therefore, prior to entering into bilateral treaty agreements, policy makers should ensure that foreign investors are compelled to create jobs, offer training and qualifications etc. through their investments so that some of the SDGs can be achieved. Additionally, this study finds a positive, statistically insignificant relationship between FDI and employment. FDI may not have a significant relationship on employment due to jobless growth and capital-intensive growth rather than labor-intensive growth. Such a situation calls for government intervention. Skills shortage is a rising problem in South Africa; therefore, investors choose to employ advanced technologies rather than people. Under such circumstances, governments are encouraged to invest resources into skills development so that human capital are not completely replaced by technology. , Thesis (MCom) -- Faculty of Commerce, Economics and Economic History, 2021
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Date Issued: 2021-04

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An Archive of Upset : the Shift from Commissioning to Curating through South Africa’s Representations at the Bienal de São Paulo and the Interstitial Nexus of Leonard Tshehla Mohapi Matsoso

- Dantas, Nancy Isabel

Authors: Dantas, Nancy Isabel
Date: 2021-04
Subjects: Bienal Internacional de São Paulo , Curatorship , Art -- Commissioning , Art -- Political aspects , Matsoso, Leonard Tshehla Mohapi
Language: English
Type: thesis , text , Doctoral , PhD
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/174492 , vital:42482 , https://doi.org/10.21504/10962/174492
Description: This thesis explores the distinction between commissioning and curating, adopting the Bienal de São Paulo (or Bienal) as its conceptual propeller and point of departure. The thesis regards exhibitions as palimpsests, in other words, platforms built on previous conscious or sublimated models, beyond the Venetian model inaugurated in 1895. By looking at world expositions, particularly the Cape presence at the Colonial and Indian Exhibition of 1886, this project traces a lineage of commissioners, from Sir Henry Cole to Sydney Cowper through to the Director of the Pretoria Art Museum, Albert Werth. It distinguishes these men, their vision and allegiances from the curatorial model instantiated in South Africa by the late Okwui Enwezor as a consequence of the Second Johannesburg Biennale, held in 1997. The aim of this research has been to provide a partial but crucial account of this shift, and to remain attentive to the silences and deletions, to what happens in the interstice, at transitionary moments of ‘betweenness.’ I ask that readers consider the 1979 Bienal as an instance of an interstice where the occluded and silenced ghost of modernist artist Leonard Tshehla Mohapi Matsoso, who represented South Africa at the 1973 edition of the Bienal, garnering a substantial award for his work in drawing, resides. Matsoso was the first and only Black South African artist to receive this accolade. This thesis posits that Matsoso’s absence from the exhibition in 1979, an exhibition where he would rightly have featured, constitutes a curatorial haunting, wedged in the archive of the Bienal’s history, and an opportunity for revision and evaluation of commissioning vis-àvis curating. In reading the exhibition histories’ archive “along the grain” (Stoler 2002), the commissioner emerges as a man of letters, a privileged social category found in the archive; a colonial authority whose status was founded as much on his display of European learning as on his studied ignorance of local knowledge; an implementer of the taxonomic state and modernist art historical canon (in the case of Werth); a cultivator of the fine arts of deference, dissemblance and persuasion. At a later stage and moment of dissonance and disruption, the independent curator emerges to reconsider, question and expand the canon, distancing him/herself from the (South African) State to serve the artist or artists and a wider community. This research aims to contribute, albeit in a small way, to a reappraisal of the position of Leonard Tshehla Mohapi Matsoso in South African modernism, and the distinction between commissioning and curating. , Thesis (PhD)--Rhodes University, Faculty of Humanities, Department of Fine Art, 2021
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Date Issued: 2021-04

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& salt the earth behind you

- Naidoo, Prenesa

Authors: Naidoo, Prenesa
Date: 2021-04
Subjects: Creative writing (Higher education) -- South Africa , South African fiction (English) -- 21st century , South African poetry (English) -- 21st century , Short stories, South African (English) -- 21st century , Diaries -- Authorship , Korean fiction -- 21st century -- History and criticism , Short stories, Argentine -- 21st century -- History and criticism , Arabic fiction -- Palestine 21st century -- History and criticism , Argentine fiction -- 21st century -- History and criticism
Language: English
Type: thesis , text , Masters , MA
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/178212 , vital:42921
Description: My thesis is a collection of prose pieces in the form of short stories, flash fiction and prose poetry drawing on memory and lived experiences to explore the trauma of death, grief and displacement, solace and the paroxysms of home. As a young woman from an Indian South Africa community, Hindu superstitions and folktales are my second skin, and shape both my worldview and my writing. I am inspired by Lidia Yuknavitch’s observation that, “all artists see things that are not there”, and by Dambudzo Marechera’s belief that, “Beneath reality, there is always fantasy: the writer’s task is to reveal it, to open it out, to feel it, to experience it.” In my stories about trauma and grief, I often distort the line between seen and unseen worlds, where, for example, hauntings are taken seriously as lived experiences. I have also been influenced by Han Kang’s The White Book, Kali Fajardo-Anstine’s Sabrina & Corina, and Sandra Cisneros’ The House on Mango Street. Read together, Kang’s stand-alone short stories form part of a greater collective ‘memory’ or ‘life’; Fajardo-Anstine’s collection illustrates how to write about a specific female Latina community while still telling individual stories; and Cisneros’ fragments of memories tell the story of a person’s life in narratives which are as long or short as they need to be. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, School of Languages and Literatures, 2021
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Date Issued: 2021-04

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An investigation into the current state of web based cryptominers and cryptojacking

- Len, Robert

Authors: Len, Robert
Date: 2021-04
Subjects: Cryptocurrencies , Malware (Computer software) , Computer networks -- Security measures , Computer networks -- Monitoring , Cryptomining , Coinhive , Cryptojacking
Language: English
Type: thesis , text , Masters , MSc
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/178248 , vital:42924
Description: The aim of this research was to conduct a review of the current state and extent of surreptitious crypto mining software and its prevalence as a means for income generation. Income is generated through the use of a viewer's browser to execute custom JavaScript code to mine cryptocurrencies such as Monero and Bitcoin. The research aimed to measure the prevalence of illicit mining scripts being utilised for “in-browser" cryptojacking while further analysing the ecosystems that support the cryptomining environment. The extent of the research covers aspects such as the content (or type) of the sites hosting malicious “in-browser" cryptomining software as well as the occurrences of currencies utilised in the cryptographic mining and the analysis of cryptographic mining code samples. This research aims to compare the results of previous work with the current state of affairs since the closure of Coinhive in March 2018. Coinhive were at the time the market leader in such web based mining services. Beyond the analysis of the prevalence of cryptomining on the web today, research into the methodologies and techniques used to detect and counteract cryptomining are also conducted. This includes the most recent developments in malicious JavaScript de-obfuscation as well as cryptomining signature creation and detection. Methodologies for heuristic JavaScript behaviour identification and subsequent identification of potential malicious out-liars are also included within the research of the countermeasure analysis. The research revealed that although no longer functional, Coinhive remained as the most prevalent script being used for “in-browser" cryptomining services. While remaining the most prevalent, there was however a significant decline in overall occurrences compared to when coinhive.com was operational. Analysis of the ecosystem hosting \in-browser" mining websites was found to be distributed both geographically as well as in terms of domain categorisations. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Computer Science, 2021
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Date Issued: 2021-04

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An investigation of support services available for black female owners of bed & breakfasts in Makhanda

- Mdluli, Lukhona Silubonile

Authors: Mdluli, Lukhona Silubonile
Date: 2021-04
Subjects: Bed and breakfast accommodations -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Businesspeople, Black -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Business enterprises, Black -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Women-owned business enterprises -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Government aid to small business -- South Africa , Small business -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Racism -- South Africa -- Makhanda , Businesswomen -- South Africa -- Makhanda
Language: English
Type: thesis , text , Masters , MBA
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/177181 , vital:42797
Description: Over the last 26 years, the South African government has committed to SMME development. To do this, policies and support institutions were put in place which would create a favourable environment for SMME development. This was particularly important as after 1994, when the South African economy was re-integrated into global markets after years of having sanctions imposed against the country as a result of the apartheid system. The tourism industry was identified as one of the key economic drivers which would strengthen the economy and assist in job creation, especially since South Africa would be able to attract international tourists. Further, it created the opportunity for new participants to enter the industry, including black entrepreneurs who previously could not enter the industry as a result of the apartheid laws. The opening up of the country to international markets and the focus on the tourism industry also presented the opportunity for new forms of tourism to be explored including township tourism, which gave rise to the black-owned bed & breakfast sector. Over time, it has become evident that black entrepreneurs in this sector are facing a number of challenges, in spite of the pro-SMME policies and support institutions that are in place. Because this study seeks to investigate the support services available for black female bed & breakfast owners in Makhanda, a qualitative research approach using the interpretative theoretical framework was applied. By using semi-structured interview questions, to establish what challenges do black female bed and breakfast owners face the researcher was able to respond to the following; what participants identify as their needs; and whether they are able to access the support services that are made available by the Government. Results indicated that the majority of entrepreneurs have difficulty accessing funding to develop their businesses. The seasonality of Grahamstown/ Makhanda tourism businesses has its pros and cons for tourism entrepreneurs. Despite efforts by government to transform the tourism industry, black female entrepreneurs in this industry still experience a myriad of challenges, including passive racism. Insufficient institutional support and inaccessible support services for women have made it difficult to manage in this this environment. Thus, a recommendation is put forward for female focused entrepreneurship policy, which is more responsive in terms of a judicial and legal system(s) aimed at addressing women’s particular needs and challenges. , Thesis (MBA) -- Faculty of Commerce, Rhodes Business School, 2021
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Date Issued: 2021-04

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The effect of plant-derived dietary protein sources on cultured abalone Haliotis midae (L. 1758) digestive physiology

- Wright, Jason Geoffrey

Authors: Wright, Jason Geoffrey
Date: 2021-04
Subjects: Haliotis midae -- South Africa , Haliotis midae -- Nutrition -- South Africa , Haliotis midae -- Physiology -- South Africa , Haliotis midae -- South Africa -- Growth , Haliotis midae -- Digestive organs , Abalone culture -- South Africa , Plant proteins as feed
Language: English
Type: thesis , text , Masters , MSc
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/176803 , vital:42760
Description: The growth and feed conversion ratio of farmed abalone Haliotis midae (L. 1758) fed a formulated diet varies in feeds with different protein sources. To better understand this, the effect that various combinations of dietary soybean meal (SBM), sunflower meal (SFM) and fishmeal (FM) had on the digestive efficiency of farmed H. midae when included in a formulated feed, were assessed. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect that plant-based proteins had on abalone digestion and gut-bacterial profile of cultured adult abalone when combined with fishmeal. This was done by analysing the chymotrypsin (protease) and cellulase (carbohydrase) digestive enzyme activities from whole-gut sections of farmed abalone that were fed one of four diets for 12 months: FM-only, SBM-only, fishmeal and soybean meal (FM-SBM), and fishmeal and sunflower meal (FM-SFM). There were significant interactions between the diets, sampling date, and sex of the abalone, which had an influence on the cellulase activities in the digestive tracts of the animals. Those fed the SBM diet had the highest cellulase activity by the end of the sampling period (ANOVA; df = 9; F = 2.9; P = 0.005). The significant interactions between diet and sampling date influenced the chymotrypsin activities of abalone. Animals fed the FM diet had the highest activity of chymotrypsin for most of the sampling period (ANOVA; df = 9; F = 2.5; P = 0.01). Therefore, diet did have an impact on the cellulase and chymotrypsin activities of abalone fed either combination diets (FM-SBM; FM-SFM) or single protein diets (FM; SBM). The presence of plant material such as cellulose fibres in the diets containing plant proteins may have influenced the cellulase activity levels of each treatment as it would have stimulated endogenous and exogenous cellulase production. However, treatments with the highest crude fibre content, SBM and FM-SFM, resulted in differing activities. The activity levels of chymotrypsin may have been impacted by the protein type, presence of protein inhibitors and temporal changes in utilisation. Abalone fed the FM diet exhibited the highest chymotrypsin activities on sampling day 182, which was in summer. Animals fed the treatment diets containing fishmeal also developed their reproductive tissues, and may explain the low chymotrypsin activities in abalone fed SBM-only. Additionally, the presence of allergenic compounds would have influenced enzyme activity, as they would have negatively affected the nutrient utilisation and absorptive capacity. Fluctuations in water temperature may have had an effect on enzyme activity, as activities were highest during summer, when seawater temperatures are most variable. A change to lowered water temperatures are known to trigger the growth of digestive epithelial tissue in abalone to allow for increased enzyme secretions and nutrient absorption (Schaeffer et al. 2013). The effect that plant protein inclusion in abalone diets had on the gut-microbiota was revealed by analysing the differences in gut-bacterial community profiles, through the use of metagenomic sequencing. The relative abundance of the phylum Verrucomicrobia, class Verrcomicrobiae and the genus Rubritalea were highest in the SBM diet. These bacterial groups were also influenced by the plant material from soybean meal, as hydrolysed cellulose is broken down by cellulases, and allowed for the proliferation of Rubritalea bacteria due to them using cellobiose as an energy source. The presence of Bacteroidetes was due to the phyla having bacterial species that can breakdown proteins and species that can break down carbohydrates. The animal protein present in the composition of the FM diet had a positive influence on proteolytic Bacteroidetes growth. The high levels of cellulose from the plant fibres in the soybean meal-only diet (SBM) promoted growth of saccharolytic Bacteroidetes. Tenericutes bacteria’s prominence was due to the higher plant fibres from the soybean meal as some Mycoplasma are known to degrade polysaccharides. Therefore, exposure to formulated feeds with high levels of these plant materials would allow for high proliferation. The thesis established that plant-derived dietary proteins in formulated feeds result in an effect on digestive enzyme activity and a difference in the community structure of gut bacteria in H. midae abalone. The results from the current research highlight the importance of studying abalone gut physiology when investigating the impacts of formulated feed composition, and can be used as an additional factor when determining the efficacy of a dietary component. Further research on the gut-bacterial groups and different digestive enzymes of H. midae abalone is encouraged, in order to create a holistic view on their response to dietary plant proteins inclusion in formulated feeds, thus reducing the need for fishmeal protein. , Thesis (MSc)-- Rhodes University, Faculty of Science, Department of Ichthyology and Fisheries Science, 2021
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Date Issued: 2021-04

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Investigating the factors that influence use of ICTs for citizen engagement in Malawi

- Sibande, Rachel Chavula

Authors: Sibande, Rachel Chavula
Date: 2021-04
Subjects: Information technology -- Malawi , Political participation -- Malawi , Mobile apps -- Malawi , UTAUT , Mzinda
Language: English
Type: thesis , text , Doctoral , PhD
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/177019 , vital:42782 , 10.21504/10962/177019
Description: Literature has suggested that Malawians are keen to participate. Malawian’s willingness to participate is evident as the country has recorded high voter turnouts during the elections in recent decades. However, literature also suggests that there is minimal citizen engagement in between elections. Elsewhere, Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) have been used to enhance citizen engagement, but ICT led citizen engagement is still an emerging field and yet to be explored as an area of research particularly in Malawi. We thus sought to explore if the use of ICTs could improve citizen engagement with councils, councilors, and utility companies that provide water and electricity in Malawi. We developed and deployed an ICT platform called Mzinda which means My location in Malawi’s populous Chichewa language. The platform provided various channels for citizens and duty bearers to engage via SMS, USSD, web and a mobile application. We sought to understand the factors that influence citizen’s behavior intention to use an ICT platform to engage. We applied the modified UTAUT model by including Attitude and Self Efficacy social constructs that have among others been cited as limitations of the UTAUT model. We conducted factor loadings of six social constructs of the modified UTAUT model to validate content and reexamine the model in the context of citizen engagement using ICTs in Malawi. We found that, Attitude and Self Efficacy were not significant determinants of the Behaviour Intention for citizens to use the ICT platform. However, 75% of the Behaviour Intention was influenced by Perfomance Expectancy and Effort Expectancy as moderated by age and gender. Empirical evidence showed that responsiveness and actionability of councils and councillors had improved. We also learned that citizens believed that service delivery had improved and that they had more influence over councils, councillors, and the utility companies because of using the ICT platform. We conclude by noting that improvements in service delivery; enhanced responsiveness and actionability of councils, councillors and the utility companies were not necessarily as a result of the ICT platform alone; but a combination of ICTs and non-technology mechanisms of engaging the stakeholders through community campaigns, radio programs, print media engagement, community meetings and debates among others. It is evident that ICTs are not the panacea of all citizen engagement problems. This research can be useful to researchers and practitioners in the technology and citizen engagement domains. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Department of Computer Science, 2021
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Date Issued: 2021-04

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Ndiyazi ukuba ndiza kufa njani : ingqokelela yemibongo

- Mdliva, Mqhubi Given

Authors: Mdliva, Mqhubi Given
Date: 2021-04
Subjects: Creative writing (Higher education) -- South Africa , Xhosa poetry -- 21st century , Xhosa poetry -- History and criticism , Diaries -- Authorship , Xhosa fiction -- 21st century
Language: Xhosa
Type: thesis , text , Masters , MA
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/178295 , vital:42928
Description: Le mibongo inyathela kwizinto ezitsarhayo; ukufa, ukukhula kweziganeko ezingobundlobongela obuphathelele kwezesondo nesini, kubulawa abantwana namanina ngamadoda norhwaphilizo olugqugqisayo. Lo msebenzi uphonononga ukwavavanya ukusetyenziswa kweempawu zokubhala kungalandelwa miqathango yokubhala koko kusetyenziswa ezi mpawu njengezixhobo zokuphuhlisa iimvakalelo zembongi. Ezi mpawu ziquka iidesh, iikholoni, iisemikholoni ukuqelelaniswa kwamagama kukwashiywa nezikhewu phakathi kwamagama kukhokelwa ngumoya wemibongo. Oku kubangele ukuba le mibongo ibe nezakhiwo ezahlukileyo nezingaqhelekanga kubhalo lwesiXhosa. Oko kukuthi, lo msebenzi utyebisa uncwadi lwesiXhosa ngokukwandisa kule ndlela ingaqhelekanga yokubhala. Umsebenzi kaSt E.P. Yako ube nefuthe kakhulu kulo msebenzi, ngakumbi indlela alusebenzise ngayo ulwimi oluteketeke zizafobe nemifanekiso ukubhala imibongo njengoko enzile kumbongo othi, Izibongo zikaMhlekazi uArchie Sandile. Kumbhali uMarina Tsvetaete kubolekwe indlela ayisebenzise ngayo imifanekiso kumbongo osihloko sithi, Poems for Block kuba udubula ngegama uthi thaa umfanekiso kwingqondo yomfundi. Isimbo sokuyila isakhiwo sombongo sikaSimphiwe Nolutshungu naso sibe nefuthe kule mibongo, kwaye le thisisi yandisa apho lo kaNolutshungu aphele khona ngakumbi kwindlela asebenzise ngayo iimpawu zokubhala. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, School of Languages and Literatures, 2021
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Date Issued: 2021-04

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