Showing items 1341 - 1360 of 1471

Your selections:

The use of radio frequency identification technology for inventory control in academic libraries in South Africa : a study of the University of South Africa and the University of Fort Hare Library Systems

  • Authors: Reid, Lindsay Frederick
  • Date: 2018
  • Subjects: Libraries -- Inventory control Radio frequency identification systems
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MLIS
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/6314 , vital:29560
  • Description: The study sought to investigate the use of RFID technology as inventory control in academic libraries in South Africa, with a focus on the University of South Africa and the University of Fort Hare libraries. The objectives of the study were to describe the current inventory control practices at the libraries of the University of South Africa and the University of Fort Hare in order to determine the infrastructure required for the use of RFID for inventory control for the University of Fort Hare’s libraries; to evaluate the benefits of RFID technologies, in order to gain a competitive advantage for the University of South Africa’s and the University of Fort Hare’s libraries; to identify the challenges associated with adopting RFID technology, as experienced by the libraries of the University of South Africa and the University of Fort Hare. The study adopted both the quantitative and qualitative research approaches. The researcher followed a rigorous methodological path that began with a thorough literature review coupled with the careful and thoughtful posing of research questions and objectives. A purposive sample of forty (40) respondents was selected from the library staff from both the University of South Africa and University of Fort Harelibraries. The collected data were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences 23 (SPSS 23) and Microsoft Excel 2010. The findings of the study revealed reasons for both academic libraries to invest in RFID technology; these reasons include RFID’s ability to deliver self-service options, inventory control, improved reader access and improved security. The challenges related to the implementation of RFID technology are also related to staff not being rewarded by library management for being innovative; the difficulty of staff learning new technology; the staff’s inability to generate new ideas for the library; and the staff not being able to share knowledge with each other. Further research needs to be conducted by library RFID vendors in order to meet the need, of academic libraries, for RFID inventory control. RFID hardware and software (API software) should be subjected to further investigation for the purposes of research and development. Libraries should work closer with RFID vendors so as to trial and test hardware and software.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2018

The use of textbooks by teachers in teaching mathematics at selected primary schools in East London education district

  • Authors: Adu, K.O.
  • Date: 2018
  • Subjects: Mathematics -- Textbooks Mathematics -- Study and teaching (Primary)
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd.
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/8989 , vital:34180
  • Description: Mathematics is the foundation for the economic and technological development of any nation. It has been asserted that Mathematics is expected to help in accelerating social, economic and technological progress of any society. The Primary school level is very important in any educational system and any lack at this level would permeate to other levels of the educational system. Hence, this dissertation examines the use of textbooks by teachers in teaching Mathematics at selected primary schools in East London Education district. The study adopted the interpretivist paradigm and employed the qualitative approach in investigating the phenomenon. The dissertation made use of phenomenology research design as it attempted to understand people’s (learners’ and teachers’) perceptions, perspectives and understandings of the use of textbooks in teaching Mathematics. Semi-structured interviews and observation were used to elicit information from the six mathematics teachers and three heads of department who were purposively selected. The data collected were analysed using thematic approach where themes were developed from the research questions after transcribing, sorting and categorizing them. The findings of the study demonstrated that the participants selected textbooks from the ones prescribed by the department that were written in the CAPS documents. They had no influence or decision on textbook selection. All the teachers believed that lesson plan is very important and it is a must to have a very detailed and comprehensive lesson plan that is well-aligned to the contents of CAPS document and the textbook. The study further revealed that, for effective delivery of lesson and planning, there is need for a practical use of textbooks by the teacher. The study concluded that one of the most fundamental issues to consider is the fact that, as good as the use of textbook for planning and delivery of lesson activities is, it can also be a problem if not carefully and professionally planned and used accordingly. The over-dependence on textbooks at the expense of other resources may cause ineffective learning and teaching of mathematics.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2018

The uses of Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius, 1794)(Diptera: Calliphoridae) in forensic entomology:

  • Authors: Badenhorst, Rozane , Villet, Martin H
  • Date: 2018
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/140631 , vital:37905 , DOI: 10.1080/20961790.2018.1426136
  • Description: Chrysomya megacephala (Fabricius, 1794) occurs on every continent and is closely associated with carrion and decaying material in human environments. Its abilities to find dead bodies and carry pathogens give it a prominence in human affairs that may involve prosecution or litigation, and therefore forensic entomologists. The identification, geographical distribution and biology of the species are reviewed to provide a background for approaches that four branches of forensic entomology (urban, stored-product, medico-criminal and environmental) might take to investigations involving this fly.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2018

The utility of vertical farming for urban renewal: an integrated business model for profitable and sustainable vegetation production

  • Authors: Vermeulen, Robert Stanley
  • Date: 2018
  • Subjects: Business -- Models , Sustainable development Urban renewal Urban agriculture
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/23294 , vital:30522
  • Description: The global population growth rate is increasing exponentially and is expected to reach nine billion people by 2050. This accelerated population growth and associated increase in food demand, coupled with the trend of decreasing productive agricultural land, present a calamitous food security risk for future generations. The ensuing expansion of agricultural land to supply this food demand leads to irreversible environmental damage including encroachment, climate change and biodiversity extinction. Moreover, rapid urbanisation of the aforementioned over-populace leads to mass unemployment in many major cities and widespread suburbanisation. The concurrence of the latter and former trends creates pockets of urban brown space, unutilised and dilapidated areas that have various consequences. Vertical farming is a system of cultivating crops or food products in buildings, tall structures or vertically inclined surfaces. If applied correctly this method results in substantial increases in crop yield, environmental benefits and reduced pressure on agricultural land. The research problem in this study was to establish how the vertical farming business model can be integrated with urban renewal of brown space to enable profitable and sustainable vegetation production. In order to achieve this objective the following research process was followed: Identification of the factors pertinent for the examination of urban gentrification, vertical farming and business model implementation through the literature review; Identification of approaches for integrating vertical farming applications with urban renewal activities and collective insights from the review of relevant literature; Development of a semi-structured interview guide from the literature review, to determine the extent of perceived utility of vertical farming for revitalisation and to gain valuable insights into strategies for integrating the model; Conducting an empirical study consisting of face-to-face interviews with subject matter experts and/or individuals with experience in the case scope, that were selected through purposive sampling as defined in the research methodology chapter; and Amalgamation and synthesis of the results to develop a proposed integrated model that can be used for urban renewal to create businesses that not only gentrify the urban brown space but that are profitable and provide sustainable development value to the city where it is based. The empirical results obtained from the interviews with respondents were analysed and included in the conceptual framework developed from the examination of secondary data sources. This led to the development of the integrated business model for urban renewal and achievement of the research objectives. The main findings from the research centred on customer segmentation strategy, distribution channels and gentrification through key partnerships. The intricacies of the integrated model and its application are discussed in detail in this research paper.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2018

The viability of mobile payments across South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria

  • Authors: Wentzel, Bradley
  • Date: 2018
  • Subjects: Mobile commerce -- Africa , Banks and banking --Technological innovations -- Africa
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/45756 , vital:38961
  • Description: As the global accessibility to the internet and mobile data and cellular systems is on the rise, the ability for the use of mobile devices in order to facilitate banking and to make payment across the African continent will increase. The question is then asked as to whether the African continent is ready for this technology and if it is not at this stage, will this ability to transact with a bank and a trusted method of payment ever be an option in Africa? This needs to be analysed and critically studied to determine whether Africa must invest in this technology and if so, when and how this investment should take place. The ability for the regular African consumer to access the wealth of knowledge that abounds over the internet is critical in order for the new mobile payment initiative to be a success. Education, infrastructure and ability to access this available technology will have long reaching effects in bringing Africa to the forefront in the global economy, while a move away from corporeal and historic tenders such as bartering systems, precious metals or cash, will be something new to the African continent and will need to be explored separately. In this study we will assess the readiness of the top three African economies, namely South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria of their current abilities to facilitate this technology and the barriers to entries and possible remedies to those if this is not the case.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2018

The visual communication of environmental awareness issues in Jeff Orlowski's,Chasing Ice (2012) and Yann Arthurs -Bertrand's home (2009)

  • Authors: Van der Walt, Nadia Elize
  • Date: 2018
  • Subjects: Visual communication , Environmentalism in motion pictures Documentary films -- History and critism
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/45547 , vital:38665
  • Description: This study presents an investigation into the visual communication complexities within the genre of documentary film, specifically aimed at the development of a set of criteria of cinematic techniques for the visual communication of environmental awareness issues. This process utilises a theoretical approach to understanding the development and communicative possibilities of documentary film, as well as an analytical interpretation structured on semiotic film theory. The theoretical investigation reveals Bill Nichols’ (2010) documentary modes as an established analytical model. This study engages with four of Nichols’ six modes – namely, the poetic, the expository, the observational and the participatory modes, as the criteria for the extraction of scenes and/or images from Chasing Ice (2012) by Jeff Orlowski and Home (2009) by Yann Arthurs-Bertrand. Once Nichols’ modes have been identified, a semiotic reading is conducted. Gillian Rose’s (2016) visual analysis framework underpinned by Pieter J. Fourie’s (1988) sociological approach to film analysis, is utilised to read the selected film texts. A comparative analysis of Chasing Ice (2012) and Home (2009) reveals that the inclusion of different and multiple modes constructs the visualisation of environmental awareness issues in the documentary film genre. The cinematic techniques specific to the documentary modes represented in Chasing Ice (2012) and Home (2009) are appropriated in the construction of three film shorts within the researcher’s documentary film study, Karoo (2017). This combination of theory and practice yields the researcher a considered and informed approach to constructing documentary imagery aimed at visualising the current environment of the Karoo Basin prior to the possibility of shale gas exploration and/or exploitation.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2018

The “Pleasure Streets” of exile: queer subjectivities and the body in Arthur Nortje’s London poems

  • Authors: Thorpe, Andrea
  • Date: 2018
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/68432 , vital:29255 , https://doi.org/10.1080/02564718.2018.1447865
  • Description: Publisher version , In this article, I aim to expand our understanding of Arthur Nortje as a poet of “exile” by exploring the dialectic between self-loathing and pleasure, as well as between engagement and isolation, which he portrays performatively through his London poetry. While critics have emphasised Nortje’s “marginality” or “liminality”, both as an “exile” and a “coloured” South African, I draw on the critical writing of Zoë Wicomb in order to extend readings of his poetry beyond this tragic paradigm. I furthermore take up Sarah Nuttall’s suggestion that Nortje’s London poetry describes a degree of immersion within the city and that this aspect of his work demands further study. After tracing Nortje’s playful use of literary influences and his reworking of the trope of flânerie, I provide a series of close readings of poems in which Nortje depicts an exploration of queer subjectivities, staged within the city. In his London poetry, Nortje subverts and eludes fixed racial, sexual, national and class identities. Nortje’s London poetry exemplifies how South African literature was developed in response to the alienating condition of exile, but also through engagement with the places where exile occurred.
  • Full Text: false
  • Date Issued: 2018

Themes in self-presentation on a gay male dating site: a content analysis of the profiles of a sample of online daters from the Eastern Cape Province

  • Authors: Lelimo, Thabang Lucky
  • Date: 2018
  • Subjects: Online dating -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Gay men -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Gay men -- Identity , Self-presentation , Homophobia -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Gay men -- Sexual behavior -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Language and sex , Communication and sex
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/60233 , vital:27757
  • Description: My thesis research explores themes in self-presentation in the dating profiles of gay men from the Eastern Cape Province on an online dating site for men only. Although there is a growing body of research on this topic, this research is generally located in Europe and North America. In South Africa, research on same-sex intimacies has a chequered history. In the apartheid past, gay men and lesbian women were largely ignored by psychologists and social scientists. And, when they did receive their attention, it was largely discriminatory. In the post-apartheid context, there is far more interest in queer sexualities. However, as this research focuses on HIV transmission and on discrimination and violent homophobia, it too has played a role in painting a gloomy picture of what it means to be queer in South Africa. This study both address a ‘gap in literature’ on gay male dating online by focusing on the South African context, and it addresses the crisis of representation by giving consideration to the ways in which gay men see and present themselves to others. This study takes the form of a content analysis of 200 dating profiles. Key themes in self-presentation emerging in the analysis are: Ethnicity; Age; Education; Geographic Location; Living Arrangements; Sexuality; Relationship Status; Lifestyle; Appearance; Political Outlook; Personality; Faith. I discuss important observations relating to these themes and the insights they provide on key issues shaping public debate on same-sex sexualities in the South African context.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2018

Therapists’ perception of the healing variables of animal assisted intervention

  • Authors: Torghi, Parnaz Salmani
  • Date: 2018
  • Subjects: Animals -- Therapeutic use , Pets -- Therapeutic use Human-animal relationships Psychotherapy -- Alternative treatment
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/36705 , vital:34045
  • Description: The significance of the bond that is formed through animal companionship can be found in narratives throughout history. In fact, often a pet is viewed as an integral part of the family and valued as deeply as a member if not more. This has resulted in numerous studies regarding the incorporation of animals within the therapeutic environment and the unique positive impact of their presence on the client. This study aimed to highlight the healing variables of Animal Assisted Intervention (AAI) as perceived by therapists that actively and purposefully incorporated animals into the therapeutic milieu. A qualitative research approach was utilised for the purpose of this study and semistructured interviews were conducted with a sample of five participants selected through a nonprobability purposive and snowball sampling strategy. Participants included registered Psychologists and Counsellors that had incorporated an animal into the therapeutic environment on at least three separate occasions in order to facilitate the therapeutic process. The participants revealed that the presence of the animal within the therapeutic environment acted as a social lubricant for therapy. This allowed for increased interaction between the therapist and the client, thereby facilitating the process of rapport building and the formation of a therapeutic relationship between the therapist and the client. The presence of the animal was observed as influential in increasing clients’ self-esteem. Likewise, the animal’s presence acted as an instrument in teaching social skills, namely, empathy and responsibility. Clients were additionally observed as more present within the here and now, further enabling the therapist to gain more in-depth information regarding the client’s relational interaction outside of the therapeutic setting. The therapy animal also provided the client with therapeutic touch and affection, a source of distraction, a form of a transitional object or object of projection, as well as a buffer that enabled clients to access and express emotions more freely. This study adds to the body of knowledge available on AAI within the South African context.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2018

There’s another story here

  • Authors: Nkosi, Lindokuhle
  • Date: 2018
  • Subjects: Creative writing (Higher education) -- South Africa , South African fiction (English) -- 21st century , Short stories, South African (English) -- 21st century
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/63065 , vital:28360
  • Description: Written in fragments and combining fiction and narrative non-fiction, this novella explores how South Africa's history of violence and current violence against women affects and influences how women relate to each other. Based in the knowledge that our memories and behaviours are linked to the experiences of our ancestors via our bodies, I engage what our violent history and the disappearing myths that are still embedded in our bloodstream mean for life today. Drawing on the experiences of several generations of women in my family, current affairs and the lives of women close to me, my novella picks at the fragile things that hold us together. I take influence from the prose poetry in Claudia Rankine’s Citizen, and the use of fragmentation, myth and biography in Lydia Yuknavitch’s A Chronology of Water and Lily Hoang’s A Bestiary, and use an amalgam of genres to ask how we hold each other; how we breath, create, love and dream.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2018

Thermoluminescence of annealed synthetic quartz: the influence of annealing on kinetic parameters and thermal quenching

  • Authors: Dawam, Robert R , Chithambo, Makaiko L
  • Date: 2018
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/110050 , vital:33218 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.radmeas.2018.06.004
  • Description: The thermoluminescence of synthetic quartz annealed at various temperatures up to 900 °C is reported. Glow curves measured at 1 oCs−1 following beta irradiation to 40 Gy from a sample annealed at 500 °C and from an unannealed one consist of a prominent peak at 70 °C and secondary peaks at 110, 180 and 310 °C. In comparison, the glow peak from the sample annealed at 900 °C consists of three peaks but with the main peak at 86 °C and other lower intensity peaks at 170 and 310 °C. Kinetic analysis was carried out on the main peak only in each case. The order of kinetics of this peak was determined to be first order using various methods. The activation energy was evaluated as an average of 0.90±0.02eV for the unannealed sample and the one annealed at 500 °C. However, when the synthetic quartz is annealed at 900 °C, the activation energy decreases to 0.65±0.02eV. The main point of interest however concerns thermal quenching. It was noted that for the sample annealed at 500 °C as well as the unannealed one, the maximum intensity of the main peak decreases with heating rate. This phenomenon is associated with thermal quenching. When the same experiment is carried out using quartz annealed at 900 °C and irradiated to the same dose, namely 40 Gy, the intensity increases with heating rate. This would imply that this sample is not affected by thermal quenching. Using the notion that the radiative and non-radiative recombination routes are competitive, we repeated the experiment using a low dose of 3 Gy. In this case, the intensity decreased with heating rate showing that the process can be tuned. The activation energy for thermal quenching for the samples annealed at 900 °C, 500 °C and unnannealed one was found as 0.65±0.02eV, 0.82±0.02eV and 0.95±0.06eV. Evidently, annealing affects recombination processes in synthetic quartz.
  • Full Text: false
  • Date Issued: 2018

Thermoluminescence of the persistent-luminescence phosphor, BaAl2O4: a stuffed tridymite

  • Authors: Pandey, A , Chithambo, Makaiko L
  • Date: 2018
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/113048 , vital:33693 , hhttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.radmeas.2018.01.004
  • Description: BaAl2O4 is a stuffed tridymite used as a long-lasting phosphor. The thermoluminescence of BaAl2O4 prepared by solution-combustion is reported. Analysis of the sample using X-ray diffraction shows that it formed as a single phase compound with a hexagonal structure following annealing at 1200 °C. A broad photoluminescence emission band between 300 and 650 nm was detected due to excitation at 248 nm. The phosphor showed a natural TL peak at 102 °C for measurement at 1 oCs−1 and, when beta irradiated to 100 Gy, two broad peaks at 123 and 318 °C also for heating at 1 oCs−1. The analysis of the main glow peak at 123 °C suggests that it is a combination of several collocated peaks, that is, peaks embedded within each other. We resolved four such components labelled peaks 1 to 4. The thermoluminescence decreases with heating rate in a way consistent with thermal quenching whose activation energy was determined as ∼0.65eV using peak 3. Interestingly, this value of the activation energy for thermal quenching for BaAl2O4, a stuffed derivative of silica, is similar to literature values for quartz (a silica), suggesting that the recombination centre in the two cases may be similar.
  • Full Text: false
  • Date Issued: 2018

Thermoluminescence of α-Al2O3: C, Mg annealed at 1200° C

  • Authors: Kalita, Jitumani M , Chithambo, Makaiko L
  • Date: 2018
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/111030 , vital:33365 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nimb.2018.03.003
  • Description: Stimulated luminescence in α-Al2O3:C,Mg has thus far been studied for samples annealed at temperature no higher than 900 °C as can be seen by an examination of the literature. We report the thermoluminescence (TL) features of α-Al2O3:C,Mg annealed at 1200 °C. A glow curve measured at 1 °C/s from the samples annealed at 1200 °C shows eight peaks at 54, 80, 102, 173, 238, 290, 330 and 387 °C. Kinetic analyses show that the peak at 54 °C follows general order kinetics (b = 1.3) whereas the rest follow first order kinetics. The values of the activation energy of the peaks are between 0.77 eV and 1.90 eV and the frequency factors are of the order of 1010–1014 s−1. The intensity of the peaks at 54, 80, 102 and 173 °C increase with heating rate whereas those of the peaks at 238 and 290 °C decrease with heating rate. The decrease of intensity of the peaks at 238 and 290 °C with heating rate is due to thermal quenching whereas the increase of intensity of the peaks with heating rate indicates an inverse thermal-quenching-like behaviour. Interestingly this behaviour is observed only after annealing at 1200 °C. The activation energy for thermal quenching as calculated using the peaks at 238 and 290 °C are (1.02 ± 0.16) eV and (1.33 ± 0.15) eV respectively. Regarding the dosimetric features, the dose response of the peaks at 54, 80 and 102 °C are sublinear within 1–10 Gy and the peak at 54 °C saturates above 6 Gy. In contrast, the response of the peak at 173 °C is sublinear with 1–4 Gy and superlinear between 4 and 10 Gy. The peaks are found to fade at different rates and the rate of fading is also affected by annealing.
  • Full Text: false
  • Date Issued: 2018

The design of a community owned winery in Philippi informal settlement Cape Cape

  • Authors: Steytler, Willem
  • Date: 2018
  • Subjects: Wineries -- South Africa -- Cape Town -- Designs and plans , Wine and wine making -- South Africa -- Cape Town
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MArch
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/39196 , vital:35057
  • Description: The study focuses on Philippi as a particular place and the communities that dwell there. It aims to study the spatial dispositions caused by apartheid and colonialism. The dissertation highlights the inequality of South African cityscapes which is then extrapolated in the conditions that exists on the Cape Flats. A core focus of the study is the way in which architecture might aid the spatial inequality in a post-apartheid South Africa. The first bottle of wine was bottled in South Africa seven years after the Cape had been colonized. This means that the wine industry has always been synonymous of colonialization to a certain degree. Further research reveals that the part of the Cape Flats that is today known as Philippi Township was used for grapevine cultivation by German settlers from the 1830s, but with the advent of the forced removals, the 1950 Groups Area Act zoned that land for the relocation of the non-white community. The community on the Cape Flats experiences a significantly lower quality of life than many of the suburbs in Cape Town. (http://journals.sagepub.com) It can be noted that the areas surrounding Cape Town have an abundance of vineyards owned mostly by a singular demographic with a significantly higher income than those living in the townships. Research has indicated that the ‘terroir’, (climatic and environmental conditions) of Philippi is ideal for grapevine cultivation and there are upwards of 250 hectares of open land. The viticulture industry is one of the biggest sources of income for the Western Cape but the problem lies in the fact that the revenue created is channeled only to an elite group of people. To counteract the repercussions of apartheid many strategies have been implemented by the government; among these is land reform. The physical and spatial nature of this place is investigated to create an architectural viewpoint on the matter. The treatise explores the design of a community-owned winery in the Philippi Informal Settlement and examines how the resultant architecture might address the impaired configuration of the urban make-up while strengthening the sense of identity. The idea is that through leap-frog development locals will plant vineyards in open spaces, making the township a greener space to live in, whilst also generating income for the local inhabitants and allowing for the transfer of knowledge. The use of precedent studies into the nature of building type, site visits as well as site- and precinct investigations were necessary to reach an understanding of the building type and a possible architectural response to the sensitive topic. All research is qualitative using inductive reasoning. Qualtative research is based on observation to gather non-numerical data. Inductive reasoning is reasoning where the premises support the conclusion, which means that the conclusion is the part of reasoning that inductive reasoning is trying to prove. The understanding gained from the above-mentioned methods led to an appropriate architectural response in the form of a design. The design is the conclusion and proposed solution of the treatise.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2018

Think Piece on Amanzi for Food. Working with Critical Realism to Inform a Situated Learning Framework for Climate Change Education

  • Authors: O'Donoghue, Rob B
  • Date: 2018
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/388136 , vital:68309 , xlink:href="https://www.ajol.info/index.php/sajee/article/view/172215"
  • Description: This study is developed as a think piece which deliberates the problem of transformative human agency in a curriculum setting. Using a critical realism perspective and schematic tools it examines the deliberative framing of an Amanzi for Food teaching garden as an education process for mediating the learning of rainwater harvesting. Working with Bhaskar’s Transformational Model of Social Activity and using expansions of his ‘four-planar social being’ schema and its resolution in his ‘social cube’ model, the study contemplates the framing for a curriculum for the mediation of co-engaged social learning in the contexts of practical work in an agricultural college curriculum setting. In this way the research process is developed as an under-labouring review of the emerging curriculum in search of theory to inform pedagogy for mediating situated processes of transformative social learning.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2018

Think Piece. Intersectional Resonance and the Multiplicity of Being in a Polarised World

  • Authors: Kulundu, Injairu
  • Date: 2018
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/388037 , vital:68301 , xlink:href="https://www.ajol.info/index.php/sajee/article/view/172212"
  • Description: Understandings of collective learning and change agency often conjure up an image of a particular group or community identifying important concerns and finding the momentum to learn together to address them. In reality, gaining consensus around what issues need to be addressed is a complex process in polarised societies. It requires an attentiveness to different standpoints and experiences of the social dynamics at play, and the ways in which ecological, political, socio-economic and psychic experiences manifest themselves within different contexts, generating disparate and connected views on what is missing and what is needed to create a more just society. This paper asks questions about what it means to learn in-between and through complex and interrelated societal dynamics amongst a community of change drivers. By highlighting the individual, communal and collective learning of a diverse group of change drivers in a very polarised South Africa, we can begin to ask questions about the following: 1) how different embodied experiences or ‘a multiplicity of being’, as referred to in this paper, are essential in the pursuit of a sustainable society; and 2) why we need to learn in ways that can foster a sense of ‘intersectional resonance’ between and amongst change drivers in a polarised world.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2018

Think Piece: Pioneers as relational subjects? Probing relationality as phenomenon shaping collective learning and change agency formation

  • Authors: Lotz-Sisitka, Heila
  • Date: 2018
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/182787 , vital:43874 , xlink:href="DOI 10.4314/sajee.v34i1.5"
  • Description: This paper deliberates on how relationality is framed in collective learning and change agency formation processes, with an emphasis on green economy and renewable energy learning contexts. The paper is not focused on empirical analysis of relationality in collective learning, but rather probes the phenomenon in order to provide more carefully constituted theoretical and analytical tools for further empirical research. The paper uses references to South African and Danish cases (albeit in slightly different ways), and, through this, it sets out to provide tools for generative insights and research into a recent international policy and strategy process which is bringing national-level Green Economy Learning Assessments (GELA) into being, including one in South Africa. Central to these GELAs is the notion of participatory or relational competence, which appears to be a central feature of collective learning, although this is not empirically analysed in this paper. In case study work undertaken for the GELA in South Africa that focused on South Africa’s major renewable energy development, and in the Samsø Island renewable energy transition case in Denmark, this competence appeared to come into focus in praxis. Interestingly, however, it appeared to come into focus colloquially as a discourse on ‘pioneers’ or ‘champions’, a phenomenon noticed in both the South African and Danish contexts. This paper probes this phenomenon further, especially since it initially appears to be contradictory to the emphasis on participatory and relational competence in the GELA study framework. This is because the concept of ‘pioneer/champion’ appears to highlight individual capabilities rather than collective, relational competences. Yet, on closer inspection, it is indeed the relational competences of the pioneer/champion, who is constituted as a ‘relational subject’ with a key role to play in producing shared relational goods, that appears to be significant to the collective learning and action process. This, as argued in the paper, requires a differentiation of relationism and relational realism. This Think Piece, which thinks with both theory and praxis, therefore offers a possible framework for more detailed empirical studies on relationality in collective learning and change agency formation.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2018

This is our story: iconography of carved doors and panels in Òyó Palace

  • Authors: Fọlárànmí, Stephen
  • Date: 2018
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/145698 , vital:38459 , https://0-doi.org.wam.seals.ac.za/10.1162/afar_a_00402
  • Description: This saying or prayer is one of the numerous expressions among the Yorùbá about the door and its significance, not only as a physical and important aspect of their architecture, but also in their language and culture. It also alludes to its pride of place as perhaps the most decorated element of Yorùbá architecture. From private homes, to the homes of the rich, shrines, and palaces, Yorùbá doors are usually imbued with a considerable array of images and icons that proclaims the owner's identity, religion, occupation. The Yorùbá are not unique in this respect. For example, among the Dogon, the door is as important as the house on which it is affixed. The granary, according to Willett (2002: 176), protects the the food stored inside it, while the door is seen or referred to as an element not only for physical protection, but also as a spiritual means of warding off unwanted spirits. It is reasonable, therefore, to expect the door to receive aesthetic attention by embellishment with an array of images.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2018

Three new pentacyclic triterpenoids from twigs of Manniophyton fulvum (Euphorbiaceae)

  • Authors: Mbeunkeu, Ahri B D , Noundou, Xavier S , Krause, Rui W M , Teinkela, Jean E M , Laatsch, Hartmut , Azebaze, Anatole G B , Vardamides, Juliette C , Tala, Michel F
  • Date: 2018
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/126782 , vital:35922 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phytol.2018.06.019
  • Description: Phytochemical investigation of the methanol extracts of the twigs of Manniophyton fulvum has led to the isolation and characterization of three new pentacyclic triterpenoids, designated as 3α,28-dihydroxyfriedelan-1-one (1), manniotaraxerol A (3) and manniotaraxerol B (4), along with fourteen known compounds, 3α-hydroxy-1-oxofriedelane (2), betulinic acid (5), friedelin (S1), taraxerol (S2), a mixture of stigmasterol (S3) and β-sitosterol (S4), herranone (S5), docosanoic acid (S6), ursolic acid (S7), nasutin B (S8), bergenin (S9), stigmasterol-3-O-β-Dglucopyranoside (S10), 1,2-di-O-palmitoyl-3-O-(6-sulfo-α-D-quinovopyranosyl)glycerol (S11), and aridanin (S12). The structures of all compounds were determined by comprehensive spectroscopic analyses (1D and 2D NMR, EI and ESI-MS). 3α,28-Dihydroxyfriedelan-1-one (1), 3α-hydroxy-1-oxofriedelane (2), manniotaraxerol A (3), manniotaraxerol B (4), and betulinic acid (5) were evaluated against HeLa (human cervix adenocarcinoma) cancer cells. Manniotaraxerol A (3) showed weak in vitro cytotoxicity with a cell viability value of 49.3%. Betulinic acid (5) also showed significant cytotoxicity against HeLa cell with a cell viability value of 4.0%; the other compounds were inactive in this test.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2018

Ties that bind: the ambiguous role played by social capital in black working class first-generation South African students’ negotiation of university life

  • Authors: Vincent, Louise , Hlatshwayo, M
  • Date: 2018
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/141722 , vital:37999 , DOI: 10.20853/32-3-2538
  • Description: In this article we examine the ambiguous role that social capital plays in first generation Black working class South African students’ negotiation of entry into an elite higher education institutional environment. First generation student experiences have a particular relevance in South Africa where student enrolment increased by 193 000 between 1993 and 2004, with many of the new entrants first-generation students. South African research on first-generation working class Black students has focused on the low proportion of these students who reach university at all and among those who do enter university, the significant number who perform poorly or drop out before completing their degrees. The role played by social capital (social networks, close friends, associations, clubs and other affiliations) in these students’ experiences of negotiating their entry into university has been little explored.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2018
  • Disclaimer
  • Privacy
  • Copyright
  • Contact