Social networking services in support of patient centred care: a South African perspective
- Mentoor, Allisson Catherine Ebony
- Authors: Mentoor, Allisson Catherine Ebony
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Online social networks -- Research -- South Africa , Medical care -- Technological innovations -- South Africa , Patient-centered health care -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/7334 , vital:21321
- Description: In an effort to improve the South African healthcare system, the Department of Health in South Africa is investing in National Health Insurance to support and deliver access to quality healthcare services within affordable boundaries. Enhanced delivery and quality of care to patients is supplemented through an increased emphasis on the adoption of eHealth technologies and systems. Within the context of efforts to improve access to quality and affordable healthcare services, there is also increasing awareness of the need to adopt a patient centred care approach as a means of caring for the patient, rather than only caring for the disease. Patient centred care emphasises the need for patients to be actively involved in the decision making process with regards to their needs and treatment. Social networking is viewed as a useful tool to support patient centred care and to improve on healthcare delivery. The use of social networking services beyond the healthcare context has increased exponentially. This has lead to increased interest in the application of social networking in healthcare. This leads to the problem statement of this research, which is the proliferation of social networking services and the lack of understanding of the prospect of social networking services for patient centred care in South Africa. In order to address this problem, the research investigates three areas of focus, namely patient centred care, the South African healthcare sector and social networking services. This generates an understanding of the meaning of patient centred care in general, and also in this study; the status quo in South African healthcare and the incorporation of patient centred care within selected strategic healthcare directives; social networking services in general as well as its application in healthcare; and the factors affecting the use of social networking services for patient centred care in the South African healthcare context. The factors are analysed to explore the prospects of social networking services for patient centred care in South African healthcare. The outcome of this analysis represents a useful input for healthcare providers and administrators in government.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Mentoor, Allisson Catherine Ebony
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Online social networks -- Research -- South Africa , Medical care -- Technological innovations -- South Africa , Patient-centered health care -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/7334 , vital:21321
- Description: In an effort to improve the South African healthcare system, the Department of Health in South Africa is investing in National Health Insurance to support and deliver access to quality healthcare services within affordable boundaries. Enhanced delivery and quality of care to patients is supplemented through an increased emphasis on the adoption of eHealth technologies and systems. Within the context of efforts to improve access to quality and affordable healthcare services, there is also increasing awareness of the need to adopt a patient centred care approach as a means of caring for the patient, rather than only caring for the disease. Patient centred care emphasises the need for patients to be actively involved in the decision making process with regards to their needs and treatment. Social networking is viewed as a useful tool to support patient centred care and to improve on healthcare delivery. The use of social networking services beyond the healthcare context has increased exponentially. This has lead to increased interest in the application of social networking in healthcare. This leads to the problem statement of this research, which is the proliferation of social networking services and the lack of understanding of the prospect of social networking services for patient centred care in South Africa. In order to address this problem, the research investigates three areas of focus, namely patient centred care, the South African healthcare sector and social networking services. This generates an understanding of the meaning of patient centred care in general, and also in this study; the status quo in South African healthcare and the incorporation of patient centred care within selected strategic healthcare directives; social networking services in general as well as its application in healthcare; and the factors affecting the use of social networking services for patient centred care in the South African healthcare context. The factors are analysed to explore the prospects of social networking services for patient centred care in South African healthcare. The outcome of this analysis represents a useful input for healthcare providers and administrators in government.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Socio-economic and environmental impacts of small-scale mining in the Sarah Baartman District
- Authors: Mulaudzi, Azwihangwisi
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Mines and mineral resources -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Economic development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/17559 , vital:28378
- Description: The purpose of this study was to assess, on limited scale, the socio-economic and environmental impact of small-scale mining in the Sarah Baartman District Municipality, a municipality that is predominantly rural in nature and stricken by poverty. The topic of legal and illegal small-scale mining has received considerable attention from both the government and communities in recent years. At the heart of small-scale mining is enshrined the goals of creating employment and promoting the economic growth and development of the district. This study investigates the results of both a legal and an illegal mining operation in the municipality.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Mulaudzi, Azwihangwisi
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Mines and mineral resources -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Economic development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/17559 , vital:28378
- Description: The purpose of this study was to assess, on limited scale, the socio-economic and environmental impact of small-scale mining in the Sarah Baartman District Municipality, a municipality that is predominantly rural in nature and stricken by poverty. The topic of legal and illegal small-scale mining has received considerable attention from both the government and communities in recent years. At the heart of small-scale mining is enshrined the goals of creating employment and promoting the economic growth and development of the district. This study investigates the results of both a legal and an illegal mining operation in the municipality.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Socio-economic benefits of agricultural projects to surrounding communities: the case of Qamata Irrigation Scheme in the Eastern Cape, South Africa
- Authors: Masela, Zandile
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Agricultural development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Agriculture -- Economic aspects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Irrigation farming -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/4716 , vital:28501
- Description: The Qamata Irrigation Scheme (QIS) is one of the largest irrigation schemes in South Africa. Despite substantial state investment, community members have only derived limited benefits from the scheme, leading the government efforts to revitalize the scheme. Many studies have been conducted about QIS but none of them have analyzed the effects of the QIS on the surrounding communities. This study investigated the socio-economic benefits of QIS to surrounding communities. For the purposes of this study, the units of analysis were the surrounding household members, questionnaires were used to collect data. Probabilistic sampling of random sampling method was used to select the villages; respondents’ were availability selected with sample size of 197 households. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from the participants. To analyse data, descriptive statistics and multinomial logit regression model were used. The study found out that female-headed households constitute 63.45 percent compared to male-headed households at 36.55 percent. The average age of the households in the villages that are within the radius of 10km is 58 years, while it is 59 years in villages that are beyond the 10km radius. In villages within the radius of 10km, 86.08 percent of respondents are unemployed, 5.70 percent are employed at the scheme and 8.23 percent are self-employed. In villages beyond 10km, 84.62 percent of respondents are unemployed, 5.13 percent are employed at the scheme and 10.26 percent are self-employed. In both villages, 71 percent of respondents reported that that they do not get feed supply from the scheme while 29 percent of respondents reported that they get feed supply from the scheme. From the overall distribution of villages within and beyond the radius of 10km, 80 percent of respondents reported that they do not get job opportunities from the QIS while 20 percent of respondents reported that they get job opportunities from the QIS. The study shows that 53 percent of respondents from villages within the radius of 10km are low-benefitting, 33 percent of respondents are intermediate-benefitting and 14 percent of respondents are high-benefitting from the scheme, while in villages beyond the radius of 10km, 97 percent of respondents are low-benefitting, 3 percent of respondents are intermediate-benefitting and none of the respondents is high-benefitting from the scheme. Furthermore, the study, through the multinomial logit regression model, shows that gender for intermediate benefitting has a negative coefficient (-1.70) and shows a significance of 10 percent On the other hand, gender for high benefitting has a positive coefficient (2.57) and shows a significance of 1 percent. Distance from the scheme has a negative coefficient (-3.08) and shows a significance of 1 percent. Access to farmland has a positive coefficient (2.33) and shows a significance of 10 percent. The study recommends that surrounding communities should own home gardens so that they can grow fresh produce and create job opportunities. The surrounding communities are also encouraged to own more farmlands or produce their own crops so they can also learn from the skills of the scheme.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Masela, Zandile
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Agricultural development projects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Agriculture -- Economic aspects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Irrigation farming -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/4716 , vital:28501
- Description: The Qamata Irrigation Scheme (QIS) is one of the largest irrigation schemes in South Africa. Despite substantial state investment, community members have only derived limited benefits from the scheme, leading the government efforts to revitalize the scheme. Many studies have been conducted about QIS but none of them have analyzed the effects of the QIS on the surrounding communities. This study investigated the socio-economic benefits of QIS to surrounding communities. For the purposes of this study, the units of analysis were the surrounding household members, questionnaires were used to collect data. Probabilistic sampling of random sampling method was used to select the villages; respondents’ were availability selected with sample size of 197 households. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from the participants. To analyse data, descriptive statistics and multinomial logit regression model were used. The study found out that female-headed households constitute 63.45 percent compared to male-headed households at 36.55 percent. The average age of the households in the villages that are within the radius of 10km is 58 years, while it is 59 years in villages that are beyond the 10km radius. In villages within the radius of 10km, 86.08 percent of respondents are unemployed, 5.70 percent are employed at the scheme and 8.23 percent are self-employed. In villages beyond 10km, 84.62 percent of respondents are unemployed, 5.13 percent are employed at the scheme and 10.26 percent are self-employed. In both villages, 71 percent of respondents reported that that they do not get feed supply from the scheme while 29 percent of respondents reported that they get feed supply from the scheme. From the overall distribution of villages within and beyond the radius of 10km, 80 percent of respondents reported that they do not get job opportunities from the QIS while 20 percent of respondents reported that they get job opportunities from the QIS. The study shows that 53 percent of respondents from villages within the radius of 10km are low-benefitting, 33 percent of respondents are intermediate-benefitting and 14 percent of respondents are high-benefitting from the scheme, while in villages beyond the radius of 10km, 97 percent of respondents are low-benefitting, 3 percent of respondents are intermediate-benefitting and none of the respondents is high-benefitting from the scheme. Furthermore, the study, through the multinomial logit regression model, shows that gender for intermediate benefitting has a negative coefficient (-1.70) and shows a significance of 10 percent On the other hand, gender for high benefitting has a positive coefficient (2.57) and shows a significance of 1 percent. Distance from the scheme has a negative coefficient (-3.08) and shows a significance of 1 percent. Access to farmland has a positive coefficient (2.33) and shows a significance of 10 percent. The study recommends that surrounding communities should own home gardens so that they can grow fresh produce and create job opportunities. The surrounding communities are also encouraged to own more farmlands or produce their own crops so they can also learn from the skills of the scheme.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Solvent effect on the third-order nonlinear optical properties of α-and β-tertbutyl phenoxy-substituted tin (IV) chloride phthalocyanines
- Louzada, Marcel, Britton, Jonathan, Nyokong, Tebello, Khene, Samson M
- Authors: Louzada, Marcel , Britton, Jonathan , Nyokong, Tebello , Khene, Samson M
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/188910 , vital:44797 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpca.7b07349"
- Description: This paper investigates the third-order nonlinear optical properties of 4α-(4-tert-butylphenoxy) phthalocyaninato dichlorotin(IV) (α-SnOtBpPc) and 4β-(4-tert-butylphenoxy) phthalocyaninato dichlorotin(IV) (β-SnOtBpPc) in different organic solvents. The third-order susceptibilities of α-SnOtBpPc and βSnOtBpPc are reported in different solvents, using Z-scan techniques with 10 ns laser pulses at 532 nm. Their nonlinear absorption coefficient and absorption cross sections were also determined. The molecular imaginary components of the secondorder hyperpolarizability Im[γ] of α-SnOtBpPc and β-SnOtBpPc were found to be 2.60 × 10−31 and 2.94 × 10−31 esu (tetrahydrofuran), 2.12 × 10−31 and 2.54 × 10−31 esu (chloroform), 3.06 × 10−31 and 2.54 × 10−31 esu (dichloromethane), and 1.27 × 10−31 and 1.50 × 10−31 esu (toluene), respectively. This study found that substitution at the α position has an effect of lowering the two-photon (2PA) cross section value for α-SnOtBpPc compared to that for β-SnOtBpPc, with values of 64.30 and 456.65 GM, respectively. The large 2PA cross section observed in β-SnOtBpPc is attributed to the decreased energy difference between the virtual state and the LUMO.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Louzada, Marcel , Britton, Jonathan , Nyokong, Tebello , Khene, Samson M
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/188910 , vital:44797 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpca.7b07349"
- Description: This paper investigates the third-order nonlinear optical properties of 4α-(4-tert-butylphenoxy) phthalocyaninato dichlorotin(IV) (α-SnOtBpPc) and 4β-(4-tert-butylphenoxy) phthalocyaninato dichlorotin(IV) (β-SnOtBpPc) in different organic solvents. The third-order susceptibilities of α-SnOtBpPc and βSnOtBpPc are reported in different solvents, using Z-scan techniques with 10 ns laser pulses at 532 nm. Their nonlinear absorption coefficient and absorption cross sections were also determined. The molecular imaginary components of the secondorder hyperpolarizability Im[γ] of α-SnOtBpPc and β-SnOtBpPc were found to be 2.60 × 10−31 and 2.94 × 10−31 esu (tetrahydrofuran), 2.12 × 10−31 and 2.54 × 10−31 esu (chloroform), 3.06 × 10−31 and 2.54 × 10−31 esu (dichloromethane), and 1.27 × 10−31 and 1.50 × 10−31 esu (toluene), respectively. This study found that substitution at the α position has an effect of lowering the two-photon (2PA) cross section value for α-SnOtBpPc compared to that for β-SnOtBpPc, with values of 64.30 and 456.65 GM, respectively. The large 2PA cross section observed in β-SnOtBpPc is attributed to the decreased energy difference between the virtual state and the LUMO.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Son of a dog
- Authors: Kolawole, Samuel
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Creative writing (Higher education) South Africa , South African fiction (English) 21st century , African fiction (English) 21st century
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/7195 , vital:21228
- Description: Son of a Dog is inspired by a real-life figure whose exploits captured the Nigerian public imagination in the 1980s. Famously known as Ovbigbo (“The Law”), Lawrence Anini unleashed a nationwide reign of terror against law and order. Set against the backdrop of the political turmoil following the Nigerian civil war, the novel traces Anini’s formative years in menial jobs to his rise to the leadership of a notorious criminal gang. It fuses the established facts of his short meteoric career with my imagined version of his inner life and the contemporary myths that sprung up around his legend. It finally crosses the boundary between the real and the mythic as Lawrence Anini becomes truly invincible and elusive after a lust-struck encounter with a fantastical character. I draw inspiration from the dark visceral fiction of Michael Cisco and Brian Evenson, AyiKwei Armah’s unflinchingly descriptive prose and E.C. Osondu’s sharp contemporary humour.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Kolawole, Samuel
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Creative writing (Higher education) South Africa , South African fiction (English) 21st century , African fiction (English) 21st century
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/7195 , vital:21228
- Description: Son of a Dog is inspired by a real-life figure whose exploits captured the Nigerian public imagination in the 1980s. Famously known as Ovbigbo (“The Law”), Lawrence Anini unleashed a nationwide reign of terror against law and order. Set against the backdrop of the political turmoil following the Nigerian civil war, the novel traces Anini’s formative years in menial jobs to his rise to the leadership of a notorious criminal gang. It fuses the established facts of his short meteoric career with my imagined version of his inner life and the contemporary myths that sprung up around his legend. It finally crosses the boundary between the real and the mythic as Lawrence Anini becomes truly invincible and elusive after a lust-struck encounter with a fantastical character. I draw inspiration from the dark visceral fiction of Michael Cisco and Brian Evenson, AyiKwei Armah’s unflinchingly descriptive prose and E.C. Osondu’s sharp contemporary humour.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Sorptive and microbial properties of low-cost adsorbents used in the extraction of ciprofloxacin and isoniazid from aqueous solution
- Authors: Dube, Cyril Simbarashe
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSC
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/59178 , vital:27450
- Description: This work describes how coal fly ash (FA), kaolinite, perlite, talc and vermiculite were used to remove ciprofloxacin and isoniazid from aqueous solutions. The adsorptive features of the adsorbents were evaluated for ciprofloxacin and isoniazid with regards to the effects of contact time, pH, solid/liquid ratio and antibiotic concentration. All adsorbents were sterilised by dry heat before use to avoid the proliferation of antimicrobial resistance by the bacteria present on the adsorbents during experiments. The regression correlation coefficients indicate that the linearised form of the Langmuir isotherm gives the best fit for the sorption of both antibiotics onto FA and talc, ciprofloxacin onto kaolinite, and isoniazid onto perlite and vermiculite with R2 values ranging from 0.908 - 0.999. The linearised form of the Freundlich isotherm best describes the sorption of ciprofloxacin onto vermiculite and isoniazid onto kaolinite with R2 values of 0.999 for both. The linearised form of the Temkin isotherm best describes the sorption of ciprofloxacin onto perlite with an R2 = 0.997. The values of the Freundlich exponent, 1/n, range from 0.221 - 0.998, indicating a favourable adsorption of ciprofloxacin and isoniazid onto the adsorbents. The heat of sorption, B, calculated from the Temkin plots has values ranging from 0.018 - 10.460 J/mol, indicating a physical adsorption process (physisorption). Adsorption equilibrium on all adsorbents was achieved after 30 min for both antibiotics and the kinetic data obtained conforms best to the pseudo-second order equation with R2 values ranging from 0.998 - 0.999. The removal of ciprofloxacin and isoniazid by all adsorbents except FA was strongly influenced by the pH suggesting that electrostatic interactions play a major role in the adsorption processes. All adsorbents except FA removed showed excellent adsorption of ciprofloxacin from aqueous solutions with all of them achieving removals ranging from 80 - 99%. The adsorbents were less efficient in removing isoniazid and kaolinite gave the highest removal of 55 %. Furthermore, the microbial quality of the adsorbents was investigated and the results revealed that kaolinite, talc, perlite and vermiculite were heavily contaminated with microorganisms. FA was sterile. The fungi isolated from the mineral adsorbents were in concentrations ranging from 2.13 x 106 to 1.25 x 107 CFU/g and were mostly moulds; Penicillium spp., Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus flavus, Cladosporium spp. and Rhizopus oryzae. One yeast was isolated and was identified as Candida albicans. The bacteria identified were in concentrations ranging from 4.96 x 106 - 1.19 x 109 CFU/g. E. coli, Enterobacter cloacae, Exiguobacterium spp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus spp. and Serratia liquefaciens. The leachability index (LI) values obtained for adsorbents indicated that it is highly unlikely that microorganisms could be leached out of the adsorbents by rain. Heat inactivation of the microorganisms at a 105 °C was totally unsuccessful. However, it was established that a dry heat dose of 160 °C for at least 15 min was sufficient to eradicate all microorganisms present in the adsorbents. The D-values for coliform bacteria from all samples were very similar ranging from 1.7-2.2 min indicating homogeneity in heat resistance by the microorganisms. The Pseudomonas aureginosa isolated had a D-value of 2.2 min. The fungi isolated from the samples had D-values ranging from 2.1-3.2 min.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Dube, Cyril Simbarashe
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSC
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/59178 , vital:27450
- Description: This work describes how coal fly ash (FA), kaolinite, perlite, talc and vermiculite were used to remove ciprofloxacin and isoniazid from aqueous solutions. The adsorptive features of the adsorbents were evaluated for ciprofloxacin and isoniazid with regards to the effects of contact time, pH, solid/liquid ratio and antibiotic concentration. All adsorbents were sterilised by dry heat before use to avoid the proliferation of antimicrobial resistance by the bacteria present on the adsorbents during experiments. The regression correlation coefficients indicate that the linearised form of the Langmuir isotherm gives the best fit for the sorption of both antibiotics onto FA and talc, ciprofloxacin onto kaolinite, and isoniazid onto perlite and vermiculite with R2 values ranging from 0.908 - 0.999. The linearised form of the Freundlich isotherm best describes the sorption of ciprofloxacin onto vermiculite and isoniazid onto kaolinite with R2 values of 0.999 for both. The linearised form of the Temkin isotherm best describes the sorption of ciprofloxacin onto perlite with an R2 = 0.997. The values of the Freundlich exponent, 1/n, range from 0.221 - 0.998, indicating a favourable adsorption of ciprofloxacin and isoniazid onto the adsorbents. The heat of sorption, B, calculated from the Temkin plots has values ranging from 0.018 - 10.460 J/mol, indicating a physical adsorption process (physisorption). Adsorption equilibrium on all adsorbents was achieved after 30 min for both antibiotics and the kinetic data obtained conforms best to the pseudo-second order equation with R2 values ranging from 0.998 - 0.999. The removal of ciprofloxacin and isoniazid by all adsorbents except FA was strongly influenced by the pH suggesting that electrostatic interactions play a major role in the adsorption processes. All adsorbents except FA removed showed excellent adsorption of ciprofloxacin from aqueous solutions with all of them achieving removals ranging from 80 - 99%. The adsorbents were less efficient in removing isoniazid and kaolinite gave the highest removal of 55 %. Furthermore, the microbial quality of the adsorbents was investigated and the results revealed that kaolinite, talc, perlite and vermiculite were heavily contaminated with microorganisms. FA was sterile. The fungi isolated from the mineral adsorbents were in concentrations ranging from 2.13 x 106 to 1.25 x 107 CFU/g and were mostly moulds; Penicillium spp., Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus fumigatus, Aspergillus flavus, Cladosporium spp. and Rhizopus oryzae. One yeast was isolated and was identified as Candida albicans. The bacteria identified were in concentrations ranging from 4.96 x 106 - 1.19 x 109 CFU/g. E. coli, Enterobacter cloacae, Exiguobacterium spp., Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus spp. and Serratia liquefaciens. The leachability index (LI) values obtained for adsorbents indicated that it is highly unlikely that microorganisms could be leached out of the adsorbents by rain. Heat inactivation of the microorganisms at a 105 °C was totally unsuccessful. However, it was established that a dry heat dose of 160 °C for at least 15 min was sufficient to eradicate all microorganisms present in the adsorbents. The D-values for coliform bacteria from all samples were very similar ranging from 1.7-2.2 min indicating homogeneity in heat resistance by the microorganisms. The Pseudomonas aureginosa isolated had a D-value of 2.2 min. The fungi isolated from the samples had D-values ranging from 2.1-3.2 min.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
South African community pharmacists’ self-perception of their professional identity and job satisfaction
- Authors: Smith, Robert Mark Houston
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Pharmacy -- Practice -- South Africa Pharmacists -- Job satisfaction -- South Africa , Community health services -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MPharm
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/20637 , vital:29363
- Description: The role of the community pharmacist has changed over the past two decades. The traditional specialist roles of pharmacists, such as compounding and preparation of medications, are now infrequent activities and the profession has moved to a more patient-centred focus. Furthermore, pharmaceutical care has been developed and adopted as a practice philosophy to add value and bring care for patients back into the profession. However, there is still much debate in academic and policy literature concerning the reluctance of community pharmacists to adopt and implement pharmaceutical care in practice environments. Empirical evidence has suggested that the professional identity of pharmacists is both ambiguous and multifaceted. However, the practice of pharmaceutical care has been demonstrated to increase organisational identity of pharmacists, as well as their job satisfaction. In addition, pharmacists in a clinical role have been shown to have higher levels of job satisfaction than their counterparts in nonclinical roles. This study has identified, described and analysed the self-perceived professional identities of community pharmacists within a South African context. Furthermore, it sought to determine their current levels of job satisfaction. The relationships between professional identity, job satisfaction and role were analysed in an attempt to understand the influence of professional identity on job satisfaction and behaviour of pharmacists. This study made use of a mixed method of inquiry, online questionnaire, administered to a large sample, which allowed the researcher to take a broad view of the research foci at a specific moment in time. This study found the existence of six professional identities amongst South African Community Pharmacists; namely the practitioner, the jaded pharmacist, the social carer, the professional, the medicine supplier and the entrepreneur. South African community pharmacists were, generally, satisfied with their jobs, professed to practice pharmaceutical care and adopted it as a practice philosophy. South African Community pharmacists were, in general, committed to their profession. Correlation between a pharmacist’s professional identity and their job title, job satisfaction and their commitment were found to be statistically significant. A pharmacist’s level of job satisfaction was statistically correlated to their practice of pharmaceutical care. No statistically significant relationship was found to exist between a pharmacist’s identity and their work load or tasks performed. Characterising South African community pharmacists’ identities is of great significance in an effort to better understand the forces that drive our profession of pharmacy. In doing so, have found that identity affects many elements of work life such as job satisfaction, professional commitment and the practice of patient care.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Smith, Robert Mark Houston
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Pharmacy -- Practice -- South Africa Pharmacists -- Job satisfaction -- South Africa , Community health services -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MPharm
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/20637 , vital:29363
- Description: The role of the community pharmacist has changed over the past two decades. The traditional specialist roles of pharmacists, such as compounding and preparation of medications, are now infrequent activities and the profession has moved to a more patient-centred focus. Furthermore, pharmaceutical care has been developed and adopted as a practice philosophy to add value and bring care for patients back into the profession. However, there is still much debate in academic and policy literature concerning the reluctance of community pharmacists to adopt and implement pharmaceutical care in practice environments. Empirical evidence has suggested that the professional identity of pharmacists is both ambiguous and multifaceted. However, the practice of pharmaceutical care has been demonstrated to increase organisational identity of pharmacists, as well as their job satisfaction. In addition, pharmacists in a clinical role have been shown to have higher levels of job satisfaction than their counterparts in nonclinical roles. This study has identified, described and analysed the self-perceived professional identities of community pharmacists within a South African context. Furthermore, it sought to determine their current levels of job satisfaction. The relationships between professional identity, job satisfaction and role were analysed in an attempt to understand the influence of professional identity on job satisfaction and behaviour of pharmacists. This study made use of a mixed method of inquiry, online questionnaire, administered to a large sample, which allowed the researcher to take a broad view of the research foci at a specific moment in time. This study found the existence of six professional identities amongst South African Community Pharmacists; namely the practitioner, the jaded pharmacist, the social carer, the professional, the medicine supplier and the entrepreneur. South African community pharmacists were, generally, satisfied with their jobs, professed to practice pharmaceutical care and adopted it as a practice philosophy. South African Community pharmacists were, in general, committed to their profession. Correlation between a pharmacist’s professional identity and their job title, job satisfaction and their commitment were found to be statistically significant. A pharmacist’s level of job satisfaction was statistically correlated to their practice of pharmaceutical care. No statistically significant relationship was found to exist between a pharmacist’s identity and their work load or tasks performed. Characterising South African community pharmacists’ identities is of great significance in an effort to better understand the forces that drive our profession of pharmacy. In doing so, have found that identity affects many elements of work life such as job satisfaction, professional commitment and the practice of patient care.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
South African Learners’ Conceptual Understanding about Image Formation by Lenses
- John, Merlin, Molepo, Jacob Maisha, Chirwa, Max
- Authors: John, Merlin , Molepo, Jacob Maisha , Chirwa, Max
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: South Africa Lenses Journal article
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/11260/6000 , vital:45074 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.12973/eurasia.2017.00694a"
- Description: The purpose of this research was to explore South African Grade 11 learners’ conceptual understanding of ‘image formation by lenses’. The participants for this study were 70 Grade 11 learners from a selected senior secondary school in Mthatha, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. The qualitative approach employed in the study made use of a two-tier open-ended questionnaire as the data collection instrument. The study explored several alternative conceptions the learners had held in terms of the roles that the lens and the screen play in the image formation and the characteristics of the image formed when a lens with a larger diameter is used and when a portion of the lens is covered. Most of the participants could not respond correctly in the situations presented in the questionnaire. However, almost all of them were found to have adequate conceptual understanding about the role of a lens in the image formation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: John, Merlin , Molepo, Jacob Maisha , Chirwa, Max
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: South Africa Lenses Journal article
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/11260/6000 , vital:45074 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.12973/eurasia.2017.00694a"
- Description: The purpose of this research was to explore South African Grade 11 learners’ conceptual understanding of ‘image formation by lenses’. The participants for this study were 70 Grade 11 learners from a selected senior secondary school in Mthatha, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. The qualitative approach employed in the study made use of a two-tier open-ended questionnaire as the data collection instrument. The study explored several alternative conceptions the learners had held in terms of the roles that the lens and the screen play in the image formation and the characteristics of the image formed when a lens with a larger diameter is used and when a portion of the lens is covered. Most of the participants could not respond correctly in the situations presented in the questionnaire. However, almost all of them were found to have adequate conceptual understanding about the role of a lens in the image formation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
South African public sector property management: a performance model
- Mali-Swelindawo, Bongiwe Lorreta, Yan, Bingwen
- Authors: Mali-Swelindawo, Bongiwe Lorreta , Yan, Bingwen
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Performance -- Management -- South Africa Performance standards -- South Africa , Public buildings -- South Africa Real estate management -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DPhil
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/21185 , vital:29454
- Description: This research was conducted with the intention of accomplishing effective property management (PM) in order for public sector properties in South Africa (SA) SA to fulfil more remarkably, public sector property stakeholders’ requirements. In particular, this study was concluded within a South African municipal environment with the specific purpose of alleviating South African municipalities from problems associated with overall poor operational performance, dissatisfied public sector property stakeholders, and inadequacies in competitiveness and global alignment. The primary objective of this study was to develop a performance model deemed necessary for the effective management of public sector properties in SA. This was achieved by developing a performance model for effective management of public sector properties, a model to systematically monitor, measure and control current expectations and changes within a public sector property management function. Herewith, performance model for effective management of public sector properties in South Africa. At the time of conducting this study, there was no conceptual model developed for performance management of public sector properties. In order to develop the performance model, the conceptual model identified key elements that included: 1) obsolescence and strategic factors; 2) global alignment; 3) finance and cost control; 4) PESTEL impact; 5) transformation and sustainability; 6) leadership and governance; and 7) monitoring, measurement and control as influences that directly impact a perceived successful management of public sector properties in SA. The study also took the form of a quantitative research project that included a formal survey of the identified population sample. The main statistical procedure employed was Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). Originally, the study offered 24 hypotheses; however, only 11 hypotheses could be confirmed by SEM measurement. Therefore, through SEM, the significance of the relationships between variables could be tested. Appropriate quantitative data were collected from public and private South African Built Environment professionals, students and other academics. The research made use of snowball sampling through questionnaires, with a sample size of 171. It is anticipated that findings of this study will be acknowledged by public sector PM in an effort to resolve PM problems through the incorporation of pertinent recommendations. Likewise, since the performance model for effective management of public sector properties was not extant prior to this study, this research is cutting-edge and therefore pioneering to PM, especially within the public sector.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Mali-Swelindawo, Bongiwe Lorreta , Yan, Bingwen
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Performance -- Management -- South Africa Performance standards -- South Africa , Public buildings -- South Africa Real estate management -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DPhil
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/21185 , vital:29454
- Description: This research was conducted with the intention of accomplishing effective property management (PM) in order for public sector properties in South Africa (SA) SA to fulfil more remarkably, public sector property stakeholders’ requirements. In particular, this study was concluded within a South African municipal environment with the specific purpose of alleviating South African municipalities from problems associated with overall poor operational performance, dissatisfied public sector property stakeholders, and inadequacies in competitiveness and global alignment. The primary objective of this study was to develop a performance model deemed necessary for the effective management of public sector properties in SA. This was achieved by developing a performance model for effective management of public sector properties, a model to systematically monitor, measure and control current expectations and changes within a public sector property management function. Herewith, performance model for effective management of public sector properties in South Africa. At the time of conducting this study, there was no conceptual model developed for performance management of public sector properties. In order to develop the performance model, the conceptual model identified key elements that included: 1) obsolescence and strategic factors; 2) global alignment; 3) finance and cost control; 4) PESTEL impact; 5) transformation and sustainability; 6) leadership and governance; and 7) monitoring, measurement and control as influences that directly impact a perceived successful management of public sector properties in SA. The study also took the form of a quantitative research project that included a formal survey of the identified population sample. The main statistical procedure employed was Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). Originally, the study offered 24 hypotheses; however, only 11 hypotheses could be confirmed by SEM measurement. Therefore, through SEM, the significance of the relationships between variables could be tested. Appropriate quantitative data were collected from public and private South African Built Environment professionals, students and other academics. The research made use of snowball sampling through questionnaires, with a sample size of 171. It is anticipated that findings of this study will be acknowledged by public sector PM in an effort to resolve PM problems through the incorporation of pertinent recommendations. Likewise, since the performance model for effective management of public sector properties was not extant prior to this study, this research is cutting-edge and therefore pioneering to PM, especially within the public sector.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
South Africa’s transition to a low-carbon economy: skills availability implications
- Authors: Myeki, Pumla Qamisa
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Environmental economics -- South Africa , Environmental policy -- Developing countries Sustainable development -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/14157 , vital:27437
- Description: South Africa together with the rest of the world have been caught up in a new policy wave of developing policies that support the move towards sustainable, low-carbon and climate resilient economies. However, like any other transition, the social and economic impact of the new policy initiative towards a low-carbon economy is not yet fully understood, both in short- and long-term. While it is clear that the low carbon agenda presents major opportunities in terms of job creation, improved standard of living levels, improved resource consumption patterns as well as economic benefits. It also presents challenges, given the level of education and lack of skills for the installation, construction and operation of many technologies during the process of retrofitting the existing plants as well as infrastructures associated with the new low carbon agenda. The primary objective of this research study is to explore implications of skills availability in order to gain better understanding into the nature, extent and severity of skills shortage impact on the transition to a low-carbon economic future. The research study has revealed that shortage of skills may have a negative impact on the progress of the envisaged South Africa’s transition to a low-carbon economic growth trajectory. However, to varied factors, the study could not clearly articulate the nature, extent and severity of the skills shortages impact on the transition to a low-carbon economic future. These factors may include but not limited to the following: The concept of low-carbon economy is still a new concept with no universally agreed on definition, thus; leading uncertainties with regards to what it entails as well as policy dilemmas; Low-carbon economy is cross-cutting and cannot be clearly defined as a sector. With no clear sectorial boundaries it is difficult to plan for low-carbon economy sector; Skills shortage is chronic and is persistent but due to the fragmented and non-coherent approach by South African government when dealing with skills development. There are a number of reports by different departments on skills shortages but these reports do not talk to each other making it difficult to articulate at national level the nature, extent and severity of the challenge, due to scattered research. This research study has recommended some initiatives that the government of South Africa can consider in order to deal with uncertainties surrounding the low-carbon economy as well as the nature, extent and severity of skills shortages in South Africa. The study also suggested some possible future research interests that need to be pursued in order to develop useful data for decision makers both in the low-carbon economy and skills shortage space.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Myeki, Pumla Qamisa
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Environmental economics -- South Africa , Environmental policy -- Developing countries Sustainable development -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/14157 , vital:27437
- Description: South Africa together with the rest of the world have been caught up in a new policy wave of developing policies that support the move towards sustainable, low-carbon and climate resilient economies. However, like any other transition, the social and economic impact of the new policy initiative towards a low-carbon economy is not yet fully understood, both in short- and long-term. While it is clear that the low carbon agenda presents major opportunities in terms of job creation, improved standard of living levels, improved resource consumption patterns as well as economic benefits. It also presents challenges, given the level of education and lack of skills for the installation, construction and operation of many technologies during the process of retrofitting the existing plants as well as infrastructures associated with the new low carbon agenda. The primary objective of this research study is to explore implications of skills availability in order to gain better understanding into the nature, extent and severity of skills shortage impact on the transition to a low-carbon economic future. The research study has revealed that shortage of skills may have a negative impact on the progress of the envisaged South Africa’s transition to a low-carbon economic growth trajectory. However, to varied factors, the study could not clearly articulate the nature, extent and severity of the skills shortages impact on the transition to a low-carbon economic future. These factors may include but not limited to the following: The concept of low-carbon economy is still a new concept with no universally agreed on definition, thus; leading uncertainties with regards to what it entails as well as policy dilemmas; Low-carbon economy is cross-cutting and cannot be clearly defined as a sector. With no clear sectorial boundaries it is difficult to plan for low-carbon economy sector; Skills shortage is chronic and is persistent but due to the fragmented and non-coherent approach by South African government when dealing with skills development. There are a number of reports by different departments on skills shortages but these reports do not talk to each other making it difficult to articulate at national level the nature, extent and severity of the challenge, due to scattered research. This research study has recommended some initiatives that the government of South Africa can consider in order to deal with uncertainties surrounding the low-carbon economy as well as the nature, extent and severity of skills shortages in South Africa. The study also suggested some possible future research interests that need to be pursued in order to develop useful data for decision makers both in the low-carbon economy and skills shortage space.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
South-South labour migration complexities and shifting visa policies in South Africa: a sociological analysis of Rhodes University academic labour migrants’ perceptions
- Authors: Domboka, Edward
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Foreign workers -- South Africa , Foreign workers -- Government policy -- South Africa , College teachers, Foreign -- South Africa -- Attitudes , College teacher mobility -- Africa , Visas -- South Africa , Rhodes University -- Employees -- Attitudes
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/46242 , vital:25593
- Description: International migration is an old phenomenon caused by many factors divided into push and pull factors. However, there is no enough coverage on the perceptions of the labour migrants. Although there is a vast body of writing on migration, this study delves into the experiential perceptions of academic labour migrants at Rhodes University. These academic labour migrants include professors, lecturers, researchers and postdoctoral research fellows. The study took a qualitative approach to document the experiential perceptions of academic labour migrants at Rhodes University. In-depth interviews were conducted with twelve respondents, to analyse how academic labour migrants perceive South Africa’s changing visa policies in the context of regional integration and development, migration networks and choice, host-migrant relations. The study is underpinned by Probsting’s (2015) concept of "spatial fix" in the context of capitalism and migration, to locate the positionality of academic labour migrants within a capitalist society. The study established that the increase in skilled labour migration is relatively linked to the expansion of capitalism. Based on the perceptions of the respondents, the study concluded that migration is inherently vital in providing cheap labour for capitalists. It established that changing visa policies is not without problems. Historical dispositions of the apartheid system, conflicting domestic versus international imperatives, neo-liberal policies and the widely condemned results of capitalism as an imperialist system and other factors influence migration management in South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Domboka, Edward
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Foreign workers -- South Africa , Foreign workers -- Government policy -- South Africa , College teachers, Foreign -- South Africa -- Attitudes , College teacher mobility -- Africa , Visas -- South Africa , Rhodes University -- Employees -- Attitudes
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/46242 , vital:25593
- Description: International migration is an old phenomenon caused by many factors divided into push and pull factors. However, there is no enough coverage on the perceptions of the labour migrants. Although there is a vast body of writing on migration, this study delves into the experiential perceptions of academic labour migrants at Rhodes University. These academic labour migrants include professors, lecturers, researchers and postdoctoral research fellows. The study took a qualitative approach to document the experiential perceptions of academic labour migrants at Rhodes University. In-depth interviews were conducted with twelve respondents, to analyse how academic labour migrants perceive South Africa’s changing visa policies in the context of regional integration and development, migration networks and choice, host-migrant relations. The study is underpinned by Probsting’s (2015) concept of "spatial fix" in the context of capitalism and migration, to locate the positionality of academic labour migrants within a capitalist society. The study established that the increase in skilled labour migration is relatively linked to the expansion of capitalism. Based on the perceptions of the respondents, the study concluded that migration is inherently vital in providing cheap labour for capitalists. It established that changing visa policies is not without problems. Historical dispositions of the apartheid system, conflicting domestic versus international imperatives, neo-liberal policies and the widely condemned results of capitalism as an imperialist system and other factors influence migration management in South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Spatial and seasonal distribution of selected persistent organic pollutants and phenolic derivatives along the course of the Buffalo River in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa
- Authors: Yahaya, Abdulrazaq
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Organic water pollutants Water -- Purification -- Organic compounds removal
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/5939 , vital:29448
- Description:
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) fall under a group of synthetic chemicals known for their persistence in environmental matrices such as soil and water, and are used in industrial, domestic and agricultural applications. Because of their volatility and lipophilicity, POPs can be transported far away from their point sources and bio-accumulate in food and in fatty tissues of humans and animals. In view of their toxicity and carcinogenicity some organic pollutants such as polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and phenolic derivatives (chlorophenol and nitrophenol) have been classified by United State Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and World Health Organization (WHO) as priority pollutants. The present work evaluated the distribution patterns of 19 polychlorinated biphenyls congeners, 17 organochlorine pesticides and selected phenolic derivatives (USEPA 11-priority pollutants) in the Buffalo River, in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa between December 2015 and May 2016. The Liquid-liquid extraction technique was used for PCBs, OCPs and phenolic derivatives in the river water samples. Silica gel and florisil clean up were carried out for PCBs and OCPs samples respectively and analyzed with gas chromatography electron capture detector (GC/ECD). Phenolic compounds were derivatized and analyzed by gas chromatography mass spectrometer (GC/MS). Limits of detection (LOD), limit of quantitation (LOQ) and relative standard deviation (RSD) for the PCBs were 10 to 330 ng/L, 20 to 1,060 ng/L and 1.18 to 14.1 percent respectively. The LOD, LOQ and RSD for the OCPs were from 20 - 60 ng/L, 110 - 530 ng/L and 0.02 - 0.06 percent, while the corresponding values for the phenolic derivatives were 10 to 70 ng/L, 33 to 222 ng/L and 1.99 - 10.86 percent. In summer, the concentrations of PCBs, OCPs and phenolic derivatives ranged from
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Yahaya, Abdulrazaq
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Organic water pollutants Water -- Purification -- Organic compounds removal
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/5939 , vital:29448
- Description:
Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) fall under a group of synthetic chemicals known for their persistence in environmental matrices such as soil and water, and are used in industrial, domestic and agricultural applications. Because of their volatility and lipophilicity, POPs can be transported far away from their point sources and bio-accumulate in food and in fatty tissues of humans and animals. In view of their toxicity and carcinogenicity some organic pollutants such as polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs), organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) and phenolic derivatives (chlorophenol and nitrophenol) have been classified by United State Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) and World Health Organization (WHO) as priority pollutants. The present work evaluated the distribution patterns of 19 polychlorinated biphenyls congeners, 17 organochlorine pesticides and selected phenolic derivatives (USEPA 11-priority pollutants) in the Buffalo River, in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa between December 2015 and May 2016. The Liquid-liquid extraction technique was used for PCBs, OCPs and phenolic derivatives in the river water samples. Silica gel and florisil clean up were carried out for PCBs and OCPs samples respectively and analyzed with gas chromatography electron capture detector (GC/ECD). Phenolic compounds were derivatized and analyzed by gas chromatography mass spectrometer (GC/MS). Limits of detection (LOD), limit of quantitation (LOQ) and relative standard deviation (RSD) for the PCBs were 10 to 330 ng/L, 20 to 1,060 ng/L and 1.18 to 14.1 percent respectively. The LOD, LOQ and RSD for the OCPs were from 20 - 60 ng/L, 110 - 530 ng/L and 0.02 - 0.06 percent, while the corresponding values for the phenolic derivatives were 10 to 70 ng/L, 33 to 222 ng/L and 1.99 - 10.86 percent. In summer, the concentrations of PCBs, OCPs and phenolic derivatives ranged from
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Spatial differences in stunting and household agricultural production in South Africa:(re)-examining the links using national panel survey data
- Otterbach, Steffen, Rogan, Michael
- Authors: Otterbach, Steffen , Rogan, Michael
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Human growth -- South Africa Malnutrition -- South Africa Poverty -- Case studies Economic development -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Book , Text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/59522 , vital:27622 , ISBN 9780868106342 , DOI 10.21504/10962/59522
- Description: One explanation for the increasing prevalence of stunting in South Africa over the past 15 years while other development indicators have improved is that Big Food retail chains have been contributing to a low quality diet across the country, particularly in poor urban households. We thus use nationally representative longitudinal data (2008–2014) to trace 6 years of stunting’s evolution among South African children, adolescents, and young adults aged 0–19, with particular attention to how the prevalence of under-nutrition differs between urban and rural areas and how the drivers of poor nutrition vary spatially. The results of our random-effects logistic regressions on the nutritional impact of household agricultural production suggest that, conditional on household income, subsistence farming is associated with a lower probability of stunting. Even more important, although under-nutrition retains a strong spatial component, once observable differences in living standards are controlled for, the higher tendency for children in deep rural households to suffer from (severe) stunting reverses.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Otterbach, Steffen , Rogan, Michael
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Human growth -- South Africa Malnutrition -- South Africa Poverty -- Case studies Economic development -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Book , Text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/59522 , vital:27622 , ISBN 9780868106342 , DOI 10.21504/10962/59522
- Description: One explanation for the increasing prevalence of stunting in South Africa over the past 15 years while other development indicators have improved is that Big Food retail chains have been contributing to a low quality diet across the country, particularly in poor urban households. We thus use nationally representative longitudinal data (2008–2014) to trace 6 years of stunting’s evolution among South African children, adolescents, and young adults aged 0–19, with particular attention to how the prevalence of under-nutrition differs between urban and rural areas and how the drivers of poor nutrition vary spatially. The results of our random-effects logistic regressions on the nutritional impact of household agricultural production suggest that, conditional on household income, subsistence farming is associated with a lower probability of stunting. Even more important, although under-nutrition retains a strong spatial component, once observable differences in living standards are controlled for, the higher tendency for children in deep rural households to suffer from (severe) stunting reverses.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Species composition and seasonal population dynamics of free-living and engorged cattle ticks in three agro-ecological zones of the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa
- Authors: Yawa, Mandla
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Ticks Boophilus microplus
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/9067 , vital:34224
- Description: This study was conducted to determine species composition and seasonal population dynamics of free-living and engorged cattle ticks in three agro-ecological zones (Bedford dry grassland, Kowie thicket and Bisho thornveld) of the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. The occurrence of ticks on cattle was studied monthly from April 2016 and March 2017. Tick collections were performed on 360 selected cattle in each agro-ecological zones. During tick collections, 10 randomly selected cattle were sampled at each locality and more attention was given to African blue tick and the presence of Asian blue tick. A half body tick collection was performed from cattle and visible ticks were collected by means of fine-forceps after the animals had been restrained. Body regions that were examined includes the ear, head, neck, chest, abdomen, flank, front and hind leg and feet, tail, and peri-anal region. At each locality, six replicate drags of 100 m, approximately 50 m apart, were performed to collect ticks from vegetation. All ticks collected per cattle and from vegetation were stored in labelled sample tubes containing 70percent ethanol, subsequently counted and identified to genus and species level using a standard stereomicroscope. A total of 31425 ticks belonging to ten species were collected during the study. Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) decoloratus, was the most observed tick species (32.50percent), all other ticks like R. evertsi evertsi (18.84percent), R. appendiculatus (17.26percent), A. hebraeum (16.27percent), R. simus (7.69percent) were also commonly collected. Ixodes pilosus (3.84percent), H. rufipes (3.46percent), R. follis (0.08percent) together with Haemaphysalis silacea (0.02percent) were sporadic infestation. Haemaphysalis elliptica (0.04percent) was only found on the vegetation. No H. rufipes was collected in the thicket vegetation. Agro-ecological zones differ significantly (P<0.05) in tick species and distribution. Significantly more R. (B.) decoloratus were collected in thicket during summer compared to thornveld and dry grassland regions (P<0.05). Free-living ticks were widely distributed across different seasons but with of R. (B.) decoloratus larvae were significantly higher (P<0.05) in thornveld region during the spring season. In conclusion, agro-ecological differences and seasonal variations had an influence on ticks abundance and distribution. From this study, it is of interest to note the absence of R. (B.) microplus, whose trend to invade new areas previously colonised by R. (B.) decoloratus has been observed in Africa. In conclusion, agro-ecological differences and seasonal variations had an influence on ticks abundance and distribution. The aforementioned absence of R. (B.) microplus in this study highlights the importance of further research as this tick invades new areas previously colonised by R. (B.) decoloratus in the continent.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Yawa, Mandla
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Ticks Boophilus microplus
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/9067 , vital:34224
- Description: This study was conducted to determine species composition and seasonal population dynamics of free-living and engorged cattle ticks in three agro-ecological zones (Bedford dry grassland, Kowie thicket and Bisho thornveld) of the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. The occurrence of ticks on cattle was studied monthly from April 2016 and March 2017. Tick collections were performed on 360 selected cattle in each agro-ecological zones. During tick collections, 10 randomly selected cattle were sampled at each locality and more attention was given to African blue tick and the presence of Asian blue tick. A half body tick collection was performed from cattle and visible ticks were collected by means of fine-forceps after the animals had been restrained. Body regions that were examined includes the ear, head, neck, chest, abdomen, flank, front and hind leg and feet, tail, and peri-anal region. At each locality, six replicate drags of 100 m, approximately 50 m apart, were performed to collect ticks from vegetation. All ticks collected per cattle and from vegetation were stored in labelled sample tubes containing 70percent ethanol, subsequently counted and identified to genus and species level using a standard stereomicroscope. A total of 31425 ticks belonging to ten species were collected during the study. Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) decoloratus, was the most observed tick species (32.50percent), all other ticks like R. evertsi evertsi (18.84percent), R. appendiculatus (17.26percent), A. hebraeum (16.27percent), R. simus (7.69percent) were also commonly collected. Ixodes pilosus (3.84percent), H. rufipes (3.46percent), R. follis (0.08percent) together with Haemaphysalis silacea (0.02percent) were sporadic infestation. Haemaphysalis elliptica (0.04percent) was only found on the vegetation. No H. rufipes was collected in the thicket vegetation. Agro-ecological zones differ significantly (P<0.05) in tick species and distribution. Significantly more R. (B.) decoloratus were collected in thicket during summer compared to thornveld and dry grassland regions (P<0.05). Free-living ticks were widely distributed across different seasons but with of R. (B.) decoloratus larvae were significantly higher (P<0.05) in thornveld region during the spring season. In conclusion, agro-ecological differences and seasonal variations had an influence on ticks abundance and distribution. From this study, it is of interest to note the absence of R. (B.) microplus, whose trend to invade new areas previously colonised by R. (B.) decoloratus has been observed in Africa. In conclusion, agro-ecological differences and seasonal variations had an influence on ticks abundance and distribution. The aforementioned absence of R. (B.) microplus in this study highlights the importance of further research as this tick invades new areas previously colonised by R. (B.) decoloratus in the continent.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Species identification of adult African blowflies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) of forensic importance:
- Lutz, Lena, Williams, Kristin A, Villet, Martin H, Ekanem, Mfon
- Authors: Lutz, Lena , Williams, Kristin A , Villet, Martin H , Ekanem, Mfon
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/140620 , vital:37904 , DOI: 10.1007/s00414-017-1654-y
- Description: Necrophagous blowflies can provide an excellent source of evidence for forensic entomologists and are also relevant to problems in public health, medicine, and animal health. However, access to useful information about these blowflies is constrained by the need to correctly identify the flies, and the poor availability of reliable, accessible identification tools is a serious obstacle to the development of forensic entomology in the majority of African countries. In response to this need, a high-quality key to the adults of all species of forensically relevant blowflies of Africa has been prepared, drawing on high-quality entomological materials and modern focus-stacking photomicroscopy. This new key can be easily applied by investigators inexperienced in the taxonomy of blowflies and is made available through a highly accessible online platform. Problematic diagnostic characters used in previous keys are discussed.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Lutz, Lena , Williams, Kristin A , Villet, Martin H , Ekanem, Mfon
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/140620 , vital:37904 , DOI: 10.1007/s00414-017-1654-y
- Description: Necrophagous blowflies can provide an excellent source of evidence for forensic entomologists and are also relevant to problems in public health, medicine, and animal health. However, access to useful information about these blowflies is constrained by the need to correctly identify the flies, and the poor availability of reliable, accessible identification tools is a serious obstacle to the development of forensic entomology in the majority of African countries. In response to this need, a high-quality key to the adults of all species of forensically relevant blowflies of Africa has been prepared, drawing on high-quality entomological materials and modern focus-stacking photomicroscopy. This new key can be easily applied by investigators inexperienced in the taxonomy of blowflies and is made available through a highly accessible online platform. Problematic diagnostic characters used in previous keys are discussed.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Spectroscopic and electrochemical characterization of thio binuclear phthalocyanine complexes
- Authors: Makinde, Zainab Olusola
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/59287 , vital:27541
- Description: Expected release date-April 2019
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Makinde, Zainab Olusola
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/59287 , vital:27541
- Description: Expected release date-April 2019
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Spectroscopic and nonlinear optical characterisation of alpha substituted binuclear phthalocyanines
- Authors: Ngubeni, Grace Nomthandazo
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/5038 , vital:20757
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Ngubeni, Grace Nomthandazo
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/5038 , vital:20757
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Sports and competition law in South Africa: the need to account for the uniqueness of sport when applying the competition Act 89 of 1998 to the sports industry
- Authors: Sun, Huajun
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , LLM
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/7102 , vital:21217
- Description: Regulation of sport as an economic activity has become increasingly prevalent in a number of foreign jurisdictions. This thesis considers the applicability of competition law to the sports industry from a South African perspective. Although the Competition Act 89 of 1998 is yet to be applied in the context of organisation of professional sport, the sector is not free from the scrutiny of competition law authorities. It is necessary to subject sports organisers and governing bodies to competition law in order to ensure that their administrative powers, which effectively place them in positions of market dominance, are not misused for their own commercial interests. On the other hand, the unique characteristics of sports should also be taken into account when applying competition law to the sector. In particular, it should be noted that sporting activities are not purely economic in nature, and that they are also conducted in order to achieve various social objectives. This thesis examines foreign jurisprudence that have dealt with the relevance of purely sporting justifications under competition law, and conclude that South Africa law should take into account the unique nature of sport when determining whether a conduct should be per se prohibited under the Competition Act, as well as when the rule-of-reason enquiry is conducted. This would require an amendment to the Act, a draft of which is proposed in this thesis. Finally, the proposed approach is applied in the context of the player transfer rules in football, in order to highlight problematic aspects of the transfer system even when considered in light of the unique nature of sports.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Sun, Huajun
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , LLM
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/7102 , vital:21217
- Description: Regulation of sport as an economic activity has become increasingly prevalent in a number of foreign jurisdictions. This thesis considers the applicability of competition law to the sports industry from a South African perspective. Although the Competition Act 89 of 1998 is yet to be applied in the context of organisation of professional sport, the sector is not free from the scrutiny of competition law authorities. It is necessary to subject sports organisers and governing bodies to competition law in order to ensure that their administrative powers, which effectively place them in positions of market dominance, are not misused for their own commercial interests. On the other hand, the unique characteristics of sports should also be taken into account when applying competition law to the sector. In particular, it should be noted that sporting activities are not purely economic in nature, and that they are also conducted in order to achieve various social objectives. This thesis examines foreign jurisprudence that have dealt with the relevance of purely sporting justifications under competition law, and conclude that South Africa law should take into account the unique nature of sport when determining whether a conduct should be per se prohibited under the Competition Act, as well as when the rule-of-reason enquiry is conducted. This would require an amendment to the Act, a draft of which is proposed in this thesis. Finally, the proposed approach is applied in the context of the player transfer rules in football, in order to highlight problematic aspects of the transfer system even when considered in light of the unique nature of sports.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Stakeholder perceptions of participatory process in community development projects in Mdantsane
- Authors: Tyekela, Pumla
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Community development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Sustainable development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Local government -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Citizen participation
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/20670 , vital:29370
- Description: Understanding stakeholders’ perception on the participation process is imperative so that strategies that foster people’s participation in community projects are implemented. This will facilitate that community members take part and contribute in their own development projects. In most projects perceptions can influence and impede participation. Most often the challenges experienced include acts of inequalities, lack of financial resources and informal and formal barriers that limit decision making and the capacity of people to participate effectively. As a consequence, authentic participation in community development projects intended to enhance and encourage more people to participate is not possible. The focus of the study was to explore and analyse perceptions of community stakeholders towards participation in community development activities in Mdantsane, a township situated between East London and King William’s Town. The research asked the following question: What are the perceptions of community stakeholders regarding the participation process in community development projects. This study was conducted using the qualitative approach to explore and gain an understanding of the underlying reasons, opinions and motivation for data gathered. The sample groups were the project staff and the government officials that had a better knowledge of the projects. Data was collected through the use of in-depth structured and semi structured interviews. The data showed that a large number of participants believed that participation involvement in project activities was motivated by regular meetings and material and financial incentives. The data further revealed that poor planning, lack of resources, constrained decision-making processes, selective reporting on the project progress were among the limitations of participation. Restraining these participation impediments will enhance and expand participation in community development projects. It is the author’s hope that recommendations made by this study, if implemented will improve participation in community projects in Mdantsane development projects to understand the concept and significance of community participation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Tyekela, Pumla
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Community development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Sustainable development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Local government -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Citizen participation
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/20670 , vital:29370
- Description: Understanding stakeholders’ perception on the participation process is imperative so that strategies that foster people’s participation in community projects are implemented. This will facilitate that community members take part and contribute in their own development projects. In most projects perceptions can influence and impede participation. Most often the challenges experienced include acts of inequalities, lack of financial resources and informal and formal barriers that limit decision making and the capacity of people to participate effectively. As a consequence, authentic participation in community development projects intended to enhance and encourage more people to participate is not possible. The focus of the study was to explore and analyse perceptions of community stakeholders towards participation in community development activities in Mdantsane, a township situated between East London and King William’s Town. The research asked the following question: What are the perceptions of community stakeholders regarding the participation process in community development projects. This study was conducted using the qualitative approach to explore and gain an understanding of the underlying reasons, opinions and motivation for data gathered. The sample groups were the project staff and the government officials that had a better knowledge of the projects. Data was collected through the use of in-depth structured and semi structured interviews. The data showed that a large number of participants believed that participation involvement in project activities was motivated by regular meetings and material and financial incentives. The data further revealed that poor planning, lack of resources, constrained decision-making processes, selective reporting on the project progress were among the limitations of participation. Restraining these participation impediments will enhance and expand participation in community development projects. It is the author’s hope that recommendations made by this study, if implemented will improve participation in community projects in Mdantsane development projects to understand the concept and significance of community participation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Statistical analysis and modelling of malaria relapse risk factors using Cox Proportional Hazards model approach : a case study of material data collected from Democratic Republic of Congo
- Authors: Mutambayi, Ruffin Mpiana
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Malaria -- Congo (Democratic Republic) -- Mathematical models Statistics -- Congo (Democratic Republic) -- Econometric models
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/15001 , vital:40110
- Description: The field of survival analysis has experienced tremendous growth during the latter half of the 20th century. The objective of this study was to model the relapsing time of uncomplicated falciparum malaria using biographical, sanitation, environmental and preventive information as covariate risk factors. The methodological developments of survival analysis that have had the most profound impact are the Kaplan-Meier method for estimating the survival function, the log-rank test for comparing the equality of two or more survival distributions, and the Cox proportional hazards (PH) model for examining the covariate effects on the hazard function. This thesis presents basic concepts, nonparametric methods (the Kaplan-Meier method and the log-rank test), semi parametric methods (the Cox PH model, and Cox model with time-dependent covariates) and parametric methods (Parametric PH model and the AFT model) for analysing survival data. An improved method was applied to randomized uncomplicated falciparum malaria patients to investigate the risk factors related to the relapsing time in RD Congo. Firstly, the Cox PH model , inf 1 0 ( ) ( )exp 1.91613 0.49633 0.81466 dump spr t X h h t X X X where is the instantaneous risk of experiencing the event at time , without the influence of any covariate was found to better fit the data, as confirmed by the results of the global test that present reasonable and significant results: (Likelihood Ratio: 18.2264 with p-value < 0.0004; Score: 17.6569 with p-value < 0.0005 and Wald: 19.3975 with p<0.0002). Hence from the model above, it can be noticed that ‘dumping site’ (p-value <0.0106; 95percent HR C.I: 1.545, 29.451), ‘spray used’ (p-value < 0. 0.0220; 95percent C.I: 0.391, 0.915), and ‘information related to source of malaria’ (p-value < 0. 0.0012; 95percent C.I: 1.380, 3.725), have a significant impact on the relapsing time of the patients under investigation. It should be noted that many 0() h tt other important covariates such as “usage of mosquito nets” were excluded because of the non-proportionality of the hazards. Secondly, the improvement concept was applied to the Cox model as proposed, and the improved model was as follows: h h t t X t X t X t X t X t X t X t r dump_inf1 spr_inf1 Where h0 (t) is the instantaneous risk of experiencing the event at time t , without the influence of any covariate. The model was found to better fit the data than the standard model — as confirmed by the results from the convergence criterion comparison, where the AIC value of the improved model (754.460) was lower than that of the standard model (767.428). Moreover, the improved model was found to be adequate as the results from the global null hypothesis were significant: (Likelihood Ratio: p-value is 0.0001; Score: p-value is 0.0001; Wald: p-value is 0.0001) and the goodness-of-fit test was confirmed by the plotting of Coxresiduals where the 45 degrees’ line confirmed the results. In conclusion, it was found that the covariates ‘pit’ (p-value is 0.0009; 95percent HR C.I: 11.4133, 1.243e+04), ‘tdwel_spr’ (pvalue = 0.0257; 95percent HR C.I: 1.0016, 1.030e+00), ‘tdwel_inf1 (p-value = 0.0122; 95percent HR C.I: 0.9691, 9.964e-01), ‘maint_dump’ (p-value is 0.0005; 95percent HR C.I: 1.0239, 1.087e+00),‘maint_pit’ (p-value is 0.0007; 95percent HR C.I: 0.9179, 9.774e-01), ‘dump_spr’ (p-value is 0.0027; 95percent HR C.I: 0.9308, 9.853e-01), ‘dump_inf1’ (p-value <0.0001; 95percent HR C.I: 0.9849, 9.947e-01) and ‘spr_inf1’ (p-value is 0.0005; 95percent HR C.I: 1.0119, 1.043e+00) affected the time to relapse from uncomplicated falciparum malaria.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Mutambayi, Ruffin Mpiana
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Malaria -- Congo (Democratic Republic) -- Mathematical models Statistics -- Congo (Democratic Republic) -- Econometric models
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/15001 , vital:40110
- Description: The field of survival analysis has experienced tremendous growth during the latter half of the 20th century. The objective of this study was to model the relapsing time of uncomplicated falciparum malaria using biographical, sanitation, environmental and preventive information as covariate risk factors. The methodological developments of survival analysis that have had the most profound impact are the Kaplan-Meier method for estimating the survival function, the log-rank test for comparing the equality of two or more survival distributions, and the Cox proportional hazards (PH) model for examining the covariate effects on the hazard function. This thesis presents basic concepts, nonparametric methods (the Kaplan-Meier method and the log-rank test), semi parametric methods (the Cox PH model, and Cox model with time-dependent covariates) and parametric methods (Parametric PH model and the AFT model) for analysing survival data. An improved method was applied to randomized uncomplicated falciparum malaria patients to investigate the risk factors related to the relapsing time in RD Congo. Firstly, the Cox PH model , inf 1 0 ( ) ( )exp 1.91613 0.49633 0.81466 dump spr t X h h t X X X where is the instantaneous risk of experiencing the event at time , without the influence of any covariate was found to better fit the data, as confirmed by the results of the global test that present reasonable and significant results: (Likelihood Ratio: 18.2264 with p-value < 0.0004; Score: 17.6569 with p-value < 0.0005 and Wald: 19.3975 with p<0.0002). Hence from the model above, it can be noticed that ‘dumping site’ (p-value <0.0106; 95percent HR C.I: 1.545, 29.451), ‘spray used’ (p-value < 0. 0.0220; 95percent C.I: 0.391, 0.915), and ‘information related to source of malaria’ (p-value < 0. 0.0012; 95percent C.I: 1.380, 3.725), have a significant impact on the relapsing time of the patients under investigation. It should be noted that many 0() h tt other important covariates such as “usage of mosquito nets” were excluded because of the non-proportionality of the hazards. Secondly, the improvement concept was applied to the Cox model as proposed, and the improved model was as follows: h h t t X t X t X t X t X t X t X t r dump_inf1 spr_inf1 Where h0 (t) is the instantaneous risk of experiencing the event at time t , without the influence of any covariate. The model was found to better fit the data than the standard model — as confirmed by the results from the convergence criterion comparison, where the AIC value of the improved model (754.460) was lower than that of the standard model (767.428). Moreover, the improved model was found to be adequate as the results from the global null hypothesis were significant: (Likelihood Ratio: p-value is 0.0001; Score: p-value is 0.0001; Wald: p-value is 0.0001) and the goodness-of-fit test was confirmed by the plotting of Coxresiduals where the 45 degrees’ line confirmed the results. In conclusion, it was found that the covariates ‘pit’ (p-value is 0.0009; 95percent HR C.I: 11.4133, 1.243e+04), ‘tdwel_spr’ (pvalue = 0.0257; 95percent HR C.I: 1.0016, 1.030e+00), ‘tdwel_inf1 (p-value = 0.0122; 95percent HR C.I: 0.9691, 9.964e-01), ‘maint_dump’ (p-value is 0.0005; 95percent HR C.I: 1.0239, 1.087e+00),‘maint_pit’ (p-value is 0.0007; 95percent HR C.I: 0.9179, 9.774e-01), ‘dump_spr’ (p-value is 0.0027; 95percent HR C.I: 0.9308, 9.853e-01), ‘dump_inf1’ (p-value <0.0001; 95percent HR C.I: 0.9849, 9.947e-01) and ‘spr_inf1’ (p-value is 0.0005; 95percent HR C.I: 1.0119, 1.043e+00) affected the time to relapse from uncomplicated falciparum malaria.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017