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Data structures and algorithms for bioinformatics

  • Authors: Machanick, Philip
  • Date: 2017
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/439172 , vital:73552 , https://homes.cs.ru.ac.za/philip/Courses/BioinfMScAlgorithms/BioinfAlgorithms.pdf
  • Description: WHY THIS MATERIAL? Bioinformatics is a difficult subject because it integrates so much from multiple disciplines. The emphasis here is on algorithmic thinking–working from a problem to an implementation while thinking analytically about efficiency concerns. The picture illustrates a general plan for algorithmic thinking. Anything that can be classed as an algorithm can be analysed and your design choices are not always to find the most efficient algorithm possible. The aim is to solve a problem as efficiently as possible; if it is something you do only once, that results in a rather different set of choices than if you are going to do it many times. And–of course–size counts. That is what this course is am I doing this once
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  • Date Issued: 2017

Death of the PhD: when industry partners determine doctoral outcomes

  • Authors: Frick, Liezel , McKenna, Sioux , Muthama, Evelyn
  • Date: 2017
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/66680 , vital:28981 , ISSN 1469-8366 , https://doi.org/10.1080/07294360.2017.1263467
  • Description: Pre-print , The PhD is the highest formal qualification and signifies a scholar’s rite of passage as a legitimate contributor of new knowledge in a field. Examiner reports make claims about what is legitimate in a thesis and what is not and thus articulate the organising principles through which participation in a field is measured. The authors analysed 39 examiners’ reports on 13 PhDs produced over a five-year period by scholars from the Higher Education Research doctoral studies programme at Rhodes University in South Africa. Drawing on aspects of Karl Maton’s Legitimation Code Theory (LCT), this study uses the dimensions of LCT:Specialisation and LCT:Semantics to explore what kinds of knowledge, skills and procedures and what kinds of knowers are validated in the field of Higher Education Research through the examination process. The study found that despite concerns in the literature about the a-theoretical nature of the Higher Education Studies field, examiners valued high-level theoretical and meta-theoretical engagement as well as methodological rigour. In addition, examiners prized the ability to demonstrate a strong ideological position, to use a clear doctoral voice, and to recognise the axiological drive of the field. The analysis showed that examiners were interested in strong contextualisation of the problem-spaces in higher education in South Africa but also commented positively on candidates’ ability to move from troubling an issue within its context to being able to abstract findings so as to contribute to the field as a whole.
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  • Date Issued: 2017

Decolonisation as future frame for environmental and sustainability education: embracing the commons with absence and emergence

  • Authors: Lotz-Sisitka, Heila
  • Date: 2017
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , book chapter
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/437466 , vital:73386 , ISBN 9789086868469 , https://doi.org/10.3920/978-90-8686-846-9_2
  • Description: This chapter considers how engagement with decolonization history, theory and practice may provide an interesting future frame for Environmental and Sustainability Education (ESE). The chapter provides an overview of some of the key dynam-ics of decolonization thinking that are circulating at present, and considers particularly the problematique of absence and emergence. It argues for giving attention not only to critical analysis of colonization concerns (ie identification of absence), but also to expansive, emergent theories of learning which we might mobilise in environmental and sustainability education (ESE) out of our existing forms of being in order to re-imagine new becomings that are oriented to the common good (ie pro-cesses of emergence). In situating the argument within wider discourses around education and the common good, this chapter argues that decolonisation is a project that concerns us all (not only those in the global South), given the contempo-rary realities and geopolitics of resource flows, hypercapitalism, colonization by market logic, and the privatisation of the commons.
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  • Date Issued: 2017

Decolonising the regulation of the right to strike in South Africa : an analysis

  • Authors: Tsanyau, Dauglous
  • Date: 2017
  • Subjects: Right to strike Strikes and lockouts -- South Africa Strikes and lockouts -- Law and legislation
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , LLM
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/8813 , vital:33615
  • Description: This study develops a robust approach in addressing conceptual problems surrounding the implementation of the right to strike in South Africa. The South African labour regime recognises the right of workers to strike as protected in various international, national and regional instruments. The right is guaranteed by section 23 of the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa which bestows on every worker the right to strike. In order to give effect to the rights contained in section 23 of the Constitution, the Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995 (LRA) was enacted by the South African parliament. Presently, violent strikes have been noted as a prevailing feature of the South African labour landscape. The LRA has possibly perpetually failed to realise its critical objectives as labour unrest still stands as a dominant feature of South Africa. Certainly, the labour legislative framework in place has failed to quench violent strikes whose ugly incidences have continued to haunt South African labour relations. This study therefore intends to be a preliminary examination of these issues and interrogates the labour legislative framework which guarantees the right to strike. The study begins with an outline of the historical development of the right. It defines the right to strike and other related concepts. The study proceeds to unpack the international and regional legislative framework of the right to strike. Further, it explores the effects and consequences of violent strikes with reference to the Marikana labour dispute and other case laws. Finally, focusing on the Marikana strike case, deficiencies in the bargaining system, the use of replacement labour and trade Union Liability, the dissertation offers the practical recommendations for a progressive, peaceful and democratic labour system.
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  • Date Issued: 2017

Decoupled reciprocal subsidies of biomass and fatty acids in fluxes of invertebrates between a temperate river and the adjacent land:

  • Authors: Moyo, Sydney , Chari, Lenin D , Villet, Martin H , Richoux, Nicole B
  • Date: 2017
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/140843 , vital:37923 , DOI: 10.1007/s00027-017-0529-0
  • Description: Streams and riparian areas are tightly coupled through reciprocal trophic subsidies, and there is evidence that these subsidies affect consumers in connected ecosystems. Most studies of subsidies consider only their quantity and not their quality. We determined the bidirectional exchange of organisms between the Kowie River and its riparian zone in South Africa using floating pyramidal traps (to measure insect emergence) and pan traps (to capture infalling invertebrates).
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  • Date Issued: 2017

Deep wounds... left... in hearts and minds: South African public history

  • Authors: Wells, Julia C
  • Date: 2017
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/69742 , vital:29574 , http://dx.doi.org/10.5130/phrj.v24i0.5781
  • Description: Public history practise in South Africa holds out much promise of further things to come. It can close the gulf between history and heritage. This chapter argues that the role of the public historian should not be conflated with the dynamics of the heritage sector, but suggests how trained academics can indeed put their skills to work in a society that is passionately interested in understanding itself and how its pasts created the present. The student movement sharply raised the image of universities in crisis, requiring a whole new, relevant curriculum and rethinking the ways that universities relate to their publics. Public historians can work towards creating invented spaces for co-production of knowledge, moving beyond the traditional oral history interview. The divide between academia and communities is huge and needs to be constantly tackled, providing access to the secluded information of the professional world. I suggest that due to their privileged place in society, many historians have been unable or unwilling to engage with the recovery agenda – the massive need for affirmation of African identity, capacity and culture. A handful of dedicated public historians do not fit this mould and have been exemplary in rolling up their sleeves and boldly engaging with the messy complications of dealing with non-academic communities to produce new forms of historical knowledge, based on inclusiveness.
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  • Date Issued: 2017

Deliberations on a changing curriculum landscape and emergent environmental and sustainability education practices in South Africa

  • Authors: Schudel, Ingrid J
  • Date: 2017
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , book chapter
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/436206 , vital:73239 , ISBN 978-3-319-45989-9 , https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-45989-9_3
  • Description: This chapter describes Environmental and Sustainability Edu-cation (ESE) in South Africa against the backdrop of a chang-ing educational system. It discusses changing educational im-peratives in post-apartheid South Africa and how these have been interpreted and applied in three curriculum revisions in South Africa since 1994: Curriculum 2005, the Revised Na-tional Curriculum Statements and the Curriculum Assessment Policy Statement. The narrative also examines a changing pic-ture of teacher professional development in South Africa high-lighting how constructivist and social realist understandings of education, development and learning have entered the dis-course and influenced practice in South Africa. The chapter concludes with highlighting how a relational approach to learn-ing, as evident in ESE practices in South Africa, can help to avoid a pendulum swing between the dichotomies of compet-ing discourses.
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  • Date Issued: 2017

Demobilisation and the civilian reintegration of women ex-combatants in post-apartheid South Africa: the aftermath of transnational guerrilla girls, combative mothers and in- betweeners in the shadows of a late twentieth-century war

  • Authors: Magadla, Siphokazi
  • Date: 2017
  • Subjects: South Africa. National Defence Force , Umkhonto we Sizwe (South Africa) -- Demobilization , Azanian People's Liberation Army -- Demobilization , Amabutho Self-Defence Unit -- Demobilization , South Africa. Army -- Women , Women soldiers -- South Africa , Government, Resistance to -- South Africa -- History , Women veterans -- South Africa -- History , Women veterans -- South Africa -- Interviews
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/41775 , vital:25133
  • Description: This study examines the state assisted demobilisation and civilian reintegration of women excombatants in post-apartheid South Africa. The study is based on life history interviews conducted with 36 women who fought for Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), Azanian People’s Liberation Army (APLA) and Amabutho Self-Defence Unit. There is agreement across the literature that the armed struggle against apartheid falls within the category of guerilla warfare, fought in multiple terrains, that blur conventional distinctions of civilian and combatant, homefront and battlefront, as well as the domestic and transnational. Located within feminist International Relations theory, the study argues that the formal process that led to the integration of statutory and non-statutory forces to form the South African National Defence Force, which facilitated the demobilisation process, was framed in ways that did not reflect the unconventional nature of the armed struggle against apartheid. The few women who participated in this process were the transnationally trained combatants of MK and APLA. The majority of women who participated in the multiple and overlapping sites of the domestic and international apartheid battlefront were left out of this process. It is argued that women’s roles in the armed struggle were shaped by various factors, such as age, space and period of struggle. Three categories, guerilla girls, combative mothers and the in-betweeners, are introduced in order to demonstrate the different spaces from within which women fought, and the methods they used, all of which were central to the success of the People’s War strategy. In this regard, the venerated transnationally trained woman combatant, like their male counterpart, is argued to be an exception, as the majority of women were thrust into the armed struggle without military training. Furthermore, it is argued that conservative feminist readings of black women’s relationship with nationalism in the anti-apartheid struggle have misrecognised and undermined women’s combatant contributions, by inscribing their forms of resistance as maternal, and outside the war effort. The study shows that the majority of women combatants have transitioned to civilian life without formal state recognition and assistance. The erasure of women’s role as combatants also means that they are excluded from the current legislative framework facilitated by the Department of Military Veterans to support the welfare of former combatants. As such, the study builds on Jacklyn Cock’s (1991) pioneering study on war and gender in South Africa; it is the first study that exclusively focuses on women ex-combatants’ experiences in postapartheid South Africa.
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  • Date Issued: 2017

Density-dependent effects on body size, Philopatry, and dispersal in the Damaraland mole-rat (Fukomys damarensis)

  • Authors: Finn, Kyle T
  • Date: 2017
  • Subjects: Fukomys damarensis , Fukomys damarensis -- Reproduction , Fukomys damarensis -- Growth , Rodents -- Reproduction -- South Africa -- Northern Cape , Rodents -- Growth -- South Africa -- Northern Cape , Rodent populations -- South Africa -- Northern Cape
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MSc
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/50495 , vital:25993
  • Description: Population density may exert changes in a variety of behavioural and physiological characters in animals. However, the effects of density-dependence and dispersal are poorly studied in subterranean rodents due to the difficulties involved in observing such effects in wild populations. Using the cooperative breeding Damaraland mole-rat (Fukomys damarensis) as a model species, the effects of population density on body size, growth rates, group size, recruitment, philopatry and dispersal were investigated at two sites (one with low density and one with high density) in the Northern Cape of South Africa. Group size, litter size and the probability of recapture were independent of population density. However, individual body size, recruitment, dispersal rate and dispersal distance were density-dependent. Individuals were significantly larger, juveniles exhibited a significantly higher growth rate, and juvenile recruitment was significantly greater when population density was low. At higher densities, significantly more individuals were lost between capture events which may be indicative of increased rates of dispersal. Mean dispersal distances in mole-rats were reduced at higher densities and increased at lower densities. While both sexes dispersed equally, males were significantly more likely to join an established colony and females created new burrow systems. In addition, four times as many single females were found when population density was low. The apparent differences in the study populations may be attributed to variable annual rainfall or food availability. The greater annual rainfall at the high-density site may provide better habitat conditions and therefore result in an increase in the population density and an increased dispersal rate due to the relaxed ecological constraints such as reduced energetic costs to burrowing. However, the larger body size found at the low-density site may indicate that the available food at that location is of better quality. This study revealed that mole-rats were able to disperse over 1km and therefore a much larger study area would be required in capture-mark-recapture studies to ensure the recapture of the majority of dispersers. Lastly, a surprising find of this study was that females may survive a solitary existence for over two years while awaiting the arrival of a mate.
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  • Date Issued: 2017

Deriving norms for learners in the disadvantaged schools of the peri-urban areas of the Eastern Cape: the case of the Vassiliou Mathematics Proficiency Test (VASSI)

  • Authors: Masango, Siphesihle Polkadot
  • Date: 2017
  • Subjects: VASSI Mathematics Proficiency Test , Mathematical ability -- Testing -- South Africa , Educational tests and measurements -- South Africa , Children with social disabilities -- Education -- South Africa , Children with social disabilities -- Education -- South Africa -- Makhanda -- Case studies
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/49929 , vital:25943
  • Description: This study builds on South African cross-cultural research which highlights the need for careful stratification of normative samples for quality of education and geographical location. The aim of the present study was to produce an expanded set of preliminary norms for learners in the disadvantaged schools of the peri-urban areas of the Eastern Cape, Grahamstown, on the Vassiliou Mathematics Foundation Phase Test (VASSI) and Vassiliou Mathematics Proficiency Test (VASSI), respectively. The test was administered to Grade 1-6 learners in four different schools all within Joza location, Grahamstown. For the learners’ convenience the tests were translated into isiXhosa, the translations were provided together with the original English questions. Archival data collected by honours students was also incorporated in this study. The total number of participants was N=724 which was comprised of 147 grade 1s, 123 grade 2s, 117 grade 3s, 128 grade 4s, 113 grade 5s and 96 grade 6s. Norm-referenced criterion was used in analysing the data. The results of this study are in accordance with those purporting the low performance of disadvantaged learners on the school subject, mathematics. Stanines for the various grades (Grade 1 to 6) were calculated and are presented in the study. This study has demonstrated that although gender, language and other ethnic variables have an impact on mathematics performance, quality of education and socioeconomic status have a significant effect. Further research is needed on the effect of quality of education and socioeconomic status on learners in disadvantaged schools on this test in particular.
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  • Date Issued: 2017

Design and application of link: A DSL for network frame manipulation

  • Authors: Pennefather, Sean , Irwin, Barry V W
  • Date: 2017
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/429230 , vital:72569 , https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/abstract/document/8251774
  • Description: This paper describes the design and application of Link, a Domain Specific Language (DSL) targeting the development of network applications focused on traffic manipulation at the frame level. The development of Link is described through the identification and evaluation of intended applications and an example translator is implemented to target the FRAME board which was developed in conjunction with this research. Four application examples are then provided to help describe the feasibility of Link when used in conjunction with the implemented translator.
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  • Date Issued: 2017

Design of a Message Passing Model for Use in a Heterogeneous CPU-NFP Framework for Network Analytics. Southern Africa Telecommunication Networks and Applications Conference (SATNAC) 2017, 3-10 September 2017

  • Authors: Pennefather, Sean , Bradshaw, Karen L , Irwin, Barry V W
  • Date: 2017
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , book
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/460011 , vital:75884 , ISBN 9780620767569 , http://dx.doi.org/10.18489/sacj.v31i2.692
  • Description: Currently, network analytics requires direct access to network packets, normally through a third-party application, which means that obtaining realtime results is difficult. We propose the NFP-CPU heterogeneous framework to allow parts of applications written in the Go programming language to be executed on a Network Flow Processor (NFP) for enhanced performance. This paper explores the need and feasibility of implementing a message passing model for data transmission between the NFP and CPU, which is the crux of such a heterogeneous framework. Architectural differences between the two domains are highlighted within this context and we present a solution to bridging these differences.
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  • Date Issued: 2017

Design, construction and performance evaluation of an agitated portable biogas digester under greenhouse-regulated temperature

  • Authors: Mutungwazi Asheal
  • Date: 2017
  • Subjects: Sewage -- Purification -- Anaerobic treatment Green technology Renewable energy sources
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/9055 , vital:34222
  • Description: Biogas yield in anaerobic digesters is negatively affected by low temperatures during cold seasons and nights, temperature fluctuations and inefficient agitation. Electrical heating and underground digester installations have been used to help minimise these effects but the high cost of electrical heating, infeasibility of underground installations in some terrains, inefficient agitation and difficult maintenance continue to be major set-backs to high biogas yields. In this study a 100 ℓ, agitated, portable carbon steel digester housed within a greenhouse, whose operation temperature is automatically maintained at an optimum of 35 ± 1 oC by means of an ON/OFF electronic circuit for ventilation control through a suitably sized window and insulation offered by an air film trapped in-between a double layer of polyethylene plastic covering of the greenhouse, was designed. Cow dung from a dairy farm at the University of Fort Hare with total solids (TS), volatile solids (VS), chemical oxygen demand (COD) and ammonia nitrogen content of 162348.67 mg/ℓ, 116543.98 mg/ℓ, 37 879 mg/ℓ and 128 - 235 mg/ℓ respectively was used for the performance evaluation of the digester. Analysis of the biogas produced starting from day 6 of the 31-day retention period showed a specific biogas yield of 0.036 m3/kgVSadded and a methane yield of 55percent. The optimum pH maintained was 7.2 and the COD reduction achieved during the digestion period was 61percent. This simple, easy to construct, inexpensive yet efficient design will lead to improved biogas yields and quality and faster dissemination of the biogas technology.
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  • Date Issued: 2017

Detection and antibiogram profile of members of the vibrio species in Umzimvubu, Swartkops and Buffalo rivers the Eastern Cape province, South Africa

  • Authors: September, Dolly Thandeka
  • Date: 2017
  • Subjects: Vibrio -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Water -- Fluoridation -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/15221 , vital:40255
  • Description: Freshwaterbodies are often recipients of a wide array of infectious agents yet they serve as immediate sources of water supply. Brackish and freshwater rivers support the growth of Vibrio species, which are the leading cause of diarrheal infections in the world. Their occurrence in these environments is detrimental to the health and well-being of many communities. Hence, this study aimed at assessing the occurrence and antibiogram profile of Vibrio species in Swartkops, UMzimvubu and Buffalo rivers. The rivers are important sources of freshwater supplies for some communities around the Eastern Cape Province, and water samples were collected once off from each of the sites, using standard membrane filtration method to concentrate the samples. Cultivation was carried out on Thiosulfate Citrate-Bile Salt Sucrose (TCBS) agar, were typical yellow/green colonies were enumerated as presumptive Vibrio species and expressed as CFU/100mL. Presumptive Vibrio counts ranged from 0 to 1.67 × 103 CFU/100mL, 0 to 6.42 ×102 CFU/100mL and 0 to 3.28×103 CFU/100ml in the uMzimvubu, Swartkops and Buffalo rivers respectively. Polymerase Chain Reaction was employed for molecular identification of the Vibrio isolates. Two hundred (200) presumptive Vibrio species were screened for molecular identification, and 185 isolates confirmed positive as belonging to the Vibrio genus. Antibiotic susceptibility profile of the confirmed isolates was determined using a panel of 12 commercial test antibiotics. All the confirmed Vibrio species showed 98 to 100percent multiple antibiotic resistance against all the test antibiotics from the three study sites. The most predominant phenotypic pattern of multidrug resistance displayed by the isolates was CAZ-PEN-AMP-CIP-AK-AZM-TET-CAM-CTX-STX-GEN-IPM showing 100percent resistance to all 12 antibiotics. The multiple antibiotic resistance index (MARI) on average was 1 for all the three rivers assessed. This finding suggest high possibility of antibiotic pollution and usage around the study areas, and occurrence of potentially pathogenic Vibrio species carrying antibiotic resistant genes, which is a major public and environmental health concern.
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  • Date Issued: 2017

Determinants of export performance among small to medium enterprises in Zimbabwe

  • Authors: Karambakuwa, Tapuwa Roseline
  • Date: 2017
  • Subjects: Economics -- Zimbabwe Small business -- Zimbabwe -- Management , Shipping -- Economic aspects -- Zimbabwe
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DPhil
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/17647 , vital:28424
  • Description: There is consensus that Small to Medium Enterprises (SME) exports play a critical role in the development of economies. It has been widely acknowledged in empirical research done around the world that small businesses make a significant contribution to economic development, employment, competitiveness and the reduction of regional disparities. However, empirical literature gives conflicting evidence on the determinants of export performance among SMEs. The study contributes towards the debate on SME exports by: (i) investigating the variables that determine export performance among SMEs in Zimbabwe (ii) establishing the competi-tiveness of Zimbabwe’s exports and (iii) ascertaining the major constraints faced by SME ex-porters in Zimbabwe The researcher gathered data from 120 SMEs and 10 institutions in Zimbabwe for the period 2009 to 2015. SME samples were chosen from Harare, Mashonaland Central and Mashonaland East provinces while all 10 of the institutions were chosen from Harare province. Convenient non-probability sampling method was used to select SMEs while stratified sampling technique was applied in the selection of institutions. Both qualitative and quantitative research methods were employed. For the quantitative approach, panel data ordinary least squares method was used in the form of the gravity model of trade. Export intensity (used as a measure of exports) was regressed against support institutions, business ownership, research & development, educational years, use of export processing zones, product type, export years, firm size, firm age, gender, distance from trading partner, Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of trading partner, and GDP of Zimbabwe. The random effects estimation method was used, basing on results from the Durbin-Wu-Hausman test. The null hypothesis was based on the premise that the variables under study do not determine export intensity of SMEs in Zimbabwe. Other null hypothesis were that the major constraint faced by SME exporters in Zimbabwe is not access to finance and that Zimbabwe’s exports are not competitive in the mining, agricultural and manufacturing sectors. The revealed comparative advantage index was computed to measure the competitiveness of Zimbabwe’s exports.For the qualitative approach, the study used the triangulation method which involved combining and utilising the questionnaire, interviews and focus group discussions. The results from the study indicated that following variables increased export intensity of Zimbabwean SMEs; business ownership, use of export processing zones, export years, firm size, and GDP of trading partner. The following variables have an inverse relationship with the export intensity of Zimbabwean SMEs: gender, distance from trading partner and research & development. The results also indicated that these further variables do not determine the export intensity of SMEs in Zimbabwe: support institutions, years of education, product type, firm age and GDP of Zimbabwe. The major constraint faced by exporting SMEs in Zimbabwe is limited access to finance. Zimbabwe is competitive in the agricultural and mining sector exports, but not in manufacturing sector exports The policy implication of the findings is that SME support needs to go beyond support institutions when it comes to SME export promotion. Further SMEs in the agriculture and mining sectors need to be promoted for export growth since Zimbabwe is competitive in these sectors. However the manufacturing sector cannot be ignored, since many economies have developed due to exports of manufactured products and a country needs to have balanced export growth in both primary and manufacturing sectors. In order to have motivated, career SME exporters, entrepreneurship education should begin from primary school right up to university so as to improve entrepreneurial aspirations, attitudes and behaviour in the long run.
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  • Date Issued: 2017

Determinants of household debt in South Africa

  • Authors: Zimucha, Tinashe M
  • Date: 2017
  • Subjects: Consumer credit -- South Africa Finance, Personal -- South Africa
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/7967 , vital:31325
  • Description: Significant changes have occurred in South Africa during the past decades in household saving and borrowing behaviour. The rapid increase in South Africa’s household debt over the last twenty years has been an international phenomenon. In most countries, household debt increased from the 1990s until the crisis of 2007–2008 before stabilising due to a recession and deleveraging. The study used an ARDL model to investigate the determinants of household debt in South Africa. Pairwise regression is used to select the most relevant variables affecting household regression in the country. The results of the study showed that consumer confidence, the bond market index and the vulnerability index have a positive effect on household debt. As consumers' faith in the performance of the economy increases, household debt also increases as expected, reflecting consumers' belief in increased future wealth. The positive influence of the vulnerability index suggests that households tend to resort to borrowing to smooth consumption when incomes and other related factors decline. It is recommended that national policy should tighten regulations around access to unsecured credit to minimise the stress on already vulnerable households.
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  • Date Issued: 2017

Determinants of rail passenger transport usage : a case of Buffalo City Municipality

  • Authors: Ntlatywa, Kholosa
  • Date: 2017
  • Subjects: Railroads -- South Africa -- Statistical services Transportation -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Railroads -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/8780 , vital:33580
  • Description: The transport sector is an important contributor to South Africa’s economy. This sector have positive effects on South African citizens and the nation as a whole through mobility and accessibility. Rail transport is a suitable mode of transport for both long distance travel and short distances. This study investigated the determinants of rail passengers transport usage. The main objective of the study were to investigate the factors that influence the rail transport usage among passengers in Buffalo City Municipality. The second objective was to determine the incidence of rail transport usage among passengers in Buffalo City Municipality. Descriptive analysis in the form of Pearson-chi square and inferential analysis using Probit regression were used for data analysis in this study. The study used closed-ended questionnaires and the questionnaires were distributed to 100 people. The results of the study revealed that level of income, occupation, level of education, safety, and affordability are the common factors that influence the usage of trains for transport. The frequency of usage based on income was about 44 percent, with about 55 percent of people indicating they make use of trains because they find it a safe mode transport. The income level, safety, occupation and affordability were statistically insignificant. The level of education had a high frequency at 74 percent and it was statistically signifacant.004. The second part of the study assessed the incidence of train usage and results revealed that most of people (about 74 percent) travel by train daily.
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  • Date Issued: 2017

Determinants of smallholder vegetable farmers' participation on post-harvest practices and market access : evidence from Mashonaland East Province of Zimbabwe

  • Authors: Mukarumbwa, Peter
  • Date: 2017
  • Subjects: Farms, Small -- Zimbabwe Vegetables -- Zimbabwe -- Marketing Vegetable trade -- Zimbabwe
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/8703 , vital:33431
  • Description: Smallholder vegetable production is very vital in enhancing livelihoods in Zimbabwe’s rural areas. Vegetable production generates household income and improves household food security. Despite this, smallholder vegetable farmers in Zimbabwe suffer huge post-harvest losses which reduce their profits and market competiveness. Post-harvest losses of vegetables are a major dilemma faced by smallholder farmers. They not only represent waste of scare resources such as farm inputs but they also entail wasted investment in terms of time, human effort and food. Furthermore, there are also a myriad of other challenges which constrain smallholder vegetable farmers in Zimbabwe from accessing lucrative markets. The broad objective of the study was to assess smallholder vegetable farmers` preferred post-harvest practices for value addition as well as factors that condition their selection choices, adoption and product market access. The study was conducted in four districts: Seke, Goromonzi, Murehwa and Mutoko, in the Mashonaland East Province of Zimbabwe. A multistage sampling procedure was adopted in the selection of villages and households. A total of 385 smallholder vegetable farmers were interviewed. The survey was undertaken from August–October 2016. Descriptive statistics were employed to analyse the socio-economic and demographic characteristics of households that were sampled in Mashonaland East Province. Age of household head, gender, educational level, household size, farming experience, main sources of income, land ownership, main vegetables produced and main causes of post-harvest losses were some of the statistics that were analysed. The average age of the farmers varied significantly across districts and it was generally high (average of 50 years). Moreover, the average household size was about six (6) individuals, which is an indication of high dependency ratio. The study also revealed the major causes of post-harvest losses across all vegetables predominantly cultivated in the study area were pests and diseases, followed by decay. Most of the underlying causes of huge post-harvest losses were within the control of the farmer. Therefore, the study recommends strategies from policymakers and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) which enhance post-harvest management. These can result in substantial reduction in losses which can increase farmers’ income without necessarily expanding land under cultivation. The Poisson count regression model (PCRM) was used to analyse factors influencing number of post-harvest techniques adopted by smallholder vegetable farmers in the study area. The results of the PCRM revealed that the following variables were significant in influencing number of post-harvest practices adopted by smallholder vegetable growers: gender, education level, household size, age, farming experience, distance to market, market information, group membership, credit, and hired labour. The study recommends concerted efforts through public private partnerships (PPP) to provide active extension about post-harvest education. This will promote the adoption of simple, uncomplicated and innovative low-cost technologies for post-harvest management. The binary logit model was employed to analyse factors that influence smallholder vegetable farmers’ decisions to select a specific post-harvest practice for value addition. This was based on the three major post-harvest practices which were mainly being adopted by smallholder vegetable farmers’ in the study area which were drying, grading and washing. The results of the binary model showed that nine (9) variables were significant in influencing smallholder vegetable farmers’ decisions to select post-harvest practice for value addition. These were: gender, land size, distance to market, market information, family labour, training, target market, quantity produced and storage facilities. Policymakers and other stakeholders need to provide productive resources such as inputs to improve productivity and ultimately selection of basic post-harvest management techniques along the vegetable supply chain. The multinomial logit model was used in the study to analyse factors that influence market channel choice of smallholder vegetable farmers in the study area. The results from the multinomial logistic regression model revealed that distance to market, group membership, adding value, road infrastructure and quantity produced influenced participation in informal markets. On the other hand, gender, distance to market, market information, group membership, producer price, adding value, road infrastructure, quantity produced and market infrastructure influenced farmers’ participation in formal markets. Policies aimed at assisting resources for improved productivity of vegetables should be gender sensitive. Establishment of irrigation schemes as well as provision of credit for smallholder vegetable production are vital interventions. In the same way, crafting of appropriate policies and programmes which foster collective action amongst smallholder vegetable farmers are required. This will enable them to produce larger volumes as well as participate in more lucrative markets. Finally, smallholder vegetable farmers’ transaction costs can be reduced by investment in infrastructure such as roads.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2017

Determination of physiochemical properties and metal levels in soil, water, and plant from Alice landfill site

  • Authors: Maphuhla, N G
  • Date: 2017
  • Subjects: Heavy metals -- Environmental aspects Soil pollution Water -- Pollution
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/6224 , vital:29521
  • Description: The state of soil is of great significance because it is a common medium for plant growth, which provides important nutrients to plants. Water pollution is the build-up of harmful substances in water bodies to the level that results in health problems for people and animals. Heavy metal pollution (of soil, water, and plants) and their health effects on people is a persistent social issue, and several types of research have recognized health risks of residents living close to open dumpsites. Dump sites are sources of heavy metal impurity and toxicity to the surrounding environment. Analyses were done on water and soil samples for temperature, pH, Electrical conductivity (EC), Total dissolved solids (TDS), alkalinity, organic matter, organic carbon and total hardness. The pH results range from slightly acidic (6.79) to neutral soil pH (7.09), and have been recorded within the normal range from WHO. All the determined physicochemical properties in soil and water have been recorded within the normal range, except for EC in water which was found to be above the permissible limits by WHO. The heavy metals concentration was determined using the AAS technique. The results obtained shows that the dumpsite‘s soil consists of high metal concentration when compared to control site. The concentration in dumpsites ranges between 1.2783 ± 0.83 mg/kg to 26.3213 ± 6.37 mg/kg. The descending order for selected metal concentrations were in this following order Mn> Cu>Hg>Pb. The Pb and Hg mean concentration was recorded above permissible limits, while the Mn and Cu were within the normal range suggested by WHO. In both water and Acacia karroo samples the Cu was not detected. The trend of metal concentration in water sample was found to be in this order Hg> Mn > Pb> Cu, while in Acacia karroo metal concentration is Hg> Mn> Pb> Cu. The one-way ANOVA test was used to compare the mean concentration of selected metals in each sampling site. The results show that there is a statistically significant difference between the mean concentrations of selected metals; this is supported by the value of F-static and p-value (p <0.05)
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2017

Determination of species and instars of the larvae of the Afrotropical species of Thanatophilus Leach, 1817 (Coleoptera, Silphidae)

  • Authors: Daniel, Claire A , Midgley, John M , Villet, Martin H
  • Date: 2017
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/440652 , vital:73800 , https://doi.org/10.3897/ AfrInvertebr.58.12966
  • Description: Thanatophilus micans and T. mutilatus have significance for forensic entomology. Their larvae are therefore described and a key is provided for identifying the larvae of Afrotropical Silphidae based on morphological characters. It is shown that seven common species of Thanatophilus can be distinguished by a 360 bp mtDNA sequence from the cytochrome oxidase I gene.
  • Full Text:
  • Date Issued: 2017
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