An investigation of the efficacy of the Office of the Auditor-General in ensuring public financial accountability in the Gauteng Province
- Authors: Khumalo, Mildred Tariro
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Finance, Public -- South Africa , Budget -- South Africa -- Gauteng , Liability (Law)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MPA
- Identifier: vital:11645 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/283 , Finance, Public -- South Africa , Budget -- South Africa -- Gauteng , Liability (Law)
- Description: Increasing accountability is a key element in a wide variety of governance reforms, from national level, public sector restructuring, to anti corruption campaigns and to centralise service delivery at local levels. (Van Wyk, 2002:311). Financial accountability has a major effect on performance issues, and these two combined have implications on democratic accountability. It is obviously a fact that when public officials become accountable, this will have a positive effect on service delivery. The introduction of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) 1999 (Act 1 of 1999) as amended by Act 29 of 1999 adopts an approach to financial management, which emphasises the need for accountability of results by focusing on output and responsibility rather than the rule driven approach of the previous Exchequer Acts. One quickly realises that the PFMA aims to regulate financial management at both National and Provincial levels of government. It directs attention at revenue, expenditure, assets and liabilities and aims to see that these are managed efficiently and effectively. Public finance accountability is increasingly becoming important in the public sector. One means of effecting accountability is through auditing. For this reason the Office of the Auditor -General through the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa 1996 (Act 108 of 1996 section 216 (1)) was established to facilitate effective accountability through auditing. The Office of the Auditor -General’s role is by no means minor, for it plays a major role in curbing corruption and acts as a ‘watchdog’ of the nation over public funds. Amidst high mismanagement and misuse of public resources, as well as corruption, especially in developing countries, the major question one asks is how effective the Auditor -General can be in ensuring effective public financial management and accountability within state departments so as to improve service delivery.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
- Authors: Khumalo, Mildred Tariro
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Finance, Public -- South Africa , Budget -- South Africa -- Gauteng , Liability (Law)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MPA
- Identifier: vital:11645 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/283 , Finance, Public -- South Africa , Budget -- South Africa -- Gauteng , Liability (Law)
- Description: Increasing accountability is a key element in a wide variety of governance reforms, from national level, public sector restructuring, to anti corruption campaigns and to centralise service delivery at local levels. (Van Wyk, 2002:311). Financial accountability has a major effect on performance issues, and these two combined have implications on democratic accountability. It is obviously a fact that when public officials become accountable, this will have a positive effect on service delivery. The introduction of the Public Finance Management Act (PFMA) 1999 (Act 1 of 1999) as amended by Act 29 of 1999 adopts an approach to financial management, which emphasises the need for accountability of results by focusing on output and responsibility rather than the rule driven approach of the previous Exchequer Acts. One quickly realises that the PFMA aims to regulate financial management at both National and Provincial levels of government. It directs attention at revenue, expenditure, assets and liabilities and aims to see that these are managed efficiently and effectively. Public finance accountability is increasingly becoming important in the public sector. One means of effecting accountability is through auditing. For this reason the Office of the Auditor -General through the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa 1996 (Act 108 of 1996 section 216 (1)) was established to facilitate effective accountability through auditing. The Office of the Auditor -General’s role is by no means minor, for it plays a major role in curbing corruption and acts as a ‘watchdog’ of the nation over public funds. Amidst high mismanagement and misuse of public resources, as well as corruption, especially in developing countries, the major question one asks is how effective the Auditor -General can be in ensuring effective public financial management and accountability within state departments so as to improve service delivery.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
An investigation of the principal's leadership role in a successful rural school in Namibia
- Authors: Tjivikua, Uerivangera Chris
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Rural schools -- Namibia School principals -- Namibia School management and organization -- Namibia Educational leadership -- Namibia
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1656 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003539
- Description: Rural schools are faced with numerous challenges and are often perceived to be academically unsuccessful. However, in spite of this perception there are some which manage to beat the odds by being academically successful year after year. This peculiar phenomenon of ‘unequal performance’ among rural schools struck my interest; hence my decision to investigate what it is that successful rural schools do to keep afloat in a turbulent environment where others around them collapsed. As the literature suggests that leadership play a key role in the success of an organisation, I focused my study on how the leadership role of the principal makes a rural school thrive. The study is situated in the interpretive paradigm and attempts to reveal participants’ perceptions and experiences of the principal’s leadership. My participants were the principal, circuit inspector, the School Board Chairperson, a Head of Department and the LRC president. These people were purposefully selected; the principal was selected because he is the one executing the roles hence he would be better informed about them while the others due to the positions they occupy, work closely with the principal. The research is a case study as it focused on a single case, and for data generation I employed semi-structured interviews, observation and document analysis. The study revealed various characteristics that describe the leadership role of the principal. An overarching characteristic that emerged is that the principal is a balanced leader - he focuses on both task completion and consideration for people. Different characteristics that emerged from this balance leadership portrayed the principal of Ruacana Senior Secondary School to be a transformational and an instructional leader who believes that teaching and learning are the central activities of a school. Moreover he has been painted to be a team player and a servant leader who holds and practices the principle of ubuntu. The principal has also been described as a strategic and exemplary leader. It emerged that his exemplary leadership has moulded the practices of teachers and learners into a shared culture that supports academic excellence. The findings also depicted a paradoxical picture of the principal in that while he exhibits democratic procedures he is also perceived to be autocratic.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
- Authors: Tjivikua, Uerivangera Chris
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Rural schools -- Namibia School principals -- Namibia School management and organization -- Namibia Educational leadership -- Namibia
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1656 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003539
- Description: Rural schools are faced with numerous challenges and are often perceived to be academically unsuccessful. However, in spite of this perception there are some which manage to beat the odds by being academically successful year after year. This peculiar phenomenon of ‘unequal performance’ among rural schools struck my interest; hence my decision to investigate what it is that successful rural schools do to keep afloat in a turbulent environment where others around them collapsed. As the literature suggests that leadership play a key role in the success of an organisation, I focused my study on how the leadership role of the principal makes a rural school thrive. The study is situated in the interpretive paradigm and attempts to reveal participants’ perceptions and experiences of the principal’s leadership. My participants were the principal, circuit inspector, the School Board Chairperson, a Head of Department and the LRC president. These people were purposefully selected; the principal was selected because he is the one executing the roles hence he would be better informed about them while the others due to the positions they occupy, work closely with the principal. The research is a case study as it focused on a single case, and for data generation I employed semi-structured interviews, observation and document analysis. The study revealed various characteristics that describe the leadership role of the principal. An overarching characteristic that emerged is that the principal is a balanced leader - he focuses on both task completion and consideration for people. Different characteristics that emerged from this balance leadership portrayed the principal of Ruacana Senior Secondary School to be a transformational and an instructional leader who believes that teaching and learning are the central activities of a school. Moreover he has been painted to be a team player and a servant leader who holds and practices the principle of ubuntu. The principal has also been described as a strategic and exemplary leader. It emerged that his exemplary leadership has moulded the practices of teachers and learners into a shared culture that supports academic excellence. The findings also depicted a paradoxical picture of the principal in that while he exhibits democratic procedures he is also perceived to be autocratic.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
An investigation of the response of entities in the South African JSE ICT sector in 2005 to environmental sustainability reporting
- Authors: Rafferty, Kevin Lee
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Information technology -- South Africa Communication in organizations -- South Africa Sustainable development -- South Africa Social responsibility of business -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: vital:753 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003874
- Description: Pressure is on organisations the world over to report to their stakeholders, not only on their economic performance, but also on their environmental and social performance. In South Africa the King II code of corporate governance provides the guidance and impetus for this integrated “triple bottom line” sustainability reporting. The ICT sector in South Africa has been cited as lagging behind other sectors with regards to sustainability reporting, particularly in environmental sustainability reporting. Many ICT organisations would appear to be using their office and service based existence as reasons for having little or no impact on the environment. The study of the impacts of ICT on environmental sustainability in this research suggests that this is not necessarily the case. An assessment tool based on the internationally recognised Global Reporting Initiative Guidelines was developed in this research to investigate the level of environmental sustainability reporting in the South African ICT sector. The investigation showed the level of environmental sustainability reporting in the sector’s 2005 annual reports to be low. To get an indication of the level of reporting in more developed countries, a small sample of international ICT and service organisations was assessed using the tool, which showed significantly higher levels of environmental sustainability reporting. A set of ICT specific environmental sustainability performance indicators are proposed to enhance and encourage more significant levels of environmental sustainability reporting in South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
- Authors: Rafferty, Kevin Lee
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Information technology -- South Africa Communication in organizations -- South Africa Sustainable development -- South Africa Social responsibility of business -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: vital:753 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003874
- Description: Pressure is on organisations the world over to report to their stakeholders, not only on their economic performance, but also on their environmental and social performance. In South Africa the King II code of corporate governance provides the guidance and impetus for this integrated “triple bottom line” sustainability reporting. The ICT sector in South Africa has been cited as lagging behind other sectors with regards to sustainability reporting, particularly in environmental sustainability reporting. Many ICT organisations would appear to be using their office and service based existence as reasons for having little or no impact on the environment. The study of the impacts of ICT on environmental sustainability in this research suggests that this is not necessarily the case. An assessment tool based on the internationally recognised Global Reporting Initiative Guidelines was developed in this research to investigate the level of environmental sustainability reporting in the South African ICT sector. The investigation showed the level of environmental sustainability reporting in the sector’s 2005 annual reports to be low. To get an indication of the level of reporting in more developed countries, a small sample of international ICT and service organisations was assessed using the tool, which showed significantly higher levels of environmental sustainability reporting. A set of ICT specific environmental sustainability performance indicators are proposed to enhance and encourage more significant levels of environmental sustainability reporting in South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
An investigation of the role of leadership in strategic planning
- Authors: Devenish, Sean
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Leadership , Strategic planning , Management
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: vital:8744 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/746 , Leadership , Strategic planning , Management
- Description: Leadership and planning requires more strategic thinkers on all management levels in an organization. Historically, senior management does not effectively identify those leaders that posses the core traits and competencies to adequately influence the corporate culture by way of transformational and visionary leadership styles, so that it is aligned to the long-term strategy. In this research the author first embarked on a theoretical study into leadership and the associated contingency models, which have lead to the emergence of new styles of leadership, such as transformational, situational and visionary leadership. Thereafter, successful strategy planning and implementation was investigated to determine which leadership styles did the literature reveal are more conducive to successfully executing strategy in adaptive and culturally diverse corporate cultures. Thirdly, an empirical study was conducted to ascertain to what extent transformational and transactional leadership practices by South African firms are being adopted, and the amount of emphasis placed on the strategic thinking process between the leadership styles. Lastly, the data was analysed to explain the relationship between transformational and transactional leadership and strategic planning, and to make recommendations based on the research.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
- Authors: Devenish, Sean
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Leadership , Strategic planning , Management
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: vital:8744 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/746 , Leadership , Strategic planning , Management
- Description: Leadership and planning requires more strategic thinkers on all management levels in an organization. Historically, senior management does not effectively identify those leaders that posses the core traits and competencies to adequately influence the corporate culture by way of transformational and visionary leadership styles, so that it is aligned to the long-term strategy. In this research the author first embarked on a theoretical study into leadership and the associated contingency models, which have lead to the emergence of new styles of leadership, such as transformational, situational and visionary leadership. Thereafter, successful strategy planning and implementation was investigated to determine which leadership styles did the literature reveal are more conducive to successfully executing strategy in adaptive and culturally diverse corporate cultures. Thirdly, an empirical study was conducted to ascertain to what extent transformational and transactional leadership practices by South African firms are being adopted, and the amount of emphasis placed on the strategic thinking process between the leadership styles. Lastly, the data was analysed to explain the relationship between transformational and transactional leadership and strategic planning, and to make recommendations based on the research.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
An investigation of the sustainability of the Imbewu Project at Phiwe Primary School
- Authors: Maselana, Thobeka
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Education -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Sustainable development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Project method in teaching -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape School improvement programs -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Case studies Educational change -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Education and state -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1924 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007509
- Description: Sustainable development and projects are relatively new terms In the South African context. This study explores these concepts as they relate to a school that is piloting a project in the Eastern Cape. A number of projects have been introduced in disadvantaged schools to redress imbalances of the past. Funders invest a lot of money, but when they leave, schools struggle to sustain these initiatives. This study aims to investigate whether the Imbewu Project, an educational development pilot project meant to improve schools in the Eastern Cape, made provision for long-term sustainability and whether the school sustained the project. Very little research seems to have been conducted on sustainability, especially in South Africa (SA). The study is conducted in the interpretive paradigm. A single case study involving a number of stakeholders at Phiwe Primary School (PPS) was conducted through observations, interviews, focus groups and document analysis. The study found that the action research strategy intended for the project was constrained by the limited time allowed. In addition, the approach did not address processes which are important for sustainability. Also, the cascade approach to learning is not successful in organisations that have not reached the status of being learning organisations. PPS is still struggling to change its culture and therefore one can say that they cannot sustain the changes that are brought by the project. Firstly, they did not involve the parents in most modules as the project suggested. Secondly, some facilitators did not understand the project. Thirdly, although the project provided for monitoring and support, the study found that there was inadequate support from the project team and district officials. There was a shortage of district officials because the Eastern Cape Department of Education did not invest in appointing people that could sustain the project. However, there are areas where the school is doing an outstanding job despite the fact that there was very little support. The school performed well in implementing and sustaining the project in the following areas: learner welfare, community involvement and involvement of staff members in committees.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
- Authors: Maselana, Thobeka
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Education -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Sustainable development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Project method in teaching -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape School improvement programs -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Case studies Educational change -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Education and state -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1924 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007509
- Description: Sustainable development and projects are relatively new terms In the South African context. This study explores these concepts as they relate to a school that is piloting a project in the Eastern Cape. A number of projects have been introduced in disadvantaged schools to redress imbalances of the past. Funders invest a lot of money, but when they leave, schools struggle to sustain these initiatives. This study aims to investigate whether the Imbewu Project, an educational development pilot project meant to improve schools in the Eastern Cape, made provision for long-term sustainability and whether the school sustained the project. Very little research seems to have been conducted on sustainability, especially in South Africa (SA). The study is conducted in the interpretive paradigm. A single case study involving a number of stakeholders at Phiwe Primary School (PPS) was conducted through observations, interviews, focus groups and document analysis. The study found that the action research strategy intended for the project was constrained by the limited time allowed. In addition, the approach did not address processes which are important for sustainability. Also, the cascade approach to learning is not successful in organisations that have not reached the status of being learning organisations. PPS is still struggling to change its culture and therefore one can say that they cannot sustain the changes that are brought by the project. Firstly, they did not involve the parents in most modules as the project suggested. Secondly, some facilitators did not understand the project. Thirdly, although the project provided for monitoring and support, the study found that there was inadequate support from the project team and district officials. There was a shortage of district officials because the Eastern Cape Department of Education did not invest in appointing people that could sustain the project. However, there are areas where the school is doing an outstanding job despite the fact that there was very little support. The school performed well in implementing and sustaining the project in the following areas: learner welfare, community involvement and involvement of staff members in committees.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
Analysing the effect of FSP on MIG-laser hybrid welded 6082-T6 AA joints
- Authors: Mjali, Kadephi Vuyolwethu
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Friction stir welding
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: vital:9610 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/563 , Friction stir welding
- Description: Friction Stir Processing (FSP) of aluminium alloys has been used to modify and improve the microstructure and relevant properties of fusion welded aluminium alloys. The effect of FSP on MIG-Laser Hybrid (MLH) welded aluminium alloy 6082-T6 mechanical and microstructural properties has been studied in this research. The FSP process was used on 6mm thick aluminium alloy plates and a tool was designed specifically for FSP, and the effect of varying speeds was analysed before the final FSP welds were made. The effect of FSP was analysed by optical microscopy, tensile, microhardness and fatigue testing. The aim of the study was to determine whether the FSP process has a beneficial influence on the mechanical properties and metallurgical integrity of MIG-Laser Hybrid welded 6082-T6 aluminium alloy with varying gap tolerances. Three welding processes were compared, namely combined Friction Stir Processing on MIG-Laser hybrid process (FSP-MLH), MLH and Friction Stir Welding (FSW) as part of the analysis. (FSP was carried out on MLH components when it was found that FSP is not an entirely complete welding process but rather a finishing process per se.) The aim of this dissertation is to investigate the effects of the FSP process on the weld quality of MLH welded joints and also to compare this to individual processes like FSW and MLH. This investigation was undertaken in order to gain an understanding of the effect of these processes on fatigue performance and microhardness distribution on aluminium alloy 6082-T6 weld joints.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
- Authors: Mjali, Kadephi Vuyolwethu
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Friction stir welding
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: vital:9610 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/563 , Friction stir welding
- Description: Friction Stir Processing (FSP) of aluminium alloys has been used to modify and improve the microstructure and relevant properties of fusion welded aluminium alloys. The effect of FSP on MIG-Laser Hybrid (MLH) welded aluminium alloy 6082-T6 mechanical and microstructural properties has been studied in this research. The FSP process was used on 6mm thick aluminium alloy plates and a tool was designed specifically for FSP, and the effect of varying speeds was analysed before the final FSP welds were made. The effect of FSP was analysed by optical microscopy, tensile, microhardness and fatigue testing. The aim of the study was to determine whether the FSP process has a beneficial influence on the mechanical properties and metallurgical integrity of MIG-Laser Hybrid welded 6082-T6 aluminium alloy with varying gap tolerances. Three welding processes were compared, namely combined Friction Stir Processing on MIG-Laser hybrid process (FSP-MLH), MLH and Friction Stir Welding (FSW) as part of the analysis. (FSP was carried out on MLH components when it was found that FSP is not an entirely complete welding process but rather a finishing process per se.) The aim of this dissertation is to investigate the effects of the FSP process on the weld quality of MLH welded joints and also to compare this to individual processes like FSW and MLH. This investigation was undertaken in order to gain an understanding of the effect of these processes on fatigue performance and microhardness distribution on aluminium alloy 6082-T6 weld joints.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
Analysis of fuel consumption reduction potential through the use of an electrically driven air conditioning compressor
- Authors: Marais, Charel
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Automobiles -- Air conditioning , Electric vehicles -- Power supply , Automobiles -- Fuel systems , Electric automobiles
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: vital:9623 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/774 , Automobiles -- Air conditioning , Electric vehicles -- Power supply , Automobiles -- Fuel systems , Electric automobiles
- Description: The disturbing current situation regarding the world climate has initiated a major wave of urgent developments towards decreasing the overall impact of human activities on the living environment. A major role player in this development is the automobile industry that is inherently connected to pollution of various types, be it air, water or noise pollution. There have been drastic changes not only in the technologies employed in producing vehicles and components, but also in the construction and technologies built into modern automobiles to lessen the overall environmental impact of the industry. Noxious emissions have been decreased, overall efficiencies increased and vehicles are becoming more economical with each new generation. Stricter laws dictate that the level of acceptable vehicle emissions is to be decreased ever further and all manufacturers are developing various possibilities to achieve this. With the emergence of hybrid vehicle technology, there was also a sudden development of different electrical systems that were made viable by the higher onboard voltage systems employed in hybrid vehicles. One of these developments was the electrical air conditioning compressor for use in automobile applications. Although it is designed to operate with a higher voltage than the traditional 12V onboard vehicle systems, it is theoretically possible to incorporate it into a 12V system by making use of a DC-DC converter to step up the supply voltage of the electrical compressor sufficiently to allow for its successful operation. The question therefore arises whether it would be feasible and sensible to employ an electrical air conditioning system in conventional combustion engine vehicles from an overall fuel consumption and vehicle emissions point of view. A modelling approach was taken where an overall vehicle driving simulation was created to represent an average modern production vehicle. The simulation was then extended to include the options of incorporating models for both mechanically and electrically driven air conditioning systems. This provides insight into the influences of the air conditioning system on the vehicle’s overall fuel consumption and an opportunity to compare the influences from the two different systems. This study attempted to provide answers to some of the viability questions regarding the incorporation of electrically driven air conditioning systems into vehicles that use standard 12V onboard voltage systems. It was found that the electrical system has definite potential as a viable replacement option for the conventional system should it be combined with an appropriate alternator and equipped with an efficient control system.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
- Authors: Marais, Charel
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Automobiles -- Air conditioning , Electric vehicles -- Power supply , Automobiles -- Fuel systems , Electric automobiles
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: vital:9623 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/774 , Automobiles -- Air conditioning , Electric vehicles -- Power supply , Automobiles -- Fuel systems , Electric automobiles
- Description: The disturbing current situation regarding the world climate has initiated a major wave of urgent developments towards decreasing the overall impact of human activities on the living environment. A major role player in this development is the automobile industry that is inherently connected to pollution of various types, be it air, water or noise pollution. There have been drastic changes not only in the technologies employed in producing vehicles and components, but also in the construction and technologies built into modern automobiles to lessen the overall environmental impact of the industry. Noxious emissions have been decreased, overall efficiencies increased and vehicles are becoming more economical with each new generation. Stricter laws dictate that the level of acceptable vehicle emissions is to be decreased ever further and all manufacturers are developing various possibilities to achieve this. With the emergence of hybrid vehicle technology, there was also a sudden development of different electrical systems that were made viable by the higher onboard voltage systems employed in hybrid vehicles. One of these developments was the electrical air conditioning compressor for use in automobile applications. Although it is designed to operate with a higher voltage than the traditional 12V onboard vehicle systems, it is theoretically possible to incorporate it into a 12V system by making use of a DC-DC converter to step up the supply voltage of the electrical compressor sufficiently to allow for its successful operation. The question therefore arises whether it would be feasible and sensible to employ an electrical air conditioning system in conventional combustion engine vehicles from an overall fuel consumption and vehicle emissions point of view. A modelling approach was taken where an overall vehicle driving simulation was created to represent an average modern production vehicle. The simulation was then extended to include the options of incorporating models for both mechanically and electrically driven air conditioning systems. This provides insight into the influences of the air conditioning system on the vehicle’s overall fuel consumption and an opportunity to compare the influences from the two different systems. This study attempted to provide answers to some of the viability questions regarding the incorporation of electrically driven air conditioning systems into vehicles that use standard 12V onboard voltage systems. It was found that the electrical system has definite potential as a viable replacement option for the conventional system should it be combined with an appropriate alternator and equipped with an efficient control system.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
Apprenticing learners in the context of the Grade 10 physical science classroom
- Authors: Gray, Wesley Barclay
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Science -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- South Africa. Education, Bilingual -- South Africa Language and education -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1423 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003304
- Description: The number of African learners who participate and succeed in physical science is recognized to be ‘disturbingly low’. One of the factors attributed to the low levels of enrolment and performance in physical science is language. In this study, teaching and learning through the language of science is examined in the context of the bilingual classroom. A model of analysis is constructed that (1) extends the notion of the language of science to include the mathematical and visual ‘languages’ of science, (2) takes recognition of the manner in which language, content, and values and beliefs construct the science learner, and (3) moves beyond the characterization of teaching and learning according to the dichotomy of the ‘traditional’/ the ‘progressive’. The model of analysis draws upon the central concepts of a sociocultural model of pedagogy, namely the ‘developmental model’. In addition, the model of analysis makes use of Systemic Functional Linguistics to examine teaching and learning at the micro level of classroom interaction. This study reveals the complex nature in which the language, content, and values and beliefs change as a lesson unfolds: teaching and learning through the language of science has been shown in these classrooms to be marked by features of both a ‘traditional’ and a ‘progressive’ model – each of which appears to serve different functions in the overall construction of the science learner. In addition, this study begins to uncover how a ‘successful’ teacher equips his/ her learners in the context of the bilingual physical science classroom: teaching and learning through the language of science has been shown in these classrooms to incorporate complex and varied strategies that depend upon choices made by both the teacher and learners. These findings substantiate the need to understand the challenges teachers and learners face in the bilingual physical science classroom in ways that acknowledge the complexity of the teaching and learning process.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
- Authors: Gray, Wesley Barclay
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Science -- Study and teaching (Secondary) -- South Africa. Education, Bilingual -- South Africa Language and education -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1423 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003304
- Description: The number of African learners who participate and succeed in physical science is recognized to be ‘disturbingly low’. One of the factors attributed to the low levels of enrolment and performance in physical science is language. In this study, teaching and learning through the language of science is examined in the context of the bilingual classroom. A model of analysis is constructed that (1) extends the notion of the language of science to include the mathematical and visual ‘languages’ of science, (2) takes recognition of the manner in which language, content, and values and beliefs construct the science learner, and (3) moves beyond the characterization of teaching and learning according to the dichotomy of the ‘traditional’/ the ‘progressive’. The model of analysis draws upon the central concepts of a sociocultural model of pedagogy, namely the ‘developmental model’. In addition, the model of analysis makes use of Systemic Functional Linguistics to examine teaching and learning at the micro level of classroom interaction. This study reveals the complex nature in which the language, content, and values and beliefs change as a lesson unfolds: teaching and learning through the language of science has been shown in these classrooms to be marked by features of both a ‘traditional’ and a ‘progressive’ model – each of which appears to serve different functions in the overall construction of the science learner. In addition, this study begins to uncover how a ‘successful’ teacher equips his/ her learners in the context of the bilingual physical science classroom: teaching and learning through the language of science has been shown in these classrooms to incorporate complex and varied strategies that depend upon choices made by both the teacher and learners. These findings substantiate the need to understand the challenges teachers and learners face in the bilingual physical science classroom in ways that acknowledge the complexity of the teaching and learning process.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
Aspects of delictual liability in pharmacy practice
- Authors: Lewis, Melissa Geane
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Pharmacy -- Practice Pharmacist and patient Pharmacy -- Social aspects Pharmacists -- Malpractice Pharmacy -- Law and legislation
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , LLM
- Identifier: vital:3706 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005963
- Description: The thesis explores the various instances in which pharmacists may incur delictual liability for harm suffered by their patients or third parties. As such, it is primarily concerned with the field of professional negligence. The work focuses specifically on the wrongfulness, fault and causation enquiries in pharmacy malpractice cases. The discussion is set against the backdrop of the pharmacy profession's shift towards patient-orientated service in recent years and explores whether this change in the profession's social role has had any effect on the legal duties and standard of care to which pharmacists are currently bound. It is argued that, in light of the dangers posed by modern medicines and the extent to which pharmacists are professionally expected to involve themselves in patient care, pharmacists can no longer escape liability simply by accurately dispensing pharmaceutical products. Rather, they are expected to participate actively in avoiding drug-related injury by, for example, providing patient counselling, detecting invalid or erroneous prescriptions and monitoring prescription refills. Although the thesis places particular emphasis on the role of pharmacists in achieving risk management, it also argues that pharmacists are, in very limited circumstances, required to participate in the risk assessment process traditionally thought to fall exclusively into the realm of physicians. It is furthermore demonstrated that pharmacists can incur liability regardless of whether a patient's harm can also be partially attributed to the blameworthy conduct of another healthcare professional. Although the thesis concludes that pharmacists are currently exposed to greater risks of liability than they were in the past, it also shows that plaintiffs who seek damages from pharmacists will usually experience a number of difficulties in establishing liability. In particular, problems are likely to be encountered in satisfying a court as to the presence of factual causation, which is notoriously difficult to establish in drug-related cases.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
- Authors: Lewis, Melissa Geane
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Pharmacy -- Practice Pharmacist and patient Pharmacy -- Social aspects Pharmacists -- Malpractice Pharmacy -- Law and legislation
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , LLM
- Identifier: vital:3706 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005963
- Description: The thesis explores the various instances in which pharmacists may incur delictual liability for harm suffered by their patients or third parties. As such, it is primarily concerned with the field of professional negligence. The work focuses specifically on the wrongfulness, fault and causation enquiries in pharmacy malpractice cases. The discussion is set against the backdrop of the pharmacy profession's shift towards patient-orientated service in recent years and explores whether this change in the profession's social role has had any effect on the legal duties and standard of care to which pharmacists are currently bound. It is argued that, in light of the dangers posed by modern medicines and the extent to which pharmacists are professionally expected to involve themselves in patient care, pharmacists can no longer escape liability simply by accurately dispensing pharmaceutical products. Rather, they are expected to participate actively in avoiding drug-related injury by, for example, providing patient counselling, detecting invalid or erroneous prescriptions and monitoring prescription refills. Although the thesis places particular emphasis on the role of pharmacists in achieving risk management, it also argues that pharmacists are, in very limited circumstances, required to participate in the risk assessment process traditionally thought to fall exclusively into the realm of physicians. It is furthermore demonstrated that pharmacists can incur liability regardless of whether a patient's harm can also be partially attributed to the blameworthy conduct of another healthcare professional. Although the thesis concludes that pharmacists are currently exposed to greater risks of liability than they were in the past, it also shows that plaintiffs who seek damages from pharmacists will usually experience a number of difficulties in establishing liability. In particular, problems are likely to be encountered in satisfying a court as to the presence of factual causation, which is notoriously difficult to establish in drug-related cases.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
Assessing management competencies in selected Southern Cape Municipalities
- Authors: Krapohl, Johannes
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Local government -- South Africa , Core competencies , Performance -- Management
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: vital:8571 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/797 , Local government -- South Africa , Core competencies , Performance -- Management
- Description: In his 2006 State of the Nation Address, President Thabo Mbeki emphasised the need for the development of managerial competencies and other skills to empower the country’s municipalities to meet the needs of the community (Governance and Administration, 2005). In order to meet the needs of the local community, municipalities need to render effective and efficient services. The lack of relevant managerial competencies adversly influences the municipality’s capacity to deliver the required services. In addition, the uneven distribution of capabilities and capacity across different sections within a municipality also poses a great risk to municipal performance and equitable service provision over the medium term. Notwithstanding progress made to date, service delivery backlogs still exist in key areas that affect the daily lives of the community. Where these backlogs coincide with poor municipal capacity, the result is service failure and a government that is incapable of meeting its goals (Governance and Administration, 2005). The objective of the study is to assess the contemporary management competencies that are required to assist municipal management in addressing the challenges of a dynamic, uncertain and complex Local Government environment. A questionnaire was used to gather the perceptions of 26 senior managers. This sample constituted a response rate of 65 per cent of people employed by municipalities within the Eden District Municipality’s service area. The questionnaires were distributed to the senior managers by means of an identified contact person within each municipality. The empirical findings such as the mean, median, standard deviation and pvalues were calculated by means of MS Excel. The main findings of this research indicated that: • Presently the most developed managerial competencies were selfmanagement, strategic action, planning and administration and communication. • The least developed current competency was global awareness. • The managerial competencies regarded as the most important for the next ten years were planning, administration and strategic action. • Global awareness was regarded as the least important competency for the next ten years. This finding points to the need for developing the global awareness competency to ensure that Municipal Managers are more sensitive to cultural cues and are able to adapt quickly in novel situations.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
- Authors: Krapohl, Johannes
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Local government -- South Africa , Core competencies , Performance -- Management
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: vital:8571 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/797 , Local government -- South Africa , Core competencies , Performance -- Management
- Description: In his 2006 State of the Nation Address, President Thabo Mbeki emphasised the need for the development of managerial competencies and other skills to empower the country’s municipalities to meet the needs of the community (Governance and Administration, 2005). In order to meet the needs of the local community, municipalities need to render effective and efficient services. The lack of relevant managerial competencies adversly influences the municipality’s capacity to deliver the required services. In addition, the uneven distribution of capabilities and capacity across different sections within a municipality also poses a great risk to municipal performance and equitable service provision over the medium term. Notwithstanding progress made to date, service delivery backlogs still exist in key areas that affect the daily lives of the community. Where these backlogs coincide with poor municipal capacity, the result is service failure and a government that is incapable of meeting its goals (Governance and Administration, 2005). The objective of the study is to assess the contemporary management competencies that are required to assist municipal management in addressing the challenges of a dynamic, uncertain and complex Local Government environment. A questionnaire was used to gather the perceptions of 26 senior managers. This sample constituted a response rate of 65 per cent of people employed by municipalities within the Eden District Municipality’s service area. The questionnaires were distributed to the senior managers by means of an identified contact person within each municipality. The empirical findings such as the mean, median, standard deviation and pvalues were calculated by means of MS Excel. The main findings of this research indicated that: • Presently the most developed managerial competencies were selfmanagement, strategic action, planning and administration and communication. • The least developed current competency was global awareness. • The managerial competencies regarded as the most important for the next ten years were planning, administration and strategic action. • Global awareness was regarded as the least important competency for the next ten years. This finding points to the need for developing the global awareness competency to ensure that Municipal Managers are more sensitive to cultural cues and are able to adapt quickly in novel situations.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
Assessing program code through static structural similarity
- Authors: Naude, Kevin Alexander
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Computer networks -- Security measures , Internet -- Security measures
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:10478 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/578 , Computer networks -- Security measures , Internet -- Security measures
- Description: Learning to write software requires much practice and frequent assessment. Consequently, the use of computers to assist in the assessment of computer programs has been important in supporting large classes at universities. The main approaches to the problem are dynamic analysis (testing student programs for expected output) and static analysis (direct analysis of the program code). The former is very sensitive to all kinds of errors in student programs, while the latter has traditionally only been used to assess quality, and not correctness. This research focusses on the application of static analysis, particularly structural similarity, to marking student programs. Existing traditional measures of similarity are limiting in that they are usually only effective on tree structures. In this regard they do not easily support dependencies in program code. Contemporary measures of structural similarity, such as similarity flooding, usually rely on an internal normalisation of scores. The effect is that the scores only have relative meaning, and cannot be interpreted in isolation, ie. they are not meaningful for assessment. The SimRank measure is shown to have the same problem, but not because of normalisation. The problem with the SimRank measure arises from the fact that its scores depend on all possible mappings between the children of vertices being compared. The main contribution of this research is a novel graph similarity measure, the Weighted Assignment Similarity measure. It is related to SimRank, but derives propagation scores from only the locally optimal mapping between child vertices. The resulting similarity scores may be regarded as the percentage of mutual coverage between graphs. The measure is proven to converge for all directed acyclic graphs, and an efficient implementation is outlined for this case. Attributes on graph vertices and edges are often used to capture domain specific information which is not structural in nature. It has been suggested that these should influence the similarity propagation, but no clear method for doing this has been reported. The second important contribution of this research is a general method for incorporating these local attribute similarities into the larger similarity propagation method. An example of attributes in program graphs are identifier names. The choice of identifiers in programs is arbitrary as they are purely symbolic. A problem facing any comparison between programs is that they are unlikely to use the same set of identifiers. This problem indicates that a mapping between the identifier sets is required. The third contribution of this research is a method for applying the structural similarity measure in a two step process to find an optimal identifier mapping. This approach is both novel and valuable as it cleverly reuses the similarity measure as an existing resource. In general, programming assignments allow a large variety of solutions. Assessing student programs through structural similarity is only feasible if the diversity in the solution space can be addressed. This study narrows program diversity through a set of semantic preserving program transformations that convert programs into a normal form. The application of the Weighted Assignment Similarity measure to marking student programs is investigated, and strong correlations are found with the human marker. It is shown that the most accurate assessment requires that programs not only be compared with a set of good solutions, but rather a mixed set of programs of varying levels of correctness. This research represents the first documented successful application of structural similarity to the marking of student programs.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
- Authors: Naude, Kevin Alexander
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Computer networks -- Security measures , Internet -- Security measures
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:10478 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/578 , Computer networks -- Security measures , Internet -- Security measures
- Description: Learning to write software requires much practice and frequent assessment. Consequently, the use of computers to assist in the assessment of computer programs has been important in supporting large classes at universities. The main approaches to the problem are dynamic analysis (testing student programs for expected output) and static analysis (direct analysis of the program code). The former is very sensitive to all kinds of errors in student programs, while the latter has traditionally only been used to assess quality, and not correctness. This research focusses on the application of static analysis, particularly structural similarity, to marking student programs. Existing traditional measures of similarity are limiting in that they are usually only effective on tree structures. In this regard they do not easily support dependencies in program code. Contemporary measures of structural similarity, such as similarity flooding, usually rely on an internal normalisation of scores. The effect is that the scores only have relative meaning, and cannot be interpreted in isolation, ie. they are not meaningful for assessment. The SimRank measure is shown to have the same problem, but not because of normalisation. The problem with the SimRank measure arises from the fact that its scores depend on all possible mappings between the children of vertices being compared. The main contribution of this research is a novel graph similarity measure, the Weighted Assignment Similarity measure. It is related to SimRank, but derives propagation scores from only the locally optimal mapping between child vertices. The resulting similarity scores may be regarded as the percentage of mutual coverage between graphs. The measure is proven to converge for all directed acyclic graphs, and an efficient implementation is outlined for this case. Attributes on graph vertices and edges are often used to capture domain specific information which is not structural in nature. It has been suggested that these should influence the similarity propagation, but no clear method for doing this has been reported. The second important contribution of this research is a general method for incorporating these local attribute similarities into the larger similarity propagation method. An example of attributes in program graphs are identifier names. The choice of identifiers in programs is arbitrary as they are purely symbolic. A problem facing any comparison between programs is that they are unlikely to use the same set of identifiers. This problem indicates that a mapping between the identifier sets is required. The third contribution of this research is a method for applying the structural similarity measure in a two step process to find an optimal identifier mapping. This approach is both novel and valuable as it cleverly reuses the similarity measure as an existing resource. In general, programming assignments allow a large variety of solutions. Assessing student programs through structural similarity is only feasible if the diversity in the solution space can be addressed. This study narrows program diversity through a set of semantic preserving program transformations that convert programs into a normal form. The application of the Weighted Assignment Similarity measure to marking student programs is investigated, and strong correlations are found with the human marker. It is shown that the most accurate assessment requires that programs not only be compared with a set of good solutions, but rather a mixed set of programs of varying levels of correctness. This research represents the first documented successful application of structural similarity to the marking of student programs.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
Assessing the duty to exhaust internal remedies in the South African law
- Authors: Madebwe, Tinashe Masvimbo
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Remedies (Law) -- South Africa Judicial review of administrative acts -- South Africa Administrative law -- South Africa Administrative law -- England Dispute resolution (Law) -- South Africa Justice, Administration of -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , LLM
- Identifier: vital:3709 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007253
- Description: Since the incorporation of the separation of powers doctrine into the South African Constitution, the problem has arisen that, each of the three tiers of government, the Executive, the Judiciary and the Legislature, has sought to protect exclusive jurisdiction over matters that fall within what constitutes that tier's own realm of authority. The effects of this are especially apparent in the field of dispute resolution in administrative law. The administration is predominantly the province of the Executive, and to a lesser extent, the Legislature. Thus, the acceptability of judicial review in dispute resolution and generally, the intrusion by the Judiciary in matters of the administration is perennially questioned and challenged by both the Executive and the Legislature. In this context, the duty to exhaust internal remedies assumes a pivotal role. It offers a compromise, by prescribing qualified exclusion of judicial review as a first port of call for dispute resolution while simultaneously entrusting initial dispute resolution to the administration. Often, this approach yields tangible results, but from a constitutional and fundamental rights perspective, the duty to exhaust internal remedies is problematic. Its exclusion of judicial review goes against, not only the right of access to court in section 34 of the Constitution, but also the rule of law, to the extent that the rule of law allows for the challenging, in court, of illegal administrative action as soon as it is taken. This thesis analyses the constitutionality of the duty to exhaust internal remedies in section 7(2) of the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act by assessing the consistency of section 7(2) of the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act with the right of access to court in section 34 of the Constitution. The thesis initially examines the origins and historical development of the duty to exhaust internal remedies in the English law, and the subsequent adoption of the duty to exhaust internal remedies into the South African common law for the purpose of interpreting and comprehending the duty to exhaust internal remedies as it is appears in section 7(2) of the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act. Ultimately, the study focuses on and identifies the deficiencies in the current approach to the question of the constitutionality of section 7(2) of the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act, and offers suggestions on how the law might be developed.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
- Authors: Madebwe, Tinashe Masvimbo
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Remedies (Law) -- South Africa Judicial review of administrative acts -- South Africa Administrative law -- South Africa Administrative law -- England Dispute resolution (Law) -- South Africa Justice, Administration of -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , LLM
- Identifier: vital:3709 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007253
- Description: Since the incorporation of the separation of powers doctrine into the South African Constitution, the problem has arisen that, each of the three tiers of government, the Executive, the Judiciary and the Legislature, has sought to protect exclusive jurisdiction over matters that fall within what constitutes that tier's own realm of authority. The effects of this are especially apparent in the field of dispute resolution in administrative law. The administration is predominantly the province of the Executive, and to a lesser extent, the Legislature. Thus, the acceptability of judicial review in dispute resolution and generally, the intrusion by the Judiciary in matters of the administration is perennially questioned and challenged by both the Executive and the Legislature. In this context, the duty to exhaust internal remedies assumes a pivotal role. It offers a compromise, by prescribing qualified exclusion of judicial review as a first port of call for dispute resolution while simultaneously entrusting initial dispute resolution to the administration. Often, this approach yields tangible results, but from a constitutional and fundamental rights perspective, the duty to exhaust internal remedies is problematic. Its exclusion of judicial review goes against, not only the right of access to court in section 34 of the Constitution, but also the rule of law, to the extent that the rule of law allows for the challenging, in court, of illegal administrative action as soon as it is taken. This thesis analyses the constitutionality of the duty to exhaust internal remedies in section 7(2) of the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act by assessing the consistency of section 7(2) of the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act with the right of access to court in section 34 of the Constitution. The thesis initially examines the origins and historical development of the duty to exhaust internal remedies in the English law, and the subsequent adoption of the duty to exhaust internal remedies into the South African common law for the purpose of interpreting and comprehending the duty to exhaust internal remedies as it is appears in section 7(2) of the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act. Ultimately, the study focuses on and identifies the deficiencies in the current approach to the question of the constitutionality of section 7(2) of the Promotion of Administrative Justice Act, and offers suggestions on how the law might be developed.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
Assessing the use of international business strategies among automotive wiring harness manufacturers in the Nelson Mandela Metropole
- Authors: Mears, Michael
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: International trade , International business enterprises -- South Africa , Corporations, Foreign , International economic relations
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: vital:8741 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/764 , International trade , International business enterprises -- South Africa , Corporations, Foreign , International economic relations
- Description: Since 1994, the opening up of the South African economy has presented South African companies with opportunities to exploit the bigger global market and also with challenges of competing with international companies. Companies must consider both external environmental forces and internal organizational factors before arriving at a suitable international strategy. This treatise explores the wiring harness industry in the Nelson Mandela Bay to determine whether the industry is adopting international strategies in line with globalization, thus ensuring sustained growth and profitability. A literature survey was conducted to discover the main strategies that are used by companies in order to achieve global competitiveness. These strategies were used in conjunction with Porter's (1990) theory of National Competitive Advantage to analyse the wiring harness industry in the Nelson Mandela Bay. Porter's (1990) theory of National Competitive Advantage was used to analyse the competitiveness of the wiring harness industry in the Nelson Mandela Bay. A questionnaire was developed to test the degree to which the wiring harness industry in the Nelson Mandela Bay is in agreement with the findings of the literature study. This information was used to determine whether the wiring harness industry in the Nelson Mandela Bay is following global trends to remain profitable.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
- Authors: Mears, Michael
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: International trade , International business enterprises -- South Africa , Corporations, Foreign , International economic relations
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: vital:8741 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/764 , International trade , International business enterprises -- South Africa , Corporations, Foreign , International economic relations
- Description: Since 1994, the opening up of the South African economy has presented South African companies with opportunities to exploit the bigger global market and also with challenges of competing with international companies. Companies must consider both external environmental forces and internal organizational factors before arriving at a suitable international strategy. This treatise explores the wiring harness industry in the Nelson Mandela Bay to determine whether the industry is adopting international strategies in line with globalization, thus ensuring sustained growth and profitability. A literature survey was conducted to discover the main strategies that are used by companies in order to achieve global competitiveness. These strategies were used in conjunction with Porter's (1990) theory of National Competitive Advantage to analyse the wiring harness industry in the Nelson Mandela Bay. Porter's (1990) theory of National Competitive Advantage was used to analyse the competitiveness of the wiring harness industry in the Nelson Mandela Bay. A questionnaire was developed to test the degree to which the wiring harness industry in the Nelson Mandela Bay is in agreement with the findings of the literature study. This information was used to determine whether the wiring harness industry in the Nelson Mandela Bay is following global trends to remain profitable.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
Assessment of antibacterial potentials of Garcinia Kola seed extracts and their interactions with antibiotics
- Authors: Sibanda, Thulani
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Drug resistance in microorganisms , Garcinia , Antibiotics , Medicinal plants
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc (Microbiology)
- Identifier: vital:11242 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/71 , Drug resistance in microorganisms , Garcinia , Antibiotics , Medicinal plants
- Description: The antibacterial potency of the extracts of the seed of Garcinia kola (bitter kola) was investigated in this study against a panel of referenced, environmental and clinical bacterial strains. The killing rates of the active extract as well as their potential for combination antibacterial therapy with standard antibiotics were also elucidated using standard procedures. The aqueous and acetone extracts of the seed were screened for activity against 27 bacterial isolates. The aqueous extract exhibited activity mainly against Gram positive organisms with Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values ranging from 5 mgml-1 – 20 mgml-1, while the acetone extract showed activity against both Gram negative and Gram positive organisms with MIC values ranging from 10 mgml-1 - 0.156 mgml-1. The acetone extract also showed rapid bactericidal activity against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538 with a 3.097 Log10 reduction in counts within 4 hours at 0.3125 mgml-1 and a 1.582 Log10 reduction against Proteus vulgaris CSIR 0030 at 5 mgml-1 after 1 hour. In addition, the aqueous, methanol and acetone extracts of the seeds also exhibited activity against four clinical strains of Staphylococcus isolated from wound sepsis specimens. The MIC values for the aqueous extract were 10 mgml-1 for all the isolates while the acetone and methanol extracts had lower values ranging from 0.3125 - 0.625 mgml-1. The acetone extract was strongly bactericidal against Staphylococcus aureus OKOH3 resulting in a 2.70 Log10 reduction in counts at 1.25 mgml-1 within 4 hours of exposure and a complete elimination of the organism after 8 hours. The bactericidal vi activity of the same extract against Staphylococcus aureus OKOH1 was weak, achieving only a 2.92 Log10 reduction in counts at 1.25 mgml-1 (4× MIC) in 24 hours. In the test for interactions between the acetone extract of the seeds and antibiotics, synergistic interactions were observed largely against Gram positive organisms using the FIC indices, (indices of 0.52 - 0.875) with combinations against Gram negatives yielding largely antagonistic interactions (indices of 2.0 to 5.0). Synergy (≥ 1000 times or ≥ 3 Log10 potentiation of the bactericidal activity) against both Gram negative and Gram positive organisms was detected by time kill assays mainly involving the antibiotics tetracycline, chloramphenicol, amoxycillin and penicillin G. Combinations involving erythromycin and ciprofloxacin consistently gave antagonistic or indifferent interactions. We conclude that the acetone extract of Garcinia kola seeds possess strong bactericidal activities against both Gram positive and Gram negative organisms and can be therapeutically useful in the treatment of bacterial infections including the problematic staphylococcal wound infections. In addition, the acetone extract can be a potential source of broad spectrum resistance modifying compounds that can potentially improve the performance of antibiotics in the treatment of drug resistant infections.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
- Authors: Sibanda, Thulani
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Drug resistance in microorganisms , Garcinia , Antibiotics , Medicinal plants
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc (Microbiology)
- Identifier: vital:11242 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/71 , Drug resistance in microorganisms , Garcinia , Antibiotics , Medicinal plants
- Description: The antibacterial potency of the extracts of the seed of Garcinia kola (bitter kola) was investigated in this study against a panel of referenced, environmental and clinical bacterial strains. The killing rates of the active extract as well as their potential for combination antibacterial therapy with standard antibiotics were also elucidated using standard procedures. The aqueous and acetone extracts of the seed were screened for activity against 27 bacterial isolates. The aqueous extract exhibited activity mainly against Gram positive organisms with Minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values ranging from 5 mgml-1 – 20 mgml-1, while the acetone extract showed activity against both Gram negative and Gram positive organisms with MIC values ranging from 10 mgml-1 - 0.156 mgml-1. The acetone extract also showed rapid bactericidal activity against Staphylococcus aureus ATCC 6538 with a 3.097 Log10 reduction in counts within 4 hours at 0.3125 mgml-1 and a 1.582 Log10 reduction against Proteus vulgaris CSIR 0030 at 5 mgml-1 after 1 hour. In addition, the aqueous, methanol and acetone extracts of the seeds also exhibited activity against four clinical strains of Staphylococcus isolated from wound sepsis specimens. The MIC values for the aqueous extract were 10 mgml-1 for all the isolates while the acetone and methanol extracts had lower values ranging from 0.3125 - 0.625 mgml-1. The acetone extract was strongly bactericidal against Staphylococcus aureus OKOH3 resulting in a 2.70 Log10 reduction in counts at 1.25 mgml-1 within 4 hours of exposure and a complete elimination of the organism after 8 hours. The bactericidal vi activity of the same extract against Staphylococcus aureus OKOH1 was weak, achieving only a 2.92 Log10 reduction in counts at 1.25 mgml-1 (4× MIC) in 24 hours. In the test for interactions between the acetone extract of the seeds and antibiotics, synergistic interactions were observed largely against Gram positive organisms using the FIC indices, (indices of 0.52 - 0.875) with combinations against Gram negatives yielding largely antagonistic interactions (indices of 2.0 to 5.0). Synergy (≥ 1000 times or ≥ 3 Log10 potentiation of the bactericidal activity) against both Gram negative and Gram positive organisms was detected by time kill assays mainly involving the antibiotics tetracycline, chloramphenicol, amoxycillin and penicillin G. Combinations involving erythromycin and ciprofloxacin consistently gave antagonistic or indifferent interactions. We conclude that the acetone extract of Garcinia kola seeds possess strong bactericidal activities against both Gram positive and Gram negative organisms and can be therapeutically useful in the treatment of bacterial infections including the problematic staphylococcal wound infections. In addition, the acetone extract can be a potential source of broad spectrum resistance modifying compounds that can potentially improve the performance of antibiotics in the treatment of drug resistant infections.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
Bones of contention : contestations over human remains in the Eastern Cape
- Authors: Mkhize, Nomalanga
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Dead -- Political aspects -- South Africa Human body -- Symbolic aspects Human remains (Archaeology) -- Repatriation Human remains (Archaeology) -- Repatriation -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Xhosa (African people) -- Social life and customs Eastern Cape (South Africa) -- Social life and customs Eastern Cape (South Africa) -- History
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2597 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007665
- Description: This thesis examines three contestations involving human remains which have arisen in the Eastern Cape over the past fifteen years. It shows that the value or meaning attached to human remains is constructed through the socio-historical dynamics out of which these contestations arise. The meaning and value of human remains is neither inherent nor neutral. In Ndancama's case, the need for housing in Fingo Village led hundreds of poor residents to settle on the township's Old Cemetery in 1972. Basic material needs trumped concerns for those buried in the cemetery. When the post-apartheid municipality sought to provide sewerage and housing infrastructure for Ndancama in 2003, its development plans were constrained by new heritage legislation which protects historic cemeteries. Residents insisted that their infrastructural needs were of primary importance. In 1993, the unearthing of human remains at the Old Military Cemetery in King William's Town created a thirteen year long saga which was only resolved with the reburial of the remains in 2006. The presence of the remains proved problematic for a number of reasons. Local authorities failed to rebury the remains speedily. The burden to store them fell on the Kaffrarian Museum which came under fire because this was considered unethical in the postapartheid era. The identity of the remains became a bone of contention in 2006 when the new Amathole District Municipality concluded that the remains were those of victims who died in the 1856-57 Great Cattle Killing. The remains and their reburial became symbols of past injustice and present restoration of African heritage. The 1996 quest by 'Nicholas Gcaleka', a 'self-styled' chief and traditional healer, to search for King Hintsa's skull in the United Kingdom provoked unprecedented public engagement with the incomplete narrative on the fate of Hintsa's body. The power to represent history, and the methods through which historical truth is discovered were at the heart of the contestation. Elites such as the Xhosa Royal and the white scientific establishment were considered neither credible nor authoritative on this historical matter. Public support for Gcaleka revealed that many South Africans sought just recompense for colonial injustices.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
- Authors: Mkhize, Nomalanga
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Dead -- Political aspects -- South Africa Human body -- Symbolic aspects Human remains (Archaeology) -- Repatriation Human remains (Archaeology) -- Repatriation -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Xhosa (African people) -- Social life and customs Eastern Cape (South Africa) -- Social life and customs Eastern Cape (South Africa) -- History
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2597 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007665
- Description: This thesis examines three contestations involving human remains which have arisen in the Eastern Cape over the past fifteen years. It shows that the value or meaning attached to human remains is constructed through the socio-historical dynamics out of which these contestations arise. The meaning and value of human remains is neither inherent nor neutral. In Ndancama's case, the need for housing in Fingo Village led hundreds of poor residents to settle on the township's Old Cemetery in 1972. Basic material needs trumped concerns for those buried in the cemetery. When the post-apartheid municipality sought to provide sewerage and housing infrastructure for Ndancama in 2003, its development plans were constrained by new heritage legislation which protects historic cemeteries. Residents insisted that their infrastructural needs were of primary importance. In 1993, the unearthing of human remains at the Old Military Cemetery in King William's Town created a thirteen year long saga which was only resolved with the reburial of the remains in 2006. The presence of the remains proved problematic for a number of reasons. Local authorities failed to rebury the remains speedily. The burden to store them fell on the Kaffrarian Museum which came under fire because this was considered unethical in the postapartheid era. The identity of the remains became a bone of contention in 2006 when the new Amathole District Municipality concluded that the remains were those of victims who died in the 1856-57 Great Cattle Killing. The remains and their reburial became symbols of past injustice and present restoration of African heritage. The 1996 quest by 'Nicholas Gcaleka', a 'self-styled' chief and traditional healer, to search for King Hintsa's skull in the United Kingdom provoked unprecedented public engagement with the incomplete narrative on the fate of Hintsa's body. The power to represent history, and the methods through which historical truth is discovered were at the heart of the contestation. Elites such as the Xhosa Royal and the white scientific establishment were considered neither credible nor authoritative on this historical matter. Public support for Gcaleka revealed that many South Africans sought just recompense for colonial injustices.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
Breaking the silence : Zanele's journey to recovery
- Authors: Payne, Charmaine
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Rape victims -- Counseling of -- South Africa Rape victims -- Counseling of -- South Africa -- Case studies Post-traumatic stress disorder -- Patients -- Rehabilitation Post-traumatic stress disorder -- Patients -- Case studies
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3161 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007651
- Description: This study employed a case-based research design to document the psychological assessment and treatment of Zanele, a 15-year-old black Xhosa speaking female who was raped twice in 2006 by the same perpetrator. The aim of the study was to explore whether, the model for assessment and intervention for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) developed by Ehlers and Clark (2000) was effective and transportable to the South African context. Zanele had a sufficient understanding of English for assessment to proceed without use of an interpreter. She reported a number of PTSD symptoms which were causing her significant distress and had impacted on her social and educational functioning. These included flashbacks of the perpetrator's face when she looked at the faces of black men, nightmares about the traumas she had endured and feeling isolated from others. A number of cognitive techniques were utilised in this study, however the central interventions included working with triggers, imagery rehearsal techniques with a focus on nightmares, and reliving with cognitive restructuring within and outside reliving. Psychoeducation and increasing her social support were also important components of the intervention. Her progress was monitored by means of several self-report measures which were displayed in graphic and tabular form. In addition, a thematically selective narrative of the assessment and first 23 sessions of the intervention was written which documents some of the central processes set in motion by the interventions. These results provide evidence that this model was both effective and transportable to the South African population. In addition, the study demonstrated that it is possible for a white English speaking clinician to work with a black Xhosa speaking individual and make substantial therapeutic gains.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
- Authors: Payne, Charmaine
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Rape victims -- Counseling of -- South Africa Rape victims -- Counseling of -- South Africa -- Case studies Post-traumatic stress disorder -- Patients -- Rehabilitation Post-traumatic stress disorder -- Patients -- Case studies
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3161 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007651
- Description: This study employed a case-based research design to document the psychological assessment and treatment of Zanele, a 15-year-old black Xhosa speaking female who was raped twice in 2006 by the same perpetrator. The aim of the study was to explore whether, the model for assessment and intervention for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) developed by Ehlers and Clark (2000) was effective and transportable to the South African context. Zanele had a sufficient understanding of English for assessment to proceed without use of an interpreter. She reported a number of PTSD symptoms which were causing her significant distress and had impacted on her social and educational functioning. These included flashbacks of the perpetrator's face when she looked at the faces of black men, nightmares about the traumas she had endured and feeling isolated from others. A number of cognitive techniques were utilised in this study, however the central interventions included working with triggers, imagery rehearsal techniques with a focus on nightmares, and reliving with cognitive restructuring within and outside reliving. Psychoeducation and increasing her social support were also important components of the intervention. Her progress was monitored by means of several self-report measures which were displayed in graphic and tabular form. In addition, a thematically selective narrative of the assessment and first 23 sessions of the intervention was written which documents some of the central processes set in motion by the interventions. These results provide evidence that this model was both effective and transportable to the South African population. In addition, the study demonstrated that it is possible for a white English speaking clinician to work with a black Xhosa speaking individual and make substantial therapeutic gains.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
Changing terms and conditions of employment following transferes to the Western Cape department of health
- Authors: Roman, Richard Joseph
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Labor laws and legislation -- South Africa -- Western Cape , Industrial relations -- South Africa -- Western Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , LLM
- Identifier: vital:10231 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/824 , Labor laws and legislation -- South Africa -- Western Cape , Industrial relations -- South Africa -- Western Cape
- Description: This treatise describes the difficulty of changing conditions of service following transfers in terms of Section 197 of the Labour Relations Act, 66 of 1995. The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, Act 108 of 1996, provides that ambulance services are a Provincial Legislative competence. The City of Cape Town had for many years provided ambulance services on an agency basis to the Department of Health of the Provincial Administration of the Western Cape. The impact of the constitutional provision is that those employers and employees who are performing ambulance services are not entitled anymore to perform such function. The Department of Health must take control over the ambulance services and the employees of the City of Cape Town could be transferred. The challenges facing both employers (old and new) and the trade unions to secure a transfer of the employees from the City of Cape Town to the Department of Health in terms of section 197 of the Labour Relations Act will be highlighted. It is within the context of ensuring protection of jobs whilst simultaneously effect a transfer of contracts of employment that the Labour Relations Act expressly gives various options to the parties involves in a transfer. Of the options include: • A transfer in terms of section 197(2) of the LRA where the service could be transferred from the old employer to the new employer as a going concern. This could happen without the consent of the affected employees or trade unions and collective agreements must be taken over as well, or • The new employer complies with its obligations if the transfer takes place on terms and conditions that are on the whole not less favourable to the employees what they have received by the old employer. In terms of this provision the overall package of conditions of service that was offered should not be less in comparison with that of the old employer. • The parties also have the option to negotiate a transfer agreement that could regulate the conditions of service. The focus is on the description of the conditions of service of both employers and the difficulty to persuade the trade unions to accept the Department’s conditions of service. Part of the difficulty is that the Department must obtain its mandate from the Department of the Public Service and Administration, who is also responsible for the determining of the conditions of service in the Public Service. One of the challenges is that the Department of Health cannot accommodate collective agreements of entities outside the Public Service. The City of Cape Town’s conditions of service is in the form of a collective agreement and the Labour Relations Act is very specific with the various options. These options will be discussed an analised. In conclusion recommendations are made in regard to effect a transfer of conditions of employment in terms of the Labour Relations Act to enable the Department of Health to meet its constitutional obligation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
- Authors: Roman, Richard Joseph
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Labor laws and legislation -- South Africa -- Western Cape , Industrial relations -- South Africa -- Western Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , LLM
- Identifier: vital:10231 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/824 , Labor laws and legislation -- South Africa -- Western Cape , Industrial relations -- South Africa -- Western Cape
- Description: This treatise describes the difficulty of changing conditions of service following transfers in terms of Section 197 of the Labour Relations Act, 66 of 1995. The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, Act 108 of 1996, provides that ambulance services are a Provincial Legislative competence. The City of Cape Town had for many years provided ambulance services on an agency basis to the Department of Health of the Provincial Administration of the Western Cape. The impact of the constitutional provision is that those employers and employees who are performing ambulance services are not entitled anymore to perform such function. The Department of Health must take control over the ambulance services and the employees of the City of Cape Town could be transferred. The challenges facing both employers (old and new) and the trade unions to secure a transfer of the employees from the City of Cape Town to the Department of Health in terms of section 197 of the Labour Relations Act will be highlighted. It is within the context of ensuring protection of jobs whilst simultaneously effect a transfer of contracts of employment that the Labour Relations Act expressly gives various options to the parties involves in a transfer. Of the options include: • A transfer in terms of section 197(2) of the LRA where the service could be transferred from the old employer to the new employer as a going concern. This could happen without the consent of the affected employees or trade unions and collective agreements must be taken over as well, or • The new employer complies with its obligations if the transfer takes place on terms and conditions that are on the whole not less favourable to the employees what they have received by the old employer. In terms of this provision the overall package of conditions of service that was offered should not be less in comparison with that of the old employer. • The parties also have the option to negotiate a transfer agreement that could regulate the conditions of service. The focus is on the description of the conditions of service of both employers and the difficulty to persuade the trade unions to accept the Department’s conditions of service. Part of the difficulty is that the Department must obtain its mandate from the Department of the Public Service and Administration, who is also responsible for the determining of the conditions of service in the Public Service. One of the challenges is that the Department of Health cannot accommodate collective agreements of entities outside the Public Service. The City of Cape Town’s conditions of service is in the form of a collective agreement and the Labour Relations Act is very specific with the various options. These options will be discussed an analised. In conclusion recommendations are made in regard to effect a transfer of conditions of employment in terms of the Labour Relations Act to enable the Department of Health to meet its constitutional obligation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
Characterisation of Human Hsj1a : an HSP40 molecular chaperone similar to Malarial Pfj4
- Authors: McNamara, Caryn
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Heat shock proteins , Protein folding , Proteins -- Analysis , Proteins -- Structure , Plasmodium , Malaria , Molecular chaperones
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:4083 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007603
- Description: Protein folding, translocation, oligomeric rearrangement and degradation are vital functions to obtain correctly folded proteins in any cell. The constitutive or stress-induced members of each of the heat shock protein (Hsp) families, namely Hsp70 and Hsp40, make up the Hsp70/Hsp40 chaperone system. The Hsp40 J-domain is important for the Hsp70-Hsp40 interaction and hence function. The type-II Hsp40 proteins, Homo sapiens DnaJ 1a (Hsj1a) and Plasmodium falciparum DnaJ 4 (Pfj4), are structurally similar suggesting possible similar roles during malarial infection. This thesis has focussed on identifying whether Hsj1a and Pfj4 are functionally similar in their interaction with potential partner Hsp70 chaperones. Analysis in silico also showed Pfj4 to have a potential chaperone domain, a region resembling a ubiquitin-interacting motif (UIM) corresponding to UIM1 of HsjIa, and another highly conserved region was noted between residues 232-241. The highly conserved regions within the Hsp40 J-domains, and those amino acids therein, are suggested to be responsible for mediating this Hsp70-Hsp40 partner interaction. The thermosensitive dnaJ cbpA Escherichia coli OD259 mutant strain producing type-I Agrobacterium tumefaciens DnaJ (AgtDnaJ) was used as a model heterologous expression system in this study. AgtDnaJ was able to replace the lack of two E coli Hsp40s in vivo, DnaJ and CbpA, whereas AgtDnaJ(H33Q) was unable to. AgtDnaJ-based chimeras containing the swapped J-domains of similar type-II Hsp40 proteins, namely Hsj1Agt and Pfj4Agt, were also able to replace these in E. coli OD259. Conserved J-domain amino acids were identified and were substituted in these chimeras. Of these mutant proteins, Hsj IAgt(L8A), Hsj1Agt(R24A), Hsj1Agt(H31Q), Pfj4Agt(L 11A) and Pfj4Agt(H34Q) were not able to replace the E. coli Hsp40s, whilst Pfj4Agt(Y8A) and Pfj4Agt(R27A) were only able to partially replace them. This shows the leucine of helix I and the histidine of the loop region are key in the in vivo function of both proteins and that the arginine of helix II is key for Hsj1a. The histidine-tagged Hsj1a protein was also successfully purified from the heterologous system. The in vitro stimulated ATPase activity of human Hsp70 by Hsj1a was found to be approximately 14 nmol Pí[subscript]/min/mg, and yet not stimulated by Pfj4, suggesting a possible species-specific interaction is occurring.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
- Authors: McNamara, Caryn
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Heat shock proteins , Protein folding , Proteins -- Analysis , Proteins -- Structure , Plasmodium , Malaria , Molecular chaperones
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:4083 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007603
- Description: Protein folding, translocation, oligomeric rearrangement and degradation are vital functions to obtain correctly folded proteins in any cell. The constitutive or stress-induced members of each of the heat shock protein (Hsp) families, namely Hsp70 and Hsp40, make up the Hsp70/Hsp40 chaperone system. The Hsp40 J-domain is important for the Hsp70-Hsp40 interaction and hence function. The type-II Hsp40 proteins, Homo sapiens DnaJ 1a (Hsj1a) and Plasmodium falciparum DnaJ 4 (Pfj4), are structurally similar suggesting possible similar roles during malarial infection. This thesis has focussed on identifying whether Hsj1a and Pfj4 are functionally similar in their interaction with potential partner Hsp70 chaperones. Analysis in silico also showed Pfj4 to have a potential chaperone domain, a region resembling a ubiquitin-interacting motif (UIM) corresponding to UIM1 of HsjIa, and another highly conserved region was noted between residues 232-241. The highly conserved regions within the Hsp40 J-domains, and those amino acids therein, are suggested to be responsible for mediating this Hsp70-Hsp40 partner interaction. The thermosensitive dnaJ cbpA Escherichia coli OD259 mutant strain producing type-I Agrobacterium tumefaciens DnaJ (AgtDnaJ) was used as a model heterologous expression system in this study. AgtDnaJ was able to replace the lack of two E coli Hsp40s in vivo, DnaJ and CbpA, whereas AgtDnaJ(H33Q) was unable to. AgtDnaJ-based chimeras containing the swapped J-domains of similar type-II Hsp40 proteins, namely Hsj1Agt and Pfj4Agt, were also able to replace these in E. coli OD259. Conserved J-domain amino acids were identified and were substituted in these chimeras. Of these mutant proteins, Hsj IAgt(L8A), Hsj1Agt(R24A), Hsj1Agt(H31Q), Pfj4Agt(L 11A) and Pfj4Agt(H34Q) were not able to replace the E. coli Hsp40s, whilst Pfj4Agt(Y8A) and Pfj4Agt(R27A) were only able to partially replace them. This shows the leucine of helix I and the histidine of the loop region are key in the in vivo function of both proteins and that the arginine of helix II is key for Hsj1a. The histidine-tagged Hsj1a protein was also successfully purified from the heterologous system. The in vitro stimulated ATPase activity of human Hsp70 by Hsj1a was found to be approximately 14 nmol Pí[subscript]/min/mg, and yet not stimulated by Pfj4, suggesting a possible species-specific interaction is occurring.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
Characterisation of InAs-based epilayers by FTIR spectroscopy
- Authors: Baisitse, Tshepiso Revonia
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy , Gallium arsenide semiconductors
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:10534 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/474 , Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy , Gallium arsenide semiconductors
- Description: This study focuses on the characterization of InAs and InAs1-xSbx epitaxial layers by infrared reflectance and transmittance spectroscopy and Hall measurements. Reflectance measurements were performed in order to obtain the dielectric parameters and to extract from these information about the electrical properties (mobility and carrier concentration) of this important III-V material system. The transmittance measurements were used to determine the bandgap of InAsSb. Infrared reflectivity and transmittance measurements were performed in the wavelength range 200 – 2000 cm-1 on InAs and InAsSb layers grown on three types of substrates. A classical two oscillator model that takes into account both the free carriers and the lattice, was used to analyse the reflectance data using the BMDP® computer curve fitting software. The dielectric parameters and the electrical properties (carrier concentration and mobility) were extracted from the simulations. Due to the low free carrier concentration in the epitaxial structures, the plasma resonance frequency (ωp) values obtained from the simulations of reflectance spectra measured above 200 cm-1, were in the order of 20-30 cm-1. These low values were confirmed by direct measurements of ωp in reflectance spectra obtained in the range 15-200 cm-1. The simulated carrier concentration and mobility values determined optically were compared to the values determined by Hall measurements at room temperature and previously reported values by other researchers. The simulated values obtained were in reasonable agreement with the Hall values. The simulated and measured carrier concentrations obtained for InAs layers were significantly higher than the intrinsic carrier concentration for InAs at room temperature, indicating notable concentrations of donors resulting from the growth process.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
- Authors: Baisitse, Tshepiso Revonia
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy , Gallium arsenide semiconductors
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:10534 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/474 , Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy , Gallium arsenide semiconductors
- Description: This study focuses on the characterization of InAs and InAs1-xSbx epitaxial layers by infrared reflectance and transmittance spectroscopy and Hall measurements. Reflectance measurements were performed in order to obtain the dielectric parameters and to extract from these information about the electrical properties (mobility and carrier concentration) of this important III-V material system. The transmittance measurements were used to determine the bandgap of InAsSb. Infrared reflectivity and transmittance measurements were performed in the wavelength range 200 – 2000 cm-1 on InAs and InAsSb layers grown on three types of substrates. A classical two oscillator model that takes into account both the free carriers and the lattice, was used to analyse the reflectance data using the BMDP® computer curve fitting software. The dielectric parameters and the electrical properties (carrier concentration and mobility) were extracted from the simulations. Due to the low free carrier concentration in the epitaxial structures, the plasma resonance frequency (ωp) values obtained from the simulations of reflectance spectra measured above 200 cm-1, were in the order of 20-30 cm-1. These low values were confirmed by direct measurements of ωp in reflectance spectra obtained in the range 15-200 cm-1. The simulated carrier concentration and mobility values determined optically were compared to the values determined by Hall measurements at room temperature and previously reported values by other researchers. The simulated values obtained were in reasonable agreement with the Hall values. The simulated and measured carrier concentrations obtained for InAs layers were significantly higher than the intrinsic carrier concentration for InAs at room temperature, indicating notable concentrations of donors resulting from the growth process.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
Child sex tourism in South African law
- Authors: Chetty, Kasturi
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Child sexual abuse -- South Africa , Sex tourism -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Sex crimes -- South Africa , Child prostitution -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , LLM
- Identifier: vital:10276 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/485 , Child sexual abuse -- South Africa , Sex tourism -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Sex crimes -- South Africa , Child prostitution -- South Africa
- Description: Child sex tourism is tourism organised with the primary purpose of facilitating a commercial sexual relationship with a child. It involves a segment of the local child sex industry that is directly connected to both an international and domestic tourist market. The increase of tourism has brought with it complications in that tourism is being used as a means for sex tourists to initiate contact with children. Aside from child sex tourists who are paedophiles, there are those who engage in the opportunistic exploitation of children while travelling on business or for other reasons. There are a number of social and economic factors leading to child sex tourism and the effect is that child victims are exposed to immediate harm, irreversible damage and even death. As South Africa's tourism industry expands into one of the country’s top earners of foreign currency, it is unfortunate to note that its child sex tourist trade is also on the increase. Reports show that sex tours are as easily organised as wine route tours in Cape Town. Commercial sexual exploitation of children is prevalent in South Africa and has become more organised in recent years. A comprehensive response to the problem is essential to ensure that South Africa does not become a “safe haven” for child sex tourists. Effective laws at home and the extraterritorial application of these laws to prosecute South African nationals for crimes committed abroad are imperative. Significant steps are being taken both nationally and internationally to target child sex tourism. South Africa has ratified several international instruments on children’s rights, trafficking in persons, child labour, and discrimination against women and young girls, all of which relate to child sex tourism. In doing so, South Africa has made an international commitment to uphold the provisions of these instruments and give effect to them. South Africa is therefore under an international obligation to create the necessary structures and apply mechanisms and resources to combat child sex tourism.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007
- Authors: Chetty, Kasturi
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: Child sexual abuse -- South Africa , Sex tourism -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Sex crimes -- South Africa , Child prostitution -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , LLM
- Identifier: vital:10276 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/485 , Child sexual abuse -- South Africa , Sex tourism -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Sex crimes -- South Africa , Child prostitution -- South Africa
- Description: Child sex tourism is tourism organised with the primary purpose of facilitating a commercial sexual relationship with a child. It involves a segment of the local child sex industry that is directly connected to both an international and domestic tourist market. The increase of tourism has brought with it complications in that tourism is being used as a means for sex tourists to initiate contact with children. Aside from child sex tourists who are paedophiles, there are those who engage in the opportunistic exploitation of children while travelling on business or for other reasons. There are a number of social and economic factors leading to child sex tourism and the effect is that child victims are exposed to immediate harm, irreversible damage and even death. As South Africa's tourism industry expands into one of the country’s top earners of foreign currency, it is unfortunate to note that its child sex tourist trade is also on the increase. Reports show that sex tours are as easily organised as wine route tours in Cape Town. Commercial sexual exploitation of children is prevalent in South Africa and has become more organised in recent years. A comprehensive response to the problem is essential to ensure that South Africa does not become a “safe haven” for child sex tourists. Effective laws at home and the extraterritorial application of these laws to prosecute South African nationals for crimes committed abroad are imperative. Significant steps are being taken both nationally and internationally to target child sex tourism. South Africa has ratified several international instruments on children’s rights, trafficking in persons, child labour, and discrimination against women and young girls, all of which relate to child sex tourism. In doing so, South Africa has made an international commitment to uphold the provisions of these instruments and give effect to them. South Africa is therefore under an international obligation to create the necessary structures and apply mechanisms and resources to combat child sex tourism.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2007