Assessing the perceptions of academic staff towards an academic staff development programme in a selected university in the Eastern Cape province
- Authors: Mankayi, Mandisa
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: College teachers -- In-service training -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Education, Higher -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Universities and colleges -- Employees -- Training of. -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/8530 , vital:32869
- Description: Institutions of higher education offer diverse staff development programmes to all staff members as a means of improving their educational quality and standards. The current study investigated using interviews, if whether the academic staff perceived staff development as a means of skills development; what factors motivated academic staff to attend the skills development programmes offered by their organisation; and which staff development programmes are perceived to be contributing much to academic skills development in a selected university in the Eastern Cape Province in South Africa. Utilising a purposive sampling technique, the number of academic staff interviewed was 15 from five faculties. A structured interview guide was used to solicit responses from the selected participants. Questions in the interview schedule ranged from issues pertaining to their registration on the skills development programme and how their personal skills have improved due to the programme. Upon completing the interview with an audio recorder, it was then transcribed and a thematic analysis method was used. It was found that participants were not satisfied with the academic skills development programmes offered by the university. While most respondents seemed to be aware of the skills programme, many were adamant to provide conclusive evidence on the impact of the programmes. The major disjoint among the participants rested on the performance tools used by the university to promote staff, which was mainly based on research output. This view meant that teaching and learning were not recognized as a tool that can be used to improve staff skills development, and as such, the perception was that there was bias in the education system in terms of rewarding employees who participate in certain programmes. The majority of the participants stated that they do apply what they learn to their teaching approaches, although they felt they were not rewarded by the education system as a whole. The major implication coming from this study is that the duality of the education system in South Africa makes it harder to achieve an equilibrium were both academic staffs practicing teaching and learning, and researchers are seen as equals.
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Assessment of the Eastern Cape Provincial Public Service Commission in promoting public service ethics
- Authors: Butana, Vulikhaya
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Public administration -- Moral and ethical aspects Civil service ethics Public administration
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , Public Administration
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/10295 , vital:35391
- Description: After the fall of the apartheid government with discriminatory laws and the rise and dawn of democracy in South Africa (SA), the government had to restructure the Public Service (PS). The creation and development of PS legislations and policies to regulate the PS took place. The PSC in 1999 was developed to monitor and steer the operation of the PS. The main objective of this study is to assess the Public Service Commission (PSC) in promoting the professional and ethical environment in the Public Service (PS). The PSC is an independent and impartial body or institution which is mandated by the Republic of South African Constitution of 1996 (Act No.108 of 1996), Public Service Commission Act and the Public Service Act. Chapter ten of the Constitution gives PSC a mandate to ensure that the egalitarian values and principles governing public administration are maintained by government departments, organizations, parastatals and administrations providing the PS, where in this study focus on the promotion of ethics. The methodology used in this study is qualitative research methodology. The study used desktop research where by a data was collected using books, journal articles, academic papers, online information and media reports. The findings of this study highlighted that non-compliance to rules and regulations, lack of policy implementation, limited financial and human resources are still the major problems facing the South African Public Service (SAPS). However, the study recommends that, the PSC must work closely with government departments, promotion of ethics workshops and conferences. In a nutshell, the PSC could improve by developing and regularly reviewing policies, procedures, practices and institutions influencing ethical conduct in the public service.
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Assessment of the effect of the down-referral chronic medication distribution system on patients' adherence to chronic medication in the Buffalo City sub-district
- Authors: Ndwandwe, Miriam
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Health services accessibility Pharmacology Patient compliance
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MPH
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/13248 , vital:39626
- Description: The purpose of the study is to determine the effect of the down referral chronic medication distribution system on patient's adherence to chronic medicine in Buffalo City sub - district by ensuring that chronic patients receive their correct medication on time and in correct quantities every month so that they can take the medication as recommended by the health professional. Adherence to chronic medication lead to better health outcome and reduced hospital re-admission. A non-experimental and descriptive quantitative research methodology was used. A data abstraction form developed by the researcher was used to record data from the medical records of chronically ill patients. The results of the study revealed that most of the chronically ill patients who were admitted to hospital were not adherent to their chronic medication. Patients are non-adherent even if they have chronic medication with them. This was evident in the number of patients who do not remember how many days did they not take their treatment. Others indicated that they share their medication with other family members who suffer from the same chronic condition. The patients' lack of understanding of their chronic condition and the consequences of not taking medication as instructed by the health professional contribute to non-adherence. Strengthening of health promotion programmes to educate the patients about their chronic condition would improve adherence. Most of the chronic conditions are life-style modifiable diseases. Patients must be educated about the changes they can make to improve their quality of life.
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Assessment of the integrated HIV/AIDS curriculum at a university in the Eastern Cape: views of students and educators
- Authors: Terblanche, Delcia Jill Nora
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: AIDS (Disease) -- Study and teaching , AIDS (Disease) -- Prevention , Universities and colleges
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCur
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/12359 , vital:39256
- Description: Background: HIV/AIDS is a major global public health problem. The higher education sector too, is affected by the scourge of HIV/AIDS. Universities are considered to be high- risks areas for HIV infection because many students indulged in high risky behaviour link to HIV infection; therefore developing ways to prevent students for acquiring HIV and as well reducing HIV prevalence rates through training and teaching about HIV/AIDS will contribute to change in behaviour of students. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the majority of the students at Fort Hare lack the general awareness and education in HIV/AIDS due to lack of information coupled with their general disadvantaged background with the ultimate result being threatened by high infection rates. The University of Fort Hare (UFH), in a bid to capacitate the academic staff in respect of the laudable initiative to integrate HIV/AIDS in curricula, decided to embark on a pilot study that is anticipated to form fundamental strategies to sustainable HIV/AIDS curricula integration across all faculties, at least by the end of 2030. The university has planned to engage in the curriculum integration process by implementing a two year cycle pilot study during the grant period. Aim: The main aim of the study was to assess the challenges faced by students and educators concerning the integration and implementation of HIV/AIDS curriculum at the University of Fort Hare. Methods: The study adopted a quantitative, explorative descriptive design to examine the challenges associated with the Integrated HIV/AIDS curriculum at the University of Fort Hare. The target population was the educators and students who had training and teaching in the Integrated HIV/AIDS curriculum. A purposive sampling was used to select 487 students and 23 educators from across three departments: Nursing Science, LKA (Life, Knowledge and Action) and Law involved in the HIV/AIDS Curriculum Integration programme at the university. A self-design questionnaire was used for data collection focusing on the demographic profiles of the participants, the teaching strategies and methodologies adopted in the Integrated HIV/AIDS curriculum, the usefulness and relevance of the newly integrated HIV/AIDS curriculum content in addressing the needs of the students and the community, and the challenges faced by the educators and students in the Integrated HIV/AIDS curriculum. Ethical approved was obtained from the Research Ethics Committee of the University of Fort Hare. Permission was obtained from the participants through written consent forms. The data was analysed using descriptive statistics (frequency counts, percentage, means and standard deviations (SD)). The Chi-square test was used to examine the relationship between the variables of interest across the departments. A p-value of 0.05 was set for statistical significant testing. Results: The majority of the participants have adequate knowledge of HIV transmission, as 93.2 percent indicated HIV can be contracted through unprotected sex, sharing of needles (92.1 percent), receiving a blood transfusion that has not been screened for HIV (83.9 percent), sharing razor blades that has not been disinfected (83.0 percent), and having more than one sexual partner (86 percent). Age, gender, race and department were significantly associated with knowledge of route of HIV transmission. The present study indicated that the participants experienced several challenges during the teaching of the Integrated HIV/AIDS curriculum. Time allocated was the biggest challenge (58.3 percent), followed by undated materials, and curriculum overloading and teaching. The study indicated that majority of the students would like to compile a portfolio of evidence in the teaching of HIV, followed by creative arts, DVD/movies, and internet research. The majority of the lecturers preferred to teach HIV/AIDS through expressive arts, followed by role play, and formal lectures. The majority of the participants stated that HIV/AIDS information would be useful to them to apply in their communities and in their profession (97 percent), emphasizing that such knowledge and information will empower them to participate in roadshows and voluntary work at HIV/AIDS Shelters. The findings of this study pertaining to the challenges faced by educators during the implementation of the Integrated HIV/AIDS curriculum revealed that the majority of the participants stated that the HIV information was not updated, heavy workload, and adequate training. The lecturers expressed that they would prefer to teach HIV/AIDS curriculum by expressive art through drawing and creating art that expresses HIV and the relevance in the students’ community. Conclusions: Majority of the students received teaching of HIV as part of a course, and HIV teaching as an integrated component in a subject, while few received it as a stand-alone subject offered by a lecturer/facilitator. The present study indicated that the participants experienced several challenges during the teaching of the Integrated HIV/AIDS curriculum. Time allocated was the biggest challenge (58.3percent), followed by undated materials, and curriculum overloading and teaching. The majority of students preferred HIV/AIDS to be taught by their peers experience in HIV, by face-to face by a person who is HIV/AIDS infected or affected. The majority of the lecturers preferred to teach HIV/AIDS through expressive arts, followed by role play, and formal lectures. The majority of the participants affirmed the relevancy of HIV information taught. They further indicated that the information and knowledge gain would able them to make informed decisions on sexual behaviour. The majority of the participants stated that the HIV information was not updated, heavy workload, and adequate training. Most of the educators used formal lectures, followed by compilation of a portfolio of evidence, storytelling, DVD and movies, and experiential learning in hospitals and clinics in teaching HIV/AIDS integrated curriculum. The lecturers expressed that they would prefer to teach HIV/AIDS curriculum by expressive art through drawing and creating art that expresses HIV and the relevance in the students’ community. It is recommended that student’s involvement in the decision making processes of the integrated HIV/AIDS curriculum at the University of Fort Hare would make the programme more successful. HIV/AIDS resource materials need to be updated regularly and relevant to provide educators with specialized knowledge to be able to teach HIV/AIDS.
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Assessment of the Tyhume river health status using macroinvertebrates as indicators
- Authors: Fasi, Nokonwaba Nellineth
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Invertebrates -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Rivers -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , Zoology
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/10861 , vital:35879
- Description: Ten sampling sites were selected along the Tyhume River corresponding to the upper, mid and lower reaches of the River. In total 48 families were collected during the study. The study observed different types of macroinvertebrate taxa; very low tolerant to pollution (e.g Heptageniidae; Notonemouridae; Perlidae), moderately pollution-tolerant (e.g. Caenidae; Chlorolestidae; Tricorythidae) and very tolerant of polluted conditions (e.g. Chironomidae; Muscidae; Oligochaetae). Both univariate and multivariate analyses were done using PRIMER V6. Above Confluence (ABCON, Site 10) had the highest number (37) of species while Mtloko (MTLOK, Site 2) had the lowest number (24) (Chi-square = 0.87; p < 0.05). The highest number of individuals (4023) was recorded at Macfairlane (MACFA, Site 5) while the lowest number (1240) at Honeydale (HONEY, Site 8) (Chi-square = 0.00; p < 0.05). Margalef’s index indicated Above Confluence (ABCON, Site 10; 4.762), had the highest values of species richness while Mtloko (MTLOK, Site 2; 3.227) had the lowest values (Chi-square = 1; p < 0.05). Pielou's evenness index indicated that Gqumashe (GQUMA, Site 7) had the highest values (0.7137), while Macfairlane (MACFA; Site 5) had the lowest (0.5109) (chi-square = 1; p < 0.05). Shannon-Wiener diversity indices, the highest diversity index values (2.573) of macroinvertebrates was recorded at Honeydale (HONEY, Site 8), and the lowest (1.684) at Macfairlane (MACFA, Site 5) (chi-square = 1; p < 0.05). The ASPT Scores did not differ significantly (P > 0.05) across sites. No significant difference was observed in the ASPT scores across the 10 sites (F = 0.75; df = 9.60; P > 0.05). Site 4 had the highest mean ASPT Scores with mean of 7.6), whereas the lowest. Three biotopes types, namely: stone, vegetation, gravel-sand-mud, stone and vegetation being the dominant biotopes at the 10 sites. The cluster analyses showed that macroinvertebrates were dependent on biotope preference while stone biotope showing greater macroinvertebrate densities. Euclidean distance of site classification with respect to physico-chemical parameters showed very low stress value (0.01) implying that physico-chemical parameters influenced species distribution within each sampling site. The results also showed that good health conditions existed at the most upstream sites than the lower reaches of the river, thus, indicating impacts of pollution within the river.
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Association between teacher confidence and student mathematics outcomes
- Authors: Qwelani, Noluthando
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Human capital
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom (Economics)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/13955 , vital:39732
- Description: Teacher attributes such as teacher’s confidence in knowledge are important in the ability to teach. It is further, expected in developing countries that teachers from high socio-economic schools are highly confident in teaching mathematics whilst teachers from low socioeconomic schools are expected to be less confident. Hence, teacher attributes decisions are of great importance in achieving skills development goals. The realisation of the impact teachers’ confidence has on mathematics performance requires an investigation based on multilateral measures of teacher confidence. The purpose of this study is to investigate and analyse the impact of teacher abilities on student’s performance on mathematics in South Africa, this will be realised through an analysis of teacher confidence as the main variable and teacher qualifications, teacher characteristics and socio economic status as controlling variables. The study employed Trends in International Mathematics and Sciences studies (TIMSS) 2011 cross sectional data for South Africa. Descriptive statistics, inferential statistics and the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) econometric technique were employed in analysing the data. The empirical results revealed that majority of South African teachers rated themselves highly confident but showed no significant impact in the performance of students. This implies that South African teachers who produce poor student’s performance are not open about their lack of confidence in teaching mathematics. However, from the student’s perspective, teacher confidence showed a strong impact on students’ performance in mathematics. The third findings were that, teachers who are happy as educators do not have a significant impact at all. The empirical results also revealed that teachers who felt they wee being allocated more than enough time to teach mathematics showed a strong negative relationship with student performance when compared to teachers who felt otherwise. The findings from the study imply that an open policy should be encouraged in which teachers are encouraged to openly express their views and any shortcomings. This will make it easier to identify the best intervention strategy on helping the teachers. Based on the findings again, it is encouraged that periodic training of mathematical teachers be encouraged. This is likely to boost teacher’s confidence and improve the mathematical results in the country.
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Calibration and validation of satellite data (images) over inland water bodies and the effect caused by the adjacency towards them
- Authors: Faniso, Zimbini
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Hydrology Remote sensing
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/10350 , vital:35400
- Description: Remote sensing of inland water quality is a particularly challenging satellite Earth observation (EO) application. This arises because inland water bodies are small and optically complex targets that are generally dark compared to surrounding land. Inland water bodies are source supplies of water for both living and non-living organisms, that include human beings hence they need an observation. The spatial distribution of water changes over time and that leads to issues in different sectors like agricultural sector, environmental services and ecological issues. Signal reaching the satellite is usually dominated by light scattered in the atmosphere. Aerosols are strongly variable atmospheric constituents and play a major role in generating this unwanted signal which must be quantified and removed before any conclusions about water state and condition. In order to see how the aerosols affected the water state the light scattered in the atmosphere will be observed through electromagnetic spectrum bands in the atmosphere. This study will analyse the visible and near infrared wavebands of the electromagnetic spectrum as well as where it will be easy to distinguish the atmospheric noise types. A field campaign has been executed at Roodeplaat dam near Pretoria relating to Calibration and Validation (CalVal) of the recently launched Sentinel 2 and Sentinel 3 satellites. In situ measurements were taken at Roodeplaat dam simultaneously with the satellite overpass. Atmospheric Radiative Transfer Modelling (RTM) is required to analyse the satellite surface measurement data that is in the form of radiant quantities. Aerosol models for radiative transfer have been evaluated and refined to improve retrieval accuracy of water-leaving radiance at Roodeplaat dam. A retrieval algorithm for water-leaving radiance (Lw) and remote-sensing reflectance has been developed to analyse the sensitivity of the retrieval to aerosol optical properties, sensitivities, as well as proposals for enhanced retrieval methods, are presented.
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Challenges facing guardians of children with autism spectrum disorder: a case study of Buffalo City and Chris Hani, Eastern Cape
- Authors: Choocky, Peter Nomawande
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Autistic children -- Family relationships -- South Africa , Autistic children -- Education , Autism spectrum disorders in children
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , Social Work
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/15485 , vital:40412
- Description: This study, focused on challenges facing guardians of children with autism spectrum disorder at Buffalo City Metro and Lady Frere in Chris Hani District in the Eastern Cape (South Africa). The specific objectives of the study were: investigate the challenges faced by guardians of children with autism spectrum disorder; to investigate the extent of support offered by family members, community members, and local organisations; and to assess the support services offered by professionals working with families of children with autism spectrum disorder. The study was exploratory and qualitative in nature. Semi structured interviews consisting of seventeen (17) guardians of children with autism spectrum disorder were conducted. A once off session of eight (8) different professionals who served as focus group members was also conducted as method of data collection. The study discovered the following: Poor oversight by the legislature specifically on autism spectrum disorder interventions which is a constitutional obligation, compromises key services for the vulnerable groups; the derisory personnel to deliver effective interventions to guardians of children with autism spectrum disorder; lack of coping mechanisms by guardians to deal with the situation; lack of information about autism spectrum disorder especially in rural areas; the information on autism spectrum disorder is much better in urban setup than rural areas; poor stakeholder relations result in poor service rendition; and there is minimal or no support at all from family members and general public to families of children with autism spectrum disorder. The study made the following recommendations: Resources are still benefitted more by urban dwellers and rural areas still suffer such that Chris Hani still access services in Buffalo City, a need for vibrant integrated psychosocial interventions by various stakeholders with social service practitioners being part of the team; the Department of Education in Eastern Cape to recognize homeschooling and assist in registering homeschools as alternative centers for education to benefit children with autism spectrum disorder; the Eastern Cape Legislature to establish a vibrant monitoring and evaluation sector to measure the impact of site visits for various government departments; the government should scale up resource allocation for autism related interventions; the government should tackle and practically address the imbalances of the past as resources are still in urban areas such as specialized health care facilities; the policy development on management of autism spectrum disorder is paramount; and the general public and families must be empowered so that they can support the guardians of children with autism spectrum disorder.
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Classification of Distinct Fuzzy Subgroups of the Dihedral Group Dp nq for p and q distinct primes and n ∈ N
- Authors: Nxala, Baphumelele Ellen
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Fuzzy mathematics Fuzzy sets
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/14516 , vital:39997
- Description: In this dissertation, we classify distinct fuzzy subgroups of the dihedral group Dpnq, for p and q distinct primes and n ∈ N, under a natural equivalence relation of fuzzy subgroups and a fuzzy isomorphism. We aim to present formulae for the number of maximal chains and the number of distinct fuzzy subgroups of this group. Our study will include some theory on non-abelian groups since the classification of distinct fuzzy subgroups of this group relies on the crisp characterization of maximal chains. We give the definition of a natural equivalence relation introduced by Murali and Makamba in [67] which we will use in this study. Based on this definition, we introduce two counting techniques that we will use to compute the number of distinct fuzzy subgroups of Dpnq. In this dissertation, we use the criss-cut counting technique as our primary method of enumeration, and the cross-cut method serves as a means of verifying results we obtain from our primary method. To classify distinct fuzzy subgroups of this group, we begin by investigating the dihedral groups Dpnq, for p and q distinct primes and specific values of n = 2 and 3 to observe a trend. We classify the flags of these groups using the characterization of flags introduced in [93]. From this characterization, we then present formulae for the number of distinct fuzzy subgroups attributed to the flags of Dp 2q and Dp 3q . To generalise results for Dpnq, for p and q distinct primes and n ∈ N, we characterize the flags of this group and classify them as either cyclic, mdcyclic for 1 ≤ m ≤ n, or b-cyclic. Finally, we establish a general formula for the number of distinct fuzzy subgroups obtainable from these flags. We conclude by comparing results obtained from using our general formula to those obtained by other researchers for the same group. Based on the results from this study, we give an outline of future research work
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Comparison of contraceptive discontinuation in users of a copper intrauterine device against depot medroxyprogesterone acetate injectable
- Authors: Dekile-Yonto, Nolusindiso
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Contraceptives Birth control Women's health services
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , Magister of Curationis
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/15520 , vital:40422
- Description: The dynamics of continued contraceptive use, switches to alternatives, or the outright failure of contraception is strong indicators of the effectiveness of health care programmes for women or couples (Ali, Cleland & Shah, 2012:6). Furthermore, unplanned pregnancies often lead to undesirable health, economic, social, and psychological consequences for women (Sedgh, Singh & Hussain., 2014). There is a need to better understand the reasons for discontinuation of contraception to enable health care workers to address the gaps in the provision of family planning services. For this reason, the researcher embarked on a follow-up study of a randomised, controlled trial, which compared the effects on depression and sexual functioning of women after childbirth of a Copper Intrauterine Contraceptive Device (Cu-IUD) with Depot Medroxyprogesterone Acetate (DMPA), (Singata-Madliki, 2014:5). The objectives of the follow-up study was to do a once-off follow-up of the original participants, three years after randomisation.
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Cooperatives in Mhlontlo Local Municipality, Eastern Cape Province : an examination of the ablers and disablers of grassroots development
- Authors: Mahlasela, Chwayitile
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Cooperative societies--South Africa--Eastern Cape Rural development--South Africa--Eastern Cape Rural development
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , Rural Development
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/16264 , vital:40705
- Description: Scholars and policy makers often see cooperatives as agents of rural economic development. However, experiences have showed that cooperatives in some rural communities have not brought sustainable rural development as levels of poverty and unemployment are still staggeringly high. It is against this background that this study examines the enablers and disablers of cooperatives in Mhlontlo Local Municipality in the Eastern Cape. In order to achieve this aim, the study adopted qualitative research design. Oral interviews and Focus Group Discussions were used to collect qualitative data from the purposively selected participants. Also, official documents on the roles of cooperatives to rural development were used to complement primary sources of data collection. Thematic analytical technique was used to analyse data obtained. The result of the analysis revealed that lack of basic infrastructures, inadequate value addition and inefficient monitoring and evaluation of the programmes have disabled the cooperative societies in Mhlontlo Local Municipality from achieving the goals of rural development. Based on the analysis of data, the study concluded that cooperatives in Mhlontlo Local Municipality are faced with immense challenges, which are hampering their contributions to achieving sustainable rural development in the municipality. Based on this conclusion, the study recommended that in order to improve the efficiency of cooperative societies in terms of achieving rural development, government needs to engage relevant stakeholders such as the local government officials, private sector, community members and the NGOs in the formulation and implementation of strategies to be adopted by the cooperative societies in bringing about sustainable rural development.
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Correlations between the occurence of virulent helicobacter pylori strains and chronic disease conditions in dyspeptic patients hospitalized in Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital, Gauteng Province, South Africa
- Authors: Mzukwa, Asisipho
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Helicobacter pylori infections Helicobacter pylori Bacterial diseases
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , Microbiology
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/10885 , vital:35905
- Description: Introduction: Individuals predisposed to different chronic disease conditions such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), hypertension (HPT) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) might be susceptible to persistent H. pylori colonization, which overtime encourages infection with virulent strains. The presence of different types of H. pylori virulence factors especially cagA, dupA and various combinations of vacA subtypes (s1/m1, s2/m1 and s2m2) confer a higher risk of gastric disease development. Aim: This study seeks to recover H. pylori from gastric biopsy specimen from patients with different chronic disease conditions referred to the GIT unit at Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital, Soweto, and confirm them and further determine the presence of virulent H. pylori strains in patients with T2DM, HPT and HIV. Methods: Gastric biopsies were obtained from 101 patients with different chronic disease conditions after obtaining consent between August 2017 and February 2018. H. pylori was isolated on selective Colombia blood agar. Presumptive isolates were identified following standard microbiology and biochemical technique. These isolates were confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting the glmM gene. The H. pylori positive samples were further screened for cagA, dupA and vacA genotypes. Results: H. pylori was recovered from 26 patients, of which 8 were patients with T2DM, 10 with HPT and 8 with HIV. There was no correlation between H. pylori infection and the chronic conditions, but the majority of H. pylori positive participant carried virulent H. pylori strains. The cagA and the dupA genes were more prevalent in T2DM and HPT patients, however the association between these genes and the 2 chronic conditions was not significant. The vacA subtypes common in hypertensive patients compared to the other conditions were the s1m1, s1m2, and s2m2 and the association between these vacA forms and hypertension was significant. Majority of HIV infected patients were found to carry non-virulent H. pylori strains. Conclusion: The prevalence of H. pylori among the general population of patients with T2DM, HPT and HIV was low. Although infected patients are found to be carrying virulent strains of H. pylori, there is no significant association established between the virulent strains and the chronic conditions. Furthermore, HIV-infected patients were found to be carrying non-virulent strains of H. pylori.
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Death, suffering and silencing as explored in the book Thief and the devil's arithmetic
- Authors: Coetzer, Ashley
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Feminist literary criticism War in literature Children's literature, English
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , English
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/17116 , vital:40857
- Description: World War II is a devastating event in the world‘s history, which still haunts society today. It was a war in which millions of Jews and others losing their lives because of the Nazi regime‘s prejudiced beliefs. The primary focus of this study is to investigate concepts such as death, suffering, silencing, language and literature, as well as secrecy as evidenced in selected children‘s literature. The project provides a comparative analysis of two texts which fall under the children‘s war literature genre: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak and The Devil’s Arithmetic by Jane Yolen. Death, suffering and silencing were significant aspects of the war which crushed the minds and hearts of millions of human lives. Language and literacy are also important notions in the novels, as the historical context allowed for oppression through these areas. A feminist and cultural studies theoretical framework have been used as paradigms in this study as both address oppression in its many forms. The authors‘ biographical backgrounds as well as the historical context of their novels will be outlined in order to provide a context for the chosen theories. World War II relied on oppression based on race and religion. It is for this reason that I use cultural studies theory for an exploration of the many factors which enforced the oppression of the Jewish race by the Nazi regime. Furthermore, a feminist theoretical framework allows for an investigation of the oppression of women during this historical period. While the extent of suffering can never be completely understood, the novels attempt to honour the millions of lives lost by telling the stories of those forgotten. Teun A. Van Dijk‘s cultural studies theory explores manipulation, discourse and racism which are pertinent to a study of the novels. Within both The Book Thief and The Devil’s Arithmetic, there are oppressed female characters which drive the novel. Feminist studies encourage numerous forms of emancipation from a patriarchal society and these novels provide examples of females finding emancipation through various means. In conclusion, this study seeks to highlight the cultural as well as feminist aspects of the children‘s war literature novels, The Book Thief and The Devil’s Arithmetic. In addition, the concepts which will be analysed in this study allow for an in-depth understanding of the context of war within these novels. While these novels have been analysed individually, there is a gap in the literature as these novels have not yet been compared and contrasted. This study, therefore, aims to broaden and encourage further academic discussion in the field of children‘s war literature.
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Design and development of a context sensitive rural development software application for eService provisioning
- Authors: Masikisiki, Lizo
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Rural development Electronic commerce Computer networks
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/15332 , vital:40366
- Description: After more than a decade since South Africa realized the importance of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and the role it can play to deliver services, the country is still confronted by a number of challenges challenges that hinder the implementation of a fully-fledged ICT-based system in a form of electronic government to better deliver services and information. While rural development remains as one of the country’s greatest concerns, ICT is among approaches and perspectives that are recognized for not only accelerating rural development but also for providing the country’s economic growth. This research was set to investigate approaches to implement ICT solutions for rural development and service provisioning in the context of electronic government. The research focused more on the technical skills to implement such ICT systems for the benefit of rural development and e-government stakeholders that have an interest in design and development of an integrated and interoperable solution to accelerate service delivery, especially in rural communities. A mixed methods approach was used throughout the research accompanied by an evolutionary prototyping to development the desired prototype. A study was then conducted to gain an understanding of the state and the needs of rural communities to date. The results of the study yielded a number of urbanized service providers that rural dwellers need to timeously visit to consume services. Scenarios to design and develop the intended prototypes were then drawn from these results. The overall implementation of the prototypes produced an integrated platform that allows multiple disparate systems to communicate, share and use information. The qualities of the prototype are what this research recommends to relevant to stakeholders in order to implement an integrated and interoperable e-government system that elevates rural development programs and service delivery.
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Distribution of virulence determinants in Plesiomonas shigelloides and Vibrio species isolated from selected hospital wastewater effluents in the Eastern Cape Province, South Africa
- Authors: Mashudu, Mavhungu
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Vibrio
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc (Microbiology)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/14505 , vital:39996
- Description: Plesiomonas shigelloides and some Vibrio species are amongst the bacteria species classified into the emerging pathogenic bacteria grouping, and they portend increasing virulence and high resistance to some of the most potent antimicrobial agents used as most important and critical lines of defence against pathogenic infectious agents. Hospital wastewater has attracted significant attention as a pool for the regurgitation of pathogens into the environment which eventually becomes a problem to public health. It has been variously reported that hospital wastewater critically serves also as a puddle for microbial genetic interaction with outcomes including the development of resistance to antimicrobial agents among other pathogenic traits. And, in the same vein, exchanges and gene recombination may have been leading to the emergence of virulence determinants not previously known owing to the capacity of hospital wastewater to encompass a vast diversity of pathogenic bacteria and antimicrobial agents at the same material time. Hence, this research aimed at the evaluation of the prevalence of virulence and antibiotic resistance in Plesiomonas shigelloides and some human pathogenic Vibrio species isolated from selected hospital wastewater in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Wastewater samples were collected at two weeks intervals throughout three months sampling duration from hospital wastewater facility in the Eastern Cape Province. The wastewater samples were from the secondary hospital and, tertiary hospital along with Limbede community wastewater facilities based in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. The wastewater samples were aseptically screened for the presence of presumptive Plesiomonas shigelloides and selected Vibrio species using the culture-based method. The identity of the presumptive Plesiomonas shigelloides and Vibrio species (Vibrio cholerae, V. fluvialis, V. parahaemolyticus, and V. vulnificus) isolates were confirmed using species specific primers. After that, the presence 14 of virulence determinants and the antimicrobial susceptibility profiles of the positive strains as well as the antimicrobial resistance factors were all determined. The distribution of the presumptive isolates was as follows; 322 Plesiomans shigelloides and 378 Vibrio species respectively. However, upon molecular confirmation studies, 85 out of 322; 26% of the total presumptive isolates, were confirmed as positive for Plesiomans shigelloides and, on the other hand, from the 378 presumptive Vibrio species, 71% (270) was as positive to Vibrio genus, and upon speciation of the positive isolates; 27% (73) was confirmed as Vibrio cholerae, 9% (24) as Vibrio parahaemolyticus, 4% (12) as Vibrio vulnificus and 3% (8) as Vibrio fluvialis. The remaining 57% (153) which was unaccounted for may belong to other Vibrio species not included in this studies. Various virulence determinants were shown to be present in the Vibrio species identified and the degree varied in line with the species. P. shigelloides showed high levels of resistance to impregnated antibiotics (18 different types). The antibiogram characteristics showed P. shigelloides to possess 100% resistance to Ciprofloxacin, Nalidixic acid, Trimethoprim, Ampicillin, Penicillin, Tetracycline, Doxycycline, Erythromycin, and Cephalothin. These findings are of crucial importance to public health and the science of infectology as it gives insight into the role of the hospital wastewater as a puddle for the recombination of antibiotic resistance determinants and virulence emergence in bacteria. On the strength of the finding of this research, it is essential to indicate that there is a need for an immediate review of hospital wastewater disposal process. Some form of treatment or pretreatment of the hospital wastewater is required before discharge into municipal wastewater treatment facilities. And, perhaps, continuous monitoring of hospital wastewater to reduce the risk posed to public health.
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Dynamic Mathematical Modeling in Chemical Reaction Networks
- Authors: Gurajena, Simba
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Chemical reaction
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/11961 , vital:39122
- Description: Many students are familiar with the idea of ecological, financial modeling and modeling in other fields, but modeling in engineering fields is still an area to be looked at. In this discussion the researcher will deal with chemical reaction networks. This will cover areas in chemical reaction, interaction diagrams and the associated models. The discussion will also cover dynamic behaviour of reaction networks. The law of mass action and examples of simple networks will be dealt with. Differential equation models of biochemical and genetic systems are invariantly nonlinear, and as such numerical simulation is used to solve such models. The use of numerical simulation packages will be discussed and separation of timescale and model reduction will form part of the discussion.
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Economic change in town and countryside in the former Transkei : land use, livelihoods and market linkages in Ngcobo, Eastern Cape, South Africa
- Authors: Nikelo, Nqaba Benedictor
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Homelands (South Africa) Homelands (South Africa) -- Economic conditions
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , Agricultural Economics
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/10768 , vital:35757
- Description: In 1913 in South Africa the natives of land act during apartheid resulted to the separation of South Africa. South Africa was divided into two areas where they were black and white areas. This act had a rule that said the black people can only move out of their lands only if employed as labourers by the whites. The white population was one-fifth of the population and was given 92.5 percent of the land while the rest of the population were blacks and they were restricted to stay on the 7.5 percent of land. In the Eastern Cape, two homelands were created: the Transkei (in 1951) and the Ciskei (in 1961). In 1963 the Transkei became the first homeland to be granted the status of 'self-governing territory within the Republic of South Africa’, with the Ciskei following suit in 1972. The apartheid policies caused economic failure and corruption because very little economic and infrastructural development took place in the homelands. According to the ‘legacy perspective’: the former homelands are historically-determined structural poverty traps. The objective of the study is to describe the extent and change of economic function/role of Ngcobo town and linkages with its surrounding villages. Availability or convenient sampling and random sampling techniques were used to collect primary data from farmers and surrounding villages. Descriptive statistics was used to profile farmers as well as the participants in the surrounding villages. Descriptive statistics was used to describe the change in the economy of Ngcobo town and the change in the economy of the surrounding rural areas. Households in the former homelands devote a large share of their total expenditure to food and beverages, and yet it would appear that a relatively small share of this food originates from these same rural areas. The point of departure of this report is the observation that rural areas are diverse, whereby some areas within the former homeland areas in particular exhibit signs of dynamism which are not understandable in terms of the ‘legacy perspective’.
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Effects of absorptive capacity and knowledge management on innovation capabilities in small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs)
- Authors: Gwena, Courage
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Absorptive capacity (Economics) , Knowledge management , Small business
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , Business Management
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/11839 , vital:39111
- Description: Small Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) are increasingly becoming an influential factor behind economic growth. On the other hand, knowledge management is credited with being critical to the success of modern business enterprises. Consequently, researchers have a growing interest in understanding knowledge management and its effects on various phenomena within an enterprise. Although SMMEs are tipped to be major providers of employment, innovations and economic growth, it is important that they be investigated in light of factors that influence their sustainability and growth. Notably there is evident lack of research exploring the relationship among absorptive capacity, knowledge management and innovation capabilities from a South African perspective as many of the related studies are concentrated in the developed world. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of knowledge management on innovation capabilities in SMMEs with focus on the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality. South African SMMEs are experiencing worrying failure rates, whilst on the other hand; knowledge management is credited with organisational success. This trend has presented an opportunity to test how knowledge management affects South African SMMEs innovation capabilities. Above this, the increasing value being attached to SMMEs in solving problems, such as unemployment and trade imbalance have attracted interest as a subject of research. A quantitative research approach was followed in carrying out this study. Descriptive and inferential statistics were performed to answer the research questions of the study. The respondents (n=280) were SMMEs representatives for SMMEs operating in the Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality. Findings of the study revealed that absorptive capacity exerts positive a effect on the innovative capabilities of SMMEs the same way knowledge acquisition and knowledge sharing were found to have positive statistically significant on the innovation capabilities of SMMEs. The findings also show that knowledge sharing and knowledge acquisition exerts a positive effect on SMMEs innovative capabilities. Findings from the study could assist various practitioners directly or indirectly involved in business development to develop strategies that improve SMMEs growth and sustainability. These practitioners include strategic management researchers, policy makers, SMME owners, managers, and lecturers.
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Effects of community based organization programmes on poverty eradication : a case study of Dutywa in Mbhashe municipality, Eastern Cape Province
- Authors: Maqubela, Zodwa
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Community organization Community development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Poverty -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , M. Soc. Sci.
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/9610 , vital:34803
- Description: The study set out to establish the effects of CBO’s programmes on poverty eradication in Dutywa Mbhashe Local Municipality, Eastern Cape Province. Poverty is rife in rural areas of Dutywa and community. Community members suffer from both absolute to relative poverty. Community organizations, especially in developing countries, have strengthened the view that these bottom-up organizations are more effective in addressing local needs than larger charitable organizations. This study was done through the reviewing of the implementation of early childhood development programmes, family preservation programmes, victim Empowerment programmes, home community based care programmes (HIV/AIDS), as well as care and support to older person’s programmes by community based organizations with the aim of alleviating poverty. The selection of the district and CBOs was done purposively and data was gathered through focus group discussions, structured and unstructured interviews. Purposive sampling technique was also used in selecting participants who took part in the study. Data analysis was carried out through charts, frequency tables and percentages. Qualitative analysis was carried out through establishing the emerging themes and comparing responses in order to check the validity of the data collected. Quantitative analysis was done through the application of the Statistical Package for Social Science (S.P.S.S). Two objectives were quantitatively analysed and two objectives were qualitatively analysed. The findings revealed that the programmes rendered by the CBOs were effective in the fight against poverty in Mbhashe, Dutywa and it was recommended that there should be an effective monitoring and evaluation of community development programmes and identification of sources of support most especially local sources. It was also recommended that community programme should be aligned with the community cultures.
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Effects of production systems and canola meal supplementation on carcass and meat quality characteristics of spent laying hens
- Authors: Semwogerere, Farouk
- Date: 2018
- Subjects: Broilers (Chickens) -- Feeding and feeds Chickens -- Feeding and feeds Chicken industry -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/9242 , vital:34309
- Description: This study evaluated the carcass and meat quality traits of spent laying hens as influenced by production systems (conventional cages and free range) and the inclusion/exclusion of canola meal in their diets. A total of 30 free range and 60 battery cage reared Lohmann Brown-Elite spent laying hens were obtained from a commercial egg producer. The 30 free range hens (53 weeks of age) and 30 of the caged hens (40 weeks of age) were fed a conventional diet, while the remaining 30 caged hens (48 weeks of age) were fed a diet supplemented with canola meal (20 percent). Carcass, portion and organ weights were determined. Physical attributes and proximate composition were analyzed for, with additional fatty acids and sensory profiles being determined for the effects of canola meal inclusion in the diet. Caged hens had heavier (P ≤ 0.05) warm and cold carcasses, thigh, wing and feet compared to free range hens. The percentages of the breast (26.1 ± 0.51 vs. 28.3 ± 0.28), drum, breast bones, breast thaw and cooking losses and thigh cooking loss were lower (P ≤ 0.05) for caged hens than for free range hens. Free range hens had heavier (P ≤ 0.05) gizzards (33.9 ± 1.04 vs. 30.5 ± 0.73) and bones and a lower (P ≤ 0.05) breast meat percentage (47.3 ± 0.94 vs. 51.7 ± 1.35). Meat redness (a*) (0.54 ± 0.222 vs. 1.40 ± 0.135) and hue angle value, skin redness (a*), breast and thigh, Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF) values (breast: 12.37 ± 0.411 vs. 17.10 ± 0.751, thigh: 29.68 ± 0.306 vs. 39.75 ± 0.826), breast moisture and thigh ash content were lower (P ≤ 0.05) for caged hens than free range hens. Caged hens had higher (P ≤ 0.05) thigh thaw loss and breast ash content than free range hens. Canola-fed hens had higher (P ≤ 0.05) drum percentages, breast bone weights and percentages, with lower (P ≤ 0.05) thigh and breast meat percentages. Canola-fed hens had lower (P ≤ 0.05) thaw losses, skin yellowness (b*) and Chroma values, breast fat content with higher cooking losses, skin redness (a*) and hue angle value, as well as breast WBSF (12.37 ± 0.411 vs. 15.43 ± 0.600). Palmitic acid, stearic acid, heneicosanoic acid acid, palmitoleic acid, saturated fatty acids (SFA) (34.0 ± 0.56 vs. 38.7 ± 0.71), n-6:n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) ratio (5.5 ± 0.13 vs. 7.2 ± 0.28), atherogenic index (IA), thrombogenic index (IT), delta-5 desaturase (D5D, elongase index and thiosterase index were lower (P ≤ 0.05) for canola-fed hen breast meat. Breast meat from conventionally fed hens had lower (P ≤ 0.05) myristic acid, lignoceric acid, nervonic acid, alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), PUFA:SFA ratio (0.7 ± 0.05 vs. 0.9 ± 0.02), n-3 PUFA (3.4 ± 0.31 vs. 5.1 ± 0.17), hypocholesterolemic:Hypercholesterolaemic (h/H), stearoyl-CoA desaturase 16 (SCD16) and stearoyl-CoA desaturase 18 (SCD18). The breast meat from conventionally fed hens had lower (P ≤ 0.05) metallic flavor than that from canola-fed hens. Strong positive correlations were observed for overall aroma with chicken (r = 0.965, P < 0.001) and brothy aroma (r = 0.827, P < 0.001); overall aroma with overall flavor (r = 0.680, P < 0.001), chicken flavor (r = 0.668, P < 0.001) and brothy flavor (r = 0.548, P = 0.006); initial juiciness with sustained juiciness (r = 0.771, P < 0.001) and tenderness (r = 0.537, P = 0.007); sustained juiciness with tenderness (r = 0.790, P < 0.001) and chewiness with residue (r = 0.783, P < 0.001). Whilst strong negative correlations were observed for: sustained juiciness with chewiness (r = -0.655, P = 0.001) and residue (r = 0.783, P < 0.001) and for tenderness with chewiness (r = 0.845, P < 0.001) and residue (r = -0.855, P < 0.001). Results of this study highlight that a free range production system when compared to a conventional cage system increased undesirable carcass and physical meat traits of spent laying hens. On the other hand, canola meal inclusion incorporates beneficial health aspects without affecting the sensory profile of meat derived from spent laying hens, both groups of hens being reared in battery cage system. Spent laying hen breasts can be consumed as a functional food (especially canolafed) since the fat content and composition was observed to be close to that which is recommended for a healthy diet.
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