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The use of hydrological information to improve flood management-integrated hydrological modelling of the Zambezi River basin

  • Authors: Vilanculos, Agostinho Chuquelane Fadulo
  • Date: 2015
  • Subjects: Hydrologic models -- Zambezi River Watershed , Watershed management -- Zambezi River Watershed , Water resources development -- Zambezi River Watershed , Flood control -- Zambezi River Watershed , Flood forecasting -- Zambezi River Watershed , Rain gauges -- Zambezi River Watershed
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
  • Identifier: vital:6054 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1018915
  • Description: The recent high profile flooding events – that have occurred in many parts of the world – have drawn attention to the need for new and improved methods for water resources assessment, water management and the modelling of large-scale flooding events. In the case of the Zambezi Basin, a review of the 2000 and 2001 floods identified the need for tools to enable hydrologists to assess and predict daily stream flow and identify the areas that are likely to be affected by flooding. As a way to address the problem, a methodology was set up to derive catchment soil moisture statistics from Earth Observation (EO) data and to study the improvements brought about by an assimilation of this information into hydrological models for improving reservoir management in a data scarce environment. Rainfall data were obtained from the FEWSNet Web site and computed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Climatic Prediction Center (NOAA/CPC). These datasets were processed and used to monitor rainfall variability and subsequently fed into a hydrological model to predict the daily flows for the Zambezi River Basin. The hydrological model used was the Geospatial Stream Flow Model (GeoSFM), developed by the United States Geological Survey (USGS). GeoSFM is a spatially semi-distributed physically-based hydrological model, parameterised using spatially distributed topographic data, soil characteristics and land cover data sets available globally from both Remote Sensing and in situ sources. The Satellite rainfall data were validated against data from twenty (20) rainfall gauges located on the Lower Zambezi. However, at several rain gauge stations (especially those with complex topography, which tended to experience high rainfall spatial variability), there was no direct correlation between the satellite estimates and the ground data as recorded in daily time steps. The model was calibrated for seven gauging stations. The calibrated model performed quite well at seven selected locations (R2=0.66 to 0.90, CE=0.51 to 0.88, RSR=0.35 to 0.69, PBIAS=−4.5 to 7.5). The observed data were obtained from the National Water Agencies of the riparian countries. After GeoSFM calibration, the model generated an integration of the flows into a reservoir and hydropower model to optimise the operation of Kariba and Cahora Bassa dams. The Kariba and Cahora Bassa dams were selected because this study considers these two dams as the major infrastructures for controlling and alleviating floods in the Zambezi River Basin. Other dams (such as the Kafue and Itezhi-Thezi) were recognised in terms of their importance but including them was beyond the scope of this study because of financial and time constraints. The licence of the reservoir model was limited to one year for the same reason. The reservoir model used was the MIKE BASIN, a professional engineering software package and quasi-steady-state mass balance modelling tool for integrated river basin and management, developed by the Denmark Hydraulic Institute (DHI) in 2003. The model was parameterised by the geometry of the reservoir basin (level, area, volume relationships) and by the discharge-level (Q-h) relationship of the dam spillways. The integrated modelling system simulated the daily flow variation for all Zambezi River sub-basins between 1998 and 2008 and validated between 2009 and 2011. The resulting streamflows have been expressed in terms of hydrograph comparisons between simulated and observed flow values at the four gauging stations located downstream of Cahora Bassa dam. The integrated model performed well, between observed and forecast streamflows, at four selected gauging stations (R2=0.53 to 0.90, CE=0.50 to 0.80, RSR=0.49 to 0.69, PBIAS=−2.10 to 4.8). From the results of integrated modelling, it was observed that both Kariba and Cahora Bassa are currently being operated based on the maximum rule curve and both remain focused on maximising hydropower production and ensuring dam safety rather than other potential influences by the Zambezi River (such as flood control downstream – where the communities are located – and environmental issues). In addition, the flood mapping analysis demonstrated that the Cahora Bassa dam plays an important part in flood mitigation downstream of the dams. In the absence of optimisation of flow releases from both the Kariba and Cahora Bassa dams, in additional to the contribution of any other tributaries located downstream of the dams, the impact of flooding can be severe. As such, this study has developed new approaches for flood monitoring downstream of the Zambezi Basin, through the application of an integrated modelling system. The modelling system consists of: predicting daily streamflow (using the calibrated GeoSFM), then feeding the predicted streamflow into MIKE BASIN (for checking the operating rules) and to optimise the releases. Therefore, before releases are made, the flood maps can be used as a decision-making tool to both assess the impact of each level of release downstream and to identify the communities likely to be affected by the flood – this ensures that the necessary warnings can be issued before flooding occurs. Finally an integrated flood management tool was proposed – to host the results produced by the integrated system – which would then be accessible for assessment by the different users. These results were expressed in terms of water level (m). Four discharge-level (Q-h) relationships were developed for converting the simulated flow into water level at four selected sites downstream of Cahora Bassa dam – namely: Cahora Bassa dam site, Tete (E-320), Caia (E-291) and Marromeu (E-285). However, the uncertainties in these predictions suggested that improved monitoring systems may be achieved if data access at appropriate scale and quality was improved.
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  • Date Issued: 2015

The use of probiotics in the diet of farmed South African abalone Haliotis midae L

  • Authors: Maliza, Siyabonga
  • Date: 2015
  • Subjects: Haliotis midae -- South Africa , Abalones -- South Africa , Haliotis midae -- Feeding and feeds , Haliotis midae -- Effect of chemicals on , Haliotis midae -- Growth , Haliotis midae -- Immunology , Probiotics
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
  • Identifier: vital:5382 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1018178
  • Description: Physiological stress in farmed abalone can lead to immunosuppression and increase the susceptibility to bacterial, viral and parasitic disease, often followed by mortality. Thus, handling and poor water quality can reduce farm production efficiency. Probiotics in aquaculture have been effective in a wide range of species in enhancing immunity, survival, improving feed utilisation and growth. Three putative probionts identified as a result of in vitro screening had been beneficial to laboratory-reared abalone in a previous study. The aim of this study was to produce an abalone feed that contains a suite of probionts that may promote abalone growth and health under farming conditions. The objectives were to compare growth and physiological responses (i.e., haemocyte and phagocytosis counts) of abalone fed a commercial feed (Abfeed®S 34, Marifeed, Hermanus) supplemented with probiotics (i.e., the probiotic diet) to abalone fed the commercial feed without probiotic supplementation as a control treatment in a factorial design with handling method as an independent variable. This experiment was conducted at HIK Abalone Farm (Pty Ltd) for a period of eight months with initial weight and length 36.1 ± 0.05 g and 58.6 ± 0.06 mm abalone-1. Another experiment was carried out at Roman Bay Sea Farm (Pty) Ltd with initial weight and length 34.7 ± 0.17 g and 62.3 ± 0.18 mm abalone-1, but this experiment included one factor only, i.e. the presence and absence of the probionts in the feed. At HIK there was no significant interaction between diet and handling on average length and weight gain month-1 after four (p=0.81 and p=0.32) and eight (p=0.51 and p=0.53) months, respectively. Average length (additional handling = 73.9 ± 0.52 mm, normal farm handling = 75.8 ± 0.57 mm) and weight gain (mean: additional handling = 68.5 ± 1.20 g, normal farm handling = 74.3 ± 1.86 g) increased significantly in animals that were handled under normal farm procedure and were either fed probiotic or control diet after eight months (p=0.03 and p=0.02, respectively). There was no iii difference in length gain or weight gain of abalone fed the probiotic diet and those fed the control diet (ANOVA: F(1,16)=0.04, p=0.84; F(1,16)=0.14, p=0.71, respectively). After four months phagocytotic count was significantly different between dietary treatments with mean values of 74.50 ± 10.52 and 63.52 ± 14.52 % phagocytosis count per sample for the probionts and control treatment, respectively (p=0.04), there was no difference after eight months at HIK Abalone Farm. There was no effect of stressor application (p=0.14) and no interaction between dietary treatment and stressor application for this variable i.e., phagocytosis count (p=0.61). There was no difference in feed conversion ratio between treatments with values ranging from 2.9 to 3.8. At Roman Bay Sea farm, there was no significant difference in mean length gain between abalone fed the probiotic and control diet after eight months (repeated measures ANOVA: F(4,28)=16.54. Mean weight gain of abalone fed the probiotic diet was significantly greater than those fed the control diet after eight months (repeated measures ANOVA: F(4,28)=39.82, p(0.00001). There was no significant difference in haemocyte counts between animals fed either probiotic or control diet after four and eight months at Roman Bay Sea farm (p>0.05).
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  • Date Issued: 2015

The value of locally isolated freshwater micro-algae in toxicity testing for water resource management in South Africa

  • Authors: Gola, Nontutuzelo Pearl
  • Date: 2015
  • Subjects: Microalgae -- South Africa , Toxicity testing , Water resources development -- South Africa , Aquatic habitats -- South Africa , Water -- Pollution -- Toxicology , Water quality management -- South Africa , Sewage disposal in rivers, lakes, etc. -- South Africa
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
  • Identifier: vital:6049 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017873
  • Description: The ecological position of micro-algae at the base of the aquatic food web makes them critical components of aquatic ecosystems. Their short generation time also makes them useful biological indicators because they respond quickly to changes in environmental condition, enabling timely identification and assessment of water quality changes. The inclusion of micro-algae as indicators in water resource regulation and management in South Africa has started recently, their more extensive use in biomonitoring and ecotoxicology programmes for water resource management would contribute to the South African policy if water resource protection. The standard algal growth inhibition assay with the species Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata is currently used for monitoring toxicity of in-stream and industrial wastewater discharges to freshwater micro-algae. The relevance of the data generated by standard toxicity bioassays has been questioned, since micro-algae in particular are extremely variable in their sensitivity to a range of contaminants and these standard species used may not occur in the local aquatic environment. As a result, international regulatory agencies, have recommended algal growth inhibition tests be changed from a single standard species to tests with a number of species. One recommendation, in addition to the use of standard toxicity tests, is the use of species isolated from the local environment which may be more relevant for assessing site specific impacts. This study investigated the value and application of locally isolated South African freshwater micro-algae in toxicity tests for water resource management and was carried out in three phases. The first phase involved isolating micro-algae from South African aquatic resources. Micro-algae suitable for toxicity testing were identified and selected using as set of criteria. Three (Scenedesmus bicaudatus, Chlorella sorokiniana and Chlorella vulgaris) out of eight successfully isolated species satisfied the prescribed selection criteria and these were selected as potential toxicity test species. The second phase focused on refining and adapting the existing algal toxicity test protocol (the algal growth inhibition assay) for use on the locally isolated algal species. The refinement of the test protocol was achieved by exposing the locally isolated species to reference toxicants in order to assess and compare their growth and sensitivity to the toxicants under the prescribed toxicity test conditions with that of the standard toxicity test species (Pseudokirchneriella subcapitata) and a commercial laboratory species (Chlorella protothecoides). During this phase, one of the three local species (Scenedesmus bicaudatus) was eliminated as a potential toxicity test species due to inconsistent growth. The third phase of the study involved assessing the sensitivity of the two remaining species (C. vulgaris and C. sorokiniana) to a range of toxicants (reference toxicants, salts, effluents and a herbicide) and comparing it to that of the standard toxicity test species P. subcapitata and C. protothecoides. The toxicants were selected based on their relative importance in the South African context, as well as the practicality of using these local micro-algae to routinely determine the impact of these toxicants on local aquatic resources. The growth of the four micro-algae was stimulated by the selected effluents. The standard toxicity test species P. subcapitata was ranked the most sensitive and of the four species to two reference toxicants and two inorganic salts. Chlorella sorokiniana was ranked the most sensitive of the three Chlorella species to two reference toxicants and two inorganic salts. The herbicide stimulated the growth of C. vulgaris while inhibiting the growth of the other species. Pseudokirchneriela subcapitata and C. sorokiniana showed high intra-specific variability in growth, which made it difficult to determine the effective concentrations of the herbicide and therefore compare the sensitivity of the species. This varied response of micro-algal species to toxicants may result in the biodiversity shifts in aquatic ecosystems, and also supports the recommendation of using a battery of different species to support more informed decisions in water resource management.
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  • Date Issued: 2015

The violence beneath the veil of politeness: reflections on race and power in the academy

  • Authors: Njovane, Thandokazi
  • Date: 2015
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , book
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/142121 , vital:38051 , ISBN 9781869142902 , https://books.google.co.za/books?id=49o8rgEACAAJanddq=Being+at+home:+Race,+institutional+culture+and+transformation+at+South+African+higher+education+institutionandhl=enandsa=Xandved=0ahUKEwiPgsa6mpjjAhXNN8AKHbNwAtoQ6AEIKDAA
  • Description: This edited work has gathered together contributions on how to transform universities in South Africa; as many are struggling to shift their institutional culture. In a South African context, transformation means to attempt to change higher education institutions such that they no longer reflect the values promoted by apartheid but rather reflect the values embodied in South Africa's 1996 Constitution. Institutional culture is the main subject for discussion in this book. In order to transform South Africa's universities, the contributors begin by analyzing the idea of what a university is, and relatedly, what its ideal aims are. A second theme is to understand what institutional culture is and how it functions. Moreover, transformation cannot occur without transforming the broader cultures of which they are a part. Related to this theme is a general concern about how contemporary moves towards the instrumentalization of higher education affect the ability to transform institutions. These institutions are being pushed to conform to goals that are outside the traditional idea of a university, such as concerns that universities are being 'bureaucratized' and becoming corporations, instead of a place of learning open to all. In conclusion it can be said that the contemporary South African academic community has an opportunity to recreate itself as the end of apartheid created space for engaging in transformative epistemic projects. The transformation of the tertiary sector entails a transformation of institutional cultures.
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  • Date Issued: 2015

The women of Willowvale-crafting livelihoods from the wild date palm

  • Authors: Mjoli, Nwabisa , Shackleton, Charlie M
  • Date: 2015
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/182322 , vital:43820 , xlink:href="https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC185235"
  • Description: The Wild Coast of the Eastern Cape is renowned for its cultural landscapes, stunning scenery and remarkable biodiversity. It is also one of the least developed regions of South Africa, which underpins the small productive base and limited economic opportunities for the hundreds of rural communities scattered along the hilltops. It is not surprising therefore, that many inhabitants make extensive use of natural resources, such as firewood, reed mats, medicinal plants and wild vegetables, in their daily lives, as well as for sources of income when the opportunity arises.
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  • Date Issued: 2015

The working poor in South Africa, 1997-2012

  • Authors: Rogan, Michael , Reynolds, John
  • Date: 2015
  • Subjects: Income distribution -- South Africa Working poor -- South Africa Income -- South Africa South Africa -- Social policy Public welfare -- South Africa Grants-in-aid -- South Africa Household surveys -- South Africa
  • Language: English
  • Type: Book , Text
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/3115 , vital:20370 , ISBN 9780868106069
  • Description: Despite the intentions of government and commitments by its social partners, South Africa continues to experience one of the highest levels of income inequality in the world and almost half of its households live below the minimum living level used by the National Planning Commission. Persistent calls for deregulation and lower wages to encourage job creation have been countered by arguments that the depth of income poverty and the extent of income inequality require consolidation and deepening of gains made by working people since 1994 and as expected in terms of international commitment to the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO’s) Decent Work Agenda. It is in this context that we undertake a closer examination of the shifts in the patterns of working poverty over the period 1997-2012. Challenges in calculating the rate of working poverty include defining the poverty line(s) to be used, and linking data on household incomes and individual employment status. We analyse data collected by Statistics South Africa through its October Household Surveys in 1997-1999 and General Household Surveys in 2004-2012, to examine trends in the rates of working poverty at various poverty lines, as well as trends in respect of employment amongst the poor, the depth of poverty, sources of income, and selected aspects of household composition. Our analysis shows that although the rate of working poverty decreased during the period under examination, 14% of workers still lived in households below the lower bound official poverty line, more than a fifth lived below the upper bound official poverty line, and more than a third of workers lived in households with just enough income to cover the minimum of their most basic needs. The poverty gap decreased for the working poor and for the poor in general, with the expansion of social grants in the early 2000s playing a role. We find that changes in the labour market over the post-apartheid period have not added appreciably to the demonstrable income effects achieved through the expansion of the social grant system. The implications of these findings for labour market regulation and social policy are briefly considered.
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  • Date Issued: 2015

The ‘obesity epidemic’ : an analysis of representations of obesity in mainstream South African newspapers post-1997

  • Authors: Malan, Chantelle Therese
  • Date: 2015
  • Subjects: Obesity -- South Africa , Obesity -- Press coverage -- South Africa , Obesity -- Social aspects -- South Africa , Discrimination against overweight persons -- South Africa , Social medicine -- South Africa , Agent (Philosophy) , Social control -- South Africa
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: vital:2892 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1019751
  • Description: This study of 449 newspaper articles from South Africa from 1997 provides an analysis of the representations of obesity evinced in the corpus. The research argues that obesity is overwhelmingly framed as being diseased and that there are four main refrains within this frame, namely, statistics on obesity, the naturalisation of negative assumptions about fat, the social dysfunction of fat and the use of crisis metaphors to describe fatness. This framing lends itself to representations of obesity which are raced, gendered and classed. Fat bodies are portrayed as being in deficit and fat people as lacking agency. The disproportional focus on black bodies in the corpus can be attributed to assumptions of ‘incivility’ which are premised on racial stereotypes which construct black people as being unintelligent, irrational, lacking agency and being largely dependent on others to survive. This disproportional focus on black bodies can also be understood in the context of emerging markets. This study argues that the medicalisation of obesity has contributed to many oversimplifications and contradictions in the representation of obesity in the corpus, which seem to go unquestioned, such as the conflation of weight and health, something I argue is one of the main contributors to the negative consequences of the dominant framing of obesity. Framing obesity as medicalised also promotes fat shaming and acts as a form of social control which maintains existing power relations through the use of discursive practices for the identification and control of deviants. These representations are problematic chiefly because they promote the dehumanisation of fat people, but also because that they do not promote good health as they claim to do.
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  • Date Issued: 2015

Thembinkosi becoming a Gqirha

  • Authors: Unnamed
  • Date: 2015
  • Subjects: UNCATALOGUED
  • Type: Video
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/303640 , vital:58356 , KHV-265
  • Description: Thembinkosi explaining his journey to becoming a Gqirha , Use of this resource is governed by the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons "Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike" License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/) (NEVER CAHNGE THIS FIELD)
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  • Date Issued: 2015

Thembinkosi explaining journey from uMkhweta to Gqirha

  • Authors: Unnamed
  • Date: 2015
  • Subjects: UNCATALOGUED
  • Type: Video
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/303664 , vital:58359 , KHV-266
  • Description: Thembinkosi explaining his journey from uMkhweta to Gqirha , Use of this resource is governed by the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons "Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike" License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/) (NEVER CAHNGE THIS FIELD)
  • Full Text: false
  • Date Issued: 2015

Thembinkosi explaining journey from uMkhweta to Gqirha

  • Authors: Unnamed
  • Date: 2015
  • Subjects: UNCATALOGUED
  • Type: Video
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/303645 , vital:58357 , KHV-266
  • Description: Thembinkosi explaining his journey from uMkhweta to Gqirha , Use of this resource is governed by the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons "Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike" License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/) (NEVER CAHNGE THIS FIELD)
  • Full Text: false
  • Date Issued: 2015

Thembinkosi explaining journey from uMkhweta to Gqirha

  • Authors: Unnamed
  • Date: 2015
  • Subjects: UNCATALOGUED
  • Type: Video
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/303657 , vital:58358 , KHV-266
  • Description: Thembinkosi explaining his journey from uMkhweta to Gqirha , Use of this resource is governed by the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons "Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike" License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/) (NEVER CAHNGE THIS FIELD)
  • Full Text: false
  • Date Issued: 2015

Thembinkosi's Gqirha journey

  • Authors: Unnamed
  • Date: 2015
  • Subjects: UNCATALOGUED
  • Type: Video
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/303675 , vital:58360 , KHV-267
  • Description: Thembinkosi explaining the three important stages leading to being a Gqirha , Use of this resource is governed by the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons "Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike" License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.0/) (NEVER CAHNGE THIS FIELD)
  • Full Text: false
  • Date Issued: 2015

Thermal physiology and behavioural ecology of the white shark, carcharodon carcharias

  • Authors: Gennari, Enrico
  • Date: 2015
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/64002 , vital:28522
  • Description: Expected release date-May 2019
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  • Date Issued: 2015

The design of a research aquarium for hippocampus capensis in the Knysna Estuary, Western Cape province

  • Authors: Rautenbach, Richard
  • Date: 2015
  • Subjects: Public aquariums -- South Africa -- Western Cape -- Designs and plans Public aquariums -- South Africa -- Western Cape
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MArch
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/39043 , vital:35025
  • Description: This thesis developed out of a concern for the ecological biodiversity of natural environments and the way in which human interventions place constant and increasing pressure on them. Modern cities have generally placed little concern on the overall well-being of these systems which all flora and fauna depend upon. This causes stress on many species, with some ending in extinction. The Knysna Seahorse (Hippocampus capensis) is one such species which has suffered because of irresponsible city development. It is a small and seemingly irrelevant animal to many, but its well-being is a far greater issue than that of the tiny endangered creature. It acts as an indicator species of a threatened environment. This treatise takes a critical look at developing an awareness among people of the importance of the ecological well-being of nature alongside the cities of South Africa. More specifically it focuses on the secret and vulnerable lives of the endangered and endemic Knysna Seahorse within its threatened natural environment. The issues facing the natural environment of Knysna will be looked at in depth and sets of interventions will be proposed to minimise further anthropocentric effects on nature. The first part of the proposal will be a larger scale urban intervention that will set the framework for the treatise building design. It has been proposed to design a Research Aquarium for the Knysna Seahorse (H. capensis) as an active ecological research, conservation and education centre. The buildings activities will aid in public education and raise a place specific awareness of the Knysna Estuary and its endangered seahorse species through its conservation efforts. The Seahorse Research Aquarium is to be positioned within a new vision of a waterfront for the Knysna Central. The Research Aquarium will seek to become a mediator between man’s urban environment and the ecological systems of nature. This can be realised as part of a promotion for an enhanced connection of Knysna’s urban environment to that of the natural environment. Ultimately a positive shift in the way in which people respond to the well-being of the environment will be created. The research conducted will focus on the particular interaction between the man-made urban environments within Knysna and the natural environment. The resulting urban and architectural strategies implemented will allow for an empathetic and balanced relationship between man and nature. This harmonious coexistence is essential for the sustenance of the unique natural environments that South Africa should cherish (GNTO .2013). Promoting a healthy and vibrant natural ecology within an urban environment will enhance the quality of life of both man and nature.
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  • Date Issued: 2015

This morning a year ago... annotated extracts from Samuel Cronwright's diaries (Sept. 1921-Nov. 1923)

  • Authors: Walters, Paul S
  • Date: 2015
  • Subjects: To be catalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/458346 , vital:75734 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC176979
  • Description: The extracts which we print and annotate below are from eight diaries formerly in the possession of the National English Literary Museum (NELM) and written by Olive Schreiner's husband, Samuel Cronwright, from 7 June 1921 to 13 May 1926. They are described in detail by Guy Butler on pages 16 and 17 of Walters and Fogg, Olive Schreiner: Her Reinterment on Buffelskop, which itself derives almost wholly from Diary 1. As we worked our way through these diaries, it seemed a pity not to publish - for the benefit of Schreiner scholars and enthusiasts - the many references to Schreiner and Cronwright's relationship with her which are scattered through their pages. As these diaries - together with the whole Cronwright collection which Cronwright originally left with his brother in Grahamstown when the latter was Manager of the EP Guardian, Loan and Investment Company - have now been removed from NELM's care by Cronwright's grandson (presumably for sale and disposal elsewhere), the publication of these fragments is perhaps of greater importance than when this project was originally undertaken in 2007.
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  • Date Issued: 2015

Through the Burtonesque looking-glass : interrogating the psychoanalytic in Tim Burton's adaptation of selected children's texts

  • Authors: Van Zyl, Simone
  • Date: 2015
  • Subjects: Burton, Tim, -- 1958 Children's literature Psychoanalysis and literature
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/12304 , vital:39251
  • Description: The primary aim of this thesis is to interrogate existing psychoanalytical theory, as well as to conduct research on ‘the Burtonesque’ in order to examine two of Tim Burton's filmic adaptations of classic literary works for children, namely: Alice in Wonderland (2010), an adaptation inspired by Lewis Carroll's Alice books, and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), based on Roald Dahl's novel of the same title. Firstly, the chapters will explore the psychological elements found in the original texts, which Burton amplifies in his onscreen adaptations by means of various stylistic and thematic techniques that have become known as ‘the Burtonesque’. Secondly, the ‘Burtonesque’ itself will be explored, and thirdly, by means of comparative analysis, the investigation will focus on the manner in which such aesthetics aid Burton in highlighting psychological concerns in his films, as well as interrogate his cinematic alterations to existing texts in order to further his purpose. As a keen enthusiast of psychology and having won awards within the field, Tim Burton, a foremost contemporary Hollywood filmmaker, in his adaptations of children’s classics, deliberately magnifies the psychoanalytic components that are often found in the tales. Through his unique interpretation, Burton brings the psychoanalytic approach to children’s stories to a new level. He explores certain themes such as death, childhood fantasies, psychological development and parental relationships, and makes use of specific artistic techniques that create a sense of the uncanny and defamiliarisation in the viewer. Due to his gothic cinematic approach, Burton is one of the most recognisable artists in his field, with a consistent vision that is concerned with cinematic and thematic aspects of his work, branding his films with a unique ‘Burtonesque’ quality that has become instantly identifiable. As a result of Burton’s psychological interest in children’s stories, Tim Burton’s film adaptations of the Dahl and Carroll classic children’s stories can be interrogated under a psychoanalytic lens. Psychoanalytic literary criticism is a method of literary analysis that is informed by the tradition of psychoanalysis established by Freud. In Burton scholarship, critical exploration should take the form of not only a close reading of the original text and analysis of the film version in order to come to a psychoanalytic interpretation, but by means of comparison of film and text, highlight the methods applied by psychoanalytic theory. A close comparative analysis of original literary works by Roald Dahl and Lewis Carroll, and Tim Burton’s filmic adaptations will be conducted in this study. Thereby, the manner in which Tim Burton employs specific techniques in order to emphasise the stories’ psychological components will be explored. Biographical information of Dahl and Lewis, as well as a short synopsis of their stories will be included in order to provide the context for psychoanalytical criticism. A discussion of ‘the Burtonesque’ will be provided, as well as a brief exploration of his adaptation history and Burton’s specific interest in psychology. Research methods to be applied in the analysis of the original texts and their film versions are psychoanalytic literary theory, drawing predominantly on the work of theorists: Sigmund Freud, Jacques Lacan and Carl Jung. A close examination of auteur theory, the unique voice Burton has established through his iconic cinematic techniques, now coined ‘the Burtonesque’, will also be applied to provide a fuller and rounder interrogation. The focus of this project is to investigate thempsychoanalytical elements found in the texts and films, in order to clearly illustrate how Tim Burton’s cinematic approach serves to highlight a psychoanalytic interpretation.
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  • Date Issued: 2015

Through the Camera Obscura : exploring the voyeuristic gaze through Grahamstown's architecture

  • Authors: King, Taryn
  • Date: 2015
  • Subjects: Architecture -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , Camera obscuras -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , Voyeurism in art , Gaze in art , Architecture and society -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , Human figure in art , Women in art
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MFA
  • Identifier: vital:2511 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1018937
  • Description: My study explores the politics of viewing and the gaze. I argue that the gaze both arrests and objectifies the body, which in turn transforms subjects into objects therefore regulating social behaviour. The basic notion of the gaze will be explored throughout this thesis and thereby contextualizes my sculptures, which are casts of my naked body. My particular concern lies in how the ideas of surveillance have had an influence on architecture and buildings in Grahamstown. Throughout this mini thesis, I will explore a number of architectural spaces of Grahamstown such as the Provost prison, Fort Selwyn and the Camera Obscura which I argue were all designed based on the ideas of surveillance. The entanglement of Grahamstown architecture and the female form as a subject of voyeurism forms an important part of this thesis, as the context of Grahamstown architecture is centered on visibility, which in turn subjects people to a form of discipline. The Provost Prison, the Camera Obscura and the forts of Grahamstown are all good examples of this. Outside of this, the female body is also subjected to the gaze, which in turn suggests that the female body is also under surveillance and as a result also becomes disciplined. My installation is a response to Antony Gormley’s Event Horizon, in which he placed 33 steel and fibreglass casts of his own naked body at an elevated level on buildings around Manhattan and Brazil. In this discussion I have contextualized my work with reference to the ideas of different theorists. The three main theorists I have cited are Michel Foucault, Jonathan Crary and Laura Mulvey. Foucault is specifically cited due to his discussion on Panoptic power, surveillance and docile bodies. Crary makes a number of important points with regards to the ideological operations of the Camera Obscura as well as its history while Laura Mulvey’s writings form the basis of the voyeuristic gaze from the perspective of a feminist.
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  • Date Issued: 2015

Tillage effects on the aggregate-associated organic carbon and bulk density in some South African soils with different texture

  • Authors: Njeru, Sarah Kangai
  • Date: 2015
  • Subjects: Soil management Tillage
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/2512 , vital:27881
  • Description: Tillage operations disrupt the soil structure resulting in aggregates of various sizes and altered bulk density. Moreover, tillage influences soil carbon pools and many other soil physical properties. The objectives of this study were to determine, in various South African soils under different tillage systems, the following. (1) Amount of aggregate-associated soil organic carbon (SOC), (2) soil compressibility, and (3) relationship between compressibility, texture and the aggregate-associated SOC. The soil samples used in this study were collected from six different sites in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Soil samples were taken from conventional tillage (CT) and no-till (NT) land. To keep the soil aggregates intact sampling was done using a spade and carefully carried to the laboratory in rigid containers. For SOC determination, treatments were the two tillage systems, CT and NT, and four aggregate sizes. The experimental design was completely randomized design with a factorial layout and was replicated three times. Aggregate-associated SOC was determined using Walkley-Black method. Proctor compaction test was used determine the dry bulk density with varying moisture content and consequently the maximum bulk density (MBD) and critical water content (CWC). The aggregate-associated SOC content differed with tillage system and was significant higher (p < 0.05) in CT than NT. The amount of aggregate-associated SOC was 1.67 times higher in CT than NT plots. The MBD ranged between 1.77 g/cm3 and 10.27 g/cm3 and the CWC ranged from 9.1 percent to 10.3 percent. The higher amounts of SOC in CT were attributed to the annual crop residue returns while the lower amounts of SOC in the NT fields were due to grazing. Therefore, tillage influenced the amount of aggregate-associated organic carbon irrespective of the resulting size of the aggregate. The positive relationship between tillage and aggregate-associated SOC challenges the conversion of land to no-till for carbon sequestration. The overall gradient for correlation between the MBD and CWC was negative with r2 = 0.23 and a p value of 0.0076. The compressibility curves indicated higher values under CT if the texture class was silt clay.
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  • Date Issued: 2015

Too big to fail?: the case of the New York Times: journalism next

  • Authors: Garman, Anthea
  • Date: 2015
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: vital:38353 , http://hdl.handle.net/10520/EJC175792
  • Description: Andrew Phelps, the Senior Product Manager for The New York Times and one of the investigators involved in the leaked Innovation Report, (the paper's investigation on changes needed to cope with the digital world) was the keynote speaker at the Menell Media Exchange (MMX15) in South Africa this year. Here are some highlights from his talk to a crowded room of journalists from across the country and journalism spectrum.
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  • Date Issued: 2015

Total ionizing dose and single event upset testing of flash based field programmable gate arrays

  • Authors: Van Aardt, Stefan
  • Date: 2015
  • Subjects: Field programmable gate arrays Application-specific integrated circuits
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MEngineering
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/12548 , vital:27090
  • Description: The effectiveness of implementing field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) in communication, military, space and high radiation environment applications, coupled with the increased accessibility of private individuals and researchers to launch satellites, has led to an increased interest in commercial off the shelf components. The metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) structures of FPGAs however, are sensitive to radiation effects which can lead to decreased reliability of the device. In order to successfully implement a FPGA based system in a radiation environment, such as on-board a satellite, the single event upset (SEU) and total ionizing dose (TID) characteristics of the device must first be established. This research experimentally determines a research procedure which could accurately determine the SEU cross sections and TID characteristics of various mitigation techniques as well as control circuits implemented in a ProASIC3 A3P1000 FPGA. To gain an understanding of the SEU effects of the implemented circuits, the test FPGA was irradiated by a 66MeV proton beam at the iTemba LABS facility. Through means of irradiation, the SEU cross section of various communication, motor control and mitigation schemes circuits, induced by high energy proton strikes was investigated. The implementation of a full global triple modular redundancy (TMR) and a combination of TMR and a AND-OR multiplexer filter was found to most effectively mitigate SEUs in comparison to the other techniques. When comparing the communication and motor control circuits, the high frequency I2C and SPI circuits experienced a higher number of upsets when compared to a low frequency servo motor control circuit. To gain a better understanding of the absorbed dose effects, experimental TID testing was conducted by irradiating the test FPGA with a cobalt-60 (Co-60) source. An accumulated absorbed dose resulted in the fluctuation of the device supply current and operating voltages as well as resulted in output errors. The TMR and TMR filtering combination mitigation techniques again were found to be the most effective methods of mitigation.
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  • Date Issued: 2015
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