Natural resource use as a coping and adaptation strategy to floods of vulnerable populations in the Eastern Cape
- Authors: Sachikonye, Mwazvita Tapiwa Beatrice
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Flood damage prevention -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Natural resources -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Land use -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Human ecology -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Nature -- Effect of human beings on -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Human beings -- Effect of environment on -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:4786 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1018194
- Description: Many of the anticipated increased occurances of natural hazards are not only a consequence of climate change, but rather of rapid and widespread land cover change and the subsequent loss of the buffering capacity provided by healthy ecosystems against natural hazards. Unplanned and unmanaged developments in informal settlements limit government’s ability to mitigate and manage, pointing towards natural resources as being integral for vulnerable communities in developing countries to cope with and mitigate flood disasters. There is a lack of understanding on how natural resources contribute to resilience of vulnerable populations in the Eastern Cape and how they are impacted by these populations before, during and after a flood shock. There also exists a gap in knowledge on how natural resources can mitigate the physical impacts of flooding in South Africa, more so in the Eastern Cape province. Using household questionnaires and GIS techniques, the strategies that households used to recover from the October 2012-February 2013 flood shocks were investigated in informal settlements of three towns (Grahamstown, Port Alfred and Port St Johns). Within the vulnerability paradigm and the sustainable livelihood framework, the study also quantified and evaluated the relative contribution of natural resources to recovery strategies, and lastly, the study investigated how patterns of land use, state of natural vegetation and household topographical location exacerbated or diminished the physical impacts of flooding. This study found that natural resources contributed up to 70 percent to recovery of households from the flood shock, most of this being to reconstruction of housing structures after the flood, less so to economic recovery. It was also found that at a settlement scale the buffering effect of vegetation, although variable amongst settlements, was significant. Settlements that were dominated by dense bush and small trees experienced up to 46 percent less impacts on their property than those surrounded by bare gravel and impervious roofs with degraded environments. The main findings of the research show that natural resources reduce the vulnerability of households in informal settlements to flooding in two significant ways; by physically mitigating against damage to shelters and by also providing an emergency-net function that substitutes financial capital in households. Their inclusion in disaster management has the potential to encourage the sustainable livelihoods of the urban poor in the Eastern Cape
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- Date Issued: 2015
Woody species composition and congregant appreciation of the cultural and spiritual services provided by cemeteries and church gardens in Grahamstown, South Africa
- Authors: De Lacy, Peter James Gerard
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Plants -- Religious aspects , Cemeteries -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , Woody plants -- South Africa -- Grahamstown , Church gardens -- South Africa -- Grahamstown
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:4783 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1016401
- Description: Urbanization has increased rapidly throughout the world. The densification of urban areas has greatly reduced the number of natural areas occurring within the urban environment as well as impacting the ecosystem services that these areas provide. Urban greening and sustainable practices have been advocated as a means to once again provide the urban population with ecosystem services. Sacred natural areas that occur in surrounding forest, temple and cemetery sites have been known harbour a variety of biological diversity, as well as provide people with a number of cultural and spiritual benefits. Much of the literature on sacred natural sites comes from rural or eastern countries, leaving a large gap in the knowledge pertaining to information on these sites in both developed nations as well as urban areas. The aim of this study was to determine the abundance and composition of woody species, as well as the spiritual and cultural significance of sacred natural sites in Grahamstown. This study defined a sacred urban area as any form of garden surrounding a church, temple or mosque, as well as cemeteries. It looked at a total of 28 church gardens, one Hindu garden, one Mosque garden and five cemeteries in Grahamstown, South Africa. For each site the area was calculated and a tree and shrub inventory was done for all individuals above 1.5 m tall. Church/cemetery age, denomination and appearance were recorded as well as soil samples collected. An ordination of the data was done to summarize the community data, relating the community variation to environmental gradients. Questionnaires were completed by congregants who attended a religious building with a garden, as well as those that were not surrounded by a garden. These questionnaires were used to determine the cultural, spiritual and aesthetic value of trees and the sacred area, as well as the perceived and felt benefits that these areas provide. Those that were completed by congregants without gardens looked to find out whether or not it was believed that these areas would improve their experiences. There was an average plant density of 106.1 woody plants per hectare, with a total of 139 different species encountered. Of these, 56 percent were exotic species. This is slightly lower than that of studies done elsewhere in the world, but may be due to the omission of non-woody ornamentals and lawn species in this study. Of the top 11 most frequently occurring species, only two were indigenous. There was generally low similarity between plant assemblages found at the different sites. A significantly positive relationship was found between site size and woody plant basal area as well as the total number of woody plants. Site age and religious denomination had little influence on woody plant density, basal area, species richness or woody plant abundance. Congregants stated that a garden surrounding a religious building improved both their spiritual and aesthetic experiences. Stated spiritual and aesthetic experience was significantly influenced by basal area, while abundance significantly influenced stated aesthetic experience. Greenery was therefore important to many of the congregants, however, the species that were present were less influential. A greater sample size from a variety of religions and sacred areas within urban environments throughout the world would prove to be an interesting comparison for future research.
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- Date Issued: 2015
Electrospun sorbents for solid phase extraction (SPE) and colorimetric detection of pesticides
- Authors: Gulamussen, Noor Jehan
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Sorbents , Electrospinning , Extraction (Chemistry) , Colorimetry , Pesticides , Water -- Pesticide content -- Research
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:4501 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013241
- Description: The thesis presents the evaluation of polysulfone sorbents for solid phase extraction (SPE) and the development of colorimetric probes for pesticides analysis in water. Through electrospraying and electrospinning techniques, different morphologies of sorbents (particles, beaded fibers and bead-free fibers) were fabricated. The sorbents were morphologically characterized by scanning electron microscopy. Adsorption capacities of sorbents were evaluated by conducting recoveries studies for model pesticides; atrazine, chlorpyrifos and DDT using batch and column SPE modes. Better recovery results were achieved by employing the batch mode of fibers, as values ranged from 98 to 105percent. Further sorbent evaluation was conducted using breakthrough experiments and static experiments. The breakthrough studies indicated that 1700 μL was the sample volume that could be percolated with no breakthrough of the analyte that correspond to a concentration of 150 mg/g of sorbent that can be extracted without any loss of analyte. From static studies, quantities of each model compound adsorbed into the fiber at the equilibrium time were evaluated. The adsorbed atrazine was 65, chlorpyrifos 250 and DDT 400 mg/g of sorbent. Kinetic studies suggested retention mechanism following pseudo first and second order model observed by high correlation coefficients (> 0. 96), demonstrating the fiber affinity to retain both polar and non-polar compounds opening a possibility to be used as sorbent for sample preparation of different classes of pesticides in water. For the second part of the study simple strategies for colorimetric sensing based on silver nanoparticles and polivinylpyrrolidone capped nanoparticles were developed, respectively for atrazine and chlorpyrifos detection. The limits of detection of the methods were 3.32 and 0.88 mg/L for atrazine and chlorpyrifos respectively. The applicability of the probe in real samples was demonstrated by the recoveries studies of tap water varying from 94 to 104 percent. The versatility of the probe was demonstrated by affording a simple, rapid and selective detection of atrazine and chlorpyrifos in the presence of other pesticides by direct analysis without employing any sample handling steps. Attempt to incorporate the probes in a solid support was achieved by using nylon 6 as solid support polymer proving to be fast and useful for on-site detection.
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- Date Issued: 2014
Application of the Baylis-Hillman reaction in the preparation of quinoline derivatives
- Authors: Pakade, Vusumzi Emmanuel
- Date: 2006 , 2013-06-11
- Subjects: Heterocyclic compounds -- Derivatives , Quinoline
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:4442 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007669 , Heterocyclic compounds -- Derivatives , Quinoline
- Description: The reaction of various 2-nitrobenzaldehyde derivatives with methyl vinyl ketone (MVK) in the presence of 1,4-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octane (DABCO) has afforded the Baylis-Hillman adducts in moderate to good yield. Dissolution of the catalyst in the solvent before the addition of the aldehyde was observed to improve the yield. Reduction of the Baylis-Hillman adducts was effected by catalytic hydrogenation using a 10% palladium-on- carbon catalyst in ethanol to give quinoline and quinoline-N-oxide derivatives and, in some cases, acyclic reduction products. All products were characterised using NMR and, where appropriate, HRMS methods. Selected quinoline-N-oxides were successfully converted to their corresponding quinoline derivatives using phosphorus tribromide (PBr₃) and DMF as solvent. Conjugate addition of the benzylamine and piperidine nucleophiles to the Baylis-Hillman adducts was also investigated but proved problematic, with one of the substrates undergoing a retro-Baylis-Hillman reaction to afford the aldehyde in ca. 40% yield, but seemingly only traces of the required product. Perkin-type coupling of two 2-methylquinolines with benzaldehyde was successfully effected to afford the desired styrylquinoline derivatives confirming the potential of the Baylis-Hillman approach to the construction of the analogues of known HIV-1 integrase inhibitors. Three ¹³C NMR chemical shift prediction programmes, viz., Chem Window, neural network and HOSE (hierarchically ordered spherical description of environment) methods were applied to selected representative compounds prepared in the project. The results from the three programmes correlated reasonably well with the experimental carbon-13 chemical shift data for each of the selected compounds.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2006
Geographic susceptibility of Helicoverpa armigera (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) to insecticidal proteins in Bt-cotton in South Africa
- Authors: Van Jaarsveld, Martha Johanna
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Helicoverpa armigera , Noctuidae , Lepidoptera , Cotton -- Diseases and pests -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:5701 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005387 , Helicoverpa armigera , Noctuidae , Lepidoptera , Cotton -- Diseases and pests -- South Africa
- Description: Helicoverpa armigera Hübner (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) (African bollworm) is a typical noctuid with a very catholic taste in food plants and whose larvae feed on a wide range of cultivated and wild plants. It has been identified as the most polyphagous and injurious pest in South Africa. Helicoverpa armigera is also a key pest of cotton in many parts of the world. This key pest requires extensive control as it adversely effects yield and has built up resistance to synthetic pyrethroid insecticides. Cotton is an important crop produced by commercial and small-scale farmers in South Africa. The local demand for cotton has not been exceeded yet, but to satisfy a demanding market, pest control costs play an important role in cotton production. The threat of an insect pest that has already shown resistance prompted the present study to investigate the possibility of resistance to Bt-cotton. Genetically engineered or Bt-cotton was introduced commercially in 1996 in South Africa. All Bt-cotton plants contain one or more foreign genes derived from the soil-dwelling bacterium, Bacillus thuringiensis (Berliner), which produces protein crystals. These crystals were isolated and transferred into the genome of a cotton plant resulting in the plant producing it’s own protein insecticide. In 1998, Monsanto (Pty) Ltd requested research into the geographic susceptibility of H. armigera to the insecticidal proteins in Bt-cotton in SA. Laboratory reared and field sampled populations of H. armigera were exposed to a diet mixed with various baseline concentrations of the Bt-gene Cry1Ac freeze dried protein. This study also determined the performance of H. armigera and Spodoptera littoralis (Boisduval) on different Bt-cotton field cultivars containing different Cry-protein genes. Results obtained indicated a significant difference in susceptibility in two field populations of H. armigera to the Bt-protein Cry1Ac, even though the LD50,s in the 2003 season did not indicate resistance. Bt-cotton cultivar 15985 BX controlled H. armigera and S. littoralis larvae, the best followed in descending order by cultivar 15985 X, 15985 B and DP50 B. Results on H. armigera also indicated that the Cry-proteins in the plant parts of the different cultivars did not diminish as the season progressed. The Bt-cotton cultivars induced retarded growth of larvae, due to either a repellent effect or lack of feeding by larvae. Widespread adoption of Bt-cotton by South African farmers led to regional declines in bollworm populations, reduced insecticide use, and increased yields. Genetically modified crops therefore contribute to a cost effective, sustainable, productive and efficient form of agriculture, with a resultant positive impact on the environment. As the market for commercial Bt-cotton in South Africa expands, it is recommended that a monitoring programme for potential resistant genes in H. armigera should be implemented at least every 2 - 3 years. This will ensure that effective resistance management strategies are utilised. Coupled with this are the Biosafety Risks regarding the effect of new proteins expressed in transgenic plants, which require further studies.
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- Date Issued: 2004
Cyclodepsipeptides from a Kenyan marine cyanobacterium
- Authors: Dzeha, Thomas Mwambire
- Date: 2003
- Subjects: Cyanobacteria , Stereochemistry , Natural products -- Kenya
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:4303 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004961 , Cyanobacteria , Stereochemistry , Natural products -- Kenya
- Description: An examination of an organic extract of the cyanobacterium Lyngbya majuscula collected from Wasini Island off the southern Kenyan coast led to the isolation of the known cyclodepsipeptide antanapeptin A (7), recently isolated from a Madagascan collection of L. majuscula, and a new bioactive cyclodepsipeptide, homodolastatin 16 (42). Although L. majuscula is a common, pantropical cyanobacterium this study represents the first investigation of the natural product chemistry of a Kenyan population of L. majuscula. The structures of the two cyclodepsipeptides were determined from 2D NMR and mass spectrometry data. The L- stereochemistry of the proline, valine, and N-methylphenylalanine amino acids in 7 and the L – proline configuration in 42, was confirmed by Marfey’s HPLC method. Chiral GC was used to determine the absolute stereochemistry of the hydroxyisovaleric acid moiety in 7 and 42, the lactate residue in 42 and tentatively propose an L-stereochemistry for the Nmethylisoleucine amino acid in 42. Homodolastatin 16, a higher homologue of the potential anti-cancer agent, dolastatin 16, exhibited moderate activity against two oesophageal cancer cell lines.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2003
A study of the transdermal drug diffusion properties of rooperol tetra-acetate
- Authors: Pefile, Sibongile C.
- Date: 1998 , 2013-08-29
- Subjects: Transdermal medication , Skin absorption , Dermatologic agents
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:3838 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1007649 , Transdermal medication , Skin absorption , Dermatologic agents
- Description: The rapidly growing interest in the potential use of topical drug delivery formulations has resulted in increased use of the skin as a vital port for drug delivery. Extensive research has been conducted in designing vehicles capable of delivering a desired amount of drug to a specific site, to produce the desired pharmacological response. Rooperol tetra-acetate is a lipophilic, cytotoxic drug with the potential for use in the treatment of solar keratosis. For effective pharmacological action, delivery of the drug to the epidermal/dermal junction of the skin is required. A study of the topical penetration properties of rooperol tetra-acetate from different topical bases, each possessing different physico-chemical properties, was performed. The assessment involved a comparison of the diffusion properties under occlusive and non occlusive conditions when the drug was formulated into a gel, Cetomacrogol Cream B.P. (oil-inwater), Simple Ointment B.P. and an extemporaneously prepared water-in-oil topical cream. The in vitro experiments were conducted using polydimethylsiloxane and rat membrane mounted in a Franz diffusion cell. The topical permeation kinetics of rooperol tetra-acetate were determined by exploring the release characteristics of the active ingredient from the vehicles formulated and the permeability properties of the drug through the membranes employed. Further studies involved investigating the utilization of supersaturated systems intended to increase the thermodynamic activity of the drug when formulated into a propylene glycol/water vehicle (with and without polymer). To measure the release of rooperol tetra-acetate into the skin from a topical base it was necessary to, firstly, develop a suitable quantitative method for the analysis of the active drug in the aqueous receptor phase of in vitro diffusion cells. The second stage of product development was the design of an effective delivery system to facilitate the release of the diffusant from its base. A high performance liquid chromatographic method was utilized for the identification and quantification of the active drug. As validation is an important aspect in the development and subsequent utilization of an analytical procedure, the developed HPLC technique was validated by determining the precision, accuracy, range, limit of quantitation and sensitivity of the system. Lastly, the stability of rooperol tetra-acetate at elevated temperatures was assessed and a stability profile of the drug was generated for the three-month period of analysis. The results obtained following chromatographic analysis of the receptor phase sampled during the diffusion experiments indicate that the gel and oil-in-water formulations most effectively promoted the diffusion of rooperol tetra-acetate across polydimethylsiloxane membrane. The water-in-oil system exhibited lower flux rates and the ointment showed the least drug release. Occlusion of the topical vehicle increased the diffusitivity of the permeant from all formulations analysed. The permeation assessment results of the supersaturated systems showed enhanced diffusion of rooperol tetra-acetate across polydimethylsiloxane and rat membrane. The high thermodynamic activity existing in supersaturated systems most effectively increased the driving force for drug diffusion resulting in enhanced percutaneous penetration of rooperol tetra-acetate beyond the release and transport limitations of saturated solutions. These results provide the basis on which an effective topical drug delivery vehicle may be designed for this new drug entity.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1998
Feeding by larvae of the American bollworm, Heliothis armigera (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) on cotton plants
- Authors: Van der Walt, Susanna Johanna
- Date: 1988
- Subjects: Cotton -- Diseases and pests , Helicoverpa armigera , Lepidoptera
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:5622 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004386 , Cotton -- Diseases and pests , Helicoverpa armigera , Lepidoptera
- Description: H. armigera larvae are a key stage for pest management in conmercial irrigated cotton crops in South Africa. Effective survey methods for detecting larval populations in the field require an understanding of the biology of the larvae, particularly their feeding habits. Their feeding is central to the development of pest threshold levels for the implementation of integrated control programmes. This applies to routine surveys for the larvae as well as to the damage they cause. Biological characteristics of the larvae are described with the emphasis on the identification of the larval instars, which were consistently five in number in both field and laboratory populations. The distribution of H. armigera larvae on cotton plants in the field was examined, but was found to more or less random; had there been a clear preference for any height zones or compass direction this would have been an obvious avenue for improving the survey methods currently in use. Details of field and laboratory investigations of the selection of feeding sites by the larvae are given. The study confirmed a clear preference by the larvae for cotton buds, flowers and bolls (in the thesis collectively called "fruiting forms"), over leaves. There were indications that the larvae selected flowers more readily than buds or bolls. This "preference", however, is shown to be of no practical value for refining survey methods. Damage levels to cotton due to B. armigera are discussed. Both direct losses and indirect losses due to the abortion of fruiting forms are considered. These criteria are inadequate since they do not take into account the ability of cotton plants to compensate for these losses. It is concluded that this compensation by cotton plants should be taken into account in further studies of the pest status of B. armigera.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1988