List of Titles

Quick View

A contribution to the ecology and systematics of the genus Petrotilapia (Pisces : Cichlidae) in Lake Malawi

- Marsh, Alan Clive

Authors: Marsh, Alan Clive
Date: 2013-03-20
Subjects: Cichlids -- Nyasa, Lake , Petrotilapia
Language: English
Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
Identifier: vital:5355 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1009513 , Cichlids -- Nyasa, Lake , Petrotilapia
Description: The nominal species Petrotilapia tridentiger Trewavas, a rock-frequenting fish from Lake Malawi, occurs in three distinct male and female colour forms at Monkey Bay. Field observations on courtship and aggression indicate that the three colour forms are distinct species. The taxonomy of the three species of Petrotilapia that occur at Monkey Bay is revised. R. tridentiger is redescribed and two new species, P. genalutea and P. nigra, are described. The three species are very similar morphologically and are considered to be sibling species. The only morphological character which reliably separates the three sibling species is live coloration: Live coloration is considered to be an important component of the specific mate recognition systems in Petrotilapia species. The coloration of a further fourteen forms of Petrotilapia is described and it is suggested that these forms are valid species. Space resource partitioning plays an important role in facilitating the coexistence of Petrotilapia sibling species. Space is partially partitioned in terms of depth range. In shallow water, where all three species are sympatric, there are differences in the feeding sites used by the various Petrotilapia forms. Changes in niche breadth and overlap, which are associated with changes in the abundance of epilithic algae, indicate that competition for feeding space occurs between the three Petrotilapia species. The Petrotilapia species partition their resources according to a social dominance hierarchy. Dominant forms, such as territorial males, R. tridentiger females and schooling R. genalutea females, have access to rich food supplies which occur within the territories of certain highly aggressive Pseudotronheus species. are facultative and opportunistic .feeders. Petrotilapia species Speciation in allopatry is considered to be the mechanism which adequately explains the current diversity of the genus Petrotilapia. The importance of an integrative approach to future systematic and ecological research on Lake Malawi cichlids is stressed. , KMBT_363 , Adobe Acrobat 9.53 Paper Capture Plug-in
Full Text:

Quick View

An exploratory study of a virtual partnership for building capacity in a tertiary education institution

- Mufeti, Tulimevava Kaunapawa

Authors: Mufeti, Tulimevava Kaunapawa
Date: 2013-03-20
Subjects: Internet in higher education Education, Higher -- Computer-assisted instruction Education, Higher -- Technological innovations Computer-assisted instruction -- Africa, Southern Education, Higher -- Africa, Southern Educational technology -- Africa, Southern SANTED Virtual Classroom Project
Language: English
Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
Identifier: vital:1134 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1001624
Description: Collaborative partnerships aimed at strengthening institutional capacities are a long established trend in academia. Recent developments in Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) have fostered a renewed interest in collaborative initiatives in the academic sphere, however, and at the same time, have created new ways of working together. Current research models do not provide sufficient methods to guide collaborations in capacity-building processes in virtual environments, especially in contexts associated with inadequate resources. Conceptual tools are therefore needed to guide the implementation of partnerships that use technology to mediate capacity building in these contexts. This research study was aimed at understanding whether and how virtual partnerships can be used to facilitate capacity building in tertiary education institutions in the SADC region. It is based on a single case study of the SANTED Virtual Classroom Project, a partnership between the Departments of Computer Science at Rhodes University (RU) and the University of Namibia (UNAM). In the project, ICTs were used to mediate the process of building teaching and research capacity in the department at UNAM. The dynamics of the partnership are explored as the implementation process developed over a period of three years. The research adopted a sociocultural perspective in the analysis of the project‟s implementation. It uses activity theory and the notion of communities of practice as conceptual frameworks to explore how the two departments organised themselves and how they harnessed the virtual environment to enable the capacity-building partnership. Activity theory provided a lens to understand the complex relationships between the different elements of the partnership activities mediated by technological tools. The concept of communities of practice, on the other hand, enabled participants‟ progress to be analysed, as they went through the various transition stages of the capacity-building process. The thesis identifies the following four categories of challenges inherent in the implementation of virtual partnerships: infrastructural, institutional, cultural and individual expectations. It also emphasises the need for identifying the different transition stages corresponding to the levels of participation in the capacity-building process. The thesis recommends that the implementation of virtual partnerships for capacity building purposes in the SADC region must focus on: identifying the appropriate capacity building strategies at Abstract ii each transition stage; finding appropriate, light-weight virtual classroom solutions; identifying appropriate pedagogic models to suit available technology; addressing systemic tensions that can arise as a result of different institutional cultures; and developing and nurturing virtual communities of practice to ensure sustainability. The research findings contribute to the body of knowledge exploring the use of technologies to develop and strengthen human resource capacities in developing contexts in a sustainable way. More importantly, it contributes to the literature on collaborative virtual partnerships in the SADC region, and demonstrates one way in which the operations of such a partnership may be supported in similar contexts , Adobe Acrobat 9.53 Paper Capture Plug-in
Full Text:

Quick View

Annual wage agreement: March 2012 - February 2013. Agreement entered into between two parties, being: F. Dawood & Son (Pty) Ltd the Food and Allied Workers Union (FAWU)

- F. Dawood & Son (Pty), Food and Allied Workers Union

Authors: F. Dawood & Son (Pty) , Food and Allied Workers Union
Date: 2013-03-20
Subjects: F. Dawood & Son (Pty) , Food and Allied Workers Union (FAWU) , Collective bargaining -- South Africa , Wages -- South Africa
Language: English
Type: collective labor agreements , text
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/95844 , vital:31204 , Labour Research Service (LRS)
Description: Annual wage agreement entered into between two parties, being: F. Dawood & Son (Pty) Ltd the Food and Allied Workers Union (FAWU).
Full Text:
Date Issued: 2013-03-20

Quick View

Assessment of the water quality, incidence of enteric viruses and microbial risk in the Buffalo River in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa

- Chigor, Vincent Nnamdigadi https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0811-4526

Authors: Chigor, Vincent Nnamdigadi https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0811-4526
Date: 2013-03
Subjects: Water quality , Water -- Microbiology
Language: English
Type: Doctoral theses , text
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/24272 , vital:62596
Description: Buffalo River is an important water resource in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. Over a 1-year period (August 2010–July 2011), the water quality and incidence of human enteric viruses (HEntVs) was assessed, using standard methods and molecular techniques and a total 72 composite water samples collected monthly from a total of 6 sites located on the river and three dams along its course. The sites were selected based on a number of factors including geographical location, anthropogenic activity/major water use, rural/urban status and access. A total of 13 physicochemical parameters were determined using the standard methods. The counts of faecal indicator bacteria (FIB) including total coliforms (TC), faecal coliforms (FC) and enterococci (ENT) were determined by the membrane filtration technique. HEntVs were concentrated using an adsorption-elution method based on cation (Al3+)-coated membrane filter. Real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) was used for the detection and quantification of human adenoviruses (HAdV), and real-time reverse transcriptase-PCR (RT-qPCR) was used for the quantitative detection of hepatitis A virus (HAV), human rotaviruses (RoV) and enteroviruses (EnV). The detected HAdV were characterized by multiplex conventional/semi-nested PCR methods. The risks for human health constituted by exposure to the detected HEntVs at the six sites were evaluated by a static quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) using both the exponential and beta-Poisson models. Water temperature ranged from 11 to 28oC, while pH varied from 6.6 to 10.7, and turbidity from 1.7 to 133 NTU. Electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS) and salinity showed drastic variations (42.3-46693 μS/cm, 20.3–23350 mg/L and 0.02–33.8 PSU respectively). The concentrations of other parameters ranged as follows: chloride (3.7–168 mg/L); DO (6.9–11.1); BOD (0.6–9.4); COD (3.7–45.9); nitrite-nitrogen (0.02–0.21); nitrate-nitrogen (1–4.47); and orthophosphate (0.01–1.72). TC, FC and ENT counts were high and ranged from 1.9 × 102–3.8 × 107 cfu/100 mL, 0–3.0×105 cfu/100 mL and 0–5.3 × 105 cfu/100 mL for TC, FC and ENT respectively. Significantly (P<0.05) higher concentrations of FC and ENT were observed at the sampling sites located at the lower reaches of the river compared to the upper reaches. The FIB counts mostly exceeded the maximum limits recommended by national and international guidelines for safe fresh produce irrigation, domestic applications, full-contact recreation and livestock watering. Significant (P<0.01) positive correlations existed between TDS and salinity (r=0.921), between turbidity and each of TC (r=0.552) and FC (r=0.425), as well as between BOD and each of TC (r=0.282), FC (r=0.472) and ENT (r=0.552). Phosphate correlated positively with FC (r=0.424), and nitrate also with the same, FC (r=0.460). A strong positive correlation existed between FC and ENT (r=0.915). There existed a significant (P˂0.01) inverse correlation between enteric viruses and each of water temperature (r=-0.191) and pH (r=-0.234). No correlation could be deduced between enteric viruses and all the tested chemical and bacteriological parameters. HAV, HAdV, RoV and EnV were detected in 43.1percent, 34.7percent, 13.9percent and 9.7percent respectively of the total 72 water samples tested. Two or more viruses were detected in 22.2 percent of the samples. HAdV were detected at 5 of the 6 sampling sites with concentrations ranging from 1.2×101 genome copies (GC)/litre to 4.71×103 GC/litre. Epidemiologically important serotypes, Ad40/41 constituted 83.3percent, while Ad21 made up 16.7percent of all the HAdV detected. HAV was detected at all the sites in significantly (p < 0.05) varying concentrations that ranged from 1.5 × 101–1.9 × 105 GC/litre compared to RoV and EnV. Neither of RoV nor EnV was detected at any of the dams. The detected concentrations at the non-dam sites ranged from 2.5 × 101–2.1 × 103 GC/litre and 1.3 × 101–8.6 × 101 GC/litre for RoV and EnV respectively. The values for the estimated daily risks of enteric virus infection varied with sites and exposure scenario, and ranged from 7.31×10-3–1 (for HAdV), 4.23×10-2–6.54×10-1 (RoV), 2.32×10-4–1.73×10-1 (HAV) and 1.32×10-4–5.70×10-2 (EnV). The yearly risks of infection in individuals exposed to the river/dam water via drinking, recreational, domestic or irrigational activities were unacceptably high, exceeding the acceptable yearly risk of 0.01percent (10-4 infection/person/year) recommended by the USEPA for drinking water. The risks of illness and of death from infection ranged from 6.58×10-5–5.0×10-1 and 6.58×10-9–5.0×10-5 respectively. Data on the physicochemical and bacteriological parameters showed that the Buffalo River water quality was poor, and deteriorated in the plains compared to the upper reaches. These water quality data, the presence of enteric viruses and the QMRA data, that revealed unacceptably high risks of enteric virus infections, and of illness and mortality from the infections, show that the Buffalo River and its dams are contaminated waters that constitute significant public health hazards. Provision of adequate sanitary infrastructure will help prevent source water contamination, and public health education aimed at improving personal, household and community hygiene is imperative. Monitoring enteric viruses in rivers and source water dams is necessary and useful as a risk assessment tool for the exposed population. Future research should consider a comprehensive characterization of the detected viruses. This work is both a significant contribution to the molecular epidemiology of enteric viruses and the first report on molecular detection and quantification of enteric viruses in surface waters in the Eastern Cape. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science and Agriculture, 2013
Full Text:
Date Issued: 2013-03

Quick View

The auto/biography of the liberation struggle and public representation of its memory and heritage :1994 to 2008

- Solani, Noel Lungile Zwelidumile

Authors: Solani, Noel Lungile Zwelidumile
Date: 2013-03
Subjects: Monuments , Reconciliation - - Political aspects -- South Africa , Museums
Language: English
Type: Doctoral theses , text
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/23067 , vital:55380
Description: This thesis is an analysis ofthe constructions and productions of new post apartheid identities and heritages of the liberation struggle with a specific reference on the Eastern Cape. It does this by examining the first 15 years ofdemocratic rule in South Africa. While there were many organisations that participated in the liberation struggle such as the African Peoples Organisation (APO). the lndian Congresses. the Pan Africanist Congress (PAC). Unity Movement as well as the African National Congress (ANC). the focus ofthis thesis is restricted to the ANC. In this case it examines what were the objectives and subjective reasons for the participation ofthe ANC in the liberation struggle. These questions are examined from the perspective ofthe ANC as one of the liberation movements that ultimately assumed power and had an opportunity to implement its vision and programmes in a new state. ln this way. this work shows that the objectives ofthe liberation struggle were aimed at replacing the apartheid racial order with a non-racial and non—sexist society where all its members are equal citizens. The thesis seeks to examine the feelings ofthe liberation struggle by looking at songs, poetry. photographs. documentary films. museums and monuments. I argue that, cultural practices and memory institutions such as museums. offers us useful complex methodologies in the narration ofthe auto/biography ofthe liberation struggle. I also argue that each of these does not only tell the narrative of the liberation struggle, trigger and promote the memory ofthat struggle and individuals within that struggle. but they also communicate the feelings ofthis struggle. its growth and maturity in ways that history as understood in the academy cannot The main question that is asked in this study is: what were the self—determined objectives ofthe National Democratic Struggle (NDS)? In this regard, I therefore examine two issues: first I look at the evolution ofthe national or native question in South Africa and the reaction or understanding ofthe liberation movements. especially the ANC. towards the national question. The thesis also examines the AN(“s attitude on this matter. Secondl). I attempt to analyse the “national question“ in a changed environment and the ways in which it is constructed through public memory and the means used for the "nation“ to where While not engaging on the merits or demerits of the national question. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Social Science and Humanities, 2013
Full Text:
Date Issued: 2013-03

Quick View

The changing face of NEPAD and the challenges of facilitating sub-regional economic integration on the ECOWAS platform

- Agomuonso, Udo Robertson

Authors: Agomuonso, Udo Robertson
Date: 2013-03
Subjects: New Partnership for Africa's Development , Economic Community of West African States , Sustainable development -- Africa
Language: English
Type: Doctoral theses , text
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/24783 , vital:63573
Description: This research is intended to evaluate and study the challenges confronting NEPAD’s quest for sub regional economic integration in the ECOWAS domain. Political and economic integration has been part of African strategy to overcome fragmentation, marginalization and improve the continent’s position in the global political economy. Indeed, Africa needs integration more than any other continent or region in the world and this is why, it has had a fair share of regional integration arrangements all through her history. Unfortunately, these efforts have not paid off in the dimension of desired expectations. When NEPAD was established, it was given regional integration responsibilities, even though it was not a regional organization. It was mandated to drive regional integration in Africa by supporting the regional integration efforts of the regional economic institutions in Africa. After 10 years of existence, African leaders dissolved NEPAD and in its place, instituted the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency (NPCA). This move was orchestrated by the seemingly slow progress made by NEPAD in this direction. NEPAD and ECOWAS has been working together to promote regional integration, but like in most parts of Africa, the challenges has been seemingly intractable. The study is anchored around the principles of integration as presented by the neo-functionalists theorists. Hence, the research attempted to provide an explanation of the performance and non-performance of NEPAD as a regional integration tool, within the confines of the theory. The findings show that while, there has been some level of success in this venture as evidenced by the projects that are on-going in the sub region, the fact remains that NEPAD did not deliver or actually delivered below expectations. However, this situation is reversible as the study submitted that, there is a future for regional integration in West Africa, Africa and the new NPCA, if the African Union pulls the right levers. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, 2013
Full Text:
Date Issued: 2013-03

Quick View

"The great foes of reality" : attitudes to language in selected novels by Joseph Conrad

- McDonald, Peter

Authors: McDonald, Peter
Date: 2013-02-19
Subjects: Conrad, Joseph, 1857-1924
Language: English
Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
Identifier: vital:2183 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1001836 , Conrad, Joseph, 1857-1924
Description: This dissertation examines Conrad's ambivalent attitude to the value of words in human affairs. Though his critical attitude is the main focus of the argument, his positive attitude will also be considered in some detail. In the first chapter, on The Nigger of the 'Narcissus', the critical attitude is primary. In this story language is seen in relation to silence and action, and in both cases the non- linguistic element is celebrated, while words are censured. Yet the values implied by the tale leave the writer of fiction, and the narrator who emerges at the end of the story, in an uncertain position: the world presented in the novel undermines the mode of presentation which is the novel. This paradox is to some extent resolved in the following two chapters which deal with Conrad's complex response to the culture of European imperialism. Chapter 2, on Heart of Darkness, examines the ways in which words contribute to the systematic lies that sustain the nineteenth-century civilizing mission. The story is, however, not wholly critical of language, since the value of Marlow's spoken narrative is clearly endorsed. Chapter 3 offers a more detailed account of the relationship between the story-teller and his society, and of the value of Marlow's words. In Lord Jim, Marlow's account of Jim is contrasted with the account of him given by the court of inquiry, and with the notion of the hero projected in the romantic fictions which Jim reads. Once again Marlow's use of language is affirmed, while other uses are shown to be reductive, or simply spurious. The final chapter deals with Under Western Eyes. Of the four novels selected for this thesis, Conrad's "Russian novel" offers the most explicit and sustained critique of language. The novel suggests that any simplistic identification of language with "communication" is naive, if not misleading. In the conclusion I discuss Conrad's understanding of the nature and function of his own words, as set out in the preface to The Nigger of the 'Narcissus' and A Personal Record
Full Text:

Quick View

Perspectives on isolation: the relation of narrative technique to theme in selected works by Joseph Conrad

- Gaylard, Robin Peter

Authors: Gaylard, Robin Peter
Date: 2013-02-13
Subjects: Conrad, Joseph, 1857-1924
Language: English
Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
Identifier: vital:2182 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1001833 , Conrad, Joseph, 1857-1924
Description: " ... the central concern of this thesis, which is to investigate the ways in which Conrad uses a particular technique (that of the first-person narrator ) to focus our attention, to secure our involvement, and to direct our sympathies. At the same time I wish to examine the extent to which the central themes or concerns of each work derive from the interaction between the narrator and the man whose experience he confronts, from "the challenging interplay of two frames of reference, two schemes of values, two sets of attitudes" that the use of a dramatized narrator makes possible." (Introd., p. 5) , Adobe Acrobat 9.53 Paper Capture Plug-in
Full Text:

Quick View

Aspects of the bioavailability of topical corticosteroid formulations

- Magnus, Ashley Denis

Authors: Magnus, Ashley Denis
Date: 2013-02-12
Subjects: Adrenocortical hormones -- Therapeutic use , Dermatologic agents , Transdermal medication -- Evaluation , Dermatopharmacology
Language: English
Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
Identifier: vital:3843 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1009516 , Adrenocortical hormones -- Therapeutic use , Dermatologic agents , Transdermal medication -- Evaluation , Dermatopharmacology
Description: Two possible variables of the McKenzie/Stoughton blanching assay, namely amount applied to the test site and occlusion time have been investigated. Subsequently, two topical steroid preparations, Synalar cream (0,025% fluocinolone acetonide) and Betnovate cream (0,1% betamethasone 17-valer ate) were extemporaneously diluted with five and six placebo bases respectively. Taking cognizance of the two possible variables, these diluted preparations were assessed in vivo using a modified version of the McKenzie/Stoughton blanching assay for blanching activity over a 14 month period. It was found that the base E45, which is slightly alkali, had the greatest effect on both preparations. In the case of betamethasone 17-valerate this base c aused the conversion to the less active isomer, betamethasone 21-valerate whereas at the end of the 14 month test period it was found that the Synalar/E45 dilution contained no fluocinolone acetonide. Quantitative analysis of all the diluted preparations by high performance liquid chromatography using a reverse-phase system was performed. The data obtained f r om the systematic stUdies of the effects of varying concentrations and occlusion times were presented at the Eleventh National Congress of the South African Pharmacological Society. , KMBT_363 , Adobe Acrobat 9.53 Paper Capture Plug-in
Full Text:

Quick View

Showing items 121 - 140 of 1371