Development of an evidence-based framework for the prevention and management of musculoskeletal disorders in South Africa
- Authors: De Bruyn, Elrico
- Date: 2023-10-13
- Subjects: Musculoskeletal system Wounds and injuries South Africa , Musculoskeletal system Wounds and injuries Treatment , Human engineering Handbooks, manuals, etc. , Musculoskeletal system Wounds and injuries Prevention , Industrial engineering South Africa , Work environment South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/424232 , vital:72135
- Description: Background: Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) are multi-causal soft tissue disorders that result in disability, discomfort, and pain. MSDs are prevalent in 21.5% of the world’s population and carry a great financial and personal burden to individuals, businesses and countries alike. The multi-casual nature of MSDs has resulted in a vast amount of literature being published on how to prevent and manage the disorders, to the extent that navigating through the literature to find effective and context-specific interventions has become time-consuming and difficult. This is the case in South Africa, where ergonomists have no guide or framework to navigate MSD literature, and context-specific literature is limited. Aims: This study aimed to assist ergonomists in South Africa navigate the MSD literature to identify and select appropriate MSD prevention and management interventions. To do so, three objectives of the study were identified: 1. Review MSD literature to identify effective MSD prevention and management interventions. 2. Create a framework to act as a guide for ergonomists to navigate MSD prevention and management studies. 3. To verify the suitability of the framework in the South African context. To achieve these objectives, the study took a two-phased approach. Phase 1: A scoping review of MSD literature was conducted to identify effective MSD prevention and management approaches. Sixteen (n=16) prevention strategies and fourteen (n=14) management strategies were identified. The information from the review was analysed and grouped into five hierarchical levels of interventions (“Law”, “Organisational Policies”, “Management Systems”, Workplace Interventions”, and “Individual”). This information, along with a conceptual model created for the navigation of the literature, was used to create a draft framework for musculoskeletal disorder prevention and management. It was concluded that although there were many effective MSD interventions, there was a lack of South African-specific literature. Phase 2: Interviews with five certified ergonomists working in the South African context were conducted to verify the framework’s suitability for a South African working environment. The interviews identified two MSD prevention and three MSD management themes as effective in South Africa. Both prevention themes (“training and education” and “workplace interventions”) were also mentioned to be part of the stakeholders’ ideal MSD prevention programme, further reinforcing their usefulness. The use of “workplace interventions” was also identified to be effective in MSD management, alongside interventions at the management level and the use of alternative tools and equipment. However, the lack of managerial buy-in was identified as a barrier to MSD prevention. Stakeholders also highlighted that job specification and work hardening was an MSD strategy missing from the framework that was effective in South Africa's MSD management. The use of surveillance practices was found to be ineffective in South Africa, with lots of resistance towards it from workers. Conclusion: The framework presented in Phase 1 identified many effective MSD interventions; however, only a few were found to be applicable to the South African working context during Phase 2. Future research should focus on identifying the success of different MSD interventions in South Africa with participation from the ergonomists involved in the implementation to create an even more suitable guide that matches the South African ergonomist’s needs. , Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Human Kinetics and Ergonomics, 2023
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- Date Issued: 2023-10-13
An evaluation of the effectiveness of area-based conservation interventions in avoiding biodiversity loss in South Africa
- Authors: Von Staden, Lize
- Date: 2023-04
- Subjects: Environmental policy , Conservation of natural resources -- Government policy -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/61115 , vital:69762
- Description: Counterfactual impact evaluation studies form an important evidence base for the effectiveness of conservation projects, programs, and policies (collectively referred to as conservation interventions). In South Africa, counterfactual impact evaluation methods have rarely been applied to local conservation interventions, and therefore evidence for the effectiveness of key strategic national conservation approaches is lacking. This study evaluated three area-based interventions that together aim to avoid the loss of areas most important for the persistence of biodiversity in the terrestrial realm as evidence towards the effectiveness of South Africa’s landscape approach to biodiversity conservation. The first intervention, South Africa’s National Protected Area Expansion Strategy (NPAES), set ambitious targets to double the extent of South Africa’s protected area network while ensuring that the expansion preferentially occurs in areas of under-represented biodiversity. The strategy was evaluated in terms of its effectiveness in guiding protected area expansion towards more equitable representation of South Africa’s biodiversity through an assessment of changes in indicators of protected area expansion decision-making before and after the implementation of the strategy. The second intervention is the use of maps of biodiversity priorities to guide land use change decisions outside protected areas. Impact was evaluated as avoided loss of Critical Biodiversity Areas (CBAs), which need to remain in a natural condition to meet in situ conservation targets for species, ecosystems, and ecological processes. Avoided loss in CBAs was benchmarked against avoided loss in protected areas, to contextualize the effectiveness of land use planning as a conservation intervention. Lastly, the effectiveness of stricter land use regulations for threatened ecosystems to reduce land conversion pressure on these ecosystems was evaluated. Key findings were that protected areas are highly effective conservation interventions where they can be implemented, but their capacity for conservation impact is limited by severe constraints on strategic expansion. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, School of Environmental Sciences, 2023
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- Date Issued: 2023-04
Délices et négation: une approche de l’écriture féminine à travers quelques romans Africains Francophones
- Authors: Anjugu, Taimako Ajigo
- Date: 2023-03-30
- Subjects: African fiction (French) History and criticism , Literature Women authors , Women authors, African , Reader-response criticism , Womanism in literature
- Language: French
- Type: Academic theses , Doctoral theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/409779 , vital:70629 , DOI 10.21504/10962/409779
- Description: From the onset, it is worthy to note that, nowadays, just as after the independence of most African countries, several writers from the African continent have been preoccupied with the fate of women. This is because, the African continent was since ancient times characterized by certain traditions and cultures which mainly have contributed to the plight of the women. This goes to emphasise that women in most cases are the victims of misdeeds such as early marriage, forced marriage, prejudices, violence, marginalisation, exploitation, discrimination; in short, vices that lead to devalorisation of African women in Africa. Over time, some contemporary French-speaking African writers have responded to the devaluation and valuation of women in their novels using 21st century objective view. With regard to the theme that we decided to address in this research, it is worth knowing that the preponderant task is based on the socio-critical theory, postulated by Claude Duchet. Meanwhile, recourse is also made to the comparative method by Rens, Bod et al. However, since the author’s message could be understood by the reader through the use of some expressions or terms that speak directly to the themes of the research, and that a reader’s role in reading experience cannot be overemphasised, we have been able to also lean on the Reader-response theory of Louise Michelle Rosenblatt. The three methods were used concurrently especially that the analysis of each text is based on how characters are being depicted leading us to realizing that our findings on how the African woman is devalued in the first part of the research, while in the second part of the thesis, our findings demonstrate that a lot of tributes are showered on the African woman due to her numerous outstanding qualities. In effect, our findings also reinforce a significant shift in the narrative that concerns the contemporary view on womanhood. Hence, moving from a dogmatic overconcentration on her lot to the new era woman whose lot is now redefined via the new wave feminist perspective on the negation of the African woman. This could be said to be in line with Amadiume Ifi’s contributions and pioneering work in feminist discourse towards new ways of thinking about sex and gender, the question of power, and women’s place in history and culture. , Pour commencer, il est nécessaire de se souvenir qu’à l’époque actuelle, comme juste après les indépendances de la plupart des pays africains, bon nombre des écrivains venant du continent africain décident de se préoccuper des méfaits sociaux tels que le mariage précoce et/ou forcé, les préjugés, la violence, la marginalisation, l’exploitation, la discrimination, entre autres. Tous ces vices sont issus de la négation de la femme africaine. Ceci se justifie par le fait que le continent africain était depuis l’antiquité caractérisé par certaines traditions et cultures qui ont contribué principalement aux dégâts ci-dessus soulignés subis par les femmes. En effet, nous estimons que beaucoup de femmes sont victimes de ces méfaits qui sont encore pratiqués dans certaines parties de l’Afrique. Avec le temps, certains écrivains africains francophones contemporains représentent la dévalorisation et la valorisation de la femme dans leurs romans en se servant d’une vision contemporaine, celle du XXIe siècle. En ce qui concerne le thème que nous avons décidé d'aborder dans cette recherche, il faut savoir que la tâche prépondérante repose sur la théorie sociocritique, postulée par Claude Duchet. Parallèlement, on a également recours à la méthode comparative de Bod Rens Et ses coauteurs. Cependant, puisque le message de l’auteur pourrait être compris aussi par le lecteur à travers l’usage de certaines expressions ou termes qui sont directement liés aux thèmes de la recherche, le rôle du lecteur dans l’expérience de lecture ne peut pas être surestimé, nous avons également pu nous appuyer sur la théorie de la réponse du lecteur de Louise Michelle Rosenblatt. Les trois méthodes ont été utilisées simultanément d'autant plus que l'analyse de chaque texte est basée sur la façon dont les personnages sont représentés ; ceci nous a amené à tirer nos conclusions sur la façon dont la femme africaine est dévalorisée dans la première partie de la recherche, tandis que dans la deuxième partie de la thèse, nos résultats démontrent que de nombreux hommages sont rendus à la femme africaine grâce à ses nombreuses qualités exceptionnelles. En effet, nos résultats renforcent également un changement important dans le récit qui concerne la vision contemporaine de la féminité. Par conséquent, passer d’une surconcentration dogmatique sur son sort à la femme de la nouvelle ère dont le sort est maintenant redéfini via la perspective féministe par rapport à la négation de la femme africaine telle a été la démarche. On pourrait dire que cela est au diapason avec les contributions d’Amadiume Ifi et avec son travail dans le discours féministe vers de nouvelles façons de penser le sexe et le genre, la question du pouvoir et la place de la femme dans l’histoire et la culture. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Humanities, School of Languages and Literatures, 2023
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- Date Issued: 2023-03-30
Protection of the environment from pollution emanating from offshore oil installations
- Authors: Kuture, Dudzai Chandisaita
- Date: 2022-12
- Subjects: Marine pollution -- South Africa , Marine Law – South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/59710 , vital:62383
- Description: The desperate need for South Africa to develop its oil industry is driven by the goal of improving the social and economic situation in the State. This goal has sparked an interest in expanding the exploration and exploitation of oil within the marine environment to the extent of venturing into uncharted deeper waters.1 This interest has been met with a constant reminder of the Deepwater Horizon explosion as one of the many events that stirred up concerns within the global community on the possibility of an oil spill causing pollution within the marine environment. Also, that explosion and its effects have demonstrated the need for the global community to closely monitor and effectively regulate environmental matters, including the exploration and exploitation of oil and the prevention of oil pollution.2 Therefore, the recent discovery of additional oil deposits in South Africa has confirmed the need to revisit the current legal system regulating the impact on the marine environment including the exploration and exploitation of oil.3 An oil spill causing pollution amongst other pollutants is a significant contributor to loss and damage to the marine environment and its habitat. In developing States like South Africa, an oil spill causing pollution can present challenges due to the scarcity of resources, technology, and knowledge to prepare, prevent and combat the spreading of the pollutant. As it stands, in the event of an oil spill, States must rely on international cooperation and expertise to ensure that the impact does not cause irreversible harm and degradation to the marine environment. South Africa within the global community gives effect to international law by adopting domestic laws that regulate the exploration and exploitation of oil to protect the environment from oil spills causing oil pollution within the marine environment. In addition, the liability caused by oil spills plays a vital role in the need to rehabilitate the marine environment and compensate the aggrieved parties. , Thesis (LLM) -- Faculty of Law, Department of Public law , 2022
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- Date Issued: 2022-12
The impact of urban gardening on household food security: evidence from Makhanda East, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa
- Authors: Bruwer, Guillaume Marcel Xavier
- Date: 2022-04-06
- Subjects: Food security South Africa Makhanda , Urban agriculture South Africa Makhanda , Urban gardening South Africa Makhanda , Sustainable development South Africa Makhanda , South Africa Economic conditions , Subsistence farming South Africa Makhanda , Economic impact analysis South Africa Makhanda , Propensity Score Matching (PSM)
- Language: English
- Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/263575 , vital:53640
- Description: Urban gardening in townships is a common coping strategy employed by poor inhabitants to improve food security, earn income through sales, and generate cost-savings through home consumption of fresh produce. Food security is a cornerstone of human development and welfare, and the achievement thereof remains a global challenge. The majority of academic research and policy documentation traditionally positions food insecurity as a rural phenomenon. However, recent trends point to an increase in food insecurity in urban areas, particularly in low-income areas such as townships. In South Africa, rapid urbanization has led to burgeoning townships and rapidly expanding low-income informal settlements characterised by poverty, unemployment, and food insecurity. Research concerned with the role that urban agricultural production plays in contributing to the food security of poor households is scarce and not well understood. This research, therefore, aimed to contribute to the limited research which specifically examines urban food security, and the role urban agriculture play in the achievement of household food security. The study employed collective action theory and utility theory to firstly provides an in-depth examination of the determinants of participation in urban gardening using Probit regression modeling. The second research objective was to perform an impact evaluation of participation in urban gardening on selected household food security indicators including Household Dietary Diversity Scores (HDDS), the Household Hunger Scale (HHS) and the Coping Strategy Index (CSI) using Propensity Score Matching (PSM). Purposive and snowball sampling methods were employed to obtain a sample of 60 urban gardeners and a control group of 55 non-gardening households from Extension 6, 7 and 10 townships as well as Joza Location in Makhanda East, Eastern Cape Province. Households were surveyed using a structured household food security questionnaire. A focus group discussion was held with the Linomtha Community Garden members and key informant interviews were undertaken with important stakeholders such as the local extension officers. Descriptive analysis revealed that urban gardening households (UGs) had older household heads who were less educated, and that land and water availability were the dominant constraints to increases in agricultural production. Results from the probit and average marginal effects models showed that the likelihood of participation significantly increased when household unemployment and dependency increased and that households who were engaged in off-farm economic activity were more likely to participate in urban gardening. The impact evaluation was performed using PSM and Average Treatment Effect on the Treated (ATT). Analysis illustrated that participation in urban gardening does significantly reduce both the full CSI and Reduced CSI. Thus, participation in urban gardening improves the food security of participating households by significantly reducing the frequency of participating households (UGs) applying undesirable coping strategies such as sending children elsewhere other than the household, borrowing food from other households and reducing the number of meals eaten in a day due to food shortages. This study posits that urban gardening alone will not eradicate the rampant food insecurity and poverty which pervades in South Africa’s townships. However, urban gardening participation does contribute to the construction of a sustainable, urban livelihood by reducing the number and severity of the undesirable coping strategies that food insecure households employ by providing some nutritious produce as well improved social capital through gardening networks and supporting institutions. It is recommended that policy makers, at a national and municipal level, need to create a clearer directive for the integration of urban food production into the urban food marketplace thus increasing access to income generating channels for small-scale home, and community gardeners. Co-operation between private and public institutions for food security and urban gardeners needs to be fostered and awareness of opportunities to participate in urban gardens needs to be improved. Central to the developmental challenges that rapid increases in urbanization and food insecurity in poor urban areas, is the need for national and local governments to improve access to economic opportunities in township areas - both in urban agriculture and in other, skills intensive sectors. , Thesis (MEcon) -- Faculty of Commerce, Economics and Economic History, 2022
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- Date Issued: 2022-04-06
Une analyse critique de deux adaptations filmiques de Les Liaisons dangereuses de Pierre Choderlos de Laclos
- Authors: Naumann, Tyler
- Date: 2021-10-29
- Subjects: Film adaptations History and criticism , Laclos, Choderlos de, 1741-1803. Liaisons dangereuses Criticism and interpretation , Liaisons dangereuses (Motion picture) History and criticism , French fiction 18th century History and criticism , Semiotics and motion pictures , Translating and interpreting in motion pictures , Continuum of proximity
- Language: French
- Type: Master's theses , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/190284 , vital:44980
- Description: Film adaptation has been practised since the emergence of cinema in France in the early twentieth century. Theorists have identified, however, that a detailed system of analysis of film adaptations remains lacking and that there is a dearth of detailed case studies. This study adopts the lens of intersemiotic translation and seeks to apply a system of analysis, comprised of a synthesis of three existing systems (Cattrysse, Metz, McFarlane). The semiotic transferal of five key sequences from the source text are analysed in their film adaptations. The source text, Les Liaisons dangereuses by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, an eighteenth-century epistolary novel focusing on the erotic exploits of two nobles in French high society, was chosen for its challenging nature as a film adaptation. Two film adaptations, that at first glance seem to be at the opposing extremes of film adaptation classification: ‘free’ and ‘close’; have been chosen to firstly, better understand the mechanics of the semiotic transferal process, and secondly, to identify at which points these adaptations are constituted as ‘free’ or ‘close’. Since the domain’s theorisation in the early 1930’s, the fidelity debate has remained omnipresent in the analysis of film adaptation. Even though theorists have tried to move away from the fidelity debate, it remains indispensable when comparing an adaptation with the original text and is a key point of departure when analysing the semiotic transferal between source text and screen. Through the lens of translation, theorists have come to question the binary classifications of film adaptations: ‘free’ and ‘close’. Contemporary theorists suggest that proximity to the source text operates on a continuum rather than as a fixed category. As a result of the multi-layered system of analysis used in this study, it has been concluded that the two film adaptations chosen are both ‘free’ and ‘close’ at varying points. Intersemiotic translation used in comparative film adaptations studies is therefore a useful methodological tool that allows for a more detailed and nuanced analysis and strengthens the case for using a continuum of proximity rather than fixed classifications. , Depuis l’émergence du cinéma en France au début du XXe siècle, il existe des adaptations filmiques. Les théoriciens de ce domaine constatent pourtant le manque d’un système d’analyse détaillé de ces adaptations. En plus, il y a une pénurie de cas d’études détaillés. La présente étude vise à prendre l’optique de la traduction intersémiotique et à appliquer un système d’analyse, qui se compose d’une synthèse de trois systèmes existants (Cattrysse, Metz, McFarlane). Le transfert sémiotique sera analysé de cinq séquences clefs du texte source. Le texte source, Les Liaisons dangereuses de Pierre Choderlos de Laclos, roman épistolaire du XVIIIe siècle qui se focalise sur les conquêtes amoureuses de deux aristocrates, a été choisi pour sa nature stimulante en tant que projet d’adaptation filmique. Nous avons choisi deux adaptations, qui à première vue, semblent être aux extrêmes opposés de classements des adaptations filmiques : ‘approchant’ et ‘libre’, pour découvrir les mécanismes du processus du transfert sémiotique, et en deuxième lieu, pour identifier à quels points ces adaptations seraient ‘approchantes’ ou ‘libres’. Dès la théorisation du domaine au début des années 1930, le débat de la fidélité est resté omniprésent dans les analyses des adaptations filmiques. Comparer une adaptation filmique au texte source est fait, et reste un point de départ essentiel lorsque l’analyse du transfert sémiotique entre le texte source et l’écran s’effectue. À travers l’optique de la traduction intersémiotique, les théoriciens ont remis en question les classifications binaires des adaptations filmiques : ‘approchante’, ‘hybride’, et ‘libre’. Les théoriciens contemporains suggèrent que la proximité du texte source s’opère sur un continuum au lieu d’être précisée dans des classements fixes. Grâce au système à multiples composantes utilisé dans cette étude, il a été conclu que les deux adaptations filmiques choisies sont toutes les deux ‘approchantes’ et ‘libres’ aux points variés. La traduction intersémiotique utilisée dans les études comparatives des adaptations filmiques constitue donc un outil méthodologue indispensable qui permet une analyse détaillée et nuancée, et qui renforce les arguments en faveur de l’emploi d’un continuum de proximité qui contourne le problème d’étiquettes rigides et binaires. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, French Studies, 2021
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- Date Issued: 2021-10-29