An assessment of human carnivore conflict in the Kalahari region of Botswana
- Authors: Klein, Rebecca Ann
- Date: 2014
- Subjects: Carnivores -- Botswana , Carnivores -- Effect of human beings on -- Botswana , Human-animal relationships , Predatory animals -- Control -- Botswana , Wildlife depredation -- Botswana
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:5876 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013132
- Description: Human wildlife conflict is a considerable conservation challenge that threatens many carnivore species worldwide and is a result of complex socio-economic and ecological processes. An understanding of the drivers of conflict is essential for any efforts to achieve coexistence. This study investigated the levels of conflict, livestock management and tolerance amongst the farming communities of the Southern and Western Kalahari in Botswana. A questionnaire survey was completed with 310 farmers throughout the region. The majority of respondents regarded coexisting with carnivores as a challenge, with losses due to depredation perceived as the greatest problem facing farmers. Conflict was widespread throughout the study area, with some spatial variations for certain species. Cattle management levels were low and while smallstock management was better, the use of improved levels of management could reduce current levels of conflict. Tolerance levels were generally low with few respondents seeing the benefits of coexistence with carnivore species. The results indicated that farm type, gender, education level, source of income, livestock numbers, location and land use all have an effect on perceived conflict and tolerance levels and strongly interact with each other. In general cattleposts were characterised by higher proportions of females, lower education levels, more benefits derived from wildlife and veld products and fewer livestock than fenced ranches. They also experienced more conflict, carried out more management and had better tolerance levels. It could be that closer connections to the land and deriving benefits from natural resources resulted in more tolerance and this is certainly worth further investigation. An improvement in the use of effective methods of livestock management, targeted environmental education programs to develop a greater awareness for the conservation value of carnivores and a diversification of livelihoods to include benefits from natural resources have the potential to reduce conflict and improve tolerance in the Kalahari region.
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- Date Issued: 2014
A mobile toolkit and customised location server for the creation of cross-referencing location-based services
- Authors: Ndakunda, Shange-Ishiwa Tangeni
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Location-based services -- Security measures , Mobile communication systems -- Security measures , Digital communications , Java (Computer program language) , Application software -- Development -- Computer programs , User interfaces (Computer systems)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:4703 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1013604
- Description: Although there are several Software Development kits and Application Programming Interfaces for client-side location-based services development, they mostly involve the creation of self-referencing location-based services. Self-referencing location-based services include services such as geocoding, reverse geocoding, route management and navigation which focus on satisfying the location-based requirements of a single mobile device. There is a lack of open-source Software Development Kits for the development of client-side location-based services that are cross-referencing. Cross-referencing location-based services are designed for the sharing of location information amongst different entities on a given network. This project was undertaken to assemble, through incremental prototyping, a client-side Java Micro Edition location-based services Software Development Kit and a Mobicents location server to aid mobile network operators and developers alike in the quick creation of the transport and privacy protection of cross-referencing location-based applications on Session Initiation Protocol bearer networks. The privacy of the location information is protected using geolocation policies. Developers do not need to have an understanding of Session Initiation Protocol event signaling specifications or of the XML Configuration Access Protocol to use the tools that we put together. The developed tools are later consolidated using two sample applications, the friend-finder and child-tracker services. Developer guidelines are also provided, to aid in using the provided tools.
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- Date Issued: 2013
Exploring health literacy assessment : the relexicalisation of a health literacy test from the U.S. for application in a South African population
- Authors: La Rose, Christopher Michael
- Date: 2004
- Subjects: Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine , Educational tests and measurements , Literacy -- South Africa--Evaluation , Health education -- South Africa -- Evaluation
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2373 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005708 , Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine , Educational tests and measurements , Literacy -- South Africa--Evaluation , Health education -- South Africa -- Evaluation
- Description: The Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM) is a standardised health literacy test developed in the United States that has been previously administered and researched in South Africa (Lecoko, 2000). It is an objective vocabulary test which uses item recognition of 66 health-related words where recognition is measured by pronunciation. It is designed as a screening instrument to identifY the health literacy levels of patients in clinics. Lecoko (2000) found the REALM to be largely inapplicable in a South African setting, in that only eight out of the 66 words could be deemed acceptable, in that they could be either both adequately pronounced and adequately comprehended or both inadequately pronounced and inadequately comprehended. This may have occurred for a number of reasons, including the administration of the test in a population for whom English is a second or other language, and inaccurate measurement of pronunciation and comprehension of words, with a key problem being that the choice of words in the original REALM may not accurately represent the range of conditions and issues in a South African healthcare setting. This thesis was therefore premised on the principled relexicalisation of the REALM, that replacement of the words used in the test, using a sample gathered from health information and promotion texts in local clinics, would improve its applicability. In this regard, an exhaustive sample was gathered and analysed and 66 new words were chosen. The test was also modified to include a more principled approach to pronunciation and comprehension issues, and to account for language proficiency differences in administering an English language test in an English second language population. This modified test, referred to as the REALM-M was administered to a group of respondents who were statistically similar to the group to whom the REALM had originally been administered, and the results were compared. It was found that relexicalisation increased the number of acceptable words on the test from eight to 38. However, researching the key discourses surrounding health literacy and comparing these with current discourses about literacy beyond the field of health care revealed that despite improved content validity over the REALM, the REALM-M lacked construct validity. This provided the opportunity to discuss the discourses of health literacy and to suggest the application of alternative paradigms in this field.
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- Date Issued: 2004
The characterisation of a South African isolate of Cryptophlebia leucotreta Granulovirus (CIGV)
- Authors: Singh, Shalene
- Date: 2002
- Subjects: Cryptophlebia leucotreta , Cryptophlebia leucotreta -- Control , Pests -- Biological control -- Africa , DNA viruses
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:4067 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004929 , Cryptophlebia leucotreta , Cryptophlebia leucotreta -- Control , Pests -- Biological control -- Africa , DNA viruses
- Description: The false codling moth (FCM), Cryptophlehia Leucatreta, causes widespread damage to economically important fruit crops throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Fruit are rendered unfit for consumption once they have been stung by FCM larvae. Larval infestation of fruit can lead to significant pre-harvest losses or post-harvest waste, posing a major problem to the citrus industry. Current control of the pest includes the use of chemical pesticides. The larval form of FCM is known to be infected by a granulovirus called Cryptophlebia leucotreta granulovirus (CIGV). Granuloviruses are highly specific against their hosts and are harmless to vertebrates, plants and the environment. The development of CIGV into a biological control agent would offer an attractive and safer alternative for the control of this pest. A full characterisation of CIGV is required prior to the virus being disseminated into the environment. In this project, the characteristics of CIGV will be examined. Viral DNA was extracted from infected larvae and the DNA analysed by restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). Fragmentation profiles of the South African and Cape Verde (CV3) isolates of the virus were compared, revealing distinct differences between them. The size of the CIGV-SA genome was calculated to be 112 kbp, identical to the size of the CV3 isolate. Physical maps for five restriction enzymes were constructed for the CIGV-SA genome. The alignment of these maps with maps the CV3 isolate (for the same enzymes) further highlighted the differences between the isolates. The genetic engineering of granuloviruses could significantly improve the speed of kill of these viruses. Therefore essential genes like egt and granulin were isolated (by PCR) and their position located in the genome. Both genes were sequenced and their phylogeny with other granulin and egt genes investigated. Finally, tbe incidence of CIGV in natural populations of FCM larvae was investigated, by screening field-collected larvae for the presence of the virus. CIGV was successfully detected from dot blots of larval DNA using both radiolabelled and non-radiolabelled probes and by PCR. Trends regarding the incidence of CIGV in natural populations of larvae were also determined.
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- Date Issued: 2002
The legal protection afforded to the consumer under current South African law with emphasis on the legal position in specific credit agreements contained in standard-form contracts
- Authors: Ndou, Fulufhelo Clyde
- Date: 2001
- Subjects: Consumer protection , Consumer protection -- Law and legislation -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , LLM
- Identifier: vital:3688 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003203 , Consumer protection , Consumer protection -- Law and legislation -- South Africa
- Description: The thesis covers the field of the contract law known as the consumer credit law. It deals with the legal protection afforded to the consumer under current South African law with emphasis on the legal position in specific credit agreements contained in standard-form contracts. The thesis focuses on those credit contracts in which the legal relationship between the consumer and the dominant party is contained in the standard-form contracts, specifically credit agreements relating to money lending transactions in which the credit grantor’s rights are secured either by means of mortgage agreement, a suretyship contract, or a deed of cession. In South Africa the right to equality and human dignity, as opposed to the classical theories of contract: pacta sunt servanda and the principle of freedom of contract, are supported by the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa Act 108 of 1996 which entrenched democratic values permeating all areas of the law including contract law. In this thesis the harmonisation of these classical theories of contract law and the constitutional values of human dignity and equality have been considered. As has been shown in a number of cases, notably those relating to the contracts of suretyship, cession in securitatem debiti, and mortgage, the current law regulating the relationship between the credit grantors and the credit receivers is in need of law reform to fall in line with the constitutional values of equality and human dignity. The greatest difficulty inherent in this area of the law is the reluctance of the courts to intervene at the instance of consumers. The courts would only intervene in the clearest of the cases, and would only do so in the public interest. In this thesis the current South African Law is considered in the light of the developments elsewhere. The tendency of credit providers to alter the terms of the contracts unilaterally and the growing number of conflicting decisions of the Provincial Divisions of High Court has also been considered. The writer also considers the role of the newly created Consumer Affairs Court.
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- Date Issued: 2001
An exploration into the meaning of death
- Authors: Todres, Leslie Allen
- Date: 1980 , 2013-03-28
- Subjects: Death -- Psychological aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSocSc
- Identifier: vital:3107 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004519 , Death -- Psychological aspects
- Description: From Preface: The present study attempts to explore, both theoretically and empirically, some implications that a personal consideration of death may have for the way we live our lives. Existential-Phenomenology has concerned itself with the description of the dimensions of human existence. It is in this enquiry that Death, and through it, human finitude, emerges as an important dimension of existence. It is not the fact of death itself, but the MEANING it has for our lives which may be of important consequence. It is to this area that this research addresses itself. The methodology employed arises out of a concern to contribute to the establishment of Psychology as a Human Science. To this end, a chapter focusing on the philosophical bases of methodology is included. It is hoped that this study may, however little, contribute both to the field of Thanatology as well as to the more theoretical issue of what Psychology is, and where it is going. , KMBT_363 , Adobe Acrobat 9.53 Paper Capture Plug-in
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- Date Issued: 1980