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Teachers' perceptions on the non- implementation of the alternatives to corporal punishment policy : a case study

  • Authors: Billie, Sikelelwa khuthala
  • Date: 2015
  • Subjects: Corporal punishment of children Children's rights School discipline
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/${Handle} , vital:29494
  • Description: This study aims to identify the perceptions that teachers have regarding the nonimplementation of the Alternatives to Corporal Punishment Policy (ATCP). Using a qualitative research approach, data was collected from teachers in a high school in Mdantsane that is still using corporal punishment. The main tools of data collection used were semi-structured interviews and document analysis. The findings from this study revealed a range of factors that influence teachers not to implement the alternatives to corporal punishment policy. These include: culture, religion, lack of parental involvement, violence in schools and lack of capacitation in teachers on the policy. Moreover the findings of this study revealed that if new policies are imposed on implementers there is bound to be resistance. This study therefore recommends that new policies need to be discussed and agreed upon by both the policy makers and policy implementers. The study also recommends that teachers need capacity building workshops so that they understand the need and the benefits of implementing the ATCP.
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  • Date Issued: 2015

Teachers’ experiences in identifying learners with learning barriers in a Full Service School

  • Authors: Dakada, Alinda
  • Date: 2015
  • Subjects: Inclusive education Learning disabilities -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Teaching -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/6147 , vital:29495
  • Description: This study investigates teachers‟ experiences in identifying learners with learning barriers in one primary school in the East London District. It focuses on diversity and inclusive education as well as practices and procedures within the school. This is a phenomenological study conceptualized in terms of social constructivism(Leatherman, 2007), Kurt Lewin‟s Field Theory(Neill, 2004) and ecological systems theory(Maddock, 2000).The literature review encompasses four focal points: conceptualisation of inclusive education, inclusive education in South Africa, policy implementation, and lessons learned from inclusive education implementation both internationally and in South Africa. A qualitative research method is employed in this study through the use of semistructured interviews and observations. The findings are analysed using content analysis. The key findings of this might help the teachers working in full service or mainstream schools to have a good understanding and a sense of what diversity and inclusive education entails. The findings might attempt to examine how educators manage inclusion in the classroom, their competencies and the strategies they need in order to be competent inclusive teachers. Recommendations are developed that point to how practices could be put in place to facilitate an effective implementation strategy for the development of an inclusive education system.
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  • Date Issued: 2015

Teachers’ practices of ‘cooperative learning’ instructional technique in six schools: Implications for learner performance in Mathematics

  • Authors: Febana, Papama
  • Date: 2015
  • Subjects: Group work in education -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Team learning approach in education -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , Degree
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/5094 , vital:29075
  • Description: One of the key features of curriculum change in South Africa in the last twenty years has been a move away from teacher centred instructional techniques to those that promote active participation of learners in their learning. Although the post democratic National Curriculum Statement has put emphasis on the importance of cooperative learning as a learner centred instructional technique, there is hardly any research on how teachers in schools understand and use it. This study sought to fill this gap by using a case study of seven mathematics classes in six schools. Data was collected through interviews, observations and document analysis.
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  • Date Issued: 2015

Teaching for conceptual understanding : an analysis of selected teachers' practice

  • Authors: Kashima, Andreas Akwenye
  • Date: 2015
  • Subjects: Teacher effectiveness -- Namibia , Student-centered learning -- Namibia , Constructivism (Education) -- Namibia , Problem solving , Teachers -- In-service training -- Namibia
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
  • Identifier: vital:2037 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017348
  • Description: The purpose of this study was to explore how teachers’ practice either supports or constrains learners’ conceptual understanding. The study is structured within an interpretive paradigm. The research takes the form of a case study and focused on the teaching practice of two purposefully selected teachers who had been identified as being effective/successful practitioners. The data was collected in two stages. In the first stage, qualitative data was collected by video recording six classroom lessons, three for each of the two participating teachers. In stage 2, participating teachers were individually interviewed. In these interviews the two participating teachers were asked to reflect on their classroom practice, through a process of stimulated recall, where their actions seemed to either support or constrain the development of learners’ conceptual understanding. The study identified a number of elements of the two teachers’ practice that related to the development of learners’ conceptual understanding in the classroom. These include building on learners’ prior knowledge, the use of concrete manipulatives, questioning that promotes critical thinking, and the use of multiple representations and connections. The study also identified elements of the two teachers’ practice that had the potential to constrain the development of learners’ conceptual understanding. These include the lack of opportunities for co-operative or peer-oriented learning, the absence of questioning that leads to discussion, and a scarcity of activities that build mathematical concepts through hands-on engagement. The study highlights the need for supporting teachers and helping them strengthen their practice with regard to those activities that support the development of conceptual understanding in their learners.
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  • Date Issued: 2015

Termination of the contract of employment not constituting dismissal

  • Authors: Sipuka, Sibongile
  • Date: 2015
  • Subjects: Employees -- Dismissal of -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Labor discipline -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Unfair labor practices -- South Africa
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , LLM
  • Identifier: vital:10258 , http://hdl.handle.net/10948/d1021152
  • Description: Section 23 of the Constitution provides that everyone has a right to fair labour practice. The constitutional right to fair labour practices includes the right not to be unfairly dismissed and is given effect to by section 185 of the LRA. The constitutional right not to be unfairly dismissed is given effect to by Chapter VIII of the Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995 (the LRA), which provides a remedy for an unfair dismissal. Schedule 8 of the LRA contains a “Code of Good Practice: Dismissal”, which the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (the CCMA) and the Labour Courts must take into account when determining the fairness of a dismissal. The LRA expressly recognises three grounds for termination of the employment contract namely; misconduct on the part of the employee, incapacity due to an employee’s poor work performance, ill health or injury and termination due an employer’s operational requirements. In terms of the LRA, a dismissal must be procedurally and substantively fair. The requirements for procedural and substantive fairness are contained in Schedule 8 of the Code of Good Practice: Dismissal. The provisions of section 185 of the LRA apply to all employers and employees in both the public and the private sectors, with the exception of members of the National Defence Force, the National Intelligence Agency, the South African Secret Service and the South African National Academy of Intelligence. Section 213 of the LRA defines an “employee” as any person, excluding an independent contractor, who works for another person or for the State and who receives, or is entitled to receive, any remuneration and any person who in any manner assists in carrying out or conducting the business of an employer. Section 200A of the LRA sets out the presumption as to who is an employee. This is a guideline to assist in determining who is an employee The Basic Conditions of Employment Act 75 of 1997 (the BCEA) sets minimum terms and conditions of employment including the notice of termination of employment. Under the common law an employment contract of employment can be terminated on either the expiration of the agreed period of employment or on completion of the specified task in cases of fixed-term contracts. Also, in terms of general contract principles an employment contract may be terminated by notice duly given by either party or by summary termination in the event of a material breach on the part of either party. The death of either party may terminate the employment contract. However, the death of an employer will not necessarily lead to the contract’s termination. An employment contract may also terminate by operation of law or effluxion of time namely retirement and coming into being of fixed-term contracts, by mutual agreement, employee resigning, due to insolvency of the employer and due to supervening impossibility of performance. In the circumstances indicated above, the termination of the contract of employment does not constitute dismissal. This means that the CCMA and the Labour Court do not have jurisdiction to determine should the employee allege that his or her dismissal was unfair. It has been argued that the instances where a termination of a contract of employment is terminated, but there is no dismissal should be scrutinised to avoid a situation where employees are deprived of protection afforded by the fundamental right not to be unfairly dismissed. There have been some instances where employment contracts contain clauses that provide for automatic termination of employment contracts. It has been held by the courts in various decisions that such clauses are against public policy and thus invalid. The Labour Court stated that a contractual device that renders the termination of a contract something other than a dismissal is exactly the exploitation the LRA prohibits There are various court decisions providing guidelines of circumstances in which termination of employment may be regarded as not constituting dismissal. The main focus of the treatise is to discuss these instances and critically analyse the approach taken by forums like the CCMA, bargaining councils and the Labour Court in dealing with such instances
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  • Date Issued: 2015

Termination of the contract of employment not constituting dismissal

  • Authors: Sipuka, Sibongile , Supervisor details
  • Date: 2015
  • Subjects: Employees -- Dismissal of -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Labor discipline -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Unfair labor practices -- South Africa
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , LLM
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/4811 , vital:20701
  • Description: Section 23 of the Constitution provides that everyone has a right to fair labour practice. The constitutional right to fair labour practices includes the right not to be unfairly dismissed and is given effect to by section 185 of the LRA. The constitutional right not to be unfairly dismissed is given effect to by Chapter VIII of the Labour Relations Act 66 of 1995 (the LRA), which provides a remedy for an unfair dismissal. Schedule 8 of the LRA contains a “Code of Good Practice: Dismissal”, which the Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (the CCMA) and the Labour Courts must take into account when determining the fairness of a dismissal. The LRA expressly recognises three grounds for termination of the employment contract namely; misconduct on the part of the employee, incapacity due to an employee’s poor work performance, ill health or injury and termination due an employer’s operational requirements. In terms of the LRA, a dismissal must be procedurally and substantively fair. The requirements for procedural and substantive fairness are contained in Schedule 8 of the Code of Good Practice: Dismissal. The provisions of section 185 of the LRA apply to all employers and employees in both the public and the private sectors, with the exception of members of the National Defence Force, the National Intelligence Agency, the South African Secret Service and the South African National Academy of Intelligence. Section 213 of the LRA defines an “employee” as any person, excluding an independent contractor, who works for another person or for the State and who receives, or is entitled to receive, any remuneration and any person who in any manner assists in carrying out or conducting the business of an employer. Section 200A of the LRA sets out the presumption as to who is an employee. This is a guideline to assist in determining who is an employee. The Basic Conditions of Employment Act 75 of 1997 (the BCEA) sets minimum terms and conditions of employment including the notice of termination of employment. Under the common law an employment contract of employment can be terminated on either the expiration of the agreed period of employment or on completion of the specified task in cases of fixed-term contracts. Also, in terms of general contract principles an employment contract may be terminated by notice duly given by either party or by summary termination in the event of a material breach on the part of either party. The death of either party may terminate the employment contract. However, the death of an employer will not necessarily lead to the contract’s termination. An employment contract may also terminate by operation of law or effluxion of time namely retirement and coming into being of fixed-term contracts, by mutual agreement, employee resigning, due to insolvency of the employer and due to supervening impossibility of performance. In the circumstances indicated above, the termination of the contract of employment does not constitute dismissal. This means that the CCMA and the Labour Court do not have jurisdiction to determine should the employee allege that his or her dismissal was unfair. It has been argued that the instances where a termination of a contract of employment is terminated, but there is no dismissal should be scrutinised to avoid a situation where employees are deprived of protection afforded by the fundamental right not to be unfairly dismissed. There have been some instances where employment contracts contain clauses that provide for automatic termination of employment contracts. It has been held by the courts in various decisions that such clauses are against public policy and thus invalid. The Labour Court stated that a contractual device that renders the termination of a contract something other than a dismissal is exactly the exploitation the LRA prohibits. There are various court decisions providing guidelines of circumstances in which termination of employment may be regarded as not constituting dismissal. The main focus of the treatise is to discuss these instances and critically analyse the approach taken by forums like the CCMA, bargaining councils and the Labour Court in dealing with such instances.
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  • Date Issued: 2015

Tetrol and derivatives: synthesis, host-guest properties and racemate resolutions

  • Authors: Pohl, Pieter Lourens
  • Date: 2015
  • Subjects: Chemistry, Organic , Chirality , Asymmetric synthesis
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/2879 , vital:20359
  • Description: In this study, we investigated the potential of a novel chiral host compound (+)-(2R,3R)-1,1,4,4-tetraphenylbutane-1,2,3,4-tetraol (TETROL) and its derivatives for use in racemate resolution using host-guest chemistry. The parent TETROL molecule is composed of a butane chain bearing a hydroxy functionality on each carbon, and two phenyl rings on each of the terminal carbons. The two internal carbon atoms are chiral. The syntheses of TETROL and derivatives were carried out by modifying the diester of naturally-occurring optically active tartaric acid using a variety of aromatic Grignard reagents. These included phenyl, anisyl, tolyl and naphthyl groups, as well as aromatic rings bearing fluoro and trifluoromethyl substitutents. The substituents on the aromatic rings were located in the ortho, meta or para positions. The so-obtained potential host compounds were investigated for their inclusion abilities by recrystallizing them from a number of potential chiral guest compounds such as 2- and 3-methylcyclohexanone, camphor, i-propanol and 2-butanol, as well as various achiral organic compounds. Host:guest ratios were determined by means of 1H-NMR spectroscopy. Of the hosts investigated, TETROL appeared to favour a host:guest ratio of 1:1 for all included compounds. It complexed with cyclic ketones such as cyclohexanone and derivatives, and also cyclic alcohols and amines like cyclohexanol and morpholine. TETROL, however, was not able to include short chain or branched chain alcohols such as i-propanol and 2-butanol. p-AnisylTETROL showed similar inclusion abilities to TETROL but, in addition, enclathrated i-propanol and 2-butanol. p-TolylTETROL showed a preference for the inclusion of alcohols over ketones. In general, the ortho-substituted aromatic derivatives of TETROL faired relatively poorly as hosts, with some exceptions. Of the hosts investigated, TETROL appeared to favour a host:guest ratio of 1:1 for all included compounds. It complexed with cyclic ketones such as cyclohexanone and derivatives, and also cyclic alcohols and amines like cyclohexanol and morpholine. TETROL, however, was not able to include short chain or branched chain alcohols such as i-propanol and 2-butanol. p-AnisylTETROL showed similar inclusion abilities to TETROL but, in addition, enclathrated i-propanol and 2-butanol. p-TolylTETROL showed a preference for the inclusion of alcohols over ketones. In general, the ortho-substituted aromatic derivatives of TETROL faired relatively poorly as hosts, with some exceptions. X-Ray data of the inclusion complexes indicated that a pair of 1,3-intramolecular hydrogen bonds was a significant stabilizing factor of the geometries of all the hosts. The guest was always held in the host crystal by means of a hydrogen bond with the host, where the host functioned as the hydrogen bond donor and the guest as the acceptor. There were a number of other inter- and intra-molecular contacts that further stabilized the inclusion complexes. A surprising feature of the inclusion of 3-methylcyclohexanone, as elucidated by X-ray analysis, was that its methyl group adopted the axial orientation, the higher energy conformation for these kinds of molecules, and a 3-alkylketone effect was proposed to be one of the reasons for this observation. Thermal data was used to assess the relative thermal stabilities of the complexes, and the results compared with features of the X-ray structures, in order to determine whether thermal stability is related in some way to the nature of the guest packing in the host crystal. the case of the racemic guests, complexes obtained were analysed using chiral GC-MS. TETROL preferred the R-enantiomers of 2- and 3-methylcyclohexanone (21.7% and 16.7% e.e.). The S-enantiomer of camphor was favoured but the e.e. was low (3.8%). p-AnisylTETROL had a preference for the S-enantiomer in the case of 2- and 3-methylcyclohexanone as well as 2-butanol (44.3%, 20.4% and 1.7% e.e., respectively). p-TolylTETROL could only successfully resolve 2-butanol (23.5% e.e. in favour of the R-enantiomer). o-TolylTETROL preferred the R-enantiomers of methyl phenyl sulfoxide (29.2% e.e.) and 2-butanol (21.5% e.e.). Overall, TETROL and its derivatives exhibited the ability to resolve racemic mixtures to some extent.
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  • Date Issued: 2015

Text data analysis for a smart city project in a developing nation

  • Authors: Currin, Aubrey Jason
  • Date: 2015
  • Subjects: Natural language processing (Computer science) Human computation Human-computer interaction
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/2227 , vital:27709
  • Description: Increased urbanisation against the backdrop of limited resources is complicating city planning and management of functions including public safety. The smart city concept can help, but most previous smart city systems have focused on utilising automated sensors and analysing quantitative data. In developing nations, using the ubiquitous mobile phone as an enabler for crowdsourcing of qualitative public safety reports, from the public, is a more viable option due to limited resources and infrastructure limitations. However, there is no specific best method for the analysis of qualitative text reports for a smart city in a developing nation. The aim of this study, therefore, is the development of a model for enabling the analysis of unstructured natural language text for use in a public safety smart city project. Following the guidelines of the design science paradigm, the resulting model was developed through the inductive review of related literature, assessed and refined by observations of a crowdsourcing prototype and conversational analysis with industry experts and academics. The content analysis technique was applied to the public safety reports obtained from the prototype via computer assisted qualitative data analysis software. This has resulted in the development of a hierarchical ontology which forms an additional output of this research project. Thus, this study has shown how municipalities or local government can use CAQDAS and content analysis techniques to prepare large quantities of text data for use in a smart city.
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  • Date Issued: 2015

The acute impact of extended aerobic exercise on cognitive performance

  • Authors: Tichiwanhuyi, Tendayi Stephen
  • Date: 2015
  • Subjects: Aerobic exercises , Cognition -- Effect of exercise on , Exercise -- Physiological aspects , Exercise -- Psychological aspects , Visual perception , Short-term memory , Motor ability , Human information processing
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
  • Identifier: vital:5173 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1018182
  • Description: Previous research has established a relationship between exercise and cognition, with more emphasis on this ascertained link, being made on the effects of long term and endurance exercise on cognition. However, enhanced worker effectiveness relies on a strong acute collaboration of physical and cognitive performance during task execution. As a result, the purpose of this study was to examine the acute effects of extended aerobic exercise on visual perception, working memory and motor responses, and to achieve this 24 participants (12 males and 12 females) aged between 18 and 24 participated in a 2 bout cycling exercise. The experimental condition had cycling resistance set at 60 percent of each individual’s maximum aerobic output and the control condition had zero cycling resistance, where three cognitive tasks were performed at 10 minute intervals during the cycling exercise. The results showed that exercise did not affect any significant changes on the cognitive performance measures over the entire cycling duration, as well as during the exercise phase (cycling with resistance). However, visual perception improved significantly (p<0.05) immediately after exercise. This led to the conclusion that moderate to high intensity exercise when performed for an extended duration, has selective effects on certain cognitive performance measures, with the time at which the performance is measured during the exercise being a relevant factor to be considered for maximum activation effects of the exercise.
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  • Date Issued: 2015

The adoption of a police and judicial co-operation regime for the African Union

  • Authors: Fazekas, Boglar
  • Date: 2015
  • Subjects: Law enforcement -- Africa , Judicial assistance -- Africa , Criminal justice, Administration of -- Africa , Crime prevention -- International cooperation
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , LLM
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/4440 , vital:20601
  • Description: In 1991 the Treaty enacting the African Economic Community (AEC)1 was signed by the African Heads of State and Government.2 The AEC aims to establish regional free markets that would then be transformed into a continent-wide single market in six subsequent stages enabling the free movement of persons, goods, services, and capital until 2025 at the latest.3 However, to make sure that the free movement of persons in Africa would not also become a "free flow of criminals", the installation of a common market will require intensified police and judicial co-operation, information exchange and external border controls. 1 Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community adopted by the Heads of State and Government of Member States of the Organisation of African Unity in Abuja, Nigeria, 3 June 1991. 2 Art. 6(1) Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community. 3 Arts. 4(2)(h) and 4(2)(i) Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community. Furthermore, the age of globalisation calls into question the traditional concepts of sovereignty. Nowadays individual states are often unable to supervise their complete territory and battle to guard their borders against unwanted goods, people and ideas. Many facets of globalisation - including fast technological development and social and economic interaction - encourage governments to cooperate in order to try to achieve objectives that, acting on their own, they may not believe they can accomplish. Or to express the same thought in its negative sense: to fight unwanted consequences of this development, acting on their own, the states may not be able to achieve. This means that sooner or later the African States will have to address the problem of how to develop a police and judicial regime in criminal matters in order to fight against organised transnational crime. The question therefore is not whether the African States should engage in police and judicial co-operation, but rather what form it should take. The aim of this master treatise is to define the cornerstones of a possible future adoption of a police and judicial regime for the African Union (AU). There are numerous police and judicial co-operations around the world of various types so to make the task more manageable this treaty looks at the European Union (EU) in some detail and uses it as an example or as a guideline to sketch out a possible development of a police and judicial co-operation within the AU. This is for the reason that the EU has succeeded in creating a sophisticated regime of police and judicial co-operation and thus serves as a model of how co-operation levels can be created, handled, and preserved. The EU also serves as an example of how certain obstacles can make co-operation difficult or even prevent efforts for an effective transnational police and judicial co-operation. However, the current EU is the result of the specific circumstances in which its Member States and organs have responded to the economic and political changes they have been faced with. The AU has to operate amidst a political setting and various other circumstances that are very different. As a result the police and judicial co-operation regime of the AU will be very different from the EU model. This treatise argues that due to the vast number of participating states in the AU and the AU's decision-making practice, the continental level is not an appropriate point of departure for the AU to adopt a police and judicial co-operation regime. Police and judicial co-operation within the AU will at first have to be pursued at a sub-regional level. The co-operation should start at the already subdivided Regional Economic Communities (RECs) established by the AEC. Only in time, if at all, will the sub-regional markets be prepared to merge into a continent-wide integration. This is why at the present time the AU will have to accept a mere supervising and stimulating part in pursuing the ultimate objective of developing a police and judicial co-operation on a continent-wide level. Furthermore, this treatise assesses that the huge number of economic, social, and political challenges impair the AU's action ability with the result that it will not be able to establish a supranational legal body comparable to that of the EU in the near future. Also, the African Heads of State and Government are too interested in keeping their sovereign powers to themselves. This is why in Africa integration is more likely to be achieved with an intergovernmental approach. Therefore, police and judicial co-operation should first be exercised by means of informal meetings of the Interior and Justice Ministers and any resulting acts should be classified as (traditional) public international law. This is not to imply that the AU has no role to play here, for said meetings will have to be coordinated and supervised. In order to do justice to its supervising role it is necessary to empower the organs of the AU. This treatise analyses that for the AU to establish an efficient institutional framework, it is extremely important that the Assembly's monopoly over proposing legislation and establishing new organs is changed. Consensus decisions between fifty-four Member States would in an optimal case be replaced by a system where no organ is in total control. Finally, this treatise emphasises the necessity to push ahead with the development of the regional free markets as envisioned by the AEC. Similar to the development in the EU, this will bring about new challenges in combating new types of transnational crimes. This treatise demonstrates that this challenge might bring the necessary momentum to formally introduce police and judicial co-operation in criminal matters, usually a high policy area, on the agenda of the AU. In conclusion, this treatise shows that co-operation in such a sensitive area as security policy first and foremost needs a sufficient amount of trust between the decision makers of the involved states. To develop this necessary trust and the processes building upon this, this treatise argues that a regular meeting between the Interior and Justice Ministers, either inside or outside the framework of the AU, should be launched. Through these meetings the AU could gradually develop a platform for discussion in the area of criminal law and thereby slowly intensify its information exchange and operational co-operation. The history of the EU has shown that the development of a supranational legal system first and foremost requires mutual trust in each other's respective legal systems. Trust is generated by communication in an informal atmosphere. Therefore, this treatise argues that a colloquial intergovernmental co-operation within the field of criminal law is the correct approach for the AU to develop a police and judicial co-operation in criminal matters.
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  • Date Issued: 2015

The anti-ageing potential of rooibos: preserving preadipocyte funtion

  • Authors: Hattingh, Anna C
  • Date: 2015
  • Subjects: Natural products , Aging -- Prevention , Cosmetics industry
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/7804 , vital:24288
  • Description: Treatments with natural products rich in anti-oxidants have attracted remarkable interest in the cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry to combat oxidative stress and reverse the effects of ageing. Rooibos (Aspalathus linearis) is a South African fynbos plant, well-known for its strong anti-oxidant capacity and use in many cosmetic products. However, little published research exists on its potential as an anti-ageing treatment. The anti-ageing properties of fermented and green rooibos were investigated using an in vitro cell culture model designed to evaluate the involvement of mitochondrial dysfunction in the age related decline in preadipocyte function. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) deficient preadipocytes, ρ0 3T3-L1preadipocytes, were generated following continuous long-term exposure to sub lethal concentrations of ethidium bromide (EtBr). Depletion of the mtDNA resulted in a significantly reduced mitochondrial membrane potential, rate of proliferation in culture, as well as an increased glucose utilization and lactate production. Treatment with the green rooibos (100 μg/mL) stimulated cell growth rates for both the wildtype and mutant cell lines. MtDNA depleted cells showed arrest in the G1 phase (48.8 ± 3.34%) compared to wildtype cells (44.6 ± 1.38%), which was significantly attenuated after treatment with green rooibos for mutant (42.0 ± 0.83%) and wildtype (36.5 ± 5.80%) treated cells. The results obtained for glucose utilization and lactate production, indicated a significant increase in glucose utilization along with a concomitant increase in lactate production after treatment with both green and fermented rooibos for wildtype and mutant cell lines. A significant improvement in mitochondrial membrane potential was also later observed after treatment with green and fermented rooibos on both the wildtype and mutant cell lines. The results obtained indicate that rooibos extracts, particularly the green rooibos, exhibit effects which preserve the functional capacity of preadipocytes exposed to ageing related insults, and indicate that rooibos could cause a metabolic shift in cells redirecting carbon flow away from mitochondrial metabolism, and towards lactate production and consequently, cells become resistant to mitochondrial dysfunction.
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  • Date Issued: 2015

The assessment of the involvement of parents in imparting HIV/AIDS related information to their adolescents

  • Authors: Lekonyana, Montseng Priscilla
  • Date: 2015
  • Subjects: Sex instruction for youth , Sexually transmitted diseases -- Study and teaching , HIV infections -- Prevention , Parent and teenager
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MPA
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/3225 , vital:20413
  • Description: Human Immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) is rapidly spreading in the whole world and many adolescents start relationships at a younger age without knowing the danger of the sexually transmitted diseases. Parents should involve themselves in imparting knowledge about HIV/AIDS related information. It is imperative that parents and adolescents should have that relationship of discussing about the dangers of HIV/ AIDS. Adolescents should be taught about the importance of relationships and how to protect themselves against the dreaded disease. The research took the form of a qualitative interpretive case study focusing on a study sample of twenty parents and twelve members of a focus group. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews, document analysis and observations. The study examined the hidden issues or underlying the involvement of parents in imparting HIV/AIDS related information to their adolescents. The study revealed that many parents are aware of the pandemic and they felt it is imperative to discuss with their adolescents. Family life education is very much important even if their adolescents are taught about the HIV/AIDS related information at schools. Government is also involved in ensuring that there are preventative measures against the killer disease. This should be a collective effort by both the parents and teachers. The study further recommends the establishment of a library in order to enhance the literacy levels of parents and educators. It will be very much significant to educate or train the trainers in order to educate even our future generation. HIV/AIDS is incurable, therefore, it is imperative for the Department of education to ensure the literacy levels so that even the department of Health contributes its information to inform everybody about the danger of incurable diseases more specifically HIV/AIDS.
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  • Date Issued: 2015

The barefoot road

The behavioural and attitudinal outcomes of outsourcing

  • Authors: Ramohai, Thakane Thabitha
  • Date: 2015
  • Subjects: Contracting out -- South Africa Industrial management -- South Africa
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/10329 , vital:26653
  • Description: The study sought to investigate the impact outsourcing had on behaviours and attitudes of remaining employees after outsourcing. It was important to investigate this problem as there was a growing perception that outsourcing could reduce organisational commitment, employee engagement, job performance and threatens career factors in the company. The objective of the study was to contribute towards the understanding of outsourcing as a business strategy in order for managers to implement it and manage it accordingly. The sample consisted of a 100 junior to senior staff members from different companies in South Africa that have recently gone through outsourcing. There were one hundred and five (105) questionnaires issued, but only hundred (100) usable questionnaires were returned (95.2 percent response rate).The empirical results showed that there was a significantly positive correlation between outsourcing (the independent variable) and organisational commitment, employee engagement, job performance and career factors (the dependent variables). The descriptive statistics showed that most employees did not have a positive experience of outsourcing. Males and females did not differ with regard to their perceptions about their experiences of outsourcing. Furthermore, the experience of outsourcing and its outcomes were also not significantly differently experienced across other demographic categories such as age, tenure, job experience and education.
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  • Date Issued: 2015

The biology, behaviour and survival of pupating false codling moth, Thaumatotibia leucotreta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae), a citrus pest in South Africa

  • Authors: Love, Claire Natalie
  • Date: 2015
  • Subjects: Cryptophlebia leucotreta -- South Africa , Cryptophlebia leucotreta -- Larvae -- Behavior , Citrus -- Diseases and pests , Citrus -- Diseases and pests -- Biological control , Biological pest control agents , Entomopathogenic fungi , Insect nematodes , Pupae
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
  • Identifier: vital:5941 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1018907
  • Description: Control of the citrus pest, false codling moth (FCM), Thaumatotibia leucotreta Meyrick (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) is crucial for the South African citrus industry. The economic losses and phytosanitary status of this pest, coupled with increased consumer awareness and demands, has created a need for effective, IPM-compatible control measures for use against the soil-dwelling life stages of FCM. Promising developments in the field of microbial control through the use of entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) and entomopathogenic nematodes (EPNs) have highlighted the need for research regarding pupation biology, behaviour and survival of FCM, as a good understanding of biology of the target organism is an important component of any biological control programme. The aim of this study was to improve the current understanding of FCM pupation habits through the manipulation of soil texture class, ground cover, shading, soil compaction, air temperature, and soil moisture in the laboratory. These findings would then be used to aid the biological control programmes using EPF and EPNs against FCM in the soil. Three soil texture classes (sandy loam, silt loam and silty clay loam) were obtained from orchards for use in the study. FCM larvae were allowed to drop into the soil of their own accord and the pupation behaviour that followed was then captured on film with pupae formed in the soil being kept in order to measure adult eclosion. In general, very few abiotic factors had a clear influence on FCM pupation. Larval wandering time and distance was short, but also variable between individuals. Distance did increase when soils were moist. Pupation depth was shallow, with pupal cocoons generally being formed on the soil surface. Depth of pupation was less than one centimetre for all abiotic conditions, with little burrowing into soil. Eclosion success was higher for sandier soils when these were dry and uncompacted, but the addition of both moisture and soil compaction increased FCM eclosion success. FCM was sensitive to desiccation when the soils were dry and temperature limits of 15 °C and 32 °C had a strongly negative impact on eclosion success. Preferences for particular abiotic conditions were limited to only certain moisture conditions when interacting with soil texture class and a preference for pupating in soil when it is available. Limited preference was found for particular soil textures despite this having a strong influence on eclosion success, but individuals did appear to pupate in close proximity to one another. Viable direct habitat manipulation for FCM control could not be identified. These results and all of the abiotic variables measured have important implications for EPF and EPN application, survival and persistence in the soil in order to improve the ability of these biological control agents to control FCM. These are discussed in each chapter.
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  • Date Issued: 2015

The black and its double : the crisis of self-representation in protest and ‘post’-protest black South African fiction

The challenges of the child support grant as a poverty alleviation strategy

  • Authors: Damba, Ntombethemba
  • Date: 2015
  • Subjects: Economic assistance, Domestic -- South Africa -- Uitenhage , Income maintenance programs -- South Africa -- Uitenhage , Social security -- South Africa -- Uitenhage
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/6193 , vital:21048
  • Description: South Africa is a democratic country since 1994 and transformation brought policies that aimed to address the inequalities and poverty situation countrywide. During apartheid era the existence of social assistance was more focused on minority group. Hence the eroded social inequality cannot be ignored as poverty takes its toll in our communities. It was the previously termed state maintenance grant that was phased out with the introduction of Child support grant (CSG). The purpose of CSG was to reduce child poverty; however a long list of challenges regarding the aims and objectives of the CSG surfaced. This study was about the challenges of child support grant as poverty alleviation strategy in waNobuhle community in Uitenhage. The purpose of the study was also to investigate the value CSG adds in the beneficiaries’ lives in terms of poverty alleviation and what is mostly hindering the CSG from alleviating poverty. The research design for the study could be classified as mixed designs which include qualitative and quantitative approach, taking a form of action research. A sample of 30 participants was drawn from SASSA beneficiaries. The sampling method for the study was purposive, which is a non-probability sampling. Semi structured questionnaires and semi structured interviews were utilized to collect data and the data collected was analysed thematically and descriptive statistics analysis was undertaken as well. Questionnaires to collect data from the thirty (30) CSG beneficiaries’ from KwaNobuhle community and semi structured interviews was undertaken. The most important findings that emerged from the study were that participants appeared to have a clear understanding of the fact that CSG represented a government strategy to support children, fight poverty and uplift the standard of living for the poor. However, majority of the participants were not satisfied with CSG as poverty alleviation strategy, participant’s wants government to increase the amount of CSG and to create employment opportunities. The CSG was pointed as inadequate due to the fact that all family members of the beneficiaries are dependent on the CSG. The conclusion drawn was that CSG paid to KwaNobuhle beneficiaries seemed to be achieving their aims even though the CSG is announced to be inadequate, employment is a necessity and the gap between departments serving the community. The findings of the study are discussed as suggestions to SASSA and the Department of Social development.
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  • Date Issued: 2015

The cheetahs of the Northern Tuli Game Reserve, Botswana: population estimates, monitoring techniques and human-predator conflict

  • Authors: Brassine, Eleanor I
  • Date: 2015
  • Subjects: Cheetah -- Botswana , Northern Tuli Game Reserve , Animal populations -- Botswana
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
  • Identifier: vital:5922 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1017800
  • Description: Remaining viable cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) populations in Africa are threatened by direct persecution through conflict with farmers and habitat degradation and fragmentation. Botswana is considered a stronghold for free roaming cheetahs in Africa, yet the country has had relatively limited research on its cheetahs, and information from the east of the country is lacking. Data on the current status of populations is thus required to make informed management decisions. My study provides estimates of population density, abundance, distribution and status for the demographically open cheetah population of the Northern Tuli Game Reserve (NOTUGRE) in Botswana. The effectiveness of two population monitoring methods, namely camera trapping and a photographic survey, were also investigated. Moreover, I report on the level of conflict between livestock farmers and predators on rural communal farmlands within and adjacent to NOTUGRE. Data were collected between May 2012 and November 2013. Results indicate a low population density of 0.61 ± 0.18 adult cheetahs per 100 km² and a minimum population size of 10 individuals (nine adults and one cub). Camera traps placed at cheetah scent-marking posts increased detection rates and provided ideal set up locations. This approach, together with Spatial Explicit Capture- Recapture (SECR) models, is recommended for future studies. The long-term studies that are required to better understand the status of cheetahs in Botswana do not exist. Thus, photographic surveys may provide an alternative method for providing baseline data on population numbers, distribution and demography. The third aspect of my study gathered information on levels of livestock loss and human tolerance of predators through the use of interviews (n = 80). Conflict with subsistence farmers is a concern as livestock depredation is relatively high (9.1% of total livestock owned) and farmers had an overall negative attitude towards conservation of large predators. My results suggest that human-predator conflict in this area is more complex than the direct financial loss from depredation. Hence, reducing depredation rates alone is unlikely to change farmer tolerance of wildlife on farmlands. Improved, responsible farm management, including self-responsibility for livestock rearing, and positive appreciation for wildlife are necessary. The NOTUGRE cheetah population requires further research to understand possible threats to the population. Furthermore, a better understanding of the connectivity between cheetahs of NOTUGRE, South Africa and Zimbabwe is required. The number of cheetahs within NOTUGRE is too small to sustain a viable population, hence conserving cheetahs outside of the protected area should be a priority for the conservation of the population. This can only be achieved through assistance and involvement from national authorities, local people and conservation organisations.
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  • Date Issued: 2015

The child support grant in the Mdantsane and Potsdam communities

The classification performance of Bayesian Networks Classifiers: a case study of detecting Denial of Service (DoS) attacks in cloud computing environments

  • Authors: Moyo, Lindani
  • Date: 2015
  • Language: English
  • Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc (Computer Science)
  • Identifier: vital:11405 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/d1021327
  • Description: In this research we propose a Bayesian networks approach as a promissory classification technique for detecting malicious traffic due to Denial of Service (DoS) attacks. Bayesian networks have been applied in numerous fields fraught with uncertainty and they have been proved to be successful. They have excelled tremendously in classification tasks i.e. text analysis, medical diagnoses and environmental modeling and management. The detection of DoS attacks has received tremendous attention in the field of network security. DoS attacks have proved to be detrimental and are the bane of cloud computing environments. Large business enterprises have been/or are still unwilling to outsource their businesses to the cloud due to the intrusive tendencies that the cloud platforms are prone too. To make use of Bayesian networks it is imperative to understand the ―ecosystem‖ of factors that are external to modeling the Bayesian algorithm itself. Understanding these factors have proven to result in comparable improvement in classification performance beyond the augmentation of the existing algorithms. Literature provides discussions pertaining to the factors that impact the classification capability, however it was noticed that the effects of the factors are not universal, they tend to be unique for each domain problem. This study investigates the effects of modeling parameters on the classification performance of Bayesian network classifiers in detecting DoS attacks in cloud platforms. We analyzed how structural complexity, training sample size, the choice of discretization method and lastly the score function both individually and collectively impact the performance of classifying between normal and DoS attacks on the cloud. To study the aforementioned factors, we conducted a series of experiments in detecting live DoS attacks launched against a deployed cloud and thereafter examined the classification performance in terms of accuracy of different classes of Bayesian networks. NSL-KDD dataset was used as our training set. We used ownCloud software to deploy our cloud platform. To launch DoS attacks, we used hping3 hacker friendly utility. A live packet capture was used as our test set. WEKA version 3.7.12 was used for our experiments. Our results show that the progression in model complexity improves the classification performance. This is attributed to the increase in the number of attribute correlations. Also the size of the training sample size proved to improve classification ability. Our findings noted that the choice of discretization algorithm does matter in the quest for optimal classification performance. Furthermore, our results indicate that the choice of scoring function does not affect the classification performance of Bayesian networks. Conclusions drawn from this research are prescriptive particularly for a novice machine learning researcher with valuable recommendations that ensure optimal classification performance of Bayesian networks classifiers.
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  • Date Issued: 2015
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