A case study of the group work management techniques of an English second language teacher in the Molopo circuit of Bophuthatswana
- Authors: Alfers, Helen Joy
- Date: 1994
- Subjects: English language -- Study and teaching -- South Africa -- Bophuthatswana--Foreign speakers
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1441 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003322
- Description: This study examines the small group work management techniques of a teacher of English in a second language classroom in Bophuthatswana. The school at which the observation takes place, is a black secondary school in Mmabatho which follows the Department of Education and Training (DET) syllabus and writes the DET external matriculation examination. The goal of the research is to assess and evaluate the methods the teacher uses in managing group work according to five specified areas. These areas are noted for their importance in the successful management of group work. The report on the findings of this research reveals that the teacher's understanding of the nature of small group work differs from the accepted characteristics of successful group work management as interpreted by authorities in this field. This gives rise to management techniques that are sometimes inappropriate and ill-considered. Although this study observes only one teacher, the findings indicate the need for more classroom-based research in order to establish the true nature of classroom practice. Assumptions about classroom practice are too readily made by innovators, syllabus designers and textbook writers who design materials based on methodologies which can be complex and difficult to implement. These methodologies require understanding and commitment from the teacher. However, the pre-service and in-service education and development that the teacher receives often does not guarantee understanding of the processes involved nor does it generate the necessary commitment to small group work as an effective teaching technique.
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- Date Issued: 1994
A feedback loop model to facilitate communication between citizens and local government in a smart city
- Authors: Gopeni, Amanda
- Date: 2016
- Subjects: Internet in public administration -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Communication in public administration -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape Electronic government information -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/2205 , vital:27705
- Description: In recent years, an increasing number of people move into cities to search for better opportunities for themselves and their families. This movement is known as urbanisation and makes it difficult for the local government to fully understand citizens’ needs particularly pertaining to public safety matters. During the first phase of the Public Safety Smart City project, it was identified that there is a need for feedback loop to facilitate effective communication of public safety issues between citizens and local government. This means that EL citizens do not have a better channel in place to address their public safety issues to the local government. This could lead to the decisions made by the local government in public safety not fully communicated back to the citizens. The primary objective of the study is to develop a feedback loop model that will assist in more effective reporting of public safety issues between citizens and the local government. The study followed an interpretivism paradigm and the research methodology employed is the qualitative approach. This was influenced by the existing De Fleur model of communication, secondary data and also semi-structured interviews. The interviews were conducted with eleven citizens and four managers from the Department of Public Safety. It was ascertained that the lack of a feedback loop about public safety issues between citizens and local government is likely to increase public safety issues. Findings revealed that this is because citizens are not continuously updated about their reports and also about the state of public safety matters. Furthermore, the methods of communication utilised lead to poor communication of public safety issues. The study concludes that the introduction of an Information and Communication Technology enabled feedback loop between citizens and local government can help in reducing public safety issues and make public safety officials proactive rather than reactive.
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- Date Issued: 2016
A Model for Crime Management in Smart Cities
- Authors: Westraadt, Lindsay
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Smart cities , Computer networks -- security measures
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PHD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/45635 , vital:38922
- Description: The main research problem addressed in this study is that South African cities are not effectively integrating and utilising available, and rapidly emerging smart city data sources for planning and management. To this end, it was proposed that a predictive model, that assimilates data from traditionally isolated management silos, could be developed for prediction and simulation at the system-of-systems level. As proof of concept, the study focused on only one aspect of smart cities, namely crime management. Subsequently, the main objective of this study was to develop and evaluate a predictive model for crime management in smart cities that effectively integrated data from traditionally isolated management silos. The Design Science Research process was followed to develop and evaluate a prototype model. The practical contributions of this study was the development of a prototype model for integrated decision-making in smart cities, and the associated guidelines for the implementation of the developed modelling approach within the South African IDP context. Theoretically, this work contributed towards the development of a modelling paradigm for effective integrated decision-making in smart cities. This work also contributed towards developing strategic-level predictive policing tools aimed at proactively meeting community needs, and contributed to the body of knowledge regarding complex systems modelling.
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- Date Issued: 2019
A sociological analysis of the experiences of acceptance of Christian gay men within the Methodist Church of Southern Africa (MCSA) in Grahamstown
- Authors: Sipungu, Thoko Andy
- Date: 2016
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/3961 , vital:20573
- Description: Buffington, Luibhéid, & Guy (2014: 1) argue that “in the contemporary world, our own sexuality and our sense of the sexualities of others colour all aspects of contemporary life, from interpersonal relations to foreign affairs.” In line with this statement, this study provides an account of how a person’s gay sexuality can possibly colour that person’s experience of acceptance by the Methodist Church of Southern Africa (MCSA) in Grahamstown. Samuel Hill (2008: 6) notes that there is an urgent need to create a dialectic between religious and secular discourse with regards to furthering our understanding of sexuality. Thus this thesis seeks to contribute to the body of scholarship that explores and discusses the disjuncture between one’s homosexual identity and one’s religious identity. Barton (2012: 2) notes that “gay people are often talked about but seldom listened to; rarely are they asked about their own oppression and the individuals and institutions oppressing them.” While adopting a qualitative approach utilising interviews to explore the stories of the respondents, this study applies Bourdieu’s concepts of field, habitus, social capital and symbolic violence in order to analyse the experiences of acceptance of gay men within the Methodist Church of Southern Africa (MCSA) in Grahamstown. With regard to the use Bourdieu’s concepts in the analysis of the experiences, the following dimensions were considered: i) construction of a gay identity within the field of Christianity as represented by the MCSA in this context, ii) the impact the field has on the ‘gay habitus’, iii) Social capital as an advantageous strategy in constructing a gay identity within the church, and iv) symbolic violence that gay men experience within the church. In analysing the conditions of the acceptance that gay men receive within the church, this study also uses Jacques Derrida’s concept of hospitality.
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- Date Issued: 2016
A taxonomic study of Senecio speciosus, Senecio macrocephalus and possible hybrid populations using morphological data, toxicty tests and chromatography
- Authors: Lewis, Gillian Elizabeth
- Date: 1995
- Subjects: Senecio , Senecio -- Analysis , Shrimps , Artemia
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:4209 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003778
- Description: The variation between populations of Senecio speciosus Willd., Senecio macrocephalus DC. and intermediate plants was investigated in a comparative study of morphological characters, toxicity of plant extracts to brine shrimps (Artemia salina) and chromatography of plant extracts. Specimens were collected at 18 localities in the Eastern Cape Province. All these specimens were examined morphologically and chemical extracts were tested for toxicity and by comparative chromatography. The collection of Senecio speciosus and Senecio macrocephalus specimens in the Selmar Schonland Herbarium (GRA) was also examined morphologically. Six geographical areas were represented in the combined collections. Analysis of morphological data separated typical Senecio speciosus and Senecio macrocephalus at either end of hybrid index histograms and principal components analysis diagrams. The intermediate populations displayed morphological characters of both Senecio speciosus and Senecio macrocephalus. Some specimens were intermediate between these two species, falling within the range of variation of these species while others fell outside this range. The Brine Shrimp Assay was used to test for toxicity and to investigate the possibility of using toxicity data as a genetic marker in taxonomic studies. As Senecio speciosus extracts were less than 1% toxic and Senecio macrocephalus extracts were at least 95% toxic to the brine shrimps it is suggested that in this case toxicity can be used as a genetic marker. Toxicity can even be described as a good taxonomic character as discontinuity is very sudden and complete. The intermediate plants in the Grahamstown area were at least 92% toxic to the brine shrimps linking them to Senecio macrocephalus. Thin layer and paper chromatography were used as comparative techniques to study the chemical profiles of the specimens. Alkaloids, terpenoids and flavonoids were studied. Thin layer chromatography to separate the alkaloid components of the plant extracts showed Senecio speciosus and Senecio macrocephalus to have distinct chemical profiles suggesting that they are separate species. The intermediate plants- were found to contain chemical compounds matching either or both Senecio speciosus and Senecio macrocephalus suggesting that they may have arisen by hybridisation. In a preliminary investigation Senecio speciosus extracts showed a complete lack of terpenoid compounds whereas extracts from Senecio macrocephalus and the intermediate specimens tested gave a terpenoid colour reaction in the basal spot only. This links the intermediate populations with Senecio macrocephalus. Paper chromatography to separate the flavonoid constituents of the plant extracts also showed typical Senecio speciosus and Senecio macrocephalus to be distinct. The intermediate populations contained flavonoid compounds from one or both of these species. The populations in the Grahamstown area show morphological features close to and in some cases indistinguishable from Senecio speciosus. Chemically these specimens show some similarities with Senecio macrocephalus. In the East London area specimens show a similar mixture of characters but appear morphologically to be closer to Senecio macrocephalus. However, in the Amatole Mountains, despite both species being present in the same locality it appears that no hybridisation has occurred. It is therefore suggested that at some of the localities where the geographical ranges of Senecio speciosus and Senecio macrocephalus overlap in the Eastern Cape Province hybridisation between these two species occurs.
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- Date Issued: 1995
Afro-communitarianism, social architecture, and the moral education of children as strategies for social integration in South Africa
- Authors: Ofana , Diana E
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Social integration
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , M.A
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/17674 , vital:41135
- Description: South African society has long been bedeviled by racial segregation and oppression. Apartheid policies structured South Africa in a segregated and hierarchical manner to prevent inter-group contact and relations. Despite twenty-five years of a democratic dispensation and the many positive institutional and policy changes it has provided, South Africans are still struggling to build an integrated society of equals. This thesis uses Afro-communitarianism as a framework to analyse this challenge of continued racial segregation in post-Apartheid South Africa, and to provide tools to encourage integration. Afro-communitarianism holds that the essence of the human person is incomplete without the recognition of one’s nature as one amongst others. Afro-communitarianism emphasizes deep communal relationships between individuals and their community, it conceptualizes a person as only truly a person in relation to others. Drawing from this core idea, this thesis develops a conception of personhood as complementary. Complementary personhood argues that no human person is self-sufficient, and as such a mutual complementarity between and amongst them serves to positively enhance the quality of one’s social, moral, political, and existential realities. An Afro-communitarian understanding of integration is built upon this mutual complementarity, and as such focuses on the need for interaction, relationship, and communal space. The thesis develops this Afro-communitarian concept of social integration and uses it as a framework to identify the core relational problem underlying racial tensions in contemporary South Africa. I argue that my Afro-communitarian account of complementary personhood provides us with two mutually reinforcing strategies to respond to this core relational problem. First, I present 4 an account of Afro-communitarian social architecture which prioritizes communal engagement through the creation of communal spaces that promote humane relationships. Second, I argue for an Afro-communitarian understanding of moral education that is centred on instilling communal values and a complementary understanding of personhood. Together, these two strategies provide resources toward developing a new and innovative path toward an integrated South Africa.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
An evaluation of building sustainability considerations in South Africa : a case of the SAIAB building
- Authors: Ngwadla, Xolisa
- Date: 2007
- Subjects: South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity Construction industry -- Environmental aspects -- South Africa Sustainable buildings -- Environmental aspects -- South Africa Sustainable buildings -- Design and construction -- South Africa Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: vital:821 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1008375
- Description: The theory of sustainable development has received worldwide acceptance, and is characterised by the protection of environmental quality, social justice and economic development to ensure a quality of life for future generations. The concepts of sustainable development have transcended to all aspects of society, including the built environment through the Habitat Agenda and building sustainability rating tools. The thesis investigates the implications of sustainable development on how it relates to the building construction industry in South Africa. The study sought to evaluate the extent of consideration and motivation for the incorporation of sustainability criteria in building design, using the case of the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity wet collection facility in Grahamstown. The goal of the thesis was achieved by evaluating sustainability considerations and barriers to adoption of sustainability criteria in the design of the SAlAB building, the rating of the building against the LEED ™ criteria, and evaluation of the applicability of the LEED ™ in the South African context. The importance of the research emanates from the fact that, despite the proliferation of sustainable development and sustainability rating tools in the world, there is no widely used building sustainability rating tool in South Africa, even though the country is industrialising with a very active built environment. The study therefore contributes to the body of knowledge necessary for the implementation of a building rating tool in the country, through an understanding of barriers to implementation. The research method used in the study was a case study with the intention of obtaining the design professional's considerations and challenges in the context of designing the SAIAB building. The case study used multiple data collection methods, with primary information obtained from interviews of professionals involved in the design of the building, whilst additional information was from analysis of technical drawings and review of literature on the subject. The findings of the research showed that there is an understanding of sustainability and consideration in the building industry even though there is no targeted intent to meet sustainability goals. The barriers to building sustainability were identified as lack of regulation, incentives, access to land, awareness, availability of professional codes and standards, economic costs and capacity. These barriers translated into a relatively low score, a silver rating for the SAlAB building when using the LEEDTM rating system. The implications of the findings suggests a need for the development of a comprehensive building sustainability rating tool suited for the South African context, with performance standards and a technical manual to support it. This should however be done in an environment where sustainability goals are supported by regulation and incentives have been developed.
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- Date Issued: 2007
An investigation into the experiences of teachers using the Singapore mathematics curriculum in South Africa
- Authors: Keth, Beverley Dawn
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Mathematics teachers -- Training of -- South Africa Mathematics -- Study and teaching -- South Africa Curriculum planning -- South Africa Education, Primary -- Curricula -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1605 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003487
- Description: The purpose of this case study was to investigate the experience of six Foundation Phase teachers implementing the Singapore Mathematics Curriculum (SMC). The study makes use of Kilpatrick, Findell & Swafford‟s (2001) framework for teaching for mathematical proficiency as a conceptual lens to analyse teaching practice in the classroom. The study took place in two schools currently implementing the SMC in East London, in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. This qualitative study was framed within an interpretive paradigm. It relies on data collected in semistructured interviews, individual questionnaires, focus group interviews, journals and presentations. In general, the SMC was well received, and the participating teachers isolated the following as particularly positive features of their experience: - The teachers and students were enjoying the discovery of mathematics using a variety of manipulatives as stipulated when using the SMC; - The use of the model method, a specific feature of the SMC, to solve problems helped students visualise the problem; - The teachers‟ understanding of teaching for mathematical proficiency was enhanced; - The spiral curriculum informed teaching practice by allowing for building on to concepts already mastered, creating a logical flow of ideas and careful progression; - Whilst the SMC provides a more structured approach to the teaching and learning of mathematics, it provides constant opportunities for creativity and logical thinking; and - The change in attitude of both students and teachers has resulted in a greater confidence when non-routine, openended problem solving activities are engaged in. From a critical perspective the participants found the following problematic when implementing the SMC: - The teachers felt that there was insufficient drill and practice once the concept was understood. More practice and exercises were called for; - The whole class teaching approach with every student having a textbook and workbook pertaining to the lesson required a change to classroom management; and - To obtain a deeper understanding of number concepts was time consuming and re-teaching the weaker students called for additional time and adjustments to the timetable.
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- Date Issued: 2012
An investigation into what influences action competence-oriented teaching and learning processes in a school environmental club
- Authors: James, Alison
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: Environmental education -- South Africa -- East London Environmental education -- Activity programs -- South Africa -- East London Environmental literacy -- South Africa -- East London Environmental literacy -- Study and teaching -- South Africa -- East London Active learning -- South Africa -- East London Competency-based education -- South Africa -- East London Teacher-student relationships -- South Africa -- East London
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1619 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003501
- Description: This interpretive case study sought to determine what influenced action competence-oriented teaching and learning processes in a high school environmental club. The goals were to describe a year of activities, within the TALON environmental club at Hudson Park High School in East London, South Africa and to identify how pedagogical, contextual and relational factors influenced action competence processes amongst club members. I explored how action competence theory and praxis have helped in other school education settings with the aim of establishing better environmental practices. The IVAC model of pedagogy (Jensen & Schnack, 1997) was used as a framework to operationalise action competence processes within the TALON Club. This entailed carefully examining investigative, visioning, action and change processes unfolding through the four themes of the club: plants, animal welfare, waste issues and our community outreach programme at Bongulethu High School. Using questionnaires, interviews, observation and a journal as the main methods of data collection I was able to make five analytical statements that related to the influence of pedagogy, the influence of context and the influence of relational dynamics within the TALON Club. The pedagogical processes were affected by the TALON members wanting to avoid any activities that were ‘too much like school’. However this served to compromise the action and visioning phases within the club, resulting in superficial and poorly-informed action-taking. The influence of context served to both enable and constrain action competence processes. The club and school structures therefore shaped the form that fledgling actions took as the TALON members participated in the meetings and outings and fulfilling the traditional expectations of the school community. Relational dynamics and a desire for fun took precedence over the action competence processes. Although the Club members were motivated by a sense of moral responsibility they were unable to articulate this concept into the club activities. In addition there were the power gradients between the educators and members to consider as determinants of the extent of participatory, democratic interactions. This complex interplay of factors influenced the action competence processes in the club. Recommendations were made on how best to work with the concepts of participation and democracy towards improving the reflexivity and knowledge base of both the educators and learners. In this way action competence processes will be better supported within the club in future.
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- Date Issued: 2010
Assessment of some bacteria species isolated from woodlands of Raymond Mhlaba Local Municipality for high activity laccase production
- Authors: Gogotya, Asemahle
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Laccase
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc (Microbiology)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/19098 , vital:39879
- Description: The function of enzymes in keeping the earth clean is enormous; being executed in the biodegradation of different natural pollutants and biocatalysis of different responses by substituting the ecologically risky and harmful concoction impetuses offering a situation inviting option, laccases is an example of an enzyme described as it doesn’t produce harmful byproducts. Laccases are employed in several industrial processes that play a key responsibility in transformation of life and making the environment a better place. Bacteria have been described as best producers of laccases with a potential in the industrial scale processes. Laccase was produced from different bacterial isolates identified and named as Bacillus sp. strain GFN1 isolated from soil sample, Bacillus sp. strain GLN and Streptomyces sp. strain LAO both isolated from decaying wood samples in Raymond Mhlaba local municipality with accession numbers MK290988 to MK290990 respectively, as identified by partial sequencing, these were the best producers some of which were positive for Napthol and guaiacol; even upon quantitative screening they were better laccase producers. For quantitative laccase screening, 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6- sulphonic acid) was utilised as the substrate for laccase assays. These laccase producing bacteria were subjected to optimization of growth conditions using submerged fermentation which increased the activity of the produced laccase in great amounts. In optimizing basal medium growth conditions where laccase was harvested after every 72 hours where optimal activity was 16 obtained, studying several factors such as pH which turned out to be pH 5 for all isolates, effect of supplemented carbon and nitrogen sources with the be best being lactose and urea respectively with their effective concentrations using lignin as the main carbon and nitrogen source. Copper sulfate was used as the main inducer and the species preferred guaiacol and ferullic acid and the Fe2+ asthe best supplemented metal ion. The time course was done investigating parameters such as cell growth which was determined by observing the optical density, laccase activity, protein concentration and pH and the presented results suggested that when there was an increase in cell growth, enzyme activity decreased pH had no much effect on the enzyme production as it was almost stable all the time with protein concentration exhibiting no direct effect on enzyme activity also. Characterization of the crude enzyme was done to check the stability of the enzyme produced in various parameters. The enzymes produced by the different strains were thermophilic as they were able to withstand elevated temperatures between 90 and 100 C, with pH stability within an extensive variety of alkaline pH, typical of most bacterial laccases. Various metal ions affected the stability of the enzyme with CuSO4 increasing the stability of two of the bacterial enzyme and appeared to slightly decrease the stability of one enzyme. The studied inhibitors only decreased the stability on the enzyme and couldn’t completely inhibit the enzyme, and the enzymes showed specificity towards varying substrates. The studied bacterial laccases exhibit tremendous characteristics which are of great significance in the industries and will add to the novelty of bacterial laccases and their stability amongst the most studied fungal laccases.
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- Date Issued: 2019
Assessment of the Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform's maize cropping programme in the Eastern Cape
- Authors: Mqamelo, Luvolwethu
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Cropping systems Crops and climate Crop yields
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/9165 , vital:34288
- Description: The Department of Rural Development and Agrarian Reform maize cropping programme is one of the flagship projects that has been entrusted by the provincial government to tackle the social ills faced by the rural communities of the Eastern Cape Province. The programme is in line with a number of policies that strive to unlock the agricultural potential in inducing the much talked about radical economic transformation. This study was aimed at establishing if the outlay of the implementation processes and the outcomes of the maize cropping programme in Eastern Cape are sufficient to achieve the stated objectives. The study adopted a triangulation method to get comprehensive understanding of the programme and for accuracy and verification of the data collected. A pre-tested semistructured questionnaire was used to collect the demographics and socio-economic status of the respondents; technical skills and capabilities; implementation processes of the programme and the perceptions of the participants and key strategic role players in the maize cropping programme. A total of 120 respondents from DRDAR’s 2016/2017 financial year supported list and 9 key informants were sampled for the study. Furthermore, a gross margin analysis was used to establish the viability and the sustainability of the programme with and without DRDAR’s subsidies. For purposes of determining if there was any relation between the maize enterprise income and 13 independent variables, a multiple regression model was employed. The results of the study show that the programme is dominated by old and uneducated individuals with an average age of 60 years. The implementation processes are proving to be fairly progressed however, at a very limited scale. This includes provision of production inputs and mechanization services on time, formation of self-serving legal entities and unlocking the private sector investment. The gross margins generated from the programme have been observed to be non-viable and unsustainable. As a result, only 31% of the respondents were able to attain a gross margin equal or greater than the allocable costs of producing maize both under irrigation and dry land. The results of the regression model indicated that, only 5 of the 13 independent variables (household gender, marital status, years of participation, area planted and yield) were found to have a significant effect to the maize enterprise income. Overall, the DRDAR’s maize cropping programme has failed to meet its intended objectives. In addition, more than 70 percent of the programme participants produced for subsistence purposes and showed no desire to fully commercialise their operations.
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- Date Issued: 2017
Britain after the Romans : an interdisciplinary approach to the possibilities of an Adventus Saxonum
- Authors: Lloyd-Jones, Glyn Francis Michael
- Date: 2015
- Subjects: Great Britain -- History -- Anglo-Saxon period, 449-1066 , Civilization, Anglo-Saxon , English philology -- Old English, ca. 450-1100 , English literature -- Old English, ca. 450-1100 , Anglo-Saxon race , Genetic genealogy
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3657 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1019806
- Description: In the fifth century, after the departure of the Romans, according to tradition, which is based on the ancient written sources, Britain was invaded by the Angles and Saxons. This view has been questioned in the last century. The size of the ‘invasion’, and indeed its very existence, have come into doubt. However, this doubting school of thought does not seem to take into account all of the evidence. An interdisciplinary, nuanced approach has been taken in this thesis. Firstly, the question of Germanic raiding has been examined, with reference to the Saxon Shore defences. It is argued that these defences, in their geographical context, point to the likelihood of raiding. Then the written sources have been re-examined, as well as physical artefacts. In addition to geography, literature and archaeology (the disciplines which are most commonly used when the coming of the Angles and Saxons is investigated), linguistic and genetic data have been examined. The fields of linguistics and genetics, which have not often both been taken into consideration with previous approaches, add a number of valuable insights. This nuanced approach yields a picture of events that rules out the ‘traditional view’ in some ways, such as the idea that the Saxons exterminated the Britons altogether, but corroborates it in other ways. There was an invasion of a kind (of Angles – not Saxons), who came in comparatively small numbers, but found in Britain a society already mixed and comprising Celtic and Germanic-speaking peoples: a society implied by Caesar and Tacitus and corroborated by linguistic and genetic data.
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- Date Issued: 2015
Critical Success Factors to Motivate Citizens to Participate in a Public Safety Smart City Project
- Authors: Tuswa, Mbali
- Date: 2020
- Subjects: Information technology -- Security measures City planning
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom (Information Systems)
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/18974 , vital:43004
- Description: Currently more people reside in urban areas than previously. The population shift from rural to urban results in increased problems with Public Safety. Public Safety initiatives were introduced to address such issues and help reduce the increasing number of urban problems. It is the citizen's responsibility to report the Public Safety issues they observe or experience for authorities to respond quickly in emergency situations, thus maintaining a safer living environment for all citizens. A Public Safety Smart City Project was introduced in the city of East London, South Africa to help improve Public Safety in the city. However, for this to be successful citizens need to contribute by reporting Public Safety issues and suspicious activities. This study is therefore focused on motivational factors to improve citizen participation in a Public Safety Smart City Project. The Design Science Methodology and a mixed method approach guided this research study. Keller’s (2010) Attention, Relevance, Confidence, Satisfaction (ARCS) Theory of Motivation provided the theoretical base for this study. A questionnaire was used to gather data on the motivational factors for participation in a Public Safety Smart City Project. Five Critical Success Factors were developed to motivate citizens to participate in a Public Safety Smart City Project. These Critical Success Factors are: Ensure user satisfaction by providing a toll-free number, Citizens should be able to participate due to their concerns of safety for others, Citizens should be given the opportunity to make a difference in their community, Public Safety initiatives must provide adequate response to citizens and Citizens should be given incentives after participating. The Critical Success Factors were refined and verified through two rounds of expert review. Five factors were identified in the findings as factors that contribute towards motivating citizens participate. These factors include User Satisfaction, Making a difference, Response from Public Safety initiatives, Concern of safety for others and Incentives. The factors were included on the Critical Success Factors
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- Date Issued: 2020
Differential expression and regulation of sucrose transporters in rice (Orzya sativa L, cv Nipponbare) during environmental stress conditions
- Authors: Ibraheem, Omodele
- Date: 2011
- Subjects: Crops -- Effect of stress on , Plant molecular genetics , Gene expression , Sucrose , Rice
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD (Biochemistry)
- Identifier: vital:11249 , http://hdl.handle.net/10353/330 , Crops -- Effect of stress on , Plant molecular genetics , Gene expression , Sucrose , Rice
- Description: Plant productivity is greatly affected by environmental stresses such as drought, salinity and insect herbivory. Plants respond and adapt to these stresses by exhibiting physiological as well as biochemical changes at the cellular and molecular levels in order to survive. Expression of a variety of genes which encode numerous membrane transporters have been demonstrated to be induced by these stresses in a variety of plants. The nutritional status of plants is controlled by these transporters, which are regulated by the transcription of the corresponding genes. In spite of these adverse stress effects on agricultural yield, only a few studies have focused on gene transcriptional and translational regulation of membrane transporters during environmental stress situations. Rice, like other plants, contains a number of sucrose transporters encoded by a family of genes. However, detailed knowledge of their roles, localization and regulation during environmental stress conditions is lacking. Bioinformatic tools were used to identify putative cis-acting regulatory elements that may be involved in the regulation of rice and Arabidopsis thaliana sucrose transporters. The possible cis-acting regulatory elements were predicted by scanning genomic sequences 1.5 kbp upstream of the sucrose transporter genes translational start sites, using Plant CARE, PLACE and Genomatix Matinspector professional data bases. Several cis-acting regulatory elements that are associated with plant development, plant hormonal regulation and stress response were identified, and were present in varying frequencies within the 1.5 kbp of 5′ regulatory region. The putative cis-acting regulatory elements that possibly are involved in the expression and regulation of sucrose transporter gene families in rice and Arabidopsis thaliana during cellular development or environmental stress conditions were identified as: A-box, RY, CAT, Pyrimidine-box, Sucrose-box, ABRE, ARF, ERE, GARE, Me-JA, ARE, DRE, GA-motif, GATA, GT-1, MYC, MYB, W-box, and I-box. Expression analysis was used to elucidate the role of rice (Oryza sativa L. cv Nipponbare) sucrose transporter (OsSUT) genes during drought and salinity treatments of three week old rice plants ( at four leaf stage) over a 10 days. Among the five rice OsSUT genes identified, only OsSUT2 was observed to be progressively up-regulated during drought and salinity treatments, while OsSUT1, OsSUT4 and OsSUT5 were expressed at low levels, and OsSUT3 showed no detectable transcript expression. Sucrose transport will be essential to meet the cellular energy demands and also for osmoprotectant activities during drought and salinity stresses. It therefore indicates that OsSUT2 which facilitates transport of sucrose from photosynthetic cells will be III essential for rice plants to cope with drought and salinity stresses, and cultivars with a higher OsSUT2 expression should be able to tolerate these environmental stresses better. The role of OsSUT in assimilate transport during rusty plum aphids (Hysteroneura setariae; Thomas) infestation on the leaves of three week old rice (Orzya sativa L. cv Nipponbare) cultivar plants, over a time-course of 1 to 10 days of treatments, was also examined by combination of gene expression and β-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene analysis. Real Time PCR analysis of the five OsSUT genes revealed that the expression of OsSUT1 was progressively up-regulated during the course of aphid infestation. OsSUT2 and OsSUT4 expression were comparatively low in both the control and treated plants. OsSUT5 showed no clear difference in transcript expression in both control and treated plants, while no detectable transcript expression of OsSUT3 could be found. The up-regulation of OsSUT1 gene was verified at protein level by western blot analysis in both the control and treated plants. OsSUT1 protein expression was found to increase with time during aphid infestation. A similar trend was noticeable in the control plants, however at a lower expression level. These demonstrate that the cellular expression of OsSUT1is regulated by both developmental and environmental factors. OsSUT1-promoter:::GUS reporter gene expression was observed within the vascular parenchyma and/or companion cells associated with phloem sieve elements of the large and small bundles in the phloem tissues of the flag leaf blade regions where feeding aphids were confined, which progressively increased with time of infestation. It is suggested that OsSUT1 may primarily play an essential role in phloem transport of assimilate to wounded tissues from adjacent health tissues or may be involved in the retrieval of assimilate back into the phloem to minimize loss caused by the infestation. Some OsSUT1-promoter:::GUS expression was also found in the metaxylem at 10 days after infestation, which could signify a recovery system in which sucrose lost into the xylem as a result of aphids feeding are retrieved back into the phloem through the vascular parenchyma. This was supported by the exposure of cut ends of matured OsSUT1-promoter:::GUS rice plant leaf to 2% sucrose solution. OsSUT1-promoter:::GUS expression was observed within the protoxylem, xylem and phloem parenchyma tissues. This indicates that sucrose translocating within the xylem tissues are retrieved into the phloem via the OsSUT1 localized within the parenchyma tissues. In conclusion, the differential expression and regulation of rice (Orzya sativa L. cv Nipponbare) sucrose transporters as reported here suggest that OsSUT2 and OsSUT1 were constitutively expressed compared to other rice sucrose transporters during drought and salinity, and rusty plum aphids (Hysteroneura setariae; Thomas) infestation stresses respectively. Thus, the expression and regulation of the sucrose transporters could be related to the physiological and nutritional requirements of the cells during plant developmental or environmental stress state that allows their differential expression.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2011
Emancipatory spaces in the post-colony : South Africa and the case for AbM and UPM
- Authors: Tselapedi, Thapelo
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Local government -- South Africa -- Grahamstown Postcolonialism -- South Africa -- Grahamstown Apartheid -- South Africa Civil society -- South Africa -- Grahamstown Social movements -- South Africa -- Grahamstown South Africa -- Economic conditions -- 1991- South Africa -- Economic policy South Africa -- Politics and government -- 1994-
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2839 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004451
- Description: This thesis is about the relationship between local government, grassroots organisations and the organisation of power resulting from the interaction of the two. Exploring this relationship this thesis investigates whether the actions of grassroots movements can bring local government in line with their developmental role as accorded to them by the Constitution. The assumption embedded in this question is that the current balance of power at the local level exists outside of the service of the historically disadvantaged. Following on from that, the thesis explores, through different modes of analysis, theoretical and historical, the policy and constitutional framework for local government, and then it unravels the context set by the political economy of South Africa. The aim is to make a significant attempt at understanding the possible implications of the interventions grassroots movements make in the public space. The thesis does this also by looking at the strengths and weaknesses of the strategies of the UDF to makes an assessment of the possible endurance of post-apartheid grassroots movements. Since civil society ‘suffers’ from nationalist politics, with its own corporatist institutions, the thesis searches deep within or arguably 'outside of civil society', subjecting AbM and UPM to academic critique, to see how movements embedded among the poor and carrying the political instrument of anger and marginalisation, can dislodge the power of capital. More importantly, the thesis situates the post-apartheid moment within postcolonial politics; navigating through the legacy of Colonialism of a Special Type (CSP), the thesis explores the limits and opportunities at the disposal of grassroots movements. From a different perspective, the thesis is an examination of the organisation and movement of power and the spaces within which power and ideas are contested. Drawing on the political and economic engagements, dubbed the Dar Es Salaam debates, in the 1970’s and 1980’s spurred on by Issa Shivji, the late Prof Dani Wadada Nabudere and Mahmood Mandani, the conclusions of this thesis develops these engagements, essentially making a case for the continued centrality of the post-apartheid state. However, the thesis also asserts the indubitable role that both grassroots movements and civil society need to play, not necessarily in the democratisation of the state, though that goes without saying, but in taking the post-colonial state on its own terms. Consequently, the thesis puts forward the idea that issue-based mobilisation does exactly this, and in the manner that acknowledges the state’s centrality and makes paramount the self-organisation (popular assemblies) of ordinary people in public affairs. The thesis categorically concludes that the centrality of the post-apartheid state and its progressive outlook (constitutional values) is contingent on organs of popular assemblies which need to take the state on its (progressive) terms.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
Empirical modelling of the solar wind influence on Pc3 pulsation activity
- Authors: Lotz, Stefanus Ignatius
- Date: 2012
- Subjects: Solar wind -- Research Solar activity -- Research Stellar oscillations -- Research , Magnetospheric radio wave propagation , Interplanetary magnetic fields
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:5464 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005249
- Description: Geomagnetic pulsations are ultra-low frequency (ULF) oscillations of the geomagnetic field that have been observed in the magnetosphere and on the Earth since the 1800’s. In the 1960’s in situ observations of the solar wind suggested that the source of pulsation activity must lie beyond the magnetosphere. In this work the influence of several solar wind plasma and interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) parameters on Pc3 pulsations are studied. Pc3 pulsations are a class of geomagnetic pulsations with frequency ranging between 22 and 100 mHz. A large dataset of solar wind and pulsation measurements is employed to develop two empirical models capable of predicting the Pc3 index (an indication of Pc3 intensity) at one hour and five minute time resolution, respectively. The models are based on artificial neural networks, due to their ability to model highly non-linear interactions between dependent and independent variables. A robust, iterative process is followed to find and rank the set of solar wind input parameters that optimally predict Pc3 activity. According to the parameter selection process the input parameters to the low resolution model (1 hour data) are, in order of importance, solar wind speed, a pair of time-based parameters, dynamic solar wind pressure, and the IMF orientation with respect to the Sun-Earth line (i.e. the cone angle). Input parameters to the high resolution model (5 minute data) are solar wind speed, cone angle, solar wind density and a pair of time-based parameters. Both models accurately predict Pc3 intensity from unseen solar wind data. It is observed that Pc3 activity ceases when the density in the solar wind is very low, even while other conditions are favourable for the generation and propagation of ULF waves. The influence that solar wind density has on Pc3 activity is studied by analysing six years of solar wind and Pc3 measurements at one minute resolution. It is suggested that the pause in Pc3 activity occurs due to two reasons: Firstly, the ULF waves that are generated in the region upstream of the bow shock does not grow efficiently if the solar wind density is very low; and secondly, waves that are generated cannot be convected into the magnetosphere because of the low Mach number of the solar wind plasma due to the decreased density.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2012
Equilibrium, expectations and information : a study of the general theory, the neo-classical synthesis and modern classical macroeconomics
- Authors: Torr, Christopher
- Date: 1984
- Subjects: Macroeconomics Equilibrium (Economics) Economics
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:1035 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004515
- Description: From Introduction: It is now nearly 50 years since the appearance of Keynes's General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money and the stream of articles and books on what Keynes really meant or didn't mean shows no sign of abating. In part, this dissertation is a contribution to this voluminous literature, but what follows is hardly an attempt to provide an exhaustive interpretation. Instead the General Theory is examined from a certain angle, with the title "Equilibrium, Expectations and Information" providing the framework for the investigation. That the title has been borrowed from G.B. Richdrdson's 1959 Economic Journal article is no accident. Richardson's work has been unduly neglected and his trichotomy serves as a convenient platform from which to analyse Keynes's method and those of his interpreters, in particular the approaches stemming from the work of Clower and Leijonhufvud. The information structure of the Walrasian type of general equilibrium model is also examined as the latter forms the basis of both the neo-classical interpretation of Keynes's contribution and the rational expectations approach that will be discussed. Finally Richardson's framework is applied in an analysis of two modern classical schools of thought, namely the rational expectations approach headed by Lucas, and the neoRicardian school amongst which Garegnani, Eatwell and Milgate, for example, are prominent. In a sentence, therefore, what follows is an examination of the General Theory and certain interpretations thereof as well as an analysis of modern classical macroeconomics, with the equilibrium-expectations-information framework providing the unifying theme. As will become apparent, the framework does not consist of three watertight compartments. For example, whether a system is in equilibrium or not will depend on whether the expectations of those who have the ablility to effect change are realised. The specification of which agents have this power will depend on the information with which the model builder endows the agents in the model. In discussing this, attention is drawn to Keynes's important distinction between an entrepreneur economy and a cooperative economy. The distinction between the information available to the model builder and that with which he endows the agents in the model is also emphasized.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1984
Falcipains as malarial drug targets
- Authors: Kanzi, Aquillah Mumo
- Date: 2013
- Subjects: Malaria Malaria -- Chemotherapy Plasmodium falciparum Antimalarials -- Development Cysteine proteinases Cysteine proteinases -- Inhibitors Papain Drug development Bioinformatics
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:3897 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003842
- Description: Malaria is an infectious disease caused by parasites of the Plasmodium genus with mortality rates of more than a million annually, hence a major global public health concern. Plasmodium falciparum (P. falciparum) accounts for over 90% of malaria incidence. Increased resistance to antimalarial drugs by the Plasmodium parasite, coupled with the lack of an effective malaria vaccine necessitates the urgent need for new research avenues to develop novel and more potent antimalarial drugs. This study focused on falcipains, a group of P. falciparum cysteine proteases that belong to the clan CA and papain family C1, that have emerged as potential drug targets due to their involvement in a range of crucial functions in the P. falciparum life cycle. Recently, falcipain-2 has been validated as a drug target but little is known of its Plasmodium orthologs. Currently, there are several falcipain inhibitors that have been identified, most of which are peptide based but none has proceeded to drug development due to associated poor pharmacological profiles and susceptibility to degradation by host cysteine proteases. Non-peptides inhibitors have been shown to be more stable in vivo but limited information exists. In vivo studies on falcipain-2 and falcipain-3 inhibitors have also been complicated by varying outcomes, thus a good understanding of the structural variations of falcipain Plasmodium orthologs at the active site could go a long way to ease in vivo results interpretation and effective inhibitor design. In this study, we use bioinformatics approaches to perform comparative sequence and structural analysis and molecular docking to characterize protein-inhibitor interactions of falcipain homologs at the active site. Known FP-2 and FP-3 small molecule nonpeptide inhibitors were used to identify residue variations and their effect on inhibitor binding. This was done with the aim of screening a collection of selected non-peptide compounds of South African natural origin to identify possible new inhibitor leads. Natural compounds with high binding affinities across all Plasmodium orthologs were identified. These compounds were then used to search the ZINC database for similar compounds which could have better binding affinities across all selected falcipain homologs. Compounds with high binding affinities across all Plasmodium orthologs were found.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2013
Integrating local indigenous knowledge in the teaching of water conservation by senior primary school Natural Science teachers: a Namibian case study
- Authors: Visagie, Ronald Arnold
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/6907 , vital:21199
- Description: The conservation of biodiversity to meet the needs and aspirations of present and future generations is a cornerstone for sustainable development. In response to this, one of the aims of Basic Education in Namibia is to develop an environmentally friendly society which has a concern for the conservation of water. Thus, the National Curriculum of Basic Education [NCBE], 2010, p. 8) expects Grade 6 Natural Science learners to be competent in using simple scientific models, methods and skills to make scientific sense of the natural environment; and most importantly for the learners to relate the implications of this scientific understanding to their personal and social health and the sustainable use of all natural resources for future generations. Additionally, teachers are encouraged to make innovative use of various knowledge systems including indigenous knowledge. However, there is no mention of how teachers should make use of local indigenous knowledge (IK) when teaching the topic on water conservation in particular. It is against this backdrop that in this study I sought to understand how two Grade 6 Natural Science teachers use local indigenous knowledge in their classrooms to teach the topic of water conservation. This interpretive case study was carried out in collaboration with a rural community in the Erongo region. Data were collected in three stages. The first stage was the gathering of information through document analysis to strengthen my context. Documents such as the National Curriculum, Science Curriculum, Syllabi, Grade 6 Natural Science textbooks and SATs results were analysed to gain some insight and understanding of the issue before conducting interviews. In the second phase of this study I conducted semi-structured interviews with the Topnaar community members and two teachers. This was followed by classroom observations. Additionally, I used stimulated recall interviews (SRI) to provide clarity on how teachers use prior knowledge and mediate learning when teaching the topic water conservation using indigenous knowledge. The study is informed by Vygotsky’s (1978) socio-cultural theory in conjunction with Shulman’s (1986) pedagogical content knowledge (PCK). Since a classroom is a social unit where interactions occur between teachers and learners, and learners and learners, these theories provided a useful lens for observing lessons and analysing teachers’ content knowledge and how they mediate learning using local indigenous knowledge. A thematic approach to data analysis was adopted and qualitative data were analysed inductively. The findings of the study revealed that the indigenous knowledge amongst the Topnaars are governed by the ideals of Ubuntu. Findings also revealed that proper planning is needed to incorporate IK into science lessons as it may clear up misconceptions that may arise from indigenous knowledge. The study recommends that teachers and curriculum planners should explore different indigenous practices that are linked to the topics in the curriculum or syllabus to enhance learning and teaching in their science classrooms. It also recommends that curriculum developers, with the help of subject advisors, teachers and community members, should start planning on how indigenous knowledge can best be integrated into science textbooks as it has become a hindrance for the teachers to incorporate it.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Measures and determinants of productivity growth in the South African manufacturing sector
- Authors: Wright, Anthony John
- Date: 1994
- Subjects: Industrial productivity -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:1019 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002754 , Industrial productivity -- South Africa
- Description: The neoclassical "sources-of-growth" approach is applied to derive total factor productivity (TFP) growth measures for manufacturing industries in South Africa. Although South Africa's recorded industrial TFP growth measures have been persistently low in absolute terms, this performance is not significantly worse than the industrial TFP growth performance of other developing countries. In some periods there is evidence of a significant variability in TFP performance across industries. The measures also indicate that TFP growth has worsened in the 1980s, particularly in the intermediate-capital intensive and labour intensive industries. However, there are various problems with interpreting neoclassical TFP growth measures as indicators of production efficiency. In fact, as TFP growth is derived as a residual, it may measure many factors besides production efficiency. Alternative growth theories are used to assess the fundamental determinants of productivity growth. These provide a more plausible conceptualisation of the process by which productivity growth is generated than the neoclassical growth theory does. However, this analysis also provides little empirical evidence of which underlying factors have had the most influence on productivity growth in South African manufacturing. Hence, the relative importance of possible candidates can only really be assessed qualitatively and on the basis of micro evidence. However, these assessments, and the assumptions underlying the postulated causal connections (between the identified factors and productivity growth), have a major impact on policy design. In this respect, on the basis of the framework provided by the evolutionary and other recent growth theories, various policy implications are drawn, and these are contrasted with the policy proposals of other South African analysts. This thesis concludes that policies need to be designed with the central objective of enhancing the technological capabilities of South African firms. Trade policies will not be sufficient for achieving this objective. Education and training policies, technology, competition and labour market policies are also crucial. However, since the fundamental causes of productivity growth remain somewhat of a mystery, there is a need to be sceptical of simple policy prescriptions. In this respect, this thesis is highly critical of the World Bank's position that productivity gains will be reaped from the exposure of firms to international competition that trade liberalisation policies entail.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 1994