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VIVA Comrade Moss

  • Authors: NUMSA
  • Date: 25 April
  • Subjects: NUMSA
  • Language: English
  • Type: text
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/109640 , vital:33163 , SALHA 14b : NUMSA
  • Description: The last 'Trial Update" reported on Comrade Moss’s case until mid-March. This report covers the period from that time up until 25th April.STADLER - "ANC EXPERT" Brigadier Stadler testified that the ANC had made certain calls to organisations within the country which, according to his "research", had been followed by organisations in the country. As examples he gave the ANC’s call for ungovernability, the formation of organs of people’s power and the destruction of town councils. During cross-examination Stadler conceded that he was not able to give examples of any direct link between the ANC and organisations inside the coutry but he said an inference could be drawn by looking at the ANC’s call and the behaviour of organisations inside the country.
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  • Date Issued: 25 April

The prevalence of insufficient iodine intake in pregnancy in Africa: Protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis

  • Authors: Charles Bitamazire Businge , Benjamin Longo-Mbenza , Andre Pascal Kengne
  • Date: 22-8-2019
  • Language: English
  • Type: text , article
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/11260/3387 , vital:43338 , https://systematicreviewsjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13643-019-1092-7#citeas
  • Description: Background: Insufficient iodine intake in pregnancy is associated with many adverse pregnancy outcomes. About 90% of African countries are at risk of iodine deficiency due to poor soils and dietary goitrogens. Pregnancy predisposes to insufficient iodine nutrition secondary to increased physiological demand and increased renal loss. Iodine deficiency is re-emerging in countries thought to be replete with pregnant women being the most affected. This review seeks to identify the degree of iodine nutrition in pregnancy on the entire African continent before and after the implementation of national iodization programmes. Methods: A systematic search of published literature will be conducted for observational studies that directly determined the prevalence of insufficient iodine intake among pregnant women in Africa. Electronic databases and grey literature will be searched for baseline data before the implementation of population-based iodine supplementation and for follow-up data up to December 2018. Screening of identified articles and data extraction will be conducted independently by two investigators. Risk of bias and methodological quality of the included studies will be assessed using a risk of bias tool. Appropriate meta-analytic techniques will be used to pool prevalence estimates from studies with similar features, overall and by major characteristics including the region of the study, time period (before and after implementation of iodization programmes), sample size and age. Heterogeneity of the estimates across studies will be quantified and publication bias investigated. This protocol is reported according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analysis protocols (PRISMA-P) 2015 guidelines. Discussion This review will help ascertain the impact of national iodization programmes on the iodine nutrition status in pregnancy in Africa and advise policy on the necessity for monitoring and mitigating iodine deficiency in pregnancy in Africa. This review is part of a thesis that will be submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, for the award of a PhD in Medicine whose protocol has been granted ethics approval (UCT HREC 135/2018). In addition, the results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal.
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  • Date Issued: 22-8-2019

Exploring the role of the Department of Social Development on the integrated school health programme in the Buffalo City Municipality .

  • Authors: Nokama, Busisa Antoinette
  • Date: 2022-05
  • Subjects: Children--Health and hygiene. , School nursing. , Employee health promotion.
  • Language: English
  • Type: Master's theses , text
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/22198 , vital:51997
  • Description: If one’s health is a state of wellbeing then the role of social development is key in the implementation of the Integrated School Health Programme (ISHP) as it includes treatment and prevention of psychosocial dysfunction. The purpose of the study was to explore the role of the Department of Social Development (DSD) within the ISHP in Buffalo City Municipality. DSD services are complex hence the need active collaboration to ensure delivery of multi-sectoral services. Covid-19 evidently shows the link between physical, emotional and academic success (OECD, 2020). The trauma and challenges faced by learners’ manifests through behavioral problems that social workers and counsellors can address more effectively. Social work practice aims to treat and prevent psychosocial dysfunction, thus social workers remain integral in addressing social determinants of health. The challenges in the implementation of ISHP began at policy development, moreover they were exacerbated by poor coordination and management of the ISHP. The legislative framework however affords learners the right to protective care and support. The role of social development is not limited to transportation but has been captured through psychosocial support. The study suitably employed a qualitative research design to examine how the participants make sense of the Integrated School Health Programme and to provide a comprehensive description of the complex role of the DSD in the provision of psychosocial support. 15 participants from DOH, DoE and DSD were interviewed to capture the perspective of all three (3) departments. The findings indicated how the development of the policy impacts implementation. The DSD is participating in the implementation of ISHP, however the failure of the policy to capture the role of the DSD, hinders the DSD from full participation. The study also found a lack of resourcesto support implementation and often struggle to get learners but implementation varies. Conclusively, the study recommends the need for the departments to develop a Memorandum of Understanding, Terms of reference as well as Integrated Implementation plans in an effort to support and close the gaps identified in the policy. Collaboration was found to be an effective strategy to enhance resource mobilization. Coordination and Management still need to be strengthened, including accountability. , Thesis (MPA) -- University of Fort Hare, 2022
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  • Date Issued: 2022-05

The contribution of cultural and creative industries towards sustainable livelihoods in the Eastern Cape (2009-2019)

  • Authors: Ngwane, Ayanda
  • Date: 2022-05
  • Subjects: Poor--Services for. , Poverty--South Africa.
  • Language: English
  • Type: Master's theses , text
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10353/22185 , vital:51995
  • Description: This research is focused on the premise that Creative and Cultural Industries (CCIs) can be a precondition for the attainment of sustainable livelihoods. It follows, logically, that the efficient and effective implementation of CCIs has potential in transforming the well-being of those involved in the industries as evidence points to the notion that the CCIs can help deal with the persistent challenges of unemployment and poverty. Without effective and efficient implementation, and the political will to support such industries in the South African context, the potential of CCIs in improving the livelihoods of citizens will not be realised. Given the limitations levelled against the policy implementation and the processes involved in support for creative industries in South Africa, the qualitative method was used as an investigative strategy to gain a deeper understanding of CCIs and its general contribution on sustainable livelihoods in the Eastern Cape Province. The findings indicate that there is a basis for a creative economy in the Eastern Cape Province that can be improved by properly concerted action by all actors. There is a foundation for the development of innovative goods and services that could promote the integration of the Province into the global economy. So far, the outcome of this research points to the direction of offering knowledge of the way to realize the potential of Eastern Cape Province`s creative industries. More so, the study also highlights the importance of the creative economy in fostering growth guided by trade and attaining sustainable livelihoods in the process. , Thesis (MPA) -- University of Fort Hare, 2022
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  • Date Issued: 2022-05

Chinese character learning with the aid of an ICT website among Mandarin Second Additional Language learners in South Africa: a case study

  • Authors: Fu, Shuying
  • Date: 2022-04-08
  • Subjects: Mandarin dialects Study and teaching (Secondary) South Africa , Mandarin dialects Computer-assisted instruction for English speakers , Second language acquisition , Chinese characters , Information technology South Africa , Educational technology South Africa , ‎Arch Chinese
  • Language: English
  • Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/263590 , vital:53641
  • Description: The teaching of Mandarin as a Second Additional Language (SAL) in South African schools was only introduced in 2016. The year 2018 saw the first Mandarin as SAL National Senior Certificate examination. Little research has been done on the teaching and learning of Mandarin as a SAL subject at the high school level in South Africa. Character learning and teaching are some of the most challenging aspects of this language teaching and learning. This research sought to investigate how beginner Mandarin SAL learners can be supported by a particular Information Communication Technology (ICT) website, www.archchinese.com (Arch Chinese), in their character learning. Learners’ ability to memorise Chinese characters is of utmost importance for their success in this language learning, especially for matriculants. To support the main research goal, this study set out to investigate the requirements for Chinese character learning, the role the website Arch Chinese plays in learners’ character learning and Mandarin SAL learners’ experience of using Arch Chinese as a learning tool. This research was conducted in the form of a case study within the interpretative paradigm. It adopted a questionnaire and document analysis for data collection to gain insight into the research topic. To get answers to the research questions posed above, the study analysed the Curriculum Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) Mandarin SAL documents from Grade 4–12, the Independent Examination Board (IEB) Mandarin Subject Assessment Guidelines (SAGs), and a textbook for beginners, Learn Chinese with me: Student’s book 1 in relation to character learning. The features and functions of the website, Arch Chinese, were also evaluated and Mandarin SAL learners’ answers to a questionnaire on their use of the website Arch Chinese were analysed. The study found that character teaching and learning has not been given enough attention in the curriculum. It was only covered in the Intermediate Phase but was seldom mentioned in the Senior and Further Education and Training Phases in the curriculum. The CAPS Mandarin SAL documents do not consider the special characteristics of the Mandarin language, as this curriculum was based on the CAPS English Generic SAL document. As a result, the assessment requirements on writing (character count requirement in particular) were not realistic. The teaching approaches promoted in the curriculum and the teaching time do not correspond well with the teaching and learning of this language. Moreover, this study found that there was no vocabulary list prescribed in the curriculum and therefore a gap exists between the curriculum on paper and the curriculum in practice. The analysis of the IEB SAGs found that the assessments were suitable for the level of Mandarin SAL learners. This is because the IEB considered the characteristics of the Mandarin language, which is non-cognate, to the alphabet-based languages that respondents in this research spoke or were familiar with. At the same time, the analysis of the website and the learners’ questionnaire found that learners held a positive attitude towards their use of the website and that it proved to help facilitate Mandarin SAL learners in their character learning. This study ends with recommendations for teachers, policy makers, the IEB, and character-learning websites. , Thesis (MEd) -- Faculty of Education, Education, 2022
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  • Date Issued: 2022-04-08

Computational analysis of known drug resistant mutants of Plasmodium falciparum Dihydrofolate Reductase (PfDHFR) and screening for novel antifolates against the enzyme

  • Authors: Tata, Rolland Bantar
  • Date: 2022-04-08
  • Subjects: Uncatalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: Doctoral theses , text
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/234184 , vital:50170
  • Description: Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, Biochemistry and Microbiology, 2022
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  • Date Issued: 2022-04-08

Diversified computational approaches for the identification of orthosteric drugs, allosteric modulators and unveiling drug resistance mechanisms: application to infectious diseases

  • Authors: Boateng, Rita Afriyie
  • Date: 2022-04-08
  • Subjects: Uncatalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: Doctoral theses , text
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/234173 , vital:50169
  • Description: Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, Biochemistry and Microbiology, 2022
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  • Date Issued: 2022-04-08

English additional language student teachers’ development of oral strategic competence and confidence

  • Authors: Meyers, Rozanne Elanore
  • Date: 2022-04-08
  • Subjects: Student teaching South Africa , Communicative competence South Africa , Oral communication , Native language and education , Language arts , Verbal ability , Multilingual education
  • Language: English
  • Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/263613 , vital:53643
  • Description: This case study sought to understand how oral strategic and discourse competence and confidence developed in student teachers using English, their additional language, firstly as a tool of learning and secondly, as a medium of instruction in education environments. Within the broad qualitative approach an interpretive framework was adopted using multiple data collection tools. This was in order to privilege detailed accounts of participants’ experiences. Namely, unstructured interviews, drawings, observational checklists, and selfassessment questionnaires. Participants’ oral strategic and discourse competence were assessed using an observation checklist as they presented micro-teaching lessons. Additionally, participants completed a self-assessment questionnaire, reflecting on their oral competence after conducting their micro-teaching lessons. These perceptions were confirmed through a discussion of drawings that illustrated how they perceived themselves during lectures when they had to use English during oral interaction with lecturers and fellow students. Finally, unstructured interviews were conducted after participants completed their micro-teaching lessons and after participants had completed their drawings. The raw data from the four tools were analysed using a thematic approach. Main themes and categories were analysed and discussed to provide answers to the research questions. Data correlated the attitude of participants towards English and their level of oral confidence and competence. The main findings were that students were motivated to develop their oral English competence because they believed it was an important skill for teachers to possess. This motivation also proved to be a leading factor in participants’ competence despite the negative emotions they identified during spoken exchanges. Furthermore, the analysis found that collaborating with fellow students in making meaning of oral communication during lectures, increased students’ oral competence and their confidence because they were communicating in smaller groups. However, in certain situations, collaborating with students also decreased their confidence. Findings indicated that reciprocal facial expressions and the body language of those who engaged orally with the student teachers, increased their oral confidence as it served as an indication to them that they were understood. Based on these findings, recommendations are made regarding interactions during lectures for teacher training programmes in Higher Education in South Africa, for lecturers and lecturing practices, and curriculum designers in the South African Department of Education. , Thesis (MEd) -- Faculty of Education, Education, 2022
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  • Date Issued: 2022-04-08

Ethnobotany and conservation biology of Warburgia salutaris (G.Bertol.) Chiov., a threatened medicinal plant in southern Mozambique

  • Authors: Senkoro, Annae Maria
  • Date: 2022-04-08
  • Subjects: Uncatalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: Doctoral thesis , text
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/232967 , vital:50042 , DOI 10.21504/10962/232967
  • Description: Warburgia salutaris, locally known as “chibaha” (Ronga, Tsonga), “isiBhaha” (Zulu) and “siBhaha” (Siswati), is one of the most highly-valued medicinal plant species in southern Africa. Its bark has long been employed to treat bacterial and fungal infections, and it is often a front line herbal treatment for malaria. The species is popular in rural and urban areas due to its lower price compared to commercial pharmaceuticals and because of its long-standing spiritual and symbolic significance. Consequently, W. salutaris is threatened in Malawi, South Africa and Swaziland and is believed to be extincted in the wild in Zimbabwe. In Mozambique, where the tree is confined to the southern part of the country, it is considered vulnerable due to high local demand and cross-border export. Although there is limited research, further work is urgently needed to provide the basis for options and strategies to achieve desired outcomes. This study aimed to explore different approaches for the conservation of W. salutaris in the Lebombo Mountains (LM), the Tembe River (TR) and the Futi Corridor (FC) areas, in southern Mozambique. For this, potential distribution, socio cultural factors that influenced sustainable management of the species, demography, harvest impact, genetic diversity and population differentiation were considered. The kuenm package in R, 2 846 occurrence and 11 environmental data were used to model the potential current and future distribution in 2050 and 2070 using four general circulation models (CESM1(BGC), ACCESS1.3, FIO-ESM and IPSL-CM5A-MR) under representative concentration pathways (RCPs) 4.5 and 8.5. The extent of occurrence (EOO) and habitat suitability (HS) were also determined. Stratified random semi-structured interviews with 182 heads of households were carried out to explore cultural and socio incentives of use, compared knowledge distribution, determine local management practices and explore local ecological knowledge related to the species in the three study areas. In addition, 17 focus group discussion were conducted to clarify issues raised during household interviews. One hundred and twenty four quadrants were used to determine the abundance and population structure. The Simpson index of dominance, permutation index and quotient between consecutive classes were used to assess population stability, and an eight point scale was used to evaluate the extent of bark damages. Genomic deoxyribonucleic acid (gDNA) (n=48) was used to assessed genetic diversity and population structure through the newly developed single sequence repeats (SSR) molecular markers. Model selected was statistical significant for prediction of potential distribution of W. salutaris in southern Mozambique (partial ROC =0.00, omission rate = 0.04 and delta AICc = 0.00). The current environmental conditions mostly explained by climatic predictor, indicated in general, the potential distribution on areas of occurrence observed during the field work in southern Mozambique. Future project suggested an increase of climatic suitable areas in all the general circulation models in both conservative and pessimistic climatic scenarios (RCPs 4.5 and 8.5, respectively) in 2050 and 2070, and consequently the increase of HS and the EOO. Results of this work suggests W. salutaris would not extinct at least in the coming 50 years due to climate change but other threats such as overexploitation of the species need to be addressed. With increase of climatic suitable areas, conservation and management of this species could focus on reintroduction and cultivation for recovery of the species, with the help of time. W. salutaris was used for medicinal purposes to treat 12 health problems, with the bark being the most commonly used part (92% of informants). Knowledge of the species uses differed significantly between the three study areas but not with respondent gender or age. Informants also mentioned a considerable number of alternative species of W. salutaris (37 species in LM, 33 species in TR and 17 species in FC). Local ecological knowledge on the ecological niche of the species also varied substantial in the three areas with both types of knowledge generally higher in the Tembe River area. Local management practises were revealed mostly on harvesting through vertical bark stripping cited by 100% of informants in TR, 61.6% FC and 51.7 LM (71% of all informants). Yet most (64.3% of all informants, corresponding to 98.4% in TR, 51.7% in Fc and 41.7% LM) used non-traditional harvesting tools (machete) bark removal. For sustainable use of the species, consideration should be given to combined conservation strategies such as the use of alternative species with the same application, substitution of bark by leaves, and increases in alternative sources of plant material through cultivation. The densities of alive stems were not statistically different in the three areas but was higher in LM (mean of 4500.3±9209.8 stems/ha). Equally the mean densities of recruits (diameter ≤2 cm) were not considerable different but was higher in the FC (3296.8±9116.7 stems/ha). The regression analyses for the three study area revealed negative slopes, indicating more recruits and fewer individuals in larger classes. The Simpson indexes of dominance, permutation indexes and quotients between the consecutive size classes suggested some levels of population instability in the three areas. Harvesting took place in the eight point scale, all size classes were harvested but preference was higher on intermediate (15.1-20 cm) or larger (>20 cm) size classes in all the study areas but gatherers avoided harvesting bark from recruits. Although the mean densities of harvested stem was not significant this work indicated higher levels of stem destruction in FC. Harvested dead stems ware significant in the three areas and FC had the higher of (39.5±85.9 stems/ha) compared to 7.6±19.1 and 2.1±4.3 in TR and LM, respectively. Equally, the density of physiologically stressed stems differed substantially in the three areas with higher in FC 20.5± 75.5 stems/ha compared to 18.7±82.9 stems/ha in TR and 3.8±11.8 stems/ha in LM. This results suggests implementation of protection measures such as the inclusion of the species in the national CITES list to regulated cross-border trade and strengthening of the law enforcement. Genetic diversity, structure and gene flow in the exiting populations of southern Mozambique revealed that despite fragmentation and overexploitation, this species maintains a relatively high level of genetic diversity supporting the existence of random mating. Two genetic groups were found corresponding to the northern (LM and TR) and southern (FC) areas. The study suggests that, if local extinctions occurred in Mozambique, the pepper-bark tree persisted in sufficient numbers to retain a large proportion of genetic diversity. Management plans should concentrate on maintaining this high level of genetic variability through both in and ex-situ conservation actions. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, Environmental Science, 2022
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  • Date Issued: 2022-04-08

Exploring learners’ engagement with literacy in a book club

  • Authors: Jamieson, Vuyokazi
  • Date: 2022-04-08
  • Subjects: Book clubs (Discussion groups) South Africa Makhanda , Literacy South Africa Makhanda , High school students Books and reading South Africa Makhanda , Books and reading South Africa Makhanda , Reading, Psychology of , Service learning South Africa Makhanda , Critical realism
  • Language: English
  • Type: Academic theses , Master's theses , text
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/263601 , vital:53642
  • Description: This study observes the literacy engagement of a group of learners enrolled in Grades 8–10 in Nombulelo High School, a poorly-resourced school in the city of Makhanda in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. The learners participated in a book club hosted and run by St Andrew’s College, a privileged independent school, as a community engagement initiative. The idea of extending literacy engagement and engagement with written texts beyond textbooks used in schools is critical for learners with ambitions to enter higher education. Studying at a university requires a lot of reading, and if reading has not been taken up as a practice that involves more than ‘text consulting’ (Geisler, 1994) students will be unlikely to read the number of texts required of them. Studies (see Geisler, 1994 for an overview) have shown how the literacy of the university is very different to school based literacies. The assumption behind the study on which this thesis reports is that engagement with fictional texts might promote reading and bring about understandings of this activity as enjoyable and not a task only associated with schooling. The study is underpinned by a critical realist philosophy which allowed for the identification of structures and mechanisms that led to the emergence of literacy events in learners’ lives and to their experiences and observations of those events. The study was guided by the following questions: How do learners from a poorly-resourced high school engage around fictional texts in the context of a book club? What enables or constrains this engagement? The study was impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic in that lockdown requirements meant that learners from St Andrew’s College could not participate in the book club as much as anticipated initially as they had been forced to return home to pursue online learning. Learners from Nombuelo High School were, however, granted access to College premises, where they met in the school library following strict Covid protocols. The study draws on in-depth interviews, observations and document analysis of five learners from Nombulelo High School who participated in the book club, as well as on book reviews they wrote for the book club website. The critical realist analysis allows for the identification of mechanisms in learners’ homes and communities that enable literacies, including those that are screen-based such as using a computer, mobile phones and other technologies. This study found evidence of challenges regarding school based texts, reading fictional texts and viewing it as an enrichment of the school project. Because of children were African the emergence of communal practices and story telling is woven throughout the results section. However, is an example of the complexity of social and economic challenges facing South African marginalised schools. , Thesis (MEd) -- Faculty of Education, Centre for Higher Education Research, 2022
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  • Date Issued: 2022-04-08

Synthesis and evaluation of the medicinal potential of novel 4-hydroxycoumarin derivatives

  • Authors: Manyeruke, Meloddy Hlatini
  • Date: 2022-04-08
  • Subjects: Uncatalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: Academic theses , Doctoral theses , text
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/164458 , vital:41120 , doi:10.21504/10962/164458
  • Description: This research has focused on the synthesis and biological evaluation of a broad range of compounds characterised by the presence of the pharmacologically significant 4-hydroxycoumalin scaffold. The compounds were designed to contain additional pharmachophoric centres to enhance bioactivity and generate lead compounds with dualaction potential. The use of 4-hydroxycoumarin as the primary synthon enabled access to various series of 4-hydroxycoumarin conjugates, the reactive 3-position on the 4-hydroxycoumarin moiety being exploited for regioselective construction of the targeted compounds in several steps. Some of the reactants required in the construction of these compounds were specially synthesised and included propargyloxy benzaldehydes, benzyloxy benzaldehydes and 2,3-dihydroxysuccino-dihydride. Overall, eight different families of novel compounds were accessed, comprising conjugates of 4-hydroxycoumarin with bisethylidenesuccinohyrazide, trifluoroacetamide, amino, benzyloxyphenyl-iminoethyl, benzylidenehyrazinyl-thiazoyl, benzylidenehydrazonoethyl, propargyloxybenzylidenehydrazonoethyl and phenylacryloyl moieties using protocols that required minimal work-up and purification. The eighty novel compounds synthesised in the study were fully characterised using HMRS and advanced NMR techniques. Cytotoxicity, HIV-1 IN and PR inhibitory, and antitrypanosomal, antimalarial and anti-Mtb assays were conducted on the synthesised coumarin derivatives. Several compounds exhibited activity against HIV-1 IN, the most potent being a bis-ethylidenesuccinohyrazide with an IC50 value of 3.5 μM. Various compounds exhibited anti-malarial activity (% pLDH viability in the range 62-77%), anti-trypanosomal activity (the most potent with an IC50 = 0.9 μM against T.b. brucei) and a measure of anti-Mtb activity. Apart from two chalconyl derivatives, none of the synthesised compounds exhibited significant cytotoxicity. Conflicting results were obtained from the in silico docking studies; in some cases supporting the observed in vitro assay data while, in others, exhibiting no correlation. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, Chemistry, 2020
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  • Date Issued: 2022-04-08

The characterization of GTP Cyclohydrolase I and 6-Pyruvoyl Tetrahydropterin Synthase enzymes as potential anti-malarial drug targets

  • Authors: Khairallah, Afrah Yousif Huseein
  • Date: 2022-04-08
  • Subjects: Antimalarials , Plasmodium falciparum , Malaria Chemotherapy , Malaria Africa , Drug resistance , Drug development , Molecular dynamics
  • Language: English
  • Type: Doctoral thesis , text
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/233784 , vital:50127 , DOI 10.21504/10962/233784
  • Description: Malaria remains a public health problem and a high burden of disease, especially in developing countries. The unicellular protozoan malaria parasite of the genus Plasmodium infects about a quarter of a billion people annually, with an estimated 409 000 death cases. The majority of malaria cases occurred in Africa; hence, the region is regarded as endemic for malaria. Global efforts to eradicate the disease led to a decrease in morbidity and mortality rates. However, an enormous burden of malaria infection remains, and it cannot go unnoticed. Countries with limited resources are more affected by the disease, mainly on its public health and socio-economic development, due to many factors besides malaria itself, such as lack of access to adequate, affordable treatments and preventative regimes. Furthermore, the current antimalarial drugs are losing their efficacy because of parasite drug resistance. The emerged drug resistance has reduced the drug efficacy in clearing the parasite from the host system, causing prolonged illness and a higher risk of death. Therefore, the emerged antimalarial drug resistance has hindered the global efforts for malaria control and elimination and established an urgent need for new treatment strategies. When the resistance against classical antimalarial drugs emerged, the class of antifolate antimalarial medicines became the most common alternative. The antifolate antimalarial drugs target the malaria parasite de novo folate biosynthesis pathway by limiting folate derivates, which are essential for the parasite cell growth and survival. Yet again, the malaria parasite developed resistance against the available antifolate drugs, rendering the drugs ineffective in many cases. Given the previous success in targeting the malaria parasite de novo folate biosynthesis pathway, alternative enzymes within this pathway stand as good targets and can be explored to develop new antifolate drugs with novel mechanisms of action. The primary focus of this thesis is to contribute to the existing and growing knowledge of antimalarial drug discovery. The study aims to characterise the malaria parasite de novo folate synthesis pathway enzymes guanosine-5'-triphosphate (GTP) cyclohydrolase I (GCH1) and 6-pyruvoyl tetrahydropterin synthase (PTPS) as alternative drug targets for malaria treatment by using computational approaches. Further, discover new allosteric drug targeting sites within the two enzymes' 3D structures for future drug design and discovery. Sequence and structural analysis were carried out to characterise and pinpoint the two enzymes' unique sequence and structure-based features. From the analyses, key sequence and structure differences were identified between the malaria parasite enzymes relative to their human homolog; the identified sites can aid significantly in designing and developing new antimalarial antifolate drugs with good selectivity toward the parasites’ enzymes. GCH1 and PTPS contain a catalytically essential metal ion in their active site; therefore, force field parameters were needed to study their active sites accurately during all-atom molecular dynamic simulations (MD). The force field parameters were derived through quantum mechanics potential energy surface scans of the metals bonded terms and evaluated via all-atom MD simulations. Proteins structural dynamics is imperative for many biological processes; thus, it is essential to consider the structural dynamics of proteins whilst understanding their function. In this regard, the normal mode analysis (NMA) approach based on the elastic network model (ENM) was employed to study the intrinsic dynamics and conformations changes of GCH1 and PTPS enzymes. The NMA disclosed essential structural information about the protein’s intrinsic dynamics and mechanism of allosteric modulation of their binding properties, further highlighting regions that govern their conformational changes. The analysis also disclosed hotspot residues that are crucial for the proteins' fold stability and function. The NMA was further combined with sequence motif results and showed that conserved residues of GCH1 and PTPS were located within the identified key structural sites modulating the proteins' conformational rearrangement. The characterized structural features and hotspot residues were regarded as potential allosteric sites of important value for the design and development of allosteric drugs. Both GCH1 and PTPS enzymes have never been targeted before and can provide an excellent opportunity to overcome the antimalarial antifolate drug resistance problem. The data presented in this thesis contribute to the understanding of the sequence, structure, and global dynamics of both GCH1 and PTPS, further disclose potential allosteric drug targeting sites and unique structural features of both enzymes that can establish a solid starting point for drug design and development of new antimalarial drugs of a novel mechanism of actions. Lastly, the reported force field parameters will be of value for MD simulations for future in-silico drug discovery studies involving the two enzymes and other enzymes with the same Zn2+ binding motifs and coordination environments. The impact of this research can facilitate the discovery of new effective antimalarial medicines with novel mechanisms of action. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science, Biochemistry and Microbiology, 2022
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  • Date Issued: 2022-04-08

Visualisation processes in teaching patterns and their generalisation: perceptions and experiences from senior phase mathematics teachers

  • Authors: Chatima, Simon
  • Date: 2022-04-08
  • Subjects: Visual learning South Africa Eastern Cape , Mathematics Study and teaching (Secondary) South Africa Eastern Cape , Mathematics teachers South Africa Eastern Cape Attitudes , Sequences (Mathematics) Study and teaching (Secondary) South Africa Eastern Cape , Constructivism (Education) South Africa Eastern Cape , Mathematics teachers In-service training South Africa Eastern Cape , VIPRO MATHS Project‎
  • Language: English
  • Type: Master's thesis , text
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/232936 , vital:50039
  • Description: This study investigated how senior phase mathematics teachers used visualisation approaches to teach patterns and their generalisation as a result of an intervention programme. This project is an integral component of the VIPRO MATHS Project and one of a number of post-graduate research projects which has a particular focus on visualisation processes in mathematics education in the Southern African region. This case study of Senior Phase mathematics teachers in the Chris Hani West District (CHW) in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa used a social constructivist theory. The study is grounded within an interpretive paradigm explanatory qualitative method design. It surveyed thirty-seven Senior Phase mathematics teachers from schools in the CHW district to get an idea of how teachers teach patterns and their generalisation, prior to an intervention process. After the survey, nine teachers were purposively selected to take part in an intervention programme. They were then observed (teaching) and interviewed to get their perceptions about what factors enable and/or constrain the teaching of patterns and their generalisation when visualisation approaches were used. The data from the survey questionnaire responses, the lesson observations and the interviews were analysed qualitatively. The findings from the survey questionnaire responses revealed that teachers in CHW district value the use of visualisation approaches, although they used visuals to teach patterns in a way that lacked depth, skill and rigor prior to the intervention. Challenges such as difficulty in keeping abreast with the prescribed syllabus, the lack of resources, time constraints, and the limited knowledge of algebra learners have for successfully transferring pictorial representations to symbolic presentations, emerged from the survey data. This necessitated the need for an intervention which focused on the use of a variety of visual strategies and tools to teach patterns and their generalisation effectively. Data from lesson observations showed that all observed participant teachers used visuals to generate image- related questions and created platforms for lively classroom discussions. The teachers used the generated questions to build on learners’ prior knowledge and to promote learner understanding of pattern dynamics that stem from pictorial representations. The data from the interviews revealed that teachers’ perceptions had drastically changed after the intervention. This was because they were now equipped and empowered to effectively make use of visual strategies that enabled them to: build on learners’ prior knowledge, to manipulate visuals for the purpose of prompting learning, develop cognitive perception in learners, cultivate learner innovation and originality and enhance problem solving techniques. This study concludes that the use of visuals enhanced conceptual teaching of patterns and their generalisation in the observed participants. This has the potential to provide mathematics education researchers and curriculum developers with a strong basis to include visualisation processes and strategies into the design of policy documents and to initiate further research efforts. The implications for the teachers are that learners need to be taught ways to create and interpret visual representations in order to understand the dynamics of transferring a pictorial pattern to its resultant symbolic representation expressing pattern regularity. It is also hoped that the results of this study will be utilised by mathematics subject advisers and teacher training institutions to improve the teaching of patterns and their generalisation. , Thesis (MEd) -- Faculty of Education, Education, 2022
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  • Date Issued: 2022-04-08

Alcohol use among women attending antenatal care in Buffalo City, Eastern Cape

  • Authors: Bredenkamp, Petrus Johannes
  • Date: 2022-04-07
  • Subjects: Uncatalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: Master's thesis , text
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/234358 , vital:50188
  • Description: Alcohol use during pregnancy is known to cause neurodevelopmental disorders in offspring, known as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). High prevalence of FASD has been observed in certain parts South Africa, but many areas of the country remain unstudied, and factors contributing to drinking among pregnant women are poorly understood. This study surveyed 1099 women attending antenatal care at public primary healthcare facilities in the Buffalo City Metropolitan Area in the Eastern Cape. Data was collected using the Alcohol Use Identification Test, a 10-item self-report measure of drinking behaviour in isiXhosa, English, and Afrikaans. Factors associated with alcohol use, risky drinking, binge drinking, and hazardous/harmful drinking were identified using logistic regression. A minority of the sample reported alcohol use (64%). Among those reporting alcohol use, most reported occasional binge drinking (63%) and met criteria for risky drinking (59%) and hazardous/harmful drinking (52%). Living with a regular drinker was significantly associated with alcohol use (OR 1.98, 95% CI 1.51 – 2.58), risky drinking (OR 2.03, 95% CI 1.49 – 2.76), binge drinking (OR 2.21, 95% CI 1.64 – 2.97), and hazardous/harmful drinking (OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.41 – 2.99). However, women who were married/cohabiting were less likely to report alcohol use (OR .71, 95% CI .53 - .95). Experiencing intimate partner violence during the current pregnancy was associated with alcohol use (OR 2.42, 95% CI 1.38 – 4.27) and hazardous/harmful drinking (OR 2.62, 95% CI 1.32 – 5.22). In this study, women who identified as Coloured were more likely to report alcohol use than Women who identified as African (OR 2.74, 95% CI 1.4 – 5.36). These findings simultaneously provide evidence of problematic drinking among pregnant women in a previously understudied area and show that external factors affect women’s drinking behaviour during pregnancy. Interventions aimed at reducing the incidence of FASD should consider alcohol use by pregnant women in the context of their lived experiences. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Psychology, 2022
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  • Date Issued: 2022-04-07

Along the river that flowed south

  • Authors: Mohlomi, Teboho Samson
  • Date: 2022-04-07
  • Subjects: Uncatalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: Master's theses , text
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/234195 , vital:50171
  • Description: Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, School of Languages and Literatures, 2022
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  • Date Issued: 2022-04-07

Magnitude

  • Authors: Seddon, Deborah Ann
  • Date: 2022-04-07
  • Subjects: Uncatalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: Master's thesis , text
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/234400 , vital:50192
  • Description: My thesis is a collection of lyric, narrative, and prose poetry directed towards two forms of death – physical death and the disavowal of the self. Many poems focus on the death of my mother, and the work required after loss to sort through a family’s life in my Harare childhood home. This associative exploration draws together childhood memories, encounters with physical objects, letters, and songs, as well as with the city and its people. Tadeusz Rózewicz’s Mother Departs has influenced my approach to writing of my mother’s death, particularly how to grant her a voice in the telling. I also draw on the poetry of Harmony Holiday and Pascal Petite, in their attention to the complexities and emotional dangers of the mother-daughter bond. Other poems draw on the work of Adrienne Rich, Audre Lorde, Judy Grahn, Ocean Vuong, and Saeed Jones, in terms of imagining queer life into poetry, the use of the erotic as a means of empowerment, and developing a queer political identity, to examine various aspects of queer love, including the heartaches associated with self-denial. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, School of Languages and Literatures, 2022
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  • Date Issued: 2022-04-07

Needs assessment for gender-sensitive training in substance use disorder treatment for gender-nonconforming people

  • Authors: Tao, Lane
  • Date: 2022-04-07
  • Subjects: Uncatalogued
  • Language: English
  • Type: Master's thesis , text
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/234339 , vital:50187
  • Description: Research suggests that queer people face both general discrimination and inadequate support in substance use disorder (SUD) treatment. One recommendation made by scholarship to address this is to improve the treatment capabilities of practitioners, thus improving practitioner readiness and reducing access barriers for a potentially at-risk population. The purpose of this study is to explore SUD treatment practitioners’ experiences of treating queer clients and identify their training needs. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven registered mental healthcare practitioners operating in Cape Town, South Africa. Data was analysed via thematic analysis, using a social constructionist approach to gender and practitioner knowledge. The findings reflect a strong interest in gender-sensitive training to better prepare practitioners for treating queer clients. Participants provided feedback on areas in need of improvement and made recommendations on how training should be conducted. Findings indicate that queer clients may enter treatment with a high burden of trauma due to discrimination, and that healthcare structures abiding by a binary approach to gender may not be able to address queer people’s diverse needs. Recommendations for future research are made, with particular emphasis on including queer people in surveillance data. Target areas for training programmes are described, with emphasis on terminological understanding and accessibility of training. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, Psychology, 2022
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  • Date Issued: 2022-04-07

Skipping stones

  • Authors: Le Roux, Jade-Eden
  • Date: 2022-04-07
  • Subjects: Creative writing (Higher education) South Africa , South African fiction (English) 21st century , Suicide in literature
  • Language: English
  • Type: Master's thesis , text
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/234389 , vital:50191
  • Description: My thesis takes the form of a novella exploring suicide and the unanswered questions it leaves. The main protagonist is a young girl who struggles to come to terms with her best friend’s suicide. The work is situated in contemporary South Africa, where inequality and depression is rife, especially among young people, and social media too often provides a smokescreen to conceal emotions. My writing is motivated by my desire to explore the human condition and the world around me, through my own subjective lens of experience. By working between fact and fiction I seek to trouble conventional narratives attached to suicide and highlight the subjectivity of truth. I am influenced by Lydia Davis's ability to write obliquely about loss, and her light-handed approach to emotionally charged topics; Susan Steinberg's dark motifs, vivid imagery, and her fragmented narrative that captures the characters’ responses to trauma and interrogates the notion of truth; Lidia Yuknavitch's cinematic imagery and immediacy of tone and compact storytelling; and Kate Zambreno's poetic prose that lends itself to clear societal commentary. , Thesis (MA) -- Faculty of Humanities, School of Languages and Literatures, 2022
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  • Date Issued: 2022-04-07

The memory altar

A framework for the economic valuation of wetland rehabilitation: case studies from South Africa

  • Authors: Browne, Michelle
  • Date: 2022-04-06
  • Subjects: Wetland restoration South Africa , Wetland management South Africa , Ecosystem management South Africa , Ecosystem services South Africa , Ecosystem management Economic aspects South Africa , Wetland restoration Cost effectiveness South Africa
  • Language: English
  • Type: Academic theses , Doctoral theses , text
  • Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/263560 , vital:53638 , DOI 10.21504/10962/263561
  • Description: Wetlands are recognised as having the potential to contribute long-term benefits to society; wetland rehabilitation is undertaken to recover these benefits in response to widespread wetland degradation. Increasingly, there have been calls to value the benefits of wetland rehabilitation to justify further investment. Such is the case in South Africa. Furthermore, recent global agendas and targets for ecosystem restoration, such as the declaration of the Decade of Restoration 2021-2030, suggest increasing pressure on governments to implement rehabilitation and imply a concomitant increase in decision-making regarding where and how to rehabilitate. In response to these information needs, this thesis explores the economic valuation of wetland rehabilitation through a narrative review of the foundational theory of values and valuation, a quantitative review of applied wetland rehabilitation economic valuation studies, and the evaluation of five wetland rehabilitation projects from South Africa. Projects were selected as case studies to represent various rehabilitation goals and explore different contexts (urban-rural; beneficiary groups), the timing of the evaluation (ex ante, ex post) and value types and valuation methods. The final chapter of the thesis integrates the case study experiences with the findings of the theoretical research components to propose a framework for the valuation of wetland rehabilitation, which can be applied in South Africa, and more generally, to further demonstrate the values of wetland rehabilitation, and as a tool to guide wetland rehabilitation decision-making. While initially grounded in mainstream economics, the research led into a number of fields including philosophy, social-ecological systems and social-ecological relations thinking, several environmental science areas and livelihood and human well-being frameworks. A deeper look into economic theory and history revealed an evolution of thinking on the meaning of ‘value’ and view of ‘nature’ and numerous critiques of standard neoclassical economics. From the insights gained and the case study experiences, this thesis argues that the neoclassical economic perspective, especially combined with a monetary metric, is too restrictive, and arguably too abstract in its assumptions of human behaviour and reliance on mathematical models, as an overarching framework for the valuation of wetland rehabilition. This is not to suggest that standard economic valuation concepts and methods cannot be useful, as the research case studies illustrated, but rather that wetland valuation must be approached from a value pluralism perspective. To this end, the proposed framework offers a way to think beyond, or in addition to, standard economic approaches in articulating the values of wetland rehabilitation. , Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Commerce, Economics and Economic History, 2022
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  • Date Issued: 2022-04-06
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