A genetic and ecophysiological comparison of co-occuring indigenous (Perna perna) and invasive (Mytilus galloprovincialis) intertidal mussels
- Authors: Zardi, G I
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Perna -- South Africa Mytilus galloprovincialis -- South Africa Mussels -- South Africa Mytilidae -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:5613 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003066
- Description: The Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis is the most successful marine invasive species in South Africa. Its presence has had significant ecological consequences on the intertidal communities of the west coast. On the south coast, M galloprovincialis co-exists and competes with the indigenous intertidal mussel Perna perna in the lower balanoid zone, where they show partial habitat segregation. The upper and the lower mussel zones are dominated by M. galloprovincialis and P. perna respectively while they co-occur in the mid zone. In this thesis M. galloprovincialis and P. perna are compared in terms of their population genetics and their ecophysiology. The success of an invader depends on its ability to react to new environmental factors, especially when compared to indigenous species. The distribution and diversity of intertidal species throughout the world are strongly influenced by periodic sand inundation and hydrodynamic stress. Occupying the lower intertidal zone, P. perna is more strongly influenced by sand (burial and sand in suspension) than M. galioprovincialis. Despite this, P. perna is more vulnerable to the effects of sand, showing higher mortality rates under experimental conditions in both the laboratory and the field. M. galioprovincialis has longer labial palps than P. perna, indicating a better ability to sort particles. This, and a higher tolerance to anoxia, explains its lower mortality rates when exposed to burial or suspended sand. Habitat segregation is often explained by physiological tolerances, but in this case, such explanations fail. The ability of a mussel to withstand wave-generated hydrodynamic stress depends mainly on its byssal attachment strength. The higher attachment strength of P. perna compared to M. galioprovincialis and of solitary mussels compared to mussels living within a bed (bed mussels) can be explained by more and thicker byssal threads. M galloprovincialis also has a wider shell, is subjected to higher hydrodynamic loads than P. perna and shows a higher theoretical probability of dislodgement, this is borne out under field conditions. The attachment strength of both species increased from higher to lower shore, in parallel to a gradient of a stronger wave action. Monthly measurements showed that P. perna is always more strongly attached than M. galloprovincialis and revealed seasonal fluctuations of attachment strength for both species in response to wave height. The gonad index of both species was negatively cross-correlated with attachment strength. The results are discussed in the context of the evolutionary strategy of the alien mussel, which directs most of its energy to fast growth and high reproductive output, apparently at the cost of reduced attachment strength. This raises the prediction that its invasive impact will be more pronounced at sites subjected to low or moderate wave action at heavily exposed sites. The potential of a species for invasion is also determined by the ability of the invader to disperse. Population genetics provide indirect information about dispersal through a direct measurement of gene flow. The low genetic divergence (measured as mtDNA) of M. galloprovincialis confirms its recent arrival in South Africa. In contrast, the population genetics structure of P. perna revealed strong divergence on the south-east coast, resulting in a western lineage (straddling the distributional gap of the Benguela System), and an eastern lineage, with an overlap region of the two on the south coast between Kenton-on-Sea and Haga Haga. This genetic disjunction may be caused by Agulhas Current acting as an oceanographic barrier to larval dispersal, or by different environmental selective forces acting on regional populations. Over the last ten years, M. galloprovincialis has shown a decrease or cessation of its spread to the east in exactly the region of the genetic disjunction in P. perna, again suggesting either an oceanographic barrier to larval dispersal, or increasing selection driven by sharp gradients in environmental conditions.
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- Date Issued: 2006
Composition portfolio
- Authors: Wynne, Donovan
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Music -- South Africa Composition (Music) String quartets -- Scores
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MMus
- Identifier: vital:2658 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003121
- Description: Introductory remarks: Being a middle-class white South African, I grew up on a diet of predominantly "white" music: rock, pop and Western classical music. I was later introduced to a broader range of musics: blues, jazz, kwaito and traditional Southern African idioms. I found myself particularly attracted to the traditional music of the amaXhosa (especially that of the uhadi bow), possibly due to the fact that this music is hexatonic (that is, based on two major triads whose tonics are one tone apart), a system that bears certain resemblances to the Western tonal idiom. However, much of my musical experience tended to be entrenched in the piano and flute music I played: mostly works by composers who were neatly ensconced in the traditional Western canon. Therefore, despite the broad range of musics with which I was familiarisedduring my tertiary studies, I feel that this early experiential background is the reason I feel most comfortable with Western-influenced music. More recently, I discovered a whole new genre to explore: film music, particularly the work of Elliot Goldenthal, Danny Elfman, John Williams and Philip Glass, whose unique brand of minimalism has extended from the concert hall to thefilm theatre. I am fascinated by the ways in which film scores function. A "main titles" theme usually appears as the film opens, upon which most of the subsequent music is based. This is not a linear process, like a theme and its variations, but a lateral, where the main titles theme is the core that engenders other themes that all share a familial resemblance.
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- Date Issued: 2006
An investigation into the neuroprotective effects of estrogen and progesterone in a model of homocysteine-induced neurodegeration
- Authors: Wu, Wing Man
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Homocysteine , Estrogen , Estrogen -- Therapeutic use , Progesterone , Hormone receptors , Methyl aspartate , Oxidative stress , Alzheimer's disease -- Treatment , Nervous system -- Degeneration -- Prevention
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:3806 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003284 , Homocysteine , Estrogen , Estrogen -- Therapeutic use , Progesterone , Hormone receptors , Methyl aspartate , Oxidative stress , Alzheimer's disease -- Treatment , Nervous system -- Degeneration -- Prevention
- Description: Homocysteine (Hcy) is a sulfur containing amino acid and is a potent neurotoxin. It has been shown that elevated levels of Hcy, termed hyperhomocysteinemia, plays a role in the pathologies of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and age-related cognitive decline. Hcy is a glutamate agonist, which causes in increase in Ca[superscript (2+)] influx via the activation of NMDA class of excitatory amino acid receptors, which results in neuronal cell death and apoptosis. Estrogen and progesterone are female hormones that are responsible for reproduction and maternal behaviour. However, in the last decade, it is evident that both female hormones have neuroprotective properties in many animal models of neurodegeneration. Collectively, both estrogen and progesterone reduce the consequences of the oxidative stress by enhancing the antioxidant defence mechanisms, reducing excitotoxicity by altering glutamate receptor activity and reducing the damage caused by lipid peroxidation. However, the mechanisms by which estrogen and progesterone provide such neuroprotection probably depend on the type and concentration of hormone present. Moreover, numerous studies have shown that hormone replacement therapy (HRT, estrogen and progestins) or estrogen-only replacement therapy (ERT) may prevent or delay the onset of AD and improve cognition for women with AD. Clinical trials have also shown that women taking HRT may modify the effects of Hcy levels on cognitive functioning. Oxidative stress increases in the aging brain and thus has a powerful effect on enhanced susceptibility to neurodegenerative disease. The detection and measurement of lipid peroxidation and superoxide anion radicals in the brain tissue supports the involvement of free radical reactions in neurotoxicity and in neurodegenerative disorders. The hippocampus is an important region of the brain responsible for the formation of memory. However, agents that induce stress in this area have harmful effects and could lead to dementia. This study aims to investigate and clarify the neuroprotective effects of estrogen and progesterone, using Hcy-induced neurodegenerative models. The initial studies demonstrate that estrogen and progesterone have the ability to scavenge potent free radicals. Histological studies undertaken reveal that both estrogen and progesterone protect against Hcy-induced neuronal cell death. In addition, immunohistochemical investigations show that Hcy-induced apoptosis in the hippocampus can be inhibited by both estrogen and progesterone. However, estrogen also acts at the NMDA receptor as an agonist, while progesterone blocks at the NMDA receptor. These mechanisms reduce the ability of Hcy to cause damage to neurons, since Hcy-induced neurotoxicity is dependent on the overstimulation of the NMDA receptor. SOD and GPx are important enzymatic antioxidants which can react with ROS and neutralize them before these inflict damage in the brain. Hcy can increase oxidative stress by inhibiting expression and function of these antioxidants. However, it has been shown that the antioxidant abilities of both estrogen and progesterone can up-regulate the activities of SOD and GPx. These results provide further evidence that estrogen and progesterone act as antioxidants and are free radical scavengers. The discovery of neuroprotective agents is becoming important as accumulating evidence indicates the protective role of both estrogen and progesterone in Hcy-induced neurodegeneration. Thus further work in clinical trials is needed to examine whether reducing Hcy levels with HRT can become the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease.
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- Date Issued: 2006
A detailed investigation of interoperability for web services
- Authors: Wright, Madeleine
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Firefox , Web services , World Wide Web , Computer architecture , C# (Computer program language) , PHP (Computer program language) , Java (Computer program language)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:4592 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004832 , Firefox , Web services , World Wide Web , Computer architecture , C# (Computer program language) , PHP (Computer program language) , Java (Computer program language)
- Description: The thesis presents a qualitative survey of web services' interoperability, offering a snapshot of development and trends at the end of 2005. It starts by examining the beginnings of web services in earlier distributed computing and middleware technologies, determining the distance from these approaches evident in current web-services architectures. It establishes a working definition of web services, examining the protocols that now seek to define it and the extent to which they contribute to its most crucial feature, interoperability. The thesis then considers the REST approach to web services as being in a class of its own, concluding that this approach to interoperable distributed computing is not only the simplest but also the most interoperable. It looks briefly at interoperability issues raised by technologies in the wider arena of Service Oriented Architecture. The chapter on protocols is complemented by a chapter that validates the qualitative findings by examining web services in practice. These have been implemented by a variety of toolkits and on different platforms. Included in the study is a preliminary examination of JAX-WS, the replacement for JAX-RPC, which is still under development. Although the main language of implementation is Java, the study includes services in C# and PHP and one implementation of a client using a Firefox extension. The study concludes that different forms of web service may co-exist with earlier middleware technologies. While remaining aware that there are still pitfalls that might yet derail the movement towards greater interoperability, the conclusion sounds an optimistic note that recent cooperation between different vendors may yet result in a solution that achieves interoperability through core web-service standards.
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- Date Issued: 2006
A review of lessons learned to inform capacity-building for sustainable nature-based tourism development in the European Union funded ʺSupport to the Wild Coast Spatial Development Initiative Pilot Programmeʺ
- Authors: Wright, Brian Bradley
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Wild Coast Spatial Development Initiative Pilot Programme , Sustainable development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Citizen participation , Sustainable development -- Environmental aspects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Conservation and natural resources -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Natural resources -- Management -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Natural resources -- Management -- International cooperation , Rural development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Eastern Cape (South Africa) -- Economic development , South Africa -- Foreign economic relations -- European Union countries , European Union countries -- Foreign economic relations -- South Africa , Ecotourism -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Citizen participation , Tourism -- Environmental aspects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1744 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003628 , Wild Coast Spatial Development Initiative Pilot Programme , Sustainable development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Citizen participation , Sustainable development -- Environmental aspects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Conservation and natural resources -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Natural resources -- Management -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Natural resources -- Management -- International cooperation , Rural development -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Eastern Cape (South Africa) -- Economic development , South Africa -- Foreign economic relations -- European Union countries , European Union countries -- Foreign economic relations -- South Africa , Ecotourism -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Citizen participation , Tourism -- Environmental aspects -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape
- Description: This case-study establishes the influences of power-knowledge relationships on capacity-building for sustainability in the European Union Funded ‘Wild Coast Spatial Development Initiative Pilot Programme’ (EU Programme). It aims to capture the lessons learned for capacitybuilding to support nature-based tourism initiatives on the Wild Coast. The EU Programme aimed to achieve economic and social development of previously disadvantaged communities through nature-based tourism enterprises, and to develop capacity of local authorities and communities to support environmental management. The study discusses common trends in thematic categories emerging from the research data, and contextualises research findings in a broader development landscape. This study indicates that power-knowledge relations were reflected in the EU Programme’s development ideology by an exclusionary development approach, which lacked a participatory ethos. This exclusionary approach did not support an enabling environment for capacity-building. This development approach, guiding the programme conceptualization, design and implementation processes, resulted in a programme with unrealistic objectives, time-frames and resource allocations; a programme resisted by provincial and local government. The study provides a causal link between participation, programme relevance, programme ownership, commitment of stakeholders, effective management and capacity-building for sustainable programme implementation. The study argues that the underlying motivation for the exclusionary EU development ideology in the programme is driven by a risk management strategy. This approach allows the EU to hold power in the development process, whereas, an inclusionary participative development methodology would require a more in-depth negotiation with stakeholders, thereby requiring the EU to relinquish existing levels of power and control. This may increase the risk of an unexpected programme design outcome and associated exposure to financial risk. It may also have a significant financial effect on donor countries' consultancies and consultants currently driving the development industry. This study recommends an interactive-participative methodology for programme design and implementation, if an enabling environment for capacity-building is to be created. In addition, all programme stakeholders must share contractual accountability for programme outcomes. This requires a paradigm shift in the EU development ideology to an inclusionary methodology. However, this research suggests that the current EU development approach will not voluntarily change. I, therefore, argue that South Africa needs to develop a legislative framework that will guide donor-funded development programme methodology, to support an enabling environment for capacity-building.
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- Date Issued: 2006
The regulation of tax practitioners in South Africa: a proposed model
- Authors: Woodbridge, Taryn
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Income tax -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Taxation -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , South African Revenue Service
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:891 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003128 , Income tax -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Taxation -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , South African Revenue Service
- Description: Tax practitioners in South Africa have been operating in an unregulated tax industry. This has allowed certain tax practitioners to fail in their duties to their clients, as many do not have to abide by any code of conduct or ethical principles, to the detriment of the public. Other than the provisions in the Income Tax Act, 58 of 1962, there has been no regulation. As a result of losses suffered by taxpayers either through the incompetence, ignorance or negligence of a tax practitioner, as substantiated by case law, and increased costs borne by the South African Revenue Services due to unnecessary queries and tax disputes, the Minister of Finance, Trevor Manuel, introduced the concept of tax industry regulation in his Budget Speech in 2002. This resulted in the introduction of section 67 A into the Income Tax Act, providing for a registration process for tax practitioners. All practising tax practitioners were required to register with the Commissioner for the South African Revenue Services by 30 June 2005. In addition, a discussion paper was issued in 2002 setting out the proposal of the Revenue Services to regulate the tax industry through the formation of an Association of Tax Practitioners. This proposal includes various contentious issues and casts significant doubt on whether the proposed model is the most suitable. The goal of the research was therefore to evaluate the current status of tax advisory services in order to demonstrate the need for regulation and to compare the proposed SARS model with two established regulatory authorities: the Estate Agency Affairs Board and the Australian Tax Agents Board. A conceptual model for regulation was developed in order to test all the models against a simple regulatory framework to determine whether each was aligned to certain best practices proposed in this framework. The research methodology was qualitative in nature, involving the critical interpretation of documentary data and data generated during a public discussion forum of tax practitioners. It was concluded that the SARS proposal is too prescriptive and, at the same time, too broad in its scope. In order to address the key objective, identified as protection of the taxpaying public, a simplified regulation procedure was recommended, which would adhere to the proposed regulatory framework. , KMBT_363
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- Date Issued: 2006
Exploring employee morale at the Port Elizabeth plant of Cadbury (South Africa)
- Authors: Wolfaardt, Michelle
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Cadbury Ltd , Chocolate industry -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Employee morale , Job satisfaction , Performance standards , Employees -- Rating of , Personnel management
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3093 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003129 , Cadbury Ltd , Chocolate industry -- South Africa -- Port Elizabeth , Employee morale , Job satisfaction , Performance standards , Employees -- Rating of , Personnel management
- Description: In the current business climate, performance is increasingly determined by how flexibly and effectively companies can utilize their human resources and this in tum, is influenced by employee morale. Morale refers to a state of psychosomatic health marked by an energetic, decisive resolution to achieve a given goal. When morale is low, employees may do what is required but do not have the energy to 'go the extra mile'. The importance of maintaining high morale is thus evident. The following project involved a study of morale in Cadbury's Port Elizabeth plant. Cadbury management was concerned about low morale following a recent merger with Bromor Foods. They thus wanted to assess: the state of current morale; any factors that may be influencing it; indicators of low morale (so that it may be monitored in the future) and finally, ways of addressing any existing morale issues. In order to achieve these aims, the researcher conducted interviews with various people to explore morale issues from employees' perspectives. She then sought confirmation for these views at the organizational level through the use of a survey. Statistical and thematic analyses showed morale to be low for middle managers and revealed a variety of indicators and influencing factors, as well as suggestions for addressing them. Despite the need to boost the sample size with convenience sampling, and thus, reduced representivity, the research was successful in answering the research aims.
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- Date Issued: 2006
Teachers as recontextualisers: a case study analysis of outcomes-based assessment policy implementation in two South African schools
- Authors: Wilmot, Pamela Dianne
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Competency-based education -- South Africa Competency-based education -- South Africa -- Case studies Educational change -- South Africa Teacher participation in curriculum planning -- South Africa Teachers -- Training of -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:1792 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003677
- Description: The research presented in this thesis is a case study analysis of outcomes-based assessment in Grade 9 Human and Social Sciences of Curriculum 2005 in two South African schools. The research consists of two parts: Phase One, 2002 to 2003, was a qualitative case study, interpretive in orientation and using ethnographic techniques, aimed at understanding teachers’ responses to curriculum policy and the role of a school-based intervention, located within critically reflexive practice, in supporting change. During this phase, I was a co-participant operating from an insider position. During Phase Two, 2004-2005, I withdrew from the schools and took up an outsider position in order to analyse and theorise the case study. The findings of the interpretive review revealed a fascinating process of change, with some unexpected results that I lacked the theoretical and methodological tools to process. With support from critical friends, I realised that a dynamic and social process of knowledge recontextualisation had taken place, and that the research had moved beyond its initial goals. Not wishing to compromise my integrity as a qualitative researcher, I changed direction and made use of Basil Bernstein’s theorising (1990, 1996) to arrive at a suitable vantage point for the analysis. The main contention of this thesis is that the new OBE curriculum framework offers exciting opportunities for teacher participation in curriculum processes. However, if teachers are to maximise these and become agents of change, they need to acquire the rules of recontextualisation and reposition themselves in the recontextualising field. This implies epistemological empowerment, which takes time and mediation but which can be achieved through an approach to teacher professional development located in critically reflexive practice.
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- Date Issued: 2006
Implementing performance management at local government level in South Africa : a case study on the impact of organisational culture
- Authors: Williams, Quinton Walter
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Buffalo City (South Africa) Local government -- South Africa Municipal government -- South Africa Performance -- Management -- South Africa Corporate culture -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MBA
- Identifier: vital:749 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003870
- Description: Local Government in South Africa has undergone much transformation since 2000. Although much of the change has been to correct imbalances, inequities and disparities within our local communities as a result of Apartheid, change has also been motivated by National Government’s realisation that, as with governments throughout the world, there is a need to modernise all spheres of Government. Part of this transformation process at a local government level in South Africa has been to ensure that municipalities become more responsive to the communities’ needs. The guiding principles for this transformation are contained in the White Paper on the Transformation of the Public Service (1995) and the Batho Pele White Paper (1997). This has informed the Municipal Systems Act: Act 32 of 2000 of which Chapter 6 determines that municipalities will have a performance management system to promote a culture of performance management amongst the political structures, political office bearers, councillors and administration. The performance management system must ensure that the municipality administers its affairs in an economical, effective, efficient and accountable manner. A literature review contained in this research, indicates that internationally, implementing performance management systems at a local government level is impact upon by a number of factors such as the organizational culture of an institution. This research, which has been grounded within a constructivist paradigm, describes the impact organizational culture has had on the implementation process of the performance management system at Buffalo City Municipality. Interviews were conducted amongst the Section 57 employees (i.e. the Directors) and those employees directly responsible for implementing performance management. The four Directors, two General Managers and the portfolio councilor were interviewed. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with the interviewees and this culminated in a total of 10 hours of interviewing. The protocols were analyzed using the guidelines suggested by Boyatzis (1998) and the findings are detailed in two chapters. The findings of the research were that the implementation of the performance management system at Buffalo City Municipality has been impacted on by the dichotomy between the political and administrative leadership, resulting in non-implementation of council resolutions, the lack of an organizational strategy, poor institutional arrangements and inadequate resource allocation, are reported. However, the most important finding was the impact that a culture of fear has had on the implementation process. This culture of fear and its impact on the implementation of performance management system is described as the most pervasive and insidious of all the findings to have negatively impacted on the implementation process. This research ends with recommendations for further research and it is argued that each organization has its own unique organizational culture. The conclusion is that no single typology, as contained in the literature, which can account for the specific impact organizational culture will have on the implementation process of a performance management system at local government level in South Africa. Consequently, implementers of performance management systems must assess the unique characteristics of each organization’s culture prior to implementation, in order to evaluate its impact that the organizational culture can have on the process.
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- Date Issued: 2006
Using experiential learning to facilitate pharmacy students' understanding of patients' medication practice in chronic illness
- Authors: Williams, Kevin
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Chronic diseases -- Chemotherapy Chronically ill -- Care Pharmacy -- Study and teaching Pharmacy -- Practice Social medicine Health -- Sociological aspects Diseases -- Sociological aspects Health -- Psychological aspects
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:1322 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003955
- Description: This study originates from experiences which led me to question the way pharmacists are equipped to advise and support the medicine-taking practice of patients using chronic medication. The study offers a critical theoretical consideration of underlying perspectives informing pharmacy education. I propose following a critical realist ontological perspective, a social realist understanding of social structure and human agency, and a sociocultural epistemology. Based on these perspectives, I consider a sociological critique of ‘health’, ‘disease’, ‘illness’ and ‘sickness’ perspectives on medicine-taking, and of pharmacy as a profession. I then propose an experiential learning approach, with an emphasis on developing reflexivity through affective learning. I follow this with an illustrative case study. Following a critical discourse analysis of student texts from the case study, I conclude that there is evidence that experiential learning may prove useful in developing pharmacy students’ reflexive competency to support the provision of pharmaceutical care to patients using chronic medications.
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- Date Issued: 2006
Understanding workplace-based learning contexts to inform curriculum development: the case of a Level 5 Environmental Education, Training and Development Practice Qualification
- Authors: Wigley, Jonathan James
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: South African Qualifications Authority National Qualifications Framework (South Africa) Environmental education -- Study and teaching -- South Africa Curriculum planning -- South Africa Competency-based education -- South Africa Vocational qualifications -- South Africa Education and state -- South Africa Education -- Standards -- South Africa Education, Higher -- South Africa -- Standards
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1808 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003694
- Description: This is an interpretive case study that explores the workplace epistemologies and institutional structures of two nested cases within the broader context of the Environmental Education, Training and Development Practices - Level 5 qualification (EETDP qualification) that is registered on the South African National Qualifications Framework. The study provides insights to inform EETDP curriculum development that is enabling of reflexive environmental education and training processes. The study develops an understanding of workplace epistemologies related to environment and education, the structural factors that enable and constrain agency of environmental educators and the role of reflexivity in practice and in education in two nested cases: the agricultural and local government sectors. It draws on findings from workshops, semistructured interviews and document analysis of education materials in these two nested cases. The study notes that there are diverse and seemingly ambiguous understandings of both environment/sustainability and education processes in the two nested cases. This ambiguity seems to relate to environmental education practitioners drawing on different forms of knowledge, including differentiated or theoretical knowledge, and 'common-sense' ways of knowing, in their education practice. The understandings related to theoretical knowledge are, in both nested cases, dominated by scientific or technical understandings where environment is understood in the terms of the natural sciences and education is seen in instrumentalist terms as the transfer of mainly technical environmental knowledge to learners in order to effect behaviour change. The study opens up deeper understandings of the epistemological, socio-cultural and structural features of context, in the two nested cases, that have a bearing on environmental educators. It provides insights into workplace structures that can be both enabling and constraining of agency and notes that the causal power of structures to enable or constrain does not lie only in the structures but also in relation to the intentionality of the environmental education practitioners/agents. The study then examines reflexivity as one of the means through which environmental educators in the nested cases are able to consider appropriate actions or responses to structural constraints or enablements. Based on the insights offered by the research findings, the study makes recommendations for the EETDP curriculum development. It frames these recommendations within an understanding of curriculum as a contextualised social process that involves structural aspects of curriculum such as materials, as well as socio-cultural processes such as learning on the course and in the workplace.
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- Date Issued: 2006
A framework for responsive content adaptation in electronic display networks
- Authors: West, Philip
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Computer networks , Cell phone systems , Wireless communication systems , Mobile communication systems , HTML (Document markup language) , XML (Document markup language)
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:4589 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004824 , Computer networks , Cell phone systems , Wireless communication systems , Mobile communication systems , HTML (Document markup language) , XML (Document markup language)
- Description: Recent trends show an increase in the availability and functionality of handheld devices, wireless network technology, and electronic display networks. We propose the novel integration of these technologies to provide wireless access to content delivered to large-screen display systems. Content adaptation is used as a method of reformatting web pages to display more appropriately on handheld devices, and to remove unwanted content. A framework is presented that facilitates content adaptation, implemented as an adaptation layer, which is extended to provide personalization of adaptation settings and response to network conditions. The framework is implemented as a proxy server for a wireless network, and handles HTML and XML documents. Once a document has been requested by a user, the HTML/XML is retrieved and parsed, creating a Document Object Model tree representation. It is then altered according to the user’s personal settings or predefined settings, based on current network usage and the network resources available. Three adaptation techniques were implemented; spatial representation, which generates an image map of the document, text summarization, which creates a tree view representation of a document, and tag extraction, which replaces specific tags with links. Three proof-of-concept systems were developed in order to test the robustness of the framework. A system for use with digital slide shows, a digital signage system, and a generalized system for use with the internet were implemented. Testing was performed by accessing sample web pages through the content adaptation proxy server. Tag extraction works correctly for all HTML and XML document structures, whereas spatial representation and text summarization are limited to a controlled subset. Results indicate that the adaptive system has the ability to reduce average bandwidth usage, by decreasing the amount of data on the network, thereby allowing a greater number of users access to content. This suggests that responsive content adaptation has a positive influence on network performance metrics.
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- Date Issued: 2006
Composition portfolio
- Authors: Webb, Cassidy Frank
- Date: 2006
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MMus
- Identifier: vital:2659 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003729
- Description: Introduction: This portfolio consists of musical ideas which I have had for some time now. I have attempted to capture these ideas throughout the portfolio, starting with the smaller works (Brumes et Pluies) and building up to the larger works (James Tiberius, The tide). Brumes et Pluies is minimalistic in style. The interlocking of the two pianos plays an important role in the texture of the piece. The rhythms are repetitive throughout, with only slight variations. Kalahari is more idiomatic, rhythmical and has a main theme which recurs throughout the piece. Melodic fragments are used, sometimes with slight variations. This piece was inspired by the Kalahari desert, with its abundance of life. I enjoy the string quartet because of the homogeneity of sound on the one hand, and the diversity possible by using different techniques and effects on the other. James Tiberius is a work for chamber orchestra. Motifs in the music resemble certain animals. The rhythm is unstable, as is the harmony. There are many melodic fragments throughout. The texture is thin in certain areas (at the beginning) and dense in others (the waltz). The harmony is sometimes unconventional. The Tide was written in response to a memory of a drowning incident I experienced when I was a child. This orchestral piece is strong in form. The opening, for example, is tense and slightly atonal in harmony. The pomposo section tends to utilise most of the orchestra, so the texture is a lot denser here and the harmony is more conventional. I try not to use traditional forms in my composition. Rather, I prefer to compose by re-using and re-introducing ideas as I proceed.
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- Date Issued: 2006
A case study of the goals of the business communication course at Technikon Witwatersrand
- Authors: Vongo, Mthuthuzeli Rubin
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Communication in education -- South Africa Communication -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- South Africa English language -- Study and teaching (Higher) -- South Africa Curriculum change -- South Africa Competency-based education -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1316 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003949
- Description: At Technikon Witwatersrand, Business Communication is offered as a service subject, which is compulsory for a variety of diplomas and the majority of students are obligated to do the course. Its broad intention is to assist students in developing their proficiency in English, enabling them to cope with studying at Technikon and preparing them for the workplace. Despite the fact that the course is designed to assist them, many students question why they have to do the course and whether it is simply a repetition of high school work. The study attempts to examine the implicit and explicit goals of Business Communication, to explore the process through which the goals have been developed and changed over the years (i.e. how the goals have been constructed), and to elicit and compare the perspectives of the different stakeholder groups as to the goals. Both a qualitative and a quantitative approach are used in the research design. Interviews with four fulltime lecturers were conducted and a self-designed questionnaire was administered to students. These were the main means of data collection. The data reveals that the goals of Business Communication are implied rather than explicit. Despite this, students and lecturers see the course as important. Recommendations are made to help the Department of Business Communication to reflect on their practice with particular emphasis given to material development and the application of OBE principles.
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- Date Issued: 2006
Against supererogationism
- Authors: Van Niekerk, Jason Bradley
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Supererogation , Supererogation -- History , Values , Ethics -- History
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:2731 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004268 , Supererogation , Supererogation -- History , Values , Ethics -- History
- Description: In this thesis, I argue that we have no reason to accept the existence of a category of supererogatory moral goods: that is, good acts that carry no pressure to bring them about. Despite the counterintuitive nature and suspicious provenance of the concept, Supererogationism is the orthodoxy in Ethics, and I examine promising but unsuccessful responses to it by Peter Singer and Kwame Gyekye. Responding in particular to David Heyd's Supererogationism - but also to J. O. Urmson, Susan Wolf, and Jonathan Dancy - I develop an account of the principle "Good implies Ought" that does not entail absurd over-obligation. I argue that this Anti-Supererogationist model stands up to the four strongest arguments against such a position, and that it embraces a more accurate account of the relation between values and oughts than Supererogationists are capable of supplying. Finally, I sketch a detailed eudaimonist account of the principle umuntu ngumuntu ngabantu - that our commitment to the good of others stems from our flourishing being caught up with theirs.
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- Date Issued: 2006
The evaluation of Phenrica sp.2 (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Alticinae), as a possible biological control agent for Madeira vine, Anredera cordifolia (Ten.) Steenis in South Africa
- Authors: Van der Westhuizen, Liamé
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Weeds -- Biological control -- South Africa , Biological pest control agents -- South Africa , Invasive plants -- Biological control -- South Africa , Chrysomelidae , Beetles , Flea beetles , Anredera cordifolia -- Biological control
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MSc
- Identifier: vital:5689 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1005375 , Weeds -- Biological control -- South Africa , Biological pest control agents -- South Africa , Invasive plants -- Biological control -- South Africa , Chrysomelidae , Beetles , Flea beetles , Anredera cordifolia -- Biological control
- Description: Anredera cordifolia (Basellaceae), Madeira vine, is a perennial, semi- succulent climber native from Paraguay to southern Brazil and northern Argentina. It has a history of weediness and difficulty of control once established. In South Africa Madeira vine has a wide range and distribution with altitudes ranging from 10-1800m above sea level. Described as a transformer species, its sheer weight is capable of breaking branches off trees, causing the potential collapse of forest canopies. Chemical and mechanical control methods are expensive, labour intensive and may provide only temporary relief. A biological control programme was therefore initiated in 2003. Cf Phenrica sp. 2 (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Alticinae), was field collected from A. cordifolia in Brazil, SSW of Cascavel in the Paraná Province during a survey in November 2003. Eggs are laid in groups of 16 with the average fertility rate being 89%. After going though three larval instars, the larvae pupate in the soil with the adults eclosing after a period of 17 days. The total developmental time for a generation from egg to egg ranges between 7-8 weeks. Biological traits that favour the flea beetle as a possible biological control agent include long-lived adults (up to 5 months) and multiple generations during the summer period. Both adults and larvae feed extensively on leaves and stems and although developmental rates will slow down during the winter period, no indication of a definite diapause was found under the prevailing laboratory conditions. After completing the larval no-choice trials with twenty-six plant species from 14 plant families Phenrica sp. 2 proved to be adequately host specific, as larval development was only supported by 3 Basellaceae species (including the control A. cordifolia) and one Portulacaceae species. All of these are introduced species in South Africa. The only indigenous Basella species could not be tested as it has a very marginal distribution, and because it’s inconspicuous nature, it is seldom seen or collected. Adult multi-choice trials were restricted to species that could sustain larval development to give some indication of the acceptability of these species for adult feeding and oviposition. Although adult feeding was initially concentrated on B. alba, the oviposition preference was clear-cut as females only oviposited on A. cordifolia. In order to quantify the impact of Phenrica sp. 2 on plant biomass and to assess the incidence and intensity of foliar damage, a pair of adults was confined to the host plant, for 2 generations, with different levels of larval densities. The results indicated that the host plant, due to both larval and adult feeding, suffered leaf losses of up to 55%. Anredera cordifolia was however still capable of enlarging the root mass despite suffering huge leaf losses. This would imply that A. cordifolia has an effective re-growth capacity and it will only be vulnerable to attack of the storage organs that enable re-growth, or to repeated attack of other plant parts through which reserves are exhausted. Unfortunately the period of exposure (24 days) was too short to prove that Phenrica sp. 2 impacts on the below ground dry mass, but should the plant be completely defoliated, as was observed in the field, the host plant would be forced to deplete stored resources. Phenrica sp.2 has shown to be very host specific and although A.cordifoia loses its leaves during the winter period in most provinces in South Africa, the adults are long-lived and should be able to survive the leafless periods. Further more the relatively short life cycle, high fecundity and 3 generations per year should theoretically insure a strong population build-up that would improve the chances of establishment in the field. All indications are that Phenrica sp. 2 is an agent well worth considering for the biological control of A. cordifolia.
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- Date Issued: 2006
Aspects of the sentencing process in child sexual abuse cases
- Authors: Van der Merwe, Annette
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Child sexual abuse -- South Africa , Sexually abused children -- Legal status, laws, etc -- South Africa , Child abuse -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Sex crimes -- South Africa , Sentences(Criminal procedure) -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: vital:3696 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003211 , Child sexual abuse -- South Africa , Sexually abused children -- Legal status, laws, etc -- South Africa , Child abuse -- Law and legislation -- South Africa , Sex crimes -- South Africa , Sentences(Criminal procedure) -- South Africa
- Description: This thesis investigates current sentencing practices relating to the diverse, complex and emotionally laden phenomenon of child sexual abuse. It focuses on relevant legislative provisions, on case law and on an empirical study conducted amongst regional court magistrates. Trends, developments and problems are analysed and possible solutions to the main problems identified are investigated. The thesis concludes with proposed guidelines regarding the sentencing process in child sexual abuse cases. Such guidelines address general and specific principles, the use of victim impact statements, the increased recognition and use of behavioural science in the sentencing phase with regard to both the victim and the offender, and relevant aggravating and mitigating factors. The guidelines are an attempt to give some structure to the current haphazard approach adopted by the courts with regard to harm experienced by the victim. They are also aimed at assisting experts to provide more effective and reliable pre-sentence reports. Further, the thesis attempts to provide clarity concerning the factors that are considered to be aggravating or mitigating in the offence category, child sexual abuse, as well as with regard to the weight that should be attached to them. In addition, recommendations are made for the purpose of possible law reform and further research in relation to the regulation of judicial discretion through the introduction of formal sentencing guidelines, victim impact statements and the accommodation of behavioural science in the sentencing process pertaining to sexual offenders. This proposal is based on current South African sentencing practices as reflected in the consolidation of local judgments scattered over many years in different law reports and, to some extent, on English, Canadian, Australian and American sentencing practices as researched in this study.
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- Date Issued: 2006
The relationship between the development and use of teaching and learning support materials: the case of "A year of special days" booklet
- Authors: Urenje, Shepherd
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Southern African Development Community Teaching -- Aids and devices -- South Africa Environmental education -- South Africa -- Case studies Environmental education -- Curricula -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MEd
- Identifier: vital:1724 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1003607
- Description: This research is an interpretive case study, which investigated the relationship between the development and use of the teaching and learning support material, “A Year of Special Days”. An in depth investigation was conducted in South Africa and Zimbabwe where developers and users of the booklet were asked to contribute their experiences with the booklet through questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and workshops. Developers contributed on the purpose for which the booklet was produced while the users explained how the booklet was being used in different contexts. The research also tracked the development and use of booklet in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region through a workshop held at the Environmental Education Association of Southern Africa (EEASA) Conference in Lusaka, Zambia, in May 2005. Some personal interviews and informal encounters with people who have used it in the past and those using it now were also conducted at EEASA. This case study explored the axes of tension between the development and use of the resource material, “A Year of Special Days”, with the view to informing development and use of materials at the SADC Centre. A long-term intention is to use the framework developed, for similar work in the wider SADC region. The research recommended on how the SADC Centre can track the relationship between the materials developed at the Centre and their use in different contexts. The study established that the booklet “A Year of Special Days” was initially developed for informal education by faith communities mainly in the Anglican Church but turned out to be a resource more applicable for formal education mainly in the national school system of South Africa for environmental learning. That the resource material lacked effective monitoring support from the developers for the initial intended users where there was no formal education structure was an important link in materials development. It is important for resource materials developers to facilitate the participatory monitoring and evaluation of resource materials when they are in use. The study also established that SADC resources materials are easily adaptable and that the process of resource materials development offers important networking opportunities, which allow the adaptation and adoption of similar resource materials for local contexts. The booklet was adapted and adopted by at least eight countries in the form of a booklet, a calendar or a poster. This study provides some recommendations that may be used to guide the Southern African Development Community Regional Environmental Education Programme (REEP) to enhance processes in the development and adaptation of teaching and learning support materials by environmental educators in southern Africa.
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- Date Issued: 2006
A review of the actuaries' capitalisation rate from an economic perspective
- Authors: Turner, Jason
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Macroeconomics , Keynesian economics , Insurance -- Mathematics , South Africa -- Economic conditions -- 1961-1991 , South Africa -- Economic policy
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: vital:992 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002727 , Macroeconomics , Keynesian economics , Insurance -- Mathematics , South Africa -- Economic conditions -- 1961-1991 , South Africa -- Economic policy
- Description: The purpose of this paper was to evaluate if the macroeconomic change that has occurred in the South African economy since the 1980s has been significant enough to justify a re-examination of the actuaries’ capitalisation rate, due to its formulation processes dependence on the macroeconomic situation. The need for the reexamination arises from the use of the capitalisation in the calculation of lump sum awards where even a small change in the rate can have a significant impact on the value of the final award. In order to address the issue an examination of how Keynesian expectations are formulated and an examination of the Government’s macroeconomic policy was conducted to provide the foundation. On this foundation, a trend analysis of the major groups of financial instruments, as well as the current outlooks for the South African economy, was conducted to determine if there was any indication of a significant change in the macroeconomic conditions. The results of the analysis provided a compelling case for the urgent need for the actuaries’ capitalisation rate to be recalculated to account for the changed economic situation.
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- Date Issued: 2006
Investigating a rural community's use of communication technology: a study of Nakaseke Community Multi-media centre in Uganda
- Authors: Tumusiime, James
- Date: 2006
- Subjects: Information technology -- Uganda , Media programs (Education) -- Uganda , Communication in rural development -- Uganda , Communication -- Technological innovations -- Developing countries , Telecommuting centres -- Uganda
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MA
- Identifier: vital:3489 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1002944 , Information technology -- Uganda , Media programs (Education) -- Uganda , Communication in rural development -- Uganda , Communication -- Technological innovations -- Developing countries , Telecommuting centres -- Uganda
- Description: An assumption that Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and economic development have an automatic linkage has gained wide acceptance over the last decade. As a result, developing countries are under pressure to apply this prescription as a solution to poverty. With the help of development partners in the developed world and the United Nations, developing countries have embraced this call to increase access to ICTs to bridge the ever-widening gap between the ‘information rich’ and ‘information poor’ (Castells, 2001). One of the strategies has been the establishment of telecentres where the least privileged people might access ICTs for their own development needs. However, this strategy has tended to overlook contextual factors and circumstances in developing countries. ICTs are thus being introduced in an environment of mass poverty, illiteracy and poor infrastructure, exacerbating existing inequalities in some cases. Much attention has been focussed on initiatives aimed at expanding the ICT infrastructure for wider population access without addressing what the users actually do with such access. This study aims to make a contribution in that direction. The study focuses on Nakaseke Community Multi-media Centre(CMC), the first telecentre introduced in Uganda in 1997. Using a combination of quantitative and qualitative research techniques, the study sets out to develop deeper insights into how the Nakaseke community uses, engages with and relates with communication technologies installed at the telecentre. It probes whether these practices advance the dominant view that ICTs are a panacea for rural development. The findings indicate that while access to communication technology has expanded, albeit at a slow pace, the benefits might take very long to have a significant effect as many targeted users do not make use of the facilities because they lack the human skills and financial resources to exploit the technologies. Other problems such as poor electricity supply and sustainability also actively militate against the potential of the project to deliver. Besides, people tend to appropriate technology in ways different from those intended by its promoters. As Burton (2002) explains through the concept of ‘affordances’ and ‘culture’, some users perceive technologies essentially as something that bestows the status of being modern or sophisticated on their community, rather than as a development tool. In conclusion, it is argued that if used for development, ICTs can indeed make a difference in the lives of rural people. However, besides investing in technology, there is need to invest more in empowering the people themselves with skills, particularly literacy, to enable them use ICTs productively.
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- Date Issued: 2006