List of Titles

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Racial segregation in East London, 1836-1948

- Nel, E L

Authors: Nel, E L
Date: 1991
Language: English
Type: Article
Identifier: vital:6717 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006790
Description: Urban racial segregation in East London has a distinctive heritage, making the city one of South Africa's most segregated in the pre-Union era. Segregation was initiated by the British military in the then colony of British Kaffraria, and was later enhanced by successive municipal councils. Municipal ordinances ensured exceptionally high levels of segregation in the city during the 19th century. The enforcement of Asian segregation in this era is noteworthy. Urban planning in the 20th century resulted as much from local as national considerations and legislation. Segregation was a reality in East London prior to the passage of the Group Areas Act. The deteriorating social circumstances in the long-segregated African areas in particular receive special mention, as do government attempts to rectify the situation through the institution of state commissions.
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Designing writing groups to support postgraduate students’ academic writing: a case study from a South African university

- Wilmot, Kirstin

Authors: Wilmot, Kirstin
Date: 2018
Language: English
Type: text , article
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/66267 , vital:28926 , https://doi.org/10.1080/14703297.2016.1238775
Description: publisher version , This paper reports on a writing group pilot programme implemented at a South African university. Drawing on literature, anonymous student evaluations and facilitator observations, it discusses the use of writing groups for supporting postgraduate academic writing practices. Developed within a broader postgraduate academic writing support programme, the paper discusses a case study of two pilot writing groups: a multidisciplinary long-term group and a disciplinary short-term ‘writing-intensive’ group. The findings indicate that the overall experience of the writing group was a positive one, with each group presenting varied ‘success’ aspects as well as challenges. Insights gleaned may contribute to our understanding of how these groups can be utilised to support postgraduate students and how different kinds of groups can be developed to serve particular student needs. The paper concludes with a discussion of the inclusion of a disciplinary expert, which proved particularly useful in this pilot.
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Social capital reduces vulnerability in rural coastal communities of Solomon Islands:

- Malherbe, Willem, Sauer, Warwick, Aswani, Shankar

Authors: Malherbe, Willem , Sauer, Warwick , Aswani, Shankar
Date: 2020
Language: English
Type: text , article
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/150230 , vital:38951 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2020.105186
Description: Rural island communities are generally regarded as the most vulnerable groups affected by climate change. This perception arises due to them often being in less developed areas with high levels of exposure to stressors, while reportedly lacking the means to cope with these stressors. Studies which use developed-country yardsticks, such as those used in past IPCC-based assessments, when measuring vulnerability in less developed states will however inevitably over-pronounce its effects in such areas. The sustainable livelihoods approach provides an alternate means of determining vulnerability using capital assets such as social capital. The presence of these assets enables communities to pursue diverse livelihood strategies which ultimately serve to reduce their vulnerability. This study seeks to measure attributes of social capital in five marine dependent communities of Solomon Islands.
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Pre-concentration of toxic metals using electrospun amino-functionalized nylon-6 nanofibre sorbent

- Darko, G, Sobola, A, Adewuyi, S, Okonkwo, J O, Torto, N

Authors: Darko, G , Sobola, A , Adewuyi, S , Okonkwo, J O , Torto, N
Date: 2012
Language: English
Type: Article
Identifier: vital:6571 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1004134
Description: This paper presents a new approach for pre-concentrating toxic metals (As, Cd, Ni and Pb) in aqueous environments using an amino-functionalized electrospun nanofibre sorbent. The sorbent, composed of nanofibres of average diameter 80 ± 10 nm and specific surface area of 58m2 g–1, exhibited fast adsorption kinetics (<20 min) for As, Cd, Ni and Pb. The optimalpHfor the uptake of As, Cd, Ni and Pb were 5.5, 6.0, 6.5 and 11, respectively. The adsorption process best fitted the Freundlich isothermand followed the first-order kinetics. The highest pre-concentration achieved using the sorbent was 41.99 (Ni in treated wastewater). The capacity of the sorbent to pre-concentrate the toxic metals was compared with those of aqua regia and HNO3+H2O2 digestions. The pre-concentration factors achieved for Cd in river water samples can be ranked as aqua regia digestion (0.73) > adsorption (0.34)>HNO3+H2O2 (0.23) digestion.Asimilar trend was observed for Ni in river water as well as Ni andCdin tap water samples. Pb ions in the river water samples were pre-concentrated slightly better using the two digestion methods pre-concentration factors ~22) compared to adsorption method (pre-concentration factor ~21). The use of the electrospun amino-functionalized nanofibre sorbent presentsanefficientand cost-effective alternative for pre-concentration of toxic metals inaqueousenvironments.
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Evaluating parts-of-speech taggers for use in a text-to-scene conversion system

- Glass, Kevin R, Bangay, Shaun Douglas

Authors: Glass, Kevin R , Bangay, Shaun Douglas
Date: 2005
Language: English
Type: Conference paper
Identifier: vital:6603 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1009323
Description: This paper presents parts-of-speech tagging as a first step towards an autonomous text-to-scene conversion system. It categorizes some freely available taggers, according to the techniques used by each in order to automatically identify word-classes. In addition, the performance of each identified tagger is verified experimentally. The SUSANNE corpus is used for testing and reveals the complexity of working with different tagsets, resulting in substantially lower accuracies in our tests than in those reported by the developers of each tagger. The taggers are then grouped to form a voting system to attempt to raise accuracies, but in no cases do the combined results improve upon the individual accuracies. Additionally a new metric, agreement, is tentatively proposed as an indication of confidence in the output of a group of taggers where such output cannot be validated.
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Lions do not change rivers: complex African savannas preclude top-down forcing by large carnivores

- Comley, Jessica, Joubert, Christoffel J, Mgqatsa, Nokubonga, Parker, Dan M

Authors: Comley, Jessica , Joubert, Christoffel J , Mgqatsa, Nokubonga , Parker, Dan M
Date: 2020
Language: English
Type: text , article
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/149215 , vital:38816 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnc.2020.125844
Description: Trophic cascade theories such as the ‘behaviourally-mediated trophic cascade hypothesis’ (BMTCH), have mainstreamed as ecological tools for conserving biodiversity and restoring ecosystems. The BMTCH relies on indirect negative effects of large carnivores through suppression of mesocarnivore activity and habitat use. Importantly, effects of top carnivores on mesocarnivores varies over time and space, is dependent on the species involved, and local context. In South Africa, there are very few free-ranging carnivores, as populations are often restricted to enclosed reserves. While predator-proof fences reduce human-wildlife conflict, they also influence space use within communities. We used an enclosed reserve with a relatively full complement of carnivores to test the generality of the BMTCH in the African context. Using single-species, multi-season occupancy models we investigated the spatial dynamics of multiple carnivores. We also investigated spatial partitioning by vegetation type and temporal partitioning.
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Market profiles and trade in medicinal plants in the Lowveld, South Africa

- Botha, J, Witkowski, E T F, Shackleton, C M (Charles Michael)

Authors: Botha, J , Witkowski, E T F , Shackleton, C M (Charles Michael)
Date: 2004
Subjects: Kruger National Park
Language: English
Type: Article
Identifier: vital:6625 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1006817
Description: Rising demand for medicinal plants has led to increased pressure on wild plant populations. This, combined with shrinking habitats, means that many species in South Africa are now facing local extinction. In 1997, a study was initiated to determine the extent of trade in medicinal plants in the South African Lowveld (the low lying plains to the east of the Drakensberg escarpment), and to investigate socio-economic factors influencing trade and resource management. Trade was not as extensive in the Lowveld as in major urban markets such as Durban or the Witwatersrand (Johannesburg and surrounding towns), either in terms of the quantity, number or range of species sold, or the numbers of people relying on the trade for an income. In markets assessed in Mpumalanga Province, 176 species were identified (71% of the vernacular names encountered in the market place), representing 69 plant families. In Limpopo, 70 different species were identified (84% of the vernacular names encountered in the market place), representing 40 families. Imports were significant in Mpumalanga (33% of the plants on offer), mainly from Mozambique. A detrended correspondence analysis showed substantial differences between species traded in Mpumalanga and those sold in Limpopo. There was little variation in the species stocked by vendors in Mpumalanga, regardless of the season, the attributes of the seller, or whether business was carried out in urban or rural areas. In contrast, there was considerable variation in the stock inventories of the Limpopo traders. Despite the lower levels of local trade, increased harvesting pressure is being experienced regionally, to meet demand in metropolitan centres such as the Witwatersrand. This study showed considerable local variation and complexities in the harvesting and marketing of medicinal plants, with both a national and an international dimension. This dual spatial scale presents both opportunities and challenges in the management of these plants, which need to be addressed simultaneously, particularly with respect to research requirements and development of predictive models and capacity. Cooperation in conservation strategies and policies is required at regional, national and international levels, while ensuring that management initiatives take into account local market conditions and the socio-economic realities facing both consumers and those who depend on the trade for their livelihoods.
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Integrating Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) for greater local level resilience: lessons from a multi-stakeholder think-tank

- Pereira, Taryn, Shackleton, Sheona, Donkor, Felix Kwabena

Authors: Pereira, Taryn , Shackleton, Sheona , Donkor, Felix Kwabena
Date: 2017
Subjects: Climatic changes -- South Africa , Climatic changes -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- South Africa
Language: English
Type: text
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/62027 , vital:28097
Description: The last few years have seen one of the most severe droughts in recent times in the southern African region, and news headlines are increasingly full of warnings about heavy storms, fires and floods. There is no doubt that extreme hydro-meteorological events, and their multiple and potentially disastrous impacts, are at the forefront of the public consciousness at the present time and are one of the key concerns regarding the impacts of climate change in the region. While the links between extreme climate events, disaster risk reduction (DRR - see Box 1) and climate change adaptation (CCA - see Box 2) are recognised in the South African Climate Change White Paper, this is not the case for the whole region. Furthermore, even if there is national recognition of the need to synergise these two spheres of endeavour, this does not always trickle down to effective policy, planning and implementation at the local level.
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Preliminary observations of tag shedding, tag reporting, tag wounds, and tag biofouling for raggedtooth sharks (Carcharias taurus) tagged off the east coast of South Africa

- Dicken, Matthew Laurence, Booth, Anthony J, Smale, Malcolm John

Authors: Dicken, Matthew Laurence , Booth, Anthony J , Smale, Malcolm John
Date: 2006
Language: English
Type: text , article
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/125774 , vital:35816 , https://doi.10.1016/j.icesjms.2006.06.009
Description: Mark-recapture models do not distinguish how ‘‘deaths’’ accrue to marked animals in the population. If animals lose their tags, then recaptures will be fewer than expected and estimates of survival will be underestimated (Arnason and Mills, 1981; McDonald et al., 2003). Similarly, if the non-reporting rate is unknown and assumed to be negligible, as is the case in some tagging studies (e.g. Cliff et al., 1996, for white sharks Carcharodon carcharias), the probability of capture can be underestimated. The effects of both these problems, inherent in cooperative tagging programmes, lead to too few tagged fish being recovered, with a positive bias on the estimation of population size. These effects are most pronounced when capture probability is low and fewer tags are available for recapture (McDonald et al., 2003).
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An analysis of the influence of question design on learners' approaches to number pattern generalisation tasks:

- Samson, Duncan, Schäfer, Marc

Authors: Samson, Duncan , Schäfer, Marc
Date: 2007
Language: English
Type: text , article
Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/141026 , vital:37938 , https://0-hdl.handle.net.wam.seals.ac.za/10520/EJC20890
Description: This paper reports on a study of the extent to which question design affects the solution strategies adopted by children when solving linear number pattern generalisation tasks presented in pictorial and numeric contexts. The research tool comprised a series of 22 pencil-and-paper exercises based on linear generalisation tasks set in both numeric and two-dimensional pictorial contexts. The responses to these linear generalisation questions were classified by means of stage descriptors as well as stage modifiers. The method or strategy adopted was analysed and classified into one of seven categories. In addition, a meta-analysis focused on the formula derived for the nth term in conjunction with its justification. The results of this study strongly support the notion that question design can play a critical role in influencing learners' choice of strategy and level of attainment when solving pattern generalisation tasks. An understanding of the importance of appropriate question design has direct pedagogical application within the context of the mathematics classroom.
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Gender, abortion and substantive representation in the South African newsprint media

- Feltham-King, Tracey, Macleod, Catriona

Authors: Feltham-King, Tracey , Macleod, Catriona
Date: 2015
Language: English
Type: Article
Identifier: vital:6306 , http://hdl.handle.net/10962/d1018222 , http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277539515000680
Description: Democratisation and abortion legislation transformation in South Africa provided a unique opportunity to reflect on the descriptive and substantive representation of women regarding abortion in the newsprint media. Using Celis and Childs' (2012) inductive approach, we conducted a content analysis of newspaper articles on abortion from 1978 to 2005 answering: ‘Who is called upon to comment on abortion issues?’; ‘From what position do these commentators contribute to the discussion?’; ‘What changes emerged around the transition to democracy?’ Our analysis revealed the distinctly gendered nature of substantive representation of abortion in the newsprint media, including: a bifurcation of positions taken by male and female commentators, with around two-thirds of women commentators substantively representing women through a pro-choice position; a consistency in the percentage of female commentators taking this position both before and after democratisation; and the socio-political changes shifting male commentators' perspectives from neutral or unstated positions to, mostly, a pro-life position. , Full text available on publisher website: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277539515000680
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