The Fishes of Zimbabwe and their Biology
- Authors: Marshall, Brian
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: Estuarine fishes -- Zimbabwe , Estuarine fishes -- Africa, Southern , Fishes -- Africa, Southern -- Identification , Estuaries -- Africa, Southern
- Language: English
- Type: text , book
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/167948 , vital:41524
- Description: The first comprehensive book on the fishes of Zimbabwe appeared in 1961 and was written by Rex Jubb. He followed it with a major treatise on the fishes of southern Africa published in 1967. These books were published at a time when interest in fishes – partly stimulated by the creation of Lake Kariba –was growing, and they were welcomed by anglers and scientists alike. Zimbabwean ichthyology progressed rapidly during the years following their publication and knowledge about our fishes grew steadily. New insights and understanding of their systematics led to numerous taxonomic revisions, bringing with them inevitable changes to their scientific names. At the same time increased collecting meant that new species were being added to the Zimbabwean list. By the early 1970s Jubb’s books had become outdated and there was a clear need for a new volume on the fishes of this country. The National Museums and Monuments met this need by publishing Graham Bell-Cross’ The Fishes of Rhodesia in 1976. This book was available at a remarkably low price and such was its popularity that it was soon out of print. It rapidly became outdated as well and was revised by John Minshull as the Fishes of Zimbabwe, published in 1988. This version had a number of new features such as the inclusion of exotic species and species discovered in the country since 1976, as well as name changes brought about by new developments in taxonomy. It, too, was available at a very low price and has proved to be very popular; the demand was so great that it was reprinted without alteration in the 1990s. By this time, however, it had also become outdated and there was a need for yet another revision, or for a completely new type of book. I have chosen the latter option in preparing this book, since there seemed little point in attempting to revise the earlier ones within their original format. I felt that it would not be desirable to produce another field guide type of book that would have to compete with Paul Skelton’s superb volume, A Complete Guide to the Freshwater Fishes of Southern Africa, first published in 1993, with a second edition eight years later. Instead, I decided that I should try to summarise the existing data about fishes in Zimbabwe. My dealings with students and inexperienced fish biologists has made it clear that many of them do not know what work has been done, or not done, on Zimbabwe’s fishes and they are not familiar with the literature. Much of it is, in any case, to be found in obscure publications that are not readily available in Zimbabwean libraries, which have declined in recent years and no longer subscribe to major international journals or even to local ones. This makes it very difficult to keep up with information or to track it down. I am aware, of course, that such a book will never be complete and may already be outdated at the time of its publication, but I hope that it will supply the basic background information for anyone interested in Zimbabwean fishes and provide a platform from which further studies can be launched. Wherever possible, I have used only data from Zimbabwe, although there may be an extensive literature from other countries for widespread or economically important species, such as Clarias gariepinus or Oreochromis mossambicus. This was a conscious decision because I wanted to summarise what is known about the fish in this country, so that other workers can assess what still needs to be done. Nevertheless, I have used some data from outside Zimbabwe, especially for fish from the upper Zambezi because of its relevance to our situation. As far as possible I have tried to use only published works as references, with the exception of university theses and some institutional reports, since most unpublished work is generally difficult to locate and ephemeral. The scientific names of fishes often change as systematic knowledge advances and the reader will note that there have been many changes since Bell-Cross & Minshull (1988) was published. Common names are a problem because of local variations and anglers in particular have various names (or nicknames) for popular angling species; I have used the standard names with these other names included in brackets where necessary.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2010
- Authors: Marshall, Brian
- Date: 2010
- Subjects: Estuarine fishes -- Zimbabwe , Estuarine fishes -- Africa, Southern , Fishes -- Africa, Southern -- Identification , Estuaries -- Africa, Southern
- Language: English
- Type: text , book
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/167948 , vital:41524
- Description: The first comprehensive book on the fishes of Zimbabwe appeared in 1961 and was written by Rex Jubb. He followed it with a major treatise on the fishes of southern Africa published in 1967. These books were published at a time when interest in fishes – partly stimulated by the creation of Lake Kariba –was growing, and they were welcomed by anglers and scientists alike. Zimbabwean ichthyology progressed rapidly during the years following their publication and knowledge about our fishes grew steadily. New insights and understanding of their systematics led to numerous taxonomic revisions, bringing with them inevitable changes to their scientific names. At the same time increased collecting meant that new species were being added to the Zimbabwean list. By the early 1970s Jubb’s books had become outdated and there was a clear need for a new volume on the fishes of this country. The National Museums and Monuments met this need by publishing Graham Bell-Cross’ The Fishes of Rhodesia in 1976. This book was available at a remarkably low price and such was its popularity that it was soon out of print. It rapidly became outdated as well and was revised by John Minshull as the Fishes of Zimbabwe, published in 1988. This version had a number of new features such as the inclusion of exotic species and species discovered in the country since 1976, as well as name changes brought about by new developments in taxonomy. It, too, was available at a very low price and has proved to be very popular; the demand was so great that it was reprinted without alteration in the 1990s. By this time, however, it had also become outdated and there was a need for yet another revision, or for a completely new type of book. I have chosen the latter option in preparing this book, since there seemed little point in attempting to revise the earlier ones within their original format. I felt that it would not be desirable to produce another field guide type of book that would have to compete with Paul Skelton’s superb volume, A Complete Guide to the Freshwater Fishes of Southern Africa, first published in 1993, with a second edition eight years later. Instead, I decided that I should try to summarise the existing data about fishes in Zimbabwe. My dealings with students and inexperienced fish biologists has made it clear that many of them do not know what work has been done, or not done, on Zimbabwe’s fishes and they are not familiar with the literature. Much of it is, in any case, to be found in obscure publications that are not readily available in Zimbabwean libraries, which have declined in recent years and no longer subscribe to major international journals or even to local ones. This makes it very difficult to keep up with information or to track it down. I am aware, of course, that such a book will never be complete and may already be outdated at the time of its publication, but I hope that it will supply the basic background information for anyone interested in Zimbabwean fishes and provide a platform from which further studies can be launched. Wherever possible, I have used only data from Zimbabwe, although there may be an extensive literature from other countries for widespread or economically important species, such as Clarias gariepinus or Oreochromis mossambicus. This was a conscious decision because I wanted to summarise what is known about the fish in this country, so that other workers can assess what still needs to be done. Nevertheless, I have used some data from outside Zimbabwe, especially for fish from the upper Zambezi because of its relevance to our situation. As far as possible I have tried to use only published works as references, with the exception of university theses and some institutional reports, since most unpublished work is generally difficult to locate and ephemeral. The scientific names of fishes often change as systematic knowledge advances and the reader will note that there have been many changes since Bell-Cross & Minshull (1988) was published. Common names are a problem because of local variations and anglers in particular have various names (or nicknames) for popular angling species; I have used the standard names with these other names included in brackets where necessary.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2010
Alice in Wonderland: translating to read across Africa
- Authors: Kaschula, Russell H
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/174901 , vital:42520 , https://doi.org/10.1080/13696815.2016.1160827
- Description: This article comments on various translation strategies aiming at equivalence used by translators when reworking Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland into nine African languages. The back translations provided by the translators form the basis for the discussion [Lindseth, Jon, ed. 2015. Alice in a World of Wonderlands. Volume 1: Essays. Delaware: Oak Knoll Press]. This article provides examples and discussion of how African language translators deviated from the original text and it analyses the possible reasons for doing so, both linguistic and socio-cultural. The way in which translators created an African voice in the target languages is discussed by analysing their reflective essays and back translations.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Kaschula, Russell H
- Date: 2017
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/174901 , vital:42520 , https://doi.org/10.1080/13696815.2016.1160827
- Description: This article comments on various translation strategies aiming at equivalence used by translators when reworking Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland into nine African languages. The back translations provided by the translators form the basis for the discussion [Lindseth, Jon, ed. 2015. Alice in a World of Wonderlands. Volume 1: Essays. Delaware: Oak Knoll Press]. This article provides examples and discussion of how African language translators deviated from the original text and it analyses the possible reasons for doing so, both linguistic and socio-cultural. The way in which translators created an African voice in the target languages is discussed by analysing their reflective essays and back translations.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Beyond health care providers’recommendations: understandinginfluences on infant feeding choices ofwomen with HIV in the Eastern Cape,South Africa
- Adeniyi, Oladele Vincent, Ajayi, Anthony Idowu, Issah, Moshood, Owolabi, Eyitayo Omolara, Ter Goon, Daniel, Avramovic, Gordana, Lambert, John
- Authors: Adeniyi, Oladele Vincent , Ajayi, Anthony Idowu , Issah, Moshood , Owolabi, Eyitayo Omolara , Ter Goon, Daniel , Avramovic, Gordana , Lambert, John
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Africa Infant Feeding Sub-sahara
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/11260/6063 , vital:45109 , https://doi.org/10.1186/s13006-019-0201-5
- Description: Background: Despite the array of studies on infant feeding practices of HIV-infected women, gaps still exist in the understanding of the underlying reasons for their infant feeding choices. Potential for behavioural change exists, especially in the light of the 2016 updated World Health Organization guideline on HIV and infant feeding. The aim of this paper is to determine the rate of adoption of exclusive breastfeeding in this cohort, examine the determinants of infant feeding choices of HIV-infected women and assess the underlying reasons for these choices. Methods: This was a mixed methods study conducted between September 2015 and May 2016. It analyses the quantitative and qualitative data of 1662 peripartum women enrolled in the East London Prospective Cohort Study across three large maternity services in the Eastern Cape. Women with HIV reported their preferred choices of infant feeding. In addition, participants explained the underlying reasons for their choices. Descriptive and inferential statistics summarised the quantitative data, while thematic content analysis was performed on qualitative data. Results: Of the 1662 women with complete responses, 80.3% opted to exclusively breastfeed their babies. In the adjusted model, up to grade 12 education level (AOR: 1.81; 95% CI: 1.14, 2.86), rural/peri-urban residence (AOR:1.44; 95% CI: 1.05, 1.96), alcohol use (AOR: 1.65; 95% CI: 1.25, 2.18), negative or unknown HIV status at booking (AOR:1.85; 95% CI:1.27, 2.70), currently married (AOR:1.43; 95% CI:1.01, 2.02) and WHO Clinical Stage 2–4 (AOR:1.77; 95% CI: 1.15, 2.72) were significantly associated with the decision to exclusively breastfeed. Health care providers’ recommendations, perceived benefits of breastfeeding, unaffordability of formula feeding, and coercion were the underlying reasons for wanting to breastfeed; while work/school-related demands, breast-related issues, and fear of infecting the baby influenced their decision to formula feed. Conclusion: The majority of HIV-infected women chose to breastfeed their babies in the Eastern Cape. Following up on these women to ensure they breastfeed exclusively, while also addressing their possible concerns, could be an important policy intervention. Future studies should focus on how early infant feeding decisions change over time, as well as the health outcomes for mother and child. Keywords: Exclusive breastfeeding, Infant feeding practice, infant formula feeding, HIV-infected peripartum women, South Africa, WHO guideline
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Adeniyi, Oladele Vincent , Ajayi, Anthony Idowu , Issah, Moshood , Owolabi, Eyitayo Omolara , Ter Goon, Daniel , Avramovic, Gordana , Lambert, John
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Africa Infant Feeding Sub-sahara
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/11260/6063 , vital:45109 , https://doi.org/10.1186/s13006-019-0201-5
- Description: Background: Despite the array of studies on infant feeding practices of HIV-infected women, gaps still exist in the understanding of the underlying reasons for their infant feeding choices. Potential for behavioural change exists, especially in the light of the 2016 updated World Health Organization guideline on HIV and infant feeding. The aim of this paper is to determine the rate of adoption of exclusive breastfeeding in this cohort, examine the determinants of infant feeding choices of HIV-infected women and assess the underlying reasons for these choices. Methods: This was a mixed methods study conducted between September 2015 and May 2016. It analyses the quantitative and qualitative data of 1662 peripartum women enrolled in the East London Prospective Cohort Study across three large maternity services in the Eastern Cape. Women with HIV reported their preferred choices of infant feeding. In addition, participants explained the underlying reasons for their choices. Descriptive and inferential statistics summarised the quantitative data, while thematic content analysis was performed on qualitative data. Results: Of the 1662 women with complete responses, 80.3% opted to exclusively breastfeed their babies. In the adjusted model, up to grade 12 education level (AOR: 1.81; 95% CI: 1.14, 2.86), rural/peri-urban residence (AOR:1.44; 95% CI: 1.05, 1.96), alcohol use (AOR: 1.65; 95% CI: 1.25, 2.18), negative or unknown HIV status at booking (AOR:1.85; 95% CI:1.27, 2.70), currently married (AOR:1.43; 95% CI:1.01, 2.02) and WHO Clinical Stage 2–4 (AOR:1.77; 95% CI: 1.15, 2.72) were significantly associated with the decision to exclusively breastfeed. Health care providers’ recommendations, perceived benefits of breastfeeding, unaffordability of formula feeding, and coercion were the underlying reasons for wanting to breastfeed; while work/school-related demands, breast-related issues, and fear of infecting the baby influenced their decision to formula feed. Conclusion: The majority of HIV-infected women chose to breastfeed their babies in the Eastern Cape. Following up on these women to ensure they breastfeed exclusively, while also addressing their possible concerns, could be an important policy intervention. Future studies should focus on how early infant feeding decisions change over time, as well as the health outcomes for mother and child. Keywords: Exclusive breastfeeding, Infant feeding practice, infant formula feeding, HIV-infected peripartum women, South Africa, WHO guideline
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles from Acacia mearnsii De Wild stem bark and its antinociceptive properties
- Avoseh, Opeyemi N, Oyedeji, Opeoluwa O, Aremu, Olukayode, Nkeh-Chungag, Benedicta N, Songca, Sandile P, Oyedeji, Adebola Omowunmi, Mohan, Sneha, Oluwafemi, Oluwatobi S
- Authors: Avoseh, Opeyemi N , Oyedeji, Opeoluwa O , Aremu, Olukayode , Nkeh-Chungag, Benedicta N , Songca, Sandile P , Oyedeji, Adebola Omowunmi , Mohan, Sneha , Oluwafemi, Oluwatobi S
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Metal nanoparticles , Acacia mearnsii , Nociceptive pain
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/11260/1528 , vital:37774 , https://doi.org/10.1080/17518253.2017.1287310
- Description: The biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) using the hydrosol extract of the dry stem bark of Acacia mearnsii as reducing and capping agents, and their antinociceptive properties are hereby reported. By varying the temperature and reaction time, the temporal evolution of the optical and morphological properties of the as-synthesized material was investigated. The NPs were characterized by UV–visible absorption spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and x-ray diffractometry (XRD) The optical analyses show that the position of the maximum surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peak is red-shifted as the reaction temperature decreased. The TEM micrographs show that the as-synthesized Ag-NPs are spherical while the X-ray diffraction shows that the material is highly crystalline with face-centered cubic structures. The anti-inflammatory efficacy, analyzed by the formalin model, indicates that the as-synthesized Ag-NPs are very effective, with an inhibition rate of about 76%.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: Avoseh, Opeyemi N , Oyedeji, Opeoluwa O , Aremu, Olukayode , Nkeh-Chungag, Benedicta N , Songca, Sandile P , Oyedeji, Adebola Omowunmi , Mohan, Sneha , Oluwafemi, Oluwatobi S
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: Metal nanoparticles , Acacia mearnsii , Nociceptive pain
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/11260/1528 , vital:37774 , https://doi.org/10.1080/17518253.2017.1287310
- Description: The biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles (Ag-NPs) using the hydrosol extract of the dry stem bark of Acacia mearnsii as reducing and capping agents, and their antinociceptive properties are hereby reported. By varying the temperature and reaction time, the temporal evolution of the optical and morphological properties of the as-synthesized material was investigated. The NPs were characterized by UV–visible absorption spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive x-ray spectroscopy (EDS) and x-ray diffractometry (XRD) The optical analyses show that the position of the maximum surface plasmon resonance (SPR) peak is red-shifted as the reaction temperature decreased. The TEM micrographs show that the as-synthesized Ag-NPs are spherical while the X-ray diffraction shows that the material is highly crystalline with face-centered cubic structures. The anti-inflammatory efficacy, analyzed by the formalin model, indicates that the as-synthesized Ag-NPs are very effective, with an inhibition rate of about 76%.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
The relevance of cross-scale connections and spatial interactions for ecosystem service delivery by protected areas: Insights from southern Africa
- de Vos, Alta, Cumming, Graeme S, Roux, Dirk J
- Authors: de Vos, Alta , Cumming, Graeme S , Roux, Dirk J
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/416438 , vital:71348 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2017.11.014"
- Description: The ecosystem services (ES) concept can frame the value of protected areas (PAs) to society and identify management actions that bridge biodiversity conservation and human benefits. In this special issue on ES flows to and from southern African PAs we consider two themes: (1) water as a biophysical and social-ecological connector; and (2) cross-scale interactions and connections as influences on cultural ecosystem service (CES) provision. Freshwater flows have supporting, regulating, and cultural elements, leading to complexities in governance as well as place attachment, intellectual, and recreational services. Scale dependence in CES creates trade-offs that challenge the usefulness of the ES framework for PA management. Ecosystem service production can potentially create political support for PAs and helps to build connections and feedbacks that increase PA resilience. Papers in the feature highlight a need to understand trade-offs in optimising for biodiversity vs. particular bundles of ES; impacts of investment in built infrastructure on ES use; how managers facilitate ES; scale and heterogeneity as influences; the role of adaptive monitoring of PAs as social–ecological systems; and services and benefits from PAs that are not well-articulated in ES classifications. PA research can thus add nuance, depth and substance to broader thinking around CES.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
- Authors: de Vos, Alta , Cumming, Graeme S , Roux, Dirk J
- Date: 2017
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/416438 , vital:71348 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoser.2017.11.014"
- Description: The ecosystem services (ES) concept can frame the value of protected areas (PAs) to society and identify management actions that bridge biodiversity conservation and human benefits. In this special issue on ES flows to and from southern African PAs we consider two themes: (1) water as a biophysical and social-ecological connector; and (2) cross-scale interactions and connections as influences on cultural ecosystem service (CES) provision. Freshwater flows have supporting, regulating, and cultural elements, leading to complexities in governance as well as place attachment, intellectual, and recreational services. Scale dependence in CES creates trade-offs that challenge the usefulness of the ES framework for PA management. Ecosystem service production can potentially create political support for PAs and helps to build connections and feedbacks that increase PA resilience. Papers in the feature highlight a need to understand trade-offs in optimising for biodiversity vs. particular bundles of ES; impacts of investment in built infrastructure on ES use; how managers facilitate ES; scale and heterogeneity as influences; the role of adaptive monitoring of PAs as social–ecological systems; and services and benefits from PAs that are not well-articulated in ES classifications. PA research can thus add nuance, depth and substance to broader thinking around CES.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2017
Mbeki's African Renaissance Vision as Reflected in isiXhosa Written Poetry: 2005–2011
- Mona, Godfrey V, Kaschula, Russell H
- Authors: Mona, Godfrey V , Kaschula, Russell H
- Date: 2018
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/174705 , vital:42502 , ttps://doi.org/10.1080/18186874.2018.1457616
- Description: IsiXhosa literary critics have not yet interrogated literature that was produced during and after the tenure of Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki as deputy president and president of the Republic of South Africa in order to study the impact of his African Renaissance doctrine. This article analyses poetry that was produced from 2005 to 2011. The content of the isiXhosa written poetry is profoundly influenced by the context of former President Mbeki's African Renaissance philosophy, its implementation structures and philosophy of self-confidence and self-reliance. The selected poems analysed and interpreted in this article suggest that Mbeki's legacy of the African Renaissance empowered poets to develop a narrative that advances the building of a regenerated South African nation and the African continent.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Mona, Godfrey V , Kaschula, Russell H
- Date: 2018
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/174705 , vital:42502 , ttps://doi.org/10.1080/18186874.2018.1457616
- Description: IsiXhosa literary critics have not yet interrogated literature that was produced during and after the tenure of Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki as deputy president and president of the Republic of South Africa in order to study the impact of his African Renaissance doctrine. This article analyses poetry that was produced from 2005 to 2011. The content of the isiXhosa written poetry is profoundly influenced by the context of former President Mbeki's African Renaissance philosophy, its implementation structures and philosophy of self-confidence and self-reliance. The selected poems analysed and interpreted in this article suggest that Mbeki's legacy of the African Renaissance empowered poets to develop a narrative that advances the building of a regenerated South African nation and the African continent.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
Phototransferred thermoluminescence and thermally-assisted optically stimulated luminescence dosimetry using α-Al2O3:C,Mg annealed at 1200°C
- Kalita, Jitumani M, Chithambo, Makaiko L
- Authors: Kalita, Jitumani M , Chithambo, Makaiko L
- Date: 2018
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/105422 , vital:32511 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jlumin.2018.08.085
- Description: We report phototransferred thermoluminescence (PTTL) and thermally-assisted optically stimulated luminescence (TA-OSL) of α-Al2O3:C,Mg annealed at 1200 °C. PTTL is TL measured from an irradiated phosphor after its exposure to light. The other theme of this study, TA-OSL is the additional amount of luminescence optically stimulated from a sample over and above the amount that would be measured at room temperature. A sample irradiated to 10 Gy and preheated to 230 °C at 1 °C/s followed by illumination by 470 nm blue light produced four PTTL peaks at 53, 80, 102 and 173 °C. The PTTL peaks occur at the same positions as the corresponding conventional TL peaks. Their kinetic parameters are also similar. The intensity of the PTTL peaks increased with duration of illumination to a maximum within 200 s for doses between 1 Gy and 10 Gy. The dose response of each of the PTTL peaks at 80, 102 and 173 °C is linear within 1–15 Gy. The rate of fading is low and the peaks are reproducible. When the irradiated sample is optically stimulated at temperatures between 30 °C and 300 °C, after preheating to 500 °C, the intensity of its TA-OSL goes through a peak with temperature at 200 °C. Using the rising edge of the plot, activation energy of thermal assistance for a deep electron trap was estimated as (0.21 ± 0.02) eV. The TA-OSL dose response is sublinear from 10–250 Gy and saturates thereafter. The PTTL and TA-OSL analyses signify that the concentration of deep traps in α-Al2O3:C,Mg increased after annealing at 1200 °C. As a result, the sample produced better PTTL and TA-OSL response than when annealed at lower temperature.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Kalita, Jitumani M , Chithambo, Makaiko L
- Date: 2018
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/105422 , vital:32511 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jlumin.2018.08.085
- Description: We report phototransferred thermoluminescence (PTTL) and thermally-assisted optically stimulated luminescence (TA-OSL) of α-Al2O3:C,Mg annealed at 1200 °C. PTTL is TL measured from an irradiated phosphor after its exposure to light. The other theme of this study, TA-OSL is the additional amount of luminescence optically stimulated from a sample over and above the amount that would be measured at room temperature. A sample irradiated to 10 Gy and preheated to 230 °C at 1 °C/s followed by illumination by 470 nm blue light produced four PTTL peaks at 53, 80, 102 and 173 °C. The PTTL peaks occur at the same positions as the corresponding conventional TL peaks. Their kinetic parameters are also similar. The intensity of the PTTL peaks increased with duration of illumination to a maximum within 200 s for doses between 1 Gy and 10 Gy. The dose response of each of the PTTL peaks at 80, 102 and 173 °C is linear within 1–15 Gy. The rate of fading is low and the peaks are reproducible. When the irradiated sample is optically stimulated at temperatures between 30 °C and 300 °C, after preheating to 500 °C, the intensity of its TA-OSL goes through a peak with temperature at 200 °C. Using the rising edge of the plot, activation energy of thermal assistance for a deep electron trap was estimated as (0.21 ± 0.02) eV. The TA-OSL dose response is sublinear from 10–250 Gy and saturates thereafter. The PTTL and TA-OSL analyses signify that the concentration of deep traps in α-Al2O3:C,Mg increased after annealing at 1200 °C. As a result, the sample produced better PTTL and TA-OSL response than when annealed at lower temperature.
- Full Text: false
- Date Issued: 2018
The relation between galaxy density and radio jet power for 1.4 GHz VLA selected AGNs in Stripe 82
- Kolwa, S, Jarvis, M J, McAlpine, Kim, Heywood, Ian
- Authors: Kolwa, S , Jarvis, M J , McAlpine, Kim , Heywood, Ian
- Date: 2018
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/131444 , vital:36572 , https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/sty3019
- Description: Using a Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) L-band (1-2 GHz) survey covering ∼100 deg2 of the Stripe 82 field, we have obtained a catalogue of 2716 radio AGNs. For these AGNs, we investigate the impact of galaxy density on 1.4 GHz radio luminosity (L1.4). We determine their close environment densities using the surface density parameter, ΣN, for N = 2 and N = 5, which we bin by redshift to obtain a pseudo-3D galaxy density measure. Matching the radio AGNs to sources without radio detections in terms of redshift, K-band magnitude and (g − K) colour index, we obtain samples of control galaxies and determine whether radio AGN environments differ from this general population.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
- Authors: Kolwa, S , Jarvis, M J , McAlpine, Kim , Heywood, Ian
- Date: 2018
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/131444 , vital:36572 , https://doi.org/10.1093/mnras/sty3019
- Description: Using a Karl G. Jansky Very Large Array (VLA) L-band (1-2 GHz) survey covering ∼100 deg2 of the Stripe 82 field, we have obtained a catalogue of 2716 radio AGNs. For these AGNs, we investigate the impact of galaxy density on 1.4 GHz radio luminosity (L1.4). We determine their close environment densities using the surface density parameter, ΣN, for N = 2 and N = 5, which we bin by redshift to obtain a pseudo-3D galaxy density measure. Matching the radio AGNs to sources without radio detections in terms of redshift, K-band magnitude and (g − K) colour index, we obtain samples of control galaxies and determine whether radio AGN environments differ from this general population.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2018
"A lean-led-evaluation" of infrastructure development improvement programme in South Africa
- Authors: Monyane, Thabiso Godfrey
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Construction industry -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/44535 , vital:38131
- Description: A doctoral study was embarked upon with the intentions of addressing cost management problems encountered on Infrastructure Delivery Projects in South Africa. Given that poor cost performance constitute hindrance to the realization of project goals, it is imperative to eliminate it from project delivery. The prevalence of cost overrun in public sector projects is a call to all stakeholders to address cost management issues in the construction industry. The predominance of cost overruns in public sector construction projects in South Africa has been observed. With the decline of the current economic conditions in South Africa, project performance is a great concern that needs attention. In addition, ineffective initiatives to curb the abuse of the procurement processes are directly affecting the outcomes of construction projects, and if these status quo remains, the sector will continue to have a bad image and continued waste of taxpayers’ money will not cease until the public sector remove non-value adding activities in their operations. Study adopted a mixed methods designed that collected both textual and statistical data. Semistructured interviews were undertaken to determine the outcomes of current project management practices in South Africa. In terms of performance of projects, the status quo paints a disconsolate picture. Findings reveal protracted processes, and the use of unqualified and inexperienced contribute to poor performance of public sector projects. Poor performance continues to dominate the construction sector, especially in the public sector. Interviews data were contrasted with evidence from project-related documents. Based on the data, the study produces a vignette of existing cost management frameworks applied to such projects. Encompassing various stages of the project delivery lifecycle, this vignette will enable an identification of the challenges afflicting cost management on projects. Accordingly, this study identified Lean opportunities from existing cost management practices. Such opportunities will enable identification of effective cost management during project delivery. There appears a need for collaborative cost management practices. Lean tools mentioned for improvement include the 5Whys, the big room, target value design, and the integration of design and construction. A collaborative cost management framework was developed through relevant theories to improve the cost management process of public sector projects.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Monyane, Thabiso Godfrey
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Construction industry -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/44535 , vital:38131
- Description: A doctoral study was embarked upon with the intentions of addressing cost management problems encountered on Infrastructure Delivery Projects in South Africa. Given that poor cost performance constitute hindrance to the realization of project goals, it is imperative to eliminate it from project delivery. The prevalence of cost overrun in public sector projects is a call to all stakeholders to address cost management issues in the construction industry. The predominance of cost overruns in public sector construction projects in South Africa has been observed. With the decline of the current economic conditions in South Africa, project performance is a great concern that needs attention. In addition, ineffective initiatives to curb the abuse of the procurement processes are directly affecting the outcomes of construction projects, and if these status quo remains, the sector will continue to have a bad image and continued waste of taxpayers’ money will not cease until the public sector remove non-value adding activities in their operations. Study adopted a mixed methods designed that collected both textual and statistical data. Semistructured interviews were undertaken to determine the outcomes of current project management practices in South Africa. In terms of performance of projects, the status quo paints a disconsolate picture. Findings reveal protracted processes, and the use of unqualified and inexperienced contribute to poor performance of public sector projects. Poor performance continues to dominate the construction sector, especially in the public sector. Interviews data were contrasted with evidence from project-related documents. Based on the data, the study produces a vignette of existing cost management frameworks applied to such projects. Encompassing various stages of the project delivery lifecycle, this vignette will enable an identification of the challenges afflicting cost management on projects. Accordingly, this study identified Lean opportunities from existing cost management practices. Such opportunities will enable identification of effective cost management during project delivery. There appears a need for collaborative cost management practices. Lean tools mentioned for improvement include the 5Whys, the big room, target value design, and the integration of design and construction. A collaborative cost management framework was developed through relevant theories to improve the cost management process of public sector projects.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
#KeepItReal: discursive constructions of authenticity in South African consumer culture
- Authors: Plüg, Simóne Nikki
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Consumer behavior Consumers' preferences -- South Africa Brand choice -- South Africa Marketing -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/64973 , vital:28641
- Description: Writers as diverse as Oscar Wilde (1915), Matthew Arnold (1960), Erich Fromm (1997) and a proliferation of contemporary self-help gurus, variously assert that it is preferable for people to focus on “being”, or to value “who you are”, instead of emphasising “having” or the material possessions you have acquired. These discourses assert that individuals content with “being” are happier and more fulfilled than those involved in the constant (and alienating) motion of acquiring material goods as representations of themselves (de Botton, 2004; Fromm, 1997; James, 2007). This thesis provides an in-depth critical exploration of one of these ideal “ways of being”: authenticity. It does not seek to discover what authenticity is in an empirical sense, nor to define what it should be in a normative sense, but to map the cultural work done by changing and often contradictory discourses of personal authenticity. More specifically, this study uses a qualitative research design, social constructionist theoretical framework, and discourse analytic method to critically discuss the discursive constructions of subject authenticity in South African brand culture. The sample consisted of (1.) ten marketing campaigns of several large, mainstream brands, which were popular in South Africa from 2015 to 2017, and (2.) fifteen smaller South African “craft” brands popular in the “artisanal” context. The analysis is presented in two distinct, but interrelated, sections (namely, Selling Stories and Crafting Authenticity), where the relevant discourses of authenticity for each data set are explored in depth. Through this analysis the thesis provides a critical discussion of the ways in which these discourses of authenticity work to produce and maintain, (or challenge and subvert), subject positions, ideologies, and power relations that structure contemporary South African society.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Plüg, Simóne Nikki
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Consumer behavior Consumers' preferences -- South Africa Brand choice -- South Africa Marketing -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/64973 , vital:28641
- Description: Writers as diverse as Oscar Wilde (1915), Matthew Arnold (1960), Erich Fromm (1997) and a proliferation of contemporary self-help gurus, variously assert that it is preferable for people to focus on “being”, or to value “who you are”, instead of emphasising “having” or the material possessions you have acquired. These discourses assert that individuals content with “being” are happier and more fulfilled than those involved in the constant (and alienating) motion of acquiring material goods as representations of themselves (de Botton, 2004; Fromm, 1997; James, 2007). This thesis provides an in-depth critical exploration of one of these ideal “ways of being”: authenticity. It does not seek to discover what authenticity is in an empirical sense, nor to define what it should be in a normative sense, but to map the cultural work done by changing and often contradictory discourses of personal authenticity. More specifically, this study uses a qualitative research design, social constructionist theoretical framework, and discourse analytic method to critically discuss the discursive constructions of subject authenticity in South African brand culture. The sample consisted of (1.) ten marketing campaigns of several large, mainstream brands, which were popular in South Africa from 2015 to 2017, and (2.) fifteen smaller South African “craft” brands popular in the “artisanal” context. The analysis is presented in two distinct, but interrelated, sections (namely, Selling Stories and Crafting Authenticity), where the relevant discourses of authenticity for each data set are explored in depth. Through this analysis the thesis provides a critical discussion of the ways in which these discourses of authenticity work to produce and maintain, (or challenge and subvert), subject positions, ideologies, and power relations that structure contemporary South African society.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
'Hayi, they don’t know Xhosa’: Comparative isiXhosa teaching challenges in the Eastern Cape and Gauteng
- Kaschula, Russell H, Kretzer, Michael M
- Authors: Kaschula, Russell H , Kretzer, Michael M
- Date: 2019
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/${Handle} , vital:42499 , https://doi.org/10.1080/02572117.2019.1672318
- Description: Language-in-education policy in South Africa is underpinned by the Constitution. The gap that this research addresses is the inconsistency of policy implementation and the actual teaching of isiXhosa in primary schools. It analyses the official and overt language policy and the (covert) language practices at schools. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with language teachers and principals. Data were also gathered from classroom observations and document analysis in the Eastern Cape and Gauteng. On the one hand, there are standard language policy documents that exist. These advocate for English as a language of learning and teaching and isiXhosa as a subject. On the other hand, the daily reality in classrooms partly reflects this policy implementation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Kaschula, Russell H , Kretzer, Michael M
- Date: 2019
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/${Handle} , vital:42499 , https://doi.org/10.1080/02572117.2019.1672318
- Description: Language-in-education policy in South Africa is underpinned by the Constitution. The gap that this research addresses is the inconsistency of policy implementation and the actual teaching of isiXhosa in primary schools. It analyses the official and overt language policy and the (covert) language practices at schools. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with language teachers and principals. Data were also gathered from classroom observations and document analysis in the Eastern Cape and Gauteng. On the one hand, there are standard language policy documents that exist. These advocate for English as a language of learning and teaching and isiXhosa as a subject. On the other hand, the daily reality in classrooms partly reflects this policy implementation.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
'We throw away our books': Students’ reading practices and identities
- O'Shea, Cathy, McKenna, Sioux, Thomson, Carol I
- Authors: O'Shea, Cathy , McKenna, Sioux , Thomson, Carol I
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/187128 , vital:44570 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.linged.2018.11.001"
- Description: The aim of this research was to understand university students’ self-reported reading practices. The students attended the University of Fort Hare in South Africa, a historically black institution in a rural and under-resourced setting. A framework of New Literacy Studies (NLS) was used to understand students’ self-reported reading practices and the links between these and their identities. Tools provided by Gee, 2005, Gee, 2011 were applied to conduct a CDA of focus group discussions. In the ‘We Blacks’ Discourse, interviewees ‘othered’ the idea of reading as not being culturally valued. It was closely allied to the ‘Resistance to Reading’ Discourse, as participants explained that they tended to disregard books and did not enjoy leisure reading. The ‘Better Than Us’ discourse was drawn upon to suggest that reading was associated with attitudes of superiority. These discourses tended to homogenise class and other differences between black students and indicated the ways in which their experiences made adopting academic identities difficult. The analysis suggests that the racism of the past continues to impact students’ reading identities. The article concludes that the effects of these and related discourses require a response across the education sector, and transformative pedagogies might be needed in higher education.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: O'Shea, Cathy , McKenna, Sioux , Thomson, Carol I
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/187128 , vital:44570 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.linged.2018.11.001"
- Description: The aim of this research was to understand university students’ self-reported reading practices. The students attended the University of Fort Hare in South Africa, a historically black institution in a rural and under-resourced setting. A framework of New Literacy Studies (NLS) was used to understand students’ self-reported reading practices and the links between these and their identities. Tools provided by Gee, 2005, Gee, 2011 were applied to conduct a CDA of focus group discussions. In the ‘We Blacks’ Discourse, interviewees ‘othered’ the idea of reading as not being culturally valued. It was closely allied to the ‘Resistance to Reading’ Discourse, as participants explained that they tended to disregard books and did not enjoy leisure reading. The ‘Better Than Us’ discourse was drawn upon to suggest that reading was associated with attitudes of superiority. These discourses tended to homogenise class and other differences between black students and indicated the ways in which their experiences made adopting academic identities difficult. The analysis suggests that the racism of the past continues to impact students’ reading identities. The article concludes that the effects of these and related discourses require a response across the education sector, and transformative pedagogies might be needed in higher education.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
(Latent) Potentials to Incorporate and Improve Environmental Knowledge Using African Languages in Agriculture Lessons in Malawi:
- Kretzer, Michael M, Kaschula, Russell H
- Authors: Kretzer, Michael M , Kaschula, Russell H
- Date: 2019
- Language: English
- Type: text , book
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/174717 , vital:42503 , ISBN 978-3-030-32897-9 , https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-32898-6_23
- Description: In their official language policy, nearly all Sub-Saharan African states use their indigenous language(s) as Language of Learning and Teaching (LoLT) only at the beginning of primary schools. This is also the case in Malawi. The curricula in the various school subjects are also highly dominated by ‘Western’ ideas and include very little Indigenous Knowledge (IK). Nevertheless, indigenous languages are frequently used during lessons. This research focused on answering the following questions: How is a meaningful Science Education for pupils in Malawi possible? Does the inclusion of IK and teaching through African Languages assist pupils in any way? Research was done in the Northern Region of Malawi. To obtain a better understanding, semi-structured interviews and ethnographic observations were conducted. The main focus of these interviews was on the subject of ‘Agriculture’.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Kretzer, Michael M , Kaschula, Russell H
- Date: 2019
- Language: English
- Type: text , book
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/174717 , vital:42503 , ISBN 978-3-030-32897-9 , https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-32898-6_23
- Description: In their official language policy, nearly all Sub-Saharan African states use their indigenous language(s) as Language of Learning and Teaching (LoLT) only at the beginning of primary schools. This is also the case in Malawi. The curricula in the various school subjects are also highly dominated by ‘Western’ ideas and include very little Indigenous Knowledge (IK). Nevertheless, indigenous languages are frequently used during lessons. This research focused on answering the following questions: How is a meaningful Science Education for pupils in Malawi possible? Does the inclusion of IK and teaching through African Languages assist pupils in any way? Research was done in the Northern Region of Malawi. To obtain a better understanding, semi-structured interviews and ethnographic observations were conducted. The main focus of these interviews was on the subject of ‘Agriculture’.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
(Re) activated heritage:
- Authors: Siegert, Nadine
- Date: 2019
- Language: English
- Type: text , book
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/146321 , vital:38515 , ISBN 9780429624353
- Description: Book abstract. Securing Urban Heritage considers the impact of securitization on access to urban heritage sites. Demonstrating that symbolic spaces such as these have increasingly become the location of choice for the practice and performance of contemporary politics in the last decade, the book shows how this has led to the securitization of urban public space. Highlighting specific changes that have been made, such as the installation of closed-circuit television or the limitation of access to certain streets, plazas and buildings, the book analyses the impact of different approaches to securitization.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Siegert, Nadine
- Date: 2019
- Language: English
- Type: text , book
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/146321 , vital:38515 , ISBN 9780429624353
- Description: Book abstract. Securing Urban Heritage considers the impact of securitization on access to urban heritage sites. Demonstrating that symbolic spaces such as these have increasingly become the location of choice for the practice and performance of contemporary politics in the last decade, the book shows how this has led to the securitization of urban public space. Highlighting specific changes that have been made, such as the installation of closed-circuit television or the limitation of access to certain streets, plazas and buildings, the book analyses the impact of different approaches to securitization.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
31° South: the physiology of adaptation to arid conditions in a passerine bird.
- Ribeiro, Ângela M, Puetz, Lara, Pattinson, Nicholas B, Dalén, Love, Deng, Yuan, Zhang, Guojie, da Fonseca, Rute R, Smit, Ben, Gilbert, M. Thomas P
- Authors: Ribeiro, Ângela M , Puetz, Lara , Pattinson, Nicholas B , Dalén, Love , Deng, Yuan , Zhang, Guojie , da Fonseca, Rute R , Smit, Ben , Gilbert, M. Thomas P
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/441508 , vital:73894 , https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.15176
- Description: Arid environments provide ideal ground for investigating the mechanisms of adaptive evolution. High temperatures and low water availability are relentless stressors for many endotherms, including birds; yet birds persist in deserts. While physiological adaptation probably involves metabolic phenotypes, the underlying mechanisms (plasticity, genetics) are largely uncharacterized. To explore this, we took an intraspecific approach that focused on a species that is resident over a mesic to arid gradient, the Karoo scrub‐robin (Cercotrichas coryphaeus). Specifically, we integrated environmental (climatic and primary productivity), physiological (metabolic rates: a measure of energy expenditure), genotypic (genetic variation underlying the machinery of energy production) and microbiome (involved in processing food from where energy is retrieved) data, to infer the mechanism of physiological adaptation. We that found the variation in energetic physiology phenotypes and gut microbiome composition are associated with environmental features as well as with variation in genes underlying energy metabolic pathways. Specifically, we identified a small list of candidate adaptive genes, some of them with known ties to relevant physiology phenotypes. Together our results suggest that selective pressures on energetic physiology mediated by genes related to energy homeostasis and possibly microbiota composition may facilitate adaptation to local conditions and provide an explanation to the high avian intraspecific divergence observed in harsh environments.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Ribeiro, Ângela M , Puetz, Lara , Pattinson, Nicholas B , Dalén, Love , Deng, Yuan , Zhang, Guojie , da Fonseca, Rute R , Smit, Ben , Gilbert, M. Thomas P
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/441508 , vital:73894 , https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.15176
- Description: Arid environments provide ideal ground for investigating the mechanisms of adaptive evolution. High temperatures and low water availability are relentless stressors for many endotherms, including birds; yet birds persist in deserts. While physiological adaptation probably involves metabolic phenotypes, the underlying mechanisms (plasticity, genetics) are largely uncharacterized. To explore this, we took an intraspecific approach that focused on a species that is resident over a mesic to arid gradient, the Karoo scrub‐robin (Cercotrichas coryphaeus). Specifically, we integrated environmental (climatic and primary productivity), physiological (metabolic rates: a measure of energy expenditure), genotypic (genetic variation underlying the machinery of energy production) and microbiome (involved in processing food from where energy is retrieved) data, to infer the mechanism of physiological adaptation. We that found the variation in energetic physiology phenotypes and gut microbiome composition are associated with environmental features as well as with variation in genes underlying energy metabolic pathways. Specifically, we identified a small list of candidate adaptive genes, some of them with known ties to relevant physiology phenotypes. Together our results suggest that selective pressures on energetic physiology mediated by genes related to energy homeostasis and possibly microbiota composition may facilitate adaptation to local conditions and provide an explanation to the high avian intraspecific divergence observed in harsh environments.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
[Post] Colonial Histories: Trauma, Memory and Reconciliation in the Context of the Angolan Civil War
- Authors: Baines, Gary F
- Date: 2019
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/125752 , vital:35814 , https://doi.10.1080/03612759.2019.1587342
- Description: In 2007, a former South African Defence Force (SADF) paratrooper, Marius van Niekerk, embarked on a journey to confront his shameful memories relating to his role in the Angolan Civil War. From Sweden (where he had gone into exile), Van Niekerk returned to Angola, where he had been deployed during the mid-1980s, and recruited three other veterans of the war to join his party: Patrick Johannes, who had been coerced to fight for the Popular Armed Forces for the Liberation of Angola (FAPLA); Samuel Machado Amaru, who was forcefully enlisted by the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA); and Mario Mahonga, who had fought for the Portuguese colonial army before he was recruited by the SADF to fight against the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) regime. Van Niekerk had been conscripted at the age of seventeen, and the others had been coerced into their respective militias at more tender ages. It is not clear how the three Angolans were induced to participate in the project, whose objectives they evidently did not share.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
[Post] Colonial Histories: Trauma, Memory and Reconciliation in the Context of the Angolan Civil War
- Authors: Baines, Gary F
- Date: 2019
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/125752 , vital:35814 , https://doi.10.1080/03612759.2019.1587342
- Description: In 2007, a former South African Defence Force (SADF) paratrooper, Marius van Niekerk, embarked on a journey to confront his shameful memories relating to his role in the Angolan Civil War. From Sweden (where he had gone into exile), Van Niekerk returned to Angola, where he had been deployed during the mid-1980s, and recruited three other veterans of the war to join his party: Patrick Johannes, who had been coerced to fight for the Popular Armed Forces for the Liberation of Angola (FAPLA); Samuel Machado Amaru, who was forcefully enlisted by the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA); and Mario Mahonga, who had fought for the Portuguese colonial army before he was recruited by the SADF to fight against the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA) regime. Van Niekerk had been conscripted at the age of seventeen, and the others had been coerced into their respective militias at more tender ages. It is not clear how the three Angolans were induced to participate in the project, whose objectives they evidently did not share.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
A "lean-led-evaluation" of infrastructure development improvement programme in South Africa
- Monyane, Thabiso Godfrey, Emuze, Fidelis
- Authors: Monyane, Thabiso Godfrey , Emuze, Fidelis
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Construction industry -- Accounting , Construction industry -- South Africa Project management -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DPhil
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/44929 , vital:38189
- Description: A doctoral study was embarked upon with the intentions of addressing cost management problems encountered on Infrastructure Delivery Projects in South Africa. Given that poor cost performance constitute hindrance to the realization of project goals, it is imperative to eliminate it from project delivery. The prevalence of cost overrun in public sector projects is a call to all stakeholders to address cost management issues in the construction industry. The predominance of cost overruns in public sector construction projects in South Africa has been observed. With the decline of the current economic conditions in South Africa, project performance is a great concern that needs attention. In addition, ineffective initiatives to curb the abuse of the procurement processes are directly affecting the outcomes of construction projects, and if these status quo remains, the sector will continue to have a bad image and continued waste of taxpayers’ money will not cease until the public sector remove non-value adding activities in their operations. Study adopted a mixed methods designed that collected both textual and statistical data. Semistructured interviews were undertaken to determine the outcomes of current project management practices in South Africa. In terms of performance of projects, the status quo paints a disconsolate picture. Findings reveal protracted processes, and the use of unqualified and inexperienced contribute to poor performance of public sector projects. Poor performance continues to dominate the construction sector, especially in the public sector. Interviews data were contrasted with evidence from project-related documents. Based on the data, the study produces a vignette of existing cost management frameworks applied to such projects. Encompassing various stages of the project delivery lifecycle, this vignette will enable an identification of the challenges afflicting cost management on projects. Accordingly, this study identified Lean opportunities from existing cost management practices. Such opportunities will enable identification of effective cost management during project delivery. There appears a need for collaborative cost management practices. Lean tools mentioned for improvement include the 5Whys, the big room, target value design, and the integration of design and construction. A collaborative cost management framework was developed through relevant theories to improve the cost management process of public sector projects.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Monyane, Thabiso Godfrey , Emuze, Fidelis
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Construction industry -- Accounting , Construction industry -- South Africa Project management -- South Africa
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Doctoral , DPhil
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/44929 , vital:38189
- Description: A doctoral study was embarked upon with the intentions of addressing cost management problems encountered on Infrastructure Delivery Projects in South Africa. Given that poor cost performance constitute hindrance to the realization of project goals, it is imperative to eliminate it from project delivery. The prevalence of cost overrun in public sector projects is a call to all stakeholders to address cost management issues in the construction industry. The predominance of cost overruns in public sector construction projects in South Africa has been observed. With the decline of the current economic conditions in South Africa, project performance is a great concern that needs attention. In addition, ineffective initiatives to curb the abuse of the procurement processes are directly affecting the outcomes of construction projects, and if these status quo remains, the sector will continue to have a bad image and continued waste of taxpayers’ money will not cease until the public sector remove non-value adding activities in their operations. Study adopted a mixed methods designed that collected both textual and statistical data. Semistructured interviews were undertaken to determine the outcomes of current project management practices in South Africa. In terms of performance of projects, the status quo paints a disconsolate picture. Findings reveal protracted processes, and the use of unqualified and inexperienced contribute to poor performance of public sector projects. Poor performance continues to dominate the construction sector, especially in the public sector. Interviews data were contrasted with evidence from project-related documents. Based on the data, the study produces a vignette of existing cost management frameworks applied to such projects. Encompassing various stages of the project delivery lifecycle, this vignette will enable an identification of the challenges afflicting cost management on projects. Accordingly, this study identified Lean opportunities from existing cost management practices. Such opportunities will enable identification of effective cost management during project delivery. There appears a need for collaborative cost management practices. Lean tools mentioned for improvement include the 5Whys, the big room, target value design, and the integration of design and construction. A collaborative cost management framework was developed through relevant theories to improve the cost management process of public sector projects.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
A 3, 5-DistyrylBODIPY Dye Functionalized with Boronic Acid Groups for Direct Electrochemical Glucose Sensing
- Ndebele, Nobuhle, Mack, John, Nyokong, Tebello
- Authors: Ndebele, Nobuhle , Mack, John , Nyokong, Tebello
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/187556 , vital:44671 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1002/elan.201800651"
- Description: The synthesis and characterization of a novel BODIPY dye functionalized with bis-boronic acid groups to enable direct glucose sensing through selective recognition of carbohydrates is reported. Styrylation with boronic acid groups at the 3,5-positions of the BODIPY core results in an extension of the π-conjugation system of the dye and in a red-shift of the main absorption band from 500 to 637 nm. The functionalized BODIPY dye was adsorbed on a glassy carbon electrode using the drop and dry method. Modified and bare electrodes were characterized using cyclic voltammetry and scanning electrochemical microscopy, while glucose detection was carried out by using differential pulse voltammetry and chronoamperometry. The detection limit was determined to be 1.42 μM. The dye was found to be selective and sensitive towards glucose, since likely interferences have only minor effects on the glucose detection.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Ndebele, Nobuhle , Mack, John , Nyokong, Tebello
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/187556 , vital:44671 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1002/elan.201800651"
- Description: The synthesis and characterization of a novel BODIPY dye functionalized with bis-boronic acid groups to enable direct glucose sensing through selective recognition of carbohydrates is reported. Styrylation with boronic acid groups at the 3,5-positions of the BODIPY core results in an extension of the π-conjugation system of the dye and in a red-shift of the main absorption band from 500 to 637 nm. The functionalized BODIPY dye was adsorbed on a glassy carbon electrode using the drop and dry method. Modified and bare electrodes were characterized using cyclic voltammetry and scanning electrochemical microscopy, while glucose detection was carried out by using differential pulse voltammetry and chronoamperometry. The detection limit was determined to be 1.42 μM. The dye was found to be selective and sensitive towards glucose, since likely interferences have only minor effects on the glucose detection.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
A bargain that dissolves into a poem unwritten: a critique of bargain retail practices and homemaking through critical design
- Authors: Hawley, Ami Jessica
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Stores, Retail -- Designs and plans -- South Africa , Interior decoration -- South Africa House furnishings -- South Africa -- 20th century Furniture -- South Africa Store decoration Interior architecture
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/40349 , vital:36146
- Description: Although bargains commonly manifest as loud advertisements and trivial objects, as a moment of exchange they provide a basis to critique economic relations and judgements of taste. This research presents a document study of “bargains” in the context of bargain retail practices and homemaking, illustrated in the case of OK Furniture in South Africa; further situated by Julier’s study of economy and class within design culture, and Bourdieu’s fields of cultural production. The investigation builds to a discussion of the research practice, alluded to in the research project’s title, “A bargain that dissolves into a poem unwritten”. The title is an entry from this practice’s journal that conveys how the everyday experience of a bargain might find a connection to poetry when its exchange is seen as a performance; as a moment or encounter “unwritten”, capable of generating different modes of meaning and sociability. Using critical design strategies, the research practice explores the manifesting discountproduct cultures and retail practices associated with homes as a way to inhabit richer interpersonal relationships and unscripted sociability. This is discussed through four critical design proposals and 26 thought experiments, resulting in Text me when you see this, an online concept store that sells bargains, personal agreements, quality time, conversation and curio: www.textmewhenyouseethis.com. The research explores the limits to a bargain’s economic and emotional exchange by asking What if a bargain represented other forms of sociability, and How else might this mode of exchange look? These questions are used in the critique to model critical design towards both poetic expression and pragmatic embodiment of criticality in the project of reflecting on everyday life and what it might “dissolve into”.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Hawley, Ami Jessica
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Stores, Retail -- Designs and plans -- South Africa , Interior decoration -- South Africa House furnishings -- South Africa -- 20th century Furniture -- South Africa Store decoration Interior architecture
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MTech
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/40349 , vital:36146
- Description: Although bargains commonly manifest as loud advertisements and trivial objects, as a moment of exchange they provide a basis to critique economic relations and judgements of taste. This research presents a document study of “bargains” in the context of bargain retail practices and homemaking, illustrated in the case of OK Furniture in South Africa; further situated by Julier’s study of economy and class within design culture, and Bourdieu’s fields of cultural production. The investigation builds to a discussion of the research practice, alluded to in the research project’s title, “A bargain that dissolves into a poem unwritten”. The title is an entry from this practice’s journal that conveys how the everyday experience of a bargain might find a connection to poetry when its exchange is seen as a performance; as a moment or encounter “unwritten”, capable of generating different modes of meaning and sociability. Using critical design strategies, the research practice explores the manifesting discountproduct cultures and retail practices associated with homes as a way to inhabit richer interpersonal relationships and unscripted sociability. This is discussed through four critical design proposals and 26 thought experiments, resulting in Text me when you see this, an online concept store that sells bargains, personal agreements, quality time, conversation and curio: www.textmewhenyouseethis.com. The research explores the limits to a bargain’s economic and emotional exchange by asking What if a bargain represented other forms of sociability, and How else might this mode of exchange look? These questions are used in the critique to model critical design towards both poetic expression and pragmatic embodiment of criticality in the project of reflecting on everyday life and what it might “dissolve into”.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
A blended learning toolkit that accommodates multiple learning styles
- Authors: Mills, Steven Christopher
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Blended learning , Learning strategies Learning
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/30452 , vital:30945
- Description: The purpose of this study was to identify how blended learning can be designed and incorporated to accommodate multiple learning styles within modules in the Department of Computing Sciences. A design theory was created through an analysis of literature and exploration into the backgrounds of students and lecturers within the Department of Computing Sciences. The design theory is: Blended learning can be a useful approach to accommodate multiple learning styles. Guidelines, and by extension a toolkit, facilitate the development of blended learning and provide effective tools to enable lecturers to successfully incorporate blended learning into their modules. Design-Based Research (DBR) was followed in this study, using a mixed-methods and iterative approach to determine the accuracy of the design theory. For the first iteration, the toolkit was implemented in two modules within the Department of Computing Sciences and for the second iteration, four modules. DBR produces a theoretical contribution and a practical artefact. The most important theoretical contributions are the design theory and guidelines for incorporating blended learning that accommodates multiple learning styles. The practical artefacts are the toolkit and tools therein. The toolkit, which was accessed via a website, guides lecturers through the process of incorporating blended learning that accommodates multiple learning styles and provides them with the necessary tools to do so. The design theory was proven in the evaluation that used a questionnaire to understand the lecturers’ experiences regarding the toolkit and the design theory. Therefore, the guidelines for applying blended learning is a useful approach to address multiple learning styles.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019
- Authors: Mills, Steven Christopher
- Date: 2019
- Subjects: Blended learning , Learning strategies Learning
- Language: English
- Type: Thesis , Masters , MCom
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10948/30452 , vital:30945
- Description: The purpose of this study was to identify how blended learning can be designed and incorporated to accommodate multiple learning styles within modules in the Department of Computing Sciences. A design theory was created through an analysis of literature and exploration into the backgrounds of students and lecturers within the Department of Computing Sciences. The design theory is: Blended learning can be a useful approach to accommodate multiple learning styles. Guidelines, and by extension a toolkit, facilitate the development of blended learning and provide effective tools to enable lecturers to successfully incorporate blended learning into their modules. Design-Based Research (DBR) was followed in this study, using a mixed-methods and iterative approach to determine the accuracy of the design theory. For the first iteration, the toolkit was implemented in two modules within the Department of Computing Sciences and for the second iteration, four modules. DBR produces a theoretical contribution and a practical artefact. The most important theoretical contributions are the design theory and guidelines for incorporating blended learning that accommodates multiple learning styles. The practical artefacts are the toolkit and tools therein. The toolkit, which was accessed via a website, guides lecturers through the process of incorporating blended learning that accommodates multiple learning styles and provides them with the necessary tools to do so. The design theory was proven in the evaluation that used a questionnaire to understand the lecturers’ experiences regarding the toolkit and the design theory. Therefore, the guidelines for applying blended learning is a useful approach to address multiple learning styles.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2019