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Assessing innovation and entrepreneurship transformations in two South African universities amidst the COVID-19 crisis
No full textThe purpose of the study is to contribute to an understanding of the role universities’ innovation and entrepreneurship transforming structures play during a crisis. To suggest the use of the adapted Sustainable Livelihoods Framework (SLF) model that will guide the interdepartmental and intradepartmental collaboration processes concerning innovation and entrepreneurship at the two universities during a crisis like the coronavirus pandemic 2019 (COVID-19). An inductive-deductive, mixed-method approach was adopted, entailing an online survey and semi-structured interviews. The population for the study included employees from two South African Universities, and random sampling and purposive sampling were applied, respectively, for the survey and semi-structured interviews. Survey data were analyzed using SPSS and semi-structured interview data were analyzed using Nvivo 12. The results show that both universities’ transforming structures need to improve their intra and inter-departmental collaborative approach to maximize innovation and entrepreneurship during a crisis like COVID-19. The contribution of this article is a suggested model that draws from the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework and Institutional Theory. The model is to guide the interdepartmental and intradepartmental collaboration processes to ensure university transforming structures lead through innovative and entrepreneurial solutions during crises
Autobiography reflecting on academic leadership and management and doctoral supervision : from childhood to academia
No full textMy academic leadership journey was challenged by multiple factors, ranging from underprivileged
households, poor school, inadequacy of academic writing skills, heavy university loads, and full-time job
responsibilities. My academic journey influenced my supervision. It was marred by delayed completion
of academic projects and throughput. The primary objective of this autobiography is to reflect on my
lived experiences of academic leadership and management, and doctoral supervision journey using
Ubuntu Pedagogy. This autobiography is undergirded by an interpretive paradigm, adopting a qualitative
case methodology to unpack my lived experiences in academic and postgraduate studies and
supervision. I used a mental map to reflect on my lived experiences and revisited my previous diaries,
notes, and reflexive reports to compile this autobiography. The research findings reflect a limitation and
impediment to doctoral students’ success caused by changes from a well-resourced research
environment to a constrained one. I strongly believe in a (modified) one-to-one peer learning approach,
as shaped and influenced by my lived experiences from childhood on one-to-one peer learning, as the
best method of supervision pedagogy. I recommend that universities should improve the research
environment and research provisioning. Furthermore, supervisors should be capacitated and
encouraged to adopt Ubuntu Pedagogy in their doctoral supervision journeys
Information and communications technology in engineering graphics and design classrooms : a post COVID-19 era
No full textThe integration of information and communications technology in teaching and learning is growing at an exponential rate due to many factors we have observed lately, such as the outbreak of COVID-19. The unprecedented outbreak of COVID-19 took the world by surprise. Many sectors such as health and education were left shattered due to the outbreak of COVID-19. The outbreak compelled the educational sector to come up with alternative majors to keep the teaching and learning process alive as the physical classes were suspended as means to curb the spread of COVID-19. In an attempt to investigate different ways Engineering Graphics and Design teachers used to conduct lessons during the COVID-19 lockdown, this study employed a qualitative approach. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed using thematic analysis. The findings of this study indicate that COVID-19 did influence the way teachers are teaching post-COVID-19. The study findings further reveal that WhatsApp was the tool most teachers relied on to keep teaching and learning alive, however, some teachers were experiencing problems. The study recommends that teachers should continue using WhatsApp as a way of extending lessons during home hours
Powering tomorrow : exploring evolving trends in Demand Side Management (DSM)
No full textMany nations actively engage in renewable energy initiatives to mitigate environmental challenges stemming from the extensive reliance on hydrocarbons for electrical energy generation. Concurrently, thereare efforts to reduce greenhouse gases such as carbon (COx), methane(CHx), and nitrous (N2O) oxides atmosphericconcentrations.However, traditional electrical grid infrastructures, often operating at or near full capacity, present socio-economic constraints in efforts that may be expanded to increase transmission capacities to cater to ever-growing demand. The growth of renewable energy like wind and solar power has led to a significant increase in electricity generation at the distribution level, necessitating the evolution of electricity gridsinto bi-directional networks known as virtual power plants or Smart Grids capable of transmitting both energy and information for efficient energy management. As the energy landscape shifts towards decentralized generation and incorporates diverse energy market participants such as independent power producers and prosumers operating within local Smart Grids, the concept of Demand Side Management (DSM) emerges as a compelling strategy to effectively manage finite energy resources amidst escalating electricity demands, particularly within domestic settings. This article explorespotential initiatives to enhance energy consumption efficiency within the context of the South African Energy landscape, which has grappled with well-documented and pervasive load-shedding incidents summarize possible measures for the successful implementation of DSM ,which span behavioral change, technological integration, data privacy, market structures, infrastructure limitations, socioeconomic disparities, regulatory barriers, and coordination among stakeholders. Overcoming hurdles will require holistic approaches of integrating technology, policy reform, consumer engagement, and stakeholder collaboration to maximize DSM's potentia
Molecular modeling identification of key secondary metabolites from Xylopia aethiopica as promising therapeutics targeting essential measles viral proteins
No full textThis study computationally screened three key compounds (vanillin (VAN), oxophoebine (OPB), and dihydrochalcone (DHC)) derived from Xylopia aethiopica (Guinea pepper), a medicinal plant with known antiviral activity, against key druggable measles virus (MV) proteins (fusion protein (FUP), haemagglutinin protein (HMG), and phosphoprotein (PSP)). Each molecular species was subjected to a 100 ns molecular dynamics (MD) simulation following docking, and a range of postdynamic parameters including free binding energy and pharmacokinetic properties were determined. The docking scores of the resulting OPB-FUP (-5.4 kcal/mol), OPB-HMG (-8.1 kcal/mol), and OPB-PSP (-8.0 kcal/mol) complexes were consistent with their respective binding energy values (-25.37, -28.74, and -40.68 kcal/mol), and higher than that of the reference standard, ribavirin (RBV) in each case. Furthermore, all the investigated compounds were thermodynamically compact and stable, especially HMG of MV, and this observation could be attributed to the resulting intermolecular interactions in each system. Overall, OPB may possess inhibitory properties against MV glycoproteins (FUP and HMG) and PSP that play important roles in the replication of MV and measles pathogenesis. While OPB could serve as a scaffold for the development of novel MV fusion and entry inhibitors, further in vitro and in vivo evaluation is highly recommended
Metabolomic fingerprinting, molecular modelling and experimental bioprospection of Helianthus annuus seed cultivars as Pseudomonas aeruginosa LasR modulators
No full textThe Pseudomonas aeruginosa LasR quorum sensing system (QSS) is central to regulating the expression of several pathogenicity factors. Also, while seed- and/or plant-derived products have been investigated as QSS regulators, the impact of Helianthus annuus (Pannar sunflower seed cultivars) extracts and metabolites as LasR modulators remain underexplored. Thus, this study focused on the untargeted metabolomic profiling (Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry), in vitro and in silico (docking, pharmacokinetics, dynamic simulation) bioprospection of Pannar seed cultivars' extracts and metabolites as LasR modulators. The extracts showed significant QS modulating properties (motility, violacein, biofilm, cell attachment, pyocyanin inhibition) with the PAN 7102 CLP seed cultivar (74.3 %) being the most potent, compared to azithromycin (65 %) and cinnamaldehyde (62 %). Chemometric principal component analysis (PCA) analysis showed distinct metabolite signatures with 52.5 % variance across the six cultivars that was driven by aqueous and ethanolic extracts of PAN 7102, 7160, and 7156 cultivars. The presence of methoxymellein, hydroxytetradecanedioic acid, koninginin G, geoside, pinellic acid and methylpicraquassioside A were reported for the first time. The profiled metabolites were subjected to a 100-ns molecular dynamics simulation following molecular docking. Binding free energy (ΔGbind) calculations revealed obolactone (-48.26 kcal/mol), 1,4-bis(phenylglyoxaloyl)benzene (-45.06 kcal/mol), cyclocanaliculatin (-43.41 kcal/mol), 5-hydroxy-7-methoxy-2-phenylchroman-4-one (-39.18 kcal/mol) and lonchocarpin (-33.78 kcal/mol) as first-time putative leads relative to azithromycin (-32.09 kcal/mol). All lead metabolites also conformed to Lipinski's rule of 5 (Ro5), and their LasR bound complexes were thermodynamically stable and compact given their strong bond interactions. Findings indicate that metabolomic profiling remain key to identifying new compounds from underexplored species. H. annuus lead metabolites and extracts may also play key roles as LasR modulators. Further structural modification of the 5 leads could aid their development into novel, oral therapeutics targeting LasR to mitigate resistant P. aeruginosa infections
Common challenges of online learning during the COVID-19 pandemic
No full textThe advent of the COVID-19 pandemic has not only led to devastated economies but has also affected education systems globally. The unpredictability of this pandemic and its restrictions have necessitated the adoption of a multi-modal approach involving both contact and online learning platforms by Higher Education Institutions. Thus, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, educational institutions shifted to online learning platforms. The study employed qualitative methodology within a case study design. Data was collected using pure qualitative semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions. The researchers interviewed selected students and lecturers from the ML Sultan Campus of the Durban University of Technology. The study employed a purposive sampling technique under the non-probability method. The findings of this study indicate that the implementation of the tools used for online learning and teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic has been scattered across different platforms. An exciting finding was demonstrated by a high percentage of the selected participants among the DUT staff members and students who showed a wavering response, somewhat agreeing that although the tools used for online learning and teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic have impacted lives, they successfully assisted both the lecturers and students. The study results revealed that the most popular tools used by learners throughout the pandemic were Microsoft Teams, Modular Objective-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment (Moodle), Queens, Zoom, and Learn Wise. The thematic analysis method was used to analyze data using Nvivo. The data captured from both sessions (interviews and focus group discussions) were deductively coded using software (Nvivo version 12). In this process, the transcribed interview data were divided into different meaningful codes. The codes were developed based on the differences, similarities, and meanings from the transcribed data. This process allows the researcher to fine-tune data into convenient themes and subthemes. During the analysis phase, information gathered from structured interviews was verbatim transcribed, and pertinent quotes from this data were used to support the discussion on themes. The study does not disclose the identities of the main informants to protect their anonymity
An optimised resource provisioning algorithm for transparent optical core networks
No full textComparing transparent optical core networks (TOCNs) to their opaque and translucent
counterparts, TOC- Ns are usually thought to be more energy efficient. Because of this, they are
also considered a workable solution for transport networks that need to provide extremely high
bandwidth to support a wide range of services and applications. These wavelength-routed networks
are spectrally inefficient due to the ensuing diverse nature of current global traffic. But the spectral
efficiency and optical reach of these networks have significantly increased thanks to developments
in DSP, modu- lation, and transmission impairment mitigation techniques.
Thus, an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) based TOCN with flexible spectral
resource provisioning is reviewed in this paper. We discuss how to strike a balance between
spectrum efficiency and resource provisioning at the wavelength routing level. We also propose
and evaluate a Q- factor based technique that takes into account different limita- tions in the physical
layer. both simulation and analytical methods. Overall, the suggested architecture for the transport
network is relatively more efficient in terms of both energy and spectrum utilization
Resolving the puzzle of sound propagation in a dilute Bose-Einstein condensate
No full textA unified model of a dilute Bose–Einstein condensate is proposed, combining the logarithmic and Gross–Pitaevskii (GP) nonlinear terms in a wave equation, where the GP term describes two-body interactions, as suggested by the standard perturbation theory; while the logarithmic term is essentially nonperturbative, and takes into account quantum vacuum effects. The model is shown to have excellent agreement with sound propagation data in the condensate of cold sodium atoms known since the now classic works by Andrews and collaborators. The data also allowed us to place constraints on two of the unified model’s parameters, which describe the strengths of the logarithmic and GP terms. Additionally, we suggest an experiment constraining the value of the third parameter (the characteristic density scale of the logarithmic part of the model), using the conjectured attraction–repulsion transition of many-body interaction inside the condensate
Attitude of undergraduate students toward leisure activities
No full textThe purpose of this study was to explore the attitude of undergraduate students towards leisure activities focussing on first-year and senior (2nd and 3rd year) students. A sample of 427 students enrolled in a South African University was selected to meet the analytical needs of the study. The instrument used is based on the Leisure Attitude Scale developed by Beard and Ragheb (1982). The results indicated that, overall, the study subjects are associated with positive attitudes towards leisure activities. One-way ANOVA procedure revealed a statistically significant difference between junior and senior students in overall leisure attitude and within cognitive and behavioural subscales. Pearson’s Correlation Analysis showed a significant positive correlation between the overall LAS and different sub-scales