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Community knowledge, attitudes, perceptions and practices regarding schistosomiasis in Ha-Nesengani, Limpopo Province
Get PDFThesis (M.Sc.(Geography and Environmental Sciences)) -- University of Limpopo, 2023Schistosomiasis is a vector-borne disease expected to become more prevalent, as climate change improves environmental conditions for host snail maturation. Over 25.7 million South Africans are at risk, with approximately 4.5 million infected each year. Infection occurs through skin contact during freshwater-related activities in water bodies contaminated with snail vectors. The study's aim was to assess community's schistosomiasis knowledge, attitudes, perceptions and practices, as well as views about schistosomiasis-environment interactions, to enhance the development of infection-control programmes. An explanatory sequential mixed-method approach was employed using household questionnaires and in-depth interviews with 342 and 15 participants, respectively. Participants could identify the symptoms, however, knowledge of the cause and transmission was limited; eating too much salt was considered a transmission route, for example. Although the disease was considered serious, participants engaged in risky water practices. A good understanding of schistosomiasis-environmental interactions was revealed; high rainfall was considered to reduce disease infection.Water Research Commission (WRC)
North West University (NWU
Contact lens fitting in North-West Province, South Africa : practitioner clinical competencies and contact lens related practices
Get PDFThesis (M. Optom.) -- University of Limpopo, 2023Background: Contact lens remain one of the critical options for vision correction. In a
rapidly evolving global landscape of ocular healthcare, the application of new
information in contact lens clinical practice appears paramount to sustaining
proficiency and patient satisfaction by optometrists. Superior clinical proficiency and
availability of relevant equipment enhance success in contact lens fitting and contact
lens wear.
Purpose: The study aimed to determine practitioner clinical competencies and contact
lens-related practices of optometrists, to inform the need to address challenges
encountered for optimal fitting of patients essential for improved eye health planning
and curriculum advancement for contact lenses.
Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional quantitative design was used in the study
which entailed a questionnaire to establish the clinical competencies of practitioners
and contact lens-related practices in the North-West Province. The analyses included
descriptive analysis of data, using statistical package for Social Science (SPSS)
version 28.0 software, in consultation with the statistician. For the association of
variables, categorical variables were compared for association and a chi-square test
was performed with the significance level set at p=0.05 or less.
Results: A total of 121 questionnaires were completed by optometrists working in the
North-West Province. The majority of the participants were Black African (96%) and
53.8% with 6 years or more of working experience. There was a significant difference
(p=0.011) in the number of years spent in practice and fitting of contact lenses. One
hundred and one (83.5%) participants indicated that they fitted contact lens in the
practices, with the majority fitting soft lens (73.9%) and few scleral lens (6.7%). There
was no significant difference in whether participants fitted contact lens by gender
(p=0.333), and by race (p=0.310). Many indicated having a keratometer (86.8%),
followed by a slit lamp biomicroscope with very few corneal topographers (5%). There
was a significant difference (p=0.039) in contact lens fitting between participants
having slit lamp biomicroscopy and those without contact lens fitting. A mean score of
4.74±0.56 was calculated for the self-reported competencies of contact lens fitting
suggesting an excellent rating. Eighty-nine (72.2%) indicated that they referred
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keratoconus patients followed by myopia (70.7%). Participants reported keratoconus
as the most common corneal ectasia (84%) followed by pellucid marginal degeneration
(32%) among patients presenting in different settings. Lens use and personal hygiene
(46.3%) followed by the importance of aftercare (12.4%) were highlighted as the most
important factors that formed part of contact lens patient education.
Conclusion: To guarantee the effective utilisation of contact lens wear and fitting,
optometrists require sufficient clinical knowledge and skills in screening and
examination of different ocular conditions. There is a need for the rein-enforcement of
relevant continued clinical training and working resources for contact lens-related
practices to improve service provisio
Facators that influence women's career success at a selected institution of higher learning in South Africa
No full textThesis (M. Com. (Human Resource Management)) -- University of Limpopo, 2023South Africa is ranked 3rd on top countries that promote gender equality in Africa and number 17th in the world. However, in higher education women are still under-represented in most leadership positions regardless of the notable progress in attaining more qualifications than men. Through a survey research approach, the researcher investigated the factors that influence women’s career success. The study adopted a quantitative approach to collect data, targeted a total number of 70 female employees under the faculty of management and law at the University of Limpopo. Data was analysed using the Statistical Software for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 27.0. Factors such as personality traits, organisational cultural factors, career barriers, internal and external support factors were identified. The findings revealed that there is an influence between the factors identified and women career success. Furthermore, women still experience barriers such as the glass ceiling, gender stereotype, family responsibility and lack of mentors in their career progression to leadership positions in higher educatio
Used diaper disposal practices by mothers serviced by Rosenkrantz Clinic in Ga-Matlala, Limpopo Province
Get PDFThesis (M.Sc. (Geography )) -- University of Limpopo, 2023The promotion of clean environment by the public has a positive impact in the reduction of waste in communities. Disposable diapers are part of solid waste that has its own management challenges as their consumption is increasing due to population growth. Disposable diapers offer convenience however they take centuries for their plastic components to decompose after disposal which poses risks to the public and environmental health.
This study sought to investigate how mothers of infants dispose soiled diapers in rural areas of Ga-Matlala in Limpopo province. The study followed a mixed-method research approach that used a survey questionnaire, interviews and field observations. Purposive and convenience sampling techniques, respectively, were used to select respondents.
It was established that the majority of respondents use disposable diapers compared to cloth diapers. Most of the respondents are aware of the negative impacts on the environment resulting from improper disposal methods of soiled diapers. The study also found that the mothers are willing to work with the municipality to keep their environment safe and clean. The local municipality does not render the refuse collection services to 75% of all settlement in their jurisdiction. The study found that they have low budget and poor infrastructure such as roads to deliver the basic needs to the communities.
This study recommends that there should be participation and strong partnership between the local municipality and community members to educate with proper disposal of soiled diapers. The results of this research could encourage further research on how policy application, as well as the formulation of acts and regulations, including municipal by-laws, could be streamlined within municipal responsibilities, as municipalities generally lack these framework
Assessing the impact of chicken compost application and water regime manipulation on selected soil properties and furarium wilt of tomato
Get PDFThesis (M.Sc. Agriculture (Soil Science)) -- University of Limpopo, 2023Soil properties such as physico-chemical and water holding capacity affect plant growth and the ability to resist soil-borne diseases. In tomato production, soil-borne disease such as Fusarium wilt, caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. Lycopersici (FOL)cause serious yield losses and their severity is influenced by the interaction of soil biotic and abiotic factors. Despite their role as a store house for nutrients and a physical habitat for biological interactions, the influence of soil abiotic properties in driving mechanisms of disease suppression on Fusarium wilt and other soil-borne diseases, remain largely unexplored. Moreover, due to the nature of using organic amendments to improve soil physicochemical properties under greenhouse and field conditions as opposed to biological properties, which are amenable to analysis under laboratory conditions, the effects of physicochemical properties on disease development have only been briefly examined. To the best of our knowledge, the suppression of Fusarium oxysporum in tomato plants by physicochemical properties after amending soils with chicken compost and manipulating water-holding capacity, as exhibited in the current study, has not been reported previously. In line with these observations, the effects of amending soil with chicken compost coupled with manipulation of water deficit levels were investigated on soil physicochemical properties, plant growth parameters and subsequent suppression of Fusarium wilt of tomato. To achieve this, a 3 x 3 factorial pot experiment with four replications was performed under greenhouse conditions at the Green Biotechnologies Research Centre, University of Limpopo. The treatments included a control (non-amended soil), compost amended soil comprising of a mixture of 2/3 soil and 1/3 compost, mixture of 1/2 soil and 1/2 compost, irrigated to 100%, 60% and 30% water holding capacities. Pearson’s correlation analysis was employed to determine relationships between soil chemical and physical properties, plant growth parameters and disease suppression.
Applied treatments yielded varying effects on measured parameters. For instance, soil organic carbon significantly increased in the order: no-compost < 25% compost < 50% compost soils with mean values of 39.4, 88.2 and 193.1 g kg-1, respectively. Increases in
SOC were positively correlated with EC (r = 0.83), porosity (r = 0.81), air-filled porosity (r = 0.69), plant height (r = 0.68), fresh shoot weight (r = 0.81), fresh root weight (r = 0.57), chlorophyll content (r = 0.68), and negatively correlated bulk density (r = -0.81), shoot severity (r = -0.79) and vascular discoloration (r = -0.70). Moreover, no significant interaction effects of chicken compost and water deficit levels were observed in all the other soil and plant variables explored, except for SOC and EC. Effective suppression of Fusarium wilt was observed in soils receiving increased application rates of chicken manure, which correlated with increased gravimetric soil moisture and promotion of plant growth and development of tomato plants.
Taken together, these results suggest the importance of SOC as a component of SOM in improving the fertility status of soils and of soil water relations, thus leading to the subsequent involvement in mechanisms of disease suppression. Such information advances our understanding of how soil physicochemical properties influences the suppression of Fusarium wilt; however, this needs to be tested in a wide range of soils and horticultural crops, and especially under field conditions
Effect of citric acid supplementation in diet on growth performance and gut morphology of male Venda chickens
Get PDFThesis (M.Sc. (Animal Production)) -- University of Limpopo, 2023Two trials were carried out to see how citric acid supplementation affected the growth performance and gut morphology of male Venda chickens aged one to 90 days. The first trial looked at how citric acid supplementation affected feed intake and growth rate, feed conversion ratio, and live weight in male Venda chickens. A total of 200 male Venda chickens, each with ten chicks, were randomly separated into 20 equal pens. Diets were formulated to contain four different levels of citric acid (CA), CA1 (0 g of CA /kg DM), CA2 (12.5 g of CA/kg of DM), CA3 (25 g of CA/kg DM) and CA4 (50 g of CA/kg DM) and were allocated to the chicks. Each treatment catered for five constant pens for a period of 90 days. A maize-soya bean meal-based diet was formulated to meet the nutritional requirements of male Venda chickens. The diets were iso-energetic and iso-nitrogenous, 12.14 MJ ME/kg DM and 180 g CP/kg DM, respectively. The second experiment commenced from the first experiment at day 90, with the same 200 chickens as no mortality recorded. The second experiment the effect of citric acid supplementation on gut digesta organ weights, crop and gizzard pH, and intestine length. Data on male Venda chickens' live weight, feed intake, average daily body weight gain, feed conversion ratio, gut digesta weights, pH of crops, and gizzards were analysed using one-way ANOVA and the General Linear Model procedure of the Statistical Analysis System (version 9.2). Tukey HSD test was used to separate the significant differences between treatment means at P ≤ 0.05. Citric acid supplementation in a starter diet did not significantly improve (P >0.05) feed intake, feed conversion ratio, live weight, and growth rate of male Venda chicks. Citric acid supplementation levels of 0, 12.5, 25, and 50g of CA per kg DM of the diet were calculated, using quadratic equations, to result in optimal feed intake, feed conversion ratio, live weight at 30 days and growth rate, respectively, of male Venda chickens aged one to 30 days. In conclusion, the lack of impact on feed intake, feed conversion ratio, live weight, and growth rate could be caused by a sour taste diet brought on by citric acid supplementation levels because the chicks during this were still young and more sensitive to sourness, resulting in poor feed intake and poor growth performance. Feed intake, FCR, live weight was much improved (P 0.05) on intestinal length, weight of small intestine segments, crop, pro-gizzard, and ceca of male Venda chickens aged 90 days old. 25g of CA/kg DM supplementation improved (P <0.05) weight of gizzard and crop compared to others supplementation levels in male Venda chickens aged 90 days old. The use of citric acid in the diet of male Venda chickens aged 31 to 90 days improves growth performance and lowers gut digesta pH values, rendering it hazardous to dangerous bacteria and therefore improving gut health and gut functioning. More research is needed, however, to confirm these conclusions.National Research Foundation (NRF
Development of low temperature gas sensing for detection of volatile organic compounds and methane derived from CeO2-TiO2 hetrostructure
Get PDFThesis (M.Sc. (Physics)) -- University of Limpopo, 2023Methane (CH4) is a foremost hazardous gas in coal mines because of its explosive
behavior. At concentrations of 30 000 to 50 000 ppm, CH4 can result in an explosion.
Though the current commercial obtainable noble metal/Al2O3 beads-based CH4
sensors show higher selectivity and sensitivity toward CH4 nonetheless, their
operational temperature is extreme, i.e., 500−700 °C. Thus, at that temperature, the
CH4 combustion on the catalysts generally leads to a high risk of explosion and
complexity in fabricating the sensor. Therefore, is very vital to develop CH4 sensors
that can function at lower temperatures. It is in the current study, the CeO2, TiO2, and
TiO2-CeO2 heterostructures were prepared using the sol-gel method. The XRD
analyses disclosed the formation of pure CeO2, TiO2, and TiO2-CeO2 heterostructure.
While the surface analyses showed that nanostructures are made of nanoparticles.
Moreover, the optical studies showed that the band of the pure CeO2, TiO2, and TiO2-
CeO2 heterostructures is dependent on the synthesis temperature. The bandgap
reduced when increasing the synthesis temperature for all the nanostructures.
However, in terms of gas sensing, more especially for the detection of CH4, the
CeO2, TiO2, and TiO2-CeO2 heterostructure-based sensors showed no sensing
response at low operational temperatures, instead, the sensors could only function
beyond 300 C, which was higher than the limit of our sensing station.
In chapter 5, the n-n type of TiO2/CeO2, CeO2/TiO2, p-n-n type of Cr2O3/TiO2/CeO2
and p-n-n type of Cr2O3/CeO2TiO2-ternary heterostructures were pared using
hydrothermal method. Structural analyses validated the formation of prepared
heterostructures. While scanning electron microscopy showed that the
nanostructures are made of nanoparticles. For gas sensing application, the sensors
were tested toward various gases, including benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene (BTE),
ethanol, carbon monoxide, methane (CH4), carbon dioxide (CO2), and nitrogen
dioxide (NO2). Among the tested sensors, the Cr2O3/TiO2/CeO2-based sensor
displayed a remarkable response and selectivity toward CH4 at a low operational
temperature of 100 C. The higher response observed for the Cr2O3/TiO2/CeO2-based
sensor towards CH4 was further validated by photoluminescence (PL) studies, which
showed that the material consisted of higher oxygen vacancies (VO) which could be
the reason for improved sensing performance. Additionally, the UV-vis analyses also
confirmed that the material has a smaller bandgap, which denoted that the electrons
were more inclined to change and resulting in more photogenerated carriers that
could lead to enhanced sensing response and therefore lead to reduced sensing
temperature. Therefore, these results denote that the Cr2O3/TiO2/CeO2-based sensor
could be considered as the potential candidate for the detection of CH4 at low
temperatures.Council for Scientific and Industrial Research
(CSIR
Assessing the agro-environmental efficiency from electricity production of BRICS countries using desirable and undesirable inputs : the enhanced DEA approach
Get PDFThesis (M.Sc. (Agricultural Economics)) -- University of Limpopo, 2023The Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) is a well-established non-parametric methodology for evaluating the relative efficiency of a set of comparable entities called decision making units (DMUs) with multiple inputs and output. In existing studies that benchmarked energy, the DEA has been widely used to study and compare the efficiency of energy industries, particularly in the electricity industry. Agro-environmental efficiency, as adopted by this study, is the ability of using the desirable and undesirable inputs in the electricity production, minimize them to obtain the desirable outcome of outputs (GDP and Income per capita) through the increased agricultural production. Agro-environmental efficiency refers to a kind of efficiency that considers both the economic and the agro-environmental factors in a system. This paper proposes two methods of data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach to assess the environmental efficiency of electricity production in BRICS countries namely, Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa using desirable and undesirable inputs. The study aimed at assessing the Agro-environmental efficiency from electricity production of BRICS countries using desirable and undesirable inputs. The study has three objectives which are to estimate the Agro-environmental efficiency of BRICS countries from electricity production using desirable inputs, to measure the Agro-environmental efficiency of the BRICS countries from electricity production using undesirable inputs and to determine socio-economic factors that affect Agro-environmental efficiency from electricity production of the BRICS countries using desirable and undesirable inputs. The Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) results in method 1 showed that the Agri-environmental efficiency (AEE) scores of the states in the BRICS countries had a mean of 47.12% with a minimum of 10% and a maximum of 100%. The implications are that BRICS countries were Agro-environmental inefficient on average. The use of the undesirable inputs should be minimized, as well as the undesirable outputs on average by approximately 52.88% and maximize the use of desirable inputs to obtain the same output level. The Agro-environmental efficiency scores in method 2 showed that the states of the BRICS countries had a mean of 54.06% with a minimum of 1% and a maximum of 100%. The AEE score in this method shows that the states in the BRICS countries are
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Agro-environmental inefficient. This implies that states are not minimizing undesirable inputs fully (Methane and CO2) to maximize the use of desirable inputs (Coal, diesel, and Gasoline) in electricity generation. The undesirable inputs in the electricity production could be decreased by approximately 45.94% on average to obtain the same level of output. The study also found that socioeconomic factors attributed to Agro-environmental efficiency in the BRICS countries were population, an agricultural area, industrial area, and rapid urbanisation. The population is significant towards the Agro-environmental efficiency of the BRICS countries at 5% significance level with a positive coefficient of 2.013. the agricultural area was found to positively influence Agro-environmental efficiency at a 1% significance level with a positive coefficient of 1.052. The industrial area was found to have the negative relationship with the Agro-environmental efficiency with a significance level at 10% and a coefficient of -2.001. the rapid urbanisation is significant towards the Agro-environmental efficiency at 5% significance level with a positive coefficient of 1.082. The study recommends the measures to improve efficiency in the electricity production in the BRICS countries. Such measure amongst others are to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change, ensure that food production is not threatened, and to enable economic development to proceed in a sustainable manner.National Research Foundation (NRF
A phenomenological study of traditional health practitioners and nurses caring for HIV positive patients : towards a macro-cognitive model of collaboration
Get PDFThesis (Ph.D. (Psychology)) -- University of Limpopo, 2021Literature has shown that traditional health practitioners and nurses provide care to patients living with HIV. While this is the case, little is known about their experiences of caring for patients living with HIV, and what their perceptions are towards collaboration. It is for this reason that this study aimed to explore the experiences of traditional health practitioners and nurses in their management of HIV positive patients, with a view to using the phenomenological accounts of these healthcare providers to propose a model for collaboration between the traditional and biomedical health systems.
The study followed a qualitative research design and adopted descriptive phenomenology. Purposive and snowball sampling methods were used to enrol 33 participants in the study. Of the 33, 20 were nurses whilst the rest were traditional health practitioners. Multiple semi-structured interviews, observations and field notes were used to collect data. Data were analysed following the phenomenological explication process as outlined by Thomas Groenewald (2004). The study discovered the following major themes amongst nurses: experiences of working in the ART clinics with patients living with HIV; ART initiated patients defaulting from care; caring for children living with HIV; work for support and staff; some patients still use traditional medicine; the perceived role of traditional health practitioners; and collaboration, as well as the preaching of miracle healing by pastors persuading ART initiated patients to default from treatment. Additionally, the following themes emerged from the interviews with traditional health practitioners: Traditional health practitioners caring for patients living with HIV; treatment of symptoms presented by living with HIV; the experience of working with patients living with HIV; accepting patients living with HIV; experience of caring for patients living with HIV; patient referrals to biomedical clinics, perceptions regarding collaboration; and the role of traditional health practitioners’ organisations. A model on the process to be undertaken for collaboration to be implemented is proposed. The study recommends structured psychological and managerial support for nurses based in the ART clinics. It also recommends educational and awareness workshops on issues of stigma and discrimination amongst all health care professionals. Furthermore, the study recommends the regulation of traditional health practitioners and professionalisation of the referral system to further help with patient tracing when required. Attitude-changing workshops for nurses and traditional health practitioners are recommended to alleviate the negative perceptions they have towards each other. The study is concluded by suggesting that the government, in collaboration with other stakeholders, should initiate a way forward on the role of traditional health practitioners in primary health care, particularly in HIV management.Erasmus Mundus Scholarship and
National Research Foundation (NRF
Representation of post-apartheid South Africa's socio-economic and political challenges : an analysis of selected documentary films
Get PDFThesis (Ph.D. (Media Studies)) -- University of Limpopo, 2023The study analysed the representation of post-apartheid socio-economic and political challenges in the selected South African documentary films; Miner Shot Down (2013) and Dear Mandela (2011). Its main argument evolves from the view that despite documentary films’ growing influence in understanding the relationship between the media and society, its role as an agent of social change is still in its infancy. Little attention has been given to the reality genre as social scientists have overlooked it, as they mainly focus on the traditional media. The films were selected based on their detailed illustrations, which mirror social injustice and challenges faced by societies in post-apartheid South Africa, distinct from the mainstream media that proved their cosy partnership with the state and business. The study adopted a descriptive interpretive design within the qualitative approach to examine the representation of post-colonial challenges faced by South Africans as portrayed in the selected documentary films, which also analysed filmic elements, described socio-economic and political challenges and explored ideological frames used in the documentaries to portray post-apartheid challenges being experienced by South Africans. Data was collected ranging from extensive literature to audio-visual content analysis, which entailed an analysis of the content of films such as language, context, setting and subject themes, and involved slow motions and replays. This instrument was selected based on its appropriateness in the study of documentary films, which consisted of images, conversations, speeches, audio and music and each documentary film was divided into scenes that composed a table of scenes which facilitated thorough analyses of filmic features, visuals and narratives. The analysis revealed that the documentaries are a critical contribution to society’s understanding of the unjust practices by corporate companies and government authorities who are expected to jointly work towards uplifting the lives of all citizens in the country. The study also noted that both documentary scripts have succeeded in presenting a critical contemporary reflection of the perpetuation of colonial and apartheid tendencies against human rights, economic equality and social justice among citizens in democratic South Africa. Furthermore, the study appreciates the films’ use of symbolism and juxtaposition that highlight Nelson Mandela as a true revolutionary symbol of sacrifice, nation-building, and selfless leadership, which are lacking qualities in today’s political space. Ideologically, this demonstrates a shift of power relations, which both films frame as popular humanistic demands placed on authorities to become responsive to the will of the citizens, particularly the working class and homeless people. Therefore, the study recommends that the producers invest in extensive academic research to delve deeper into understanding how the documentary genre is influenced by multiple-disciplinary contestations and, the application of reconstruction (blended) scripting formats which would help to achieve the composition and cinema verite effectively. Lastly, the critical reflection of contemporary neo-colonial and apartheid tendencies (or ideological) within the current government and corporate sector(s) would benefit from the infusion of some theoretical underpinning