11613 research outputs found
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Characterisation of the African elephant (Loxodonta africana) gut microbiome for bio-energy applications
No full textIn summary, this is the first study that has characterised the African elephant gastrointestinal microbiota with the specific aim of evaluating its potential application for the simultaneous degradation of lignocellulose and production of biogas. The results obtained show that these large hindgut fermenters and their gastrointestinal microbiomes have adapted to extracting energy from food that offers little nutritional value. This diet has provided the microbiome with the capacity for cellulose and hemicellulose digestion, two out of the three components of lignocellulose. However, in the current dataset we were unable to identify enzymes capable of lignin digestion. This does not conclusively exclude the ability of the gastrointestinal microbiome to degrade native lignocellulose and points out that further experimentation is required to determine the true capacity of this microbial community to degrade all the components of lignocellulose. The metagenomic results revealed complete metabolic pathways to facilitate each phase of anaerobic digestion. Thus, indicating a community with the metabolic capacity to degrade at least some lignocellulose components and to facilitate the production of biogas.National Research Foundation (NRF)Technology Innovation Agency (TIA
Modelling of groundwater flow within a leaky aquifer with fractal-fractional differential operators
No full textThe major leading problem in groundwater modelling is to produce a suitable model for leaky aquifers. An attempt to answer this, researchers devoted their focus to propose new models for complex real-world physical problems within a leaky aquifer. Their proposed models include the nonlocal fractional differentiation operator with kernel power law, fractional differentiation and integral with exponential decay, and fractional differentiation and integral with the generalized Mittag-Leffler function. However, for these operators, none of these models were suitable to model anomalous realworld physical problems. In this study, the main purpose of this project is to develop an operator that is suitable to capture groundwater flow within a leaky aquifer, and this operator will also aim to attract non-local problems that display at the same time. The solution to this problem, this project will introduce a new powerful operator called fractal-fractional differentiation and integral which have been awarded by many researchers with both self-similar and memory effects. For solution, we firstly derive solution using Hantush extended equation with respect to time and space. We also extend by employing the Predictor-Corrector method and Atangana Baleanu derivative to obtain numerical solution for non-linear differentiation and integral, and the exact numerical solution for groundwater flow within a leaky aquifer. We further presented the special solution, uniqueness and also the stability analysis. While conducting the research, our finding also indicated that fractal-fractional operators depict real-world physical problems to capture groundwater flow within a leaky aquifer than classical equation.Department of Water and Sanitatio
Employee engagement at Maluti Mountain Brewery
No full textDissertation (MBA (Business Administration))--University of the Free State, 2020The primary objective of this study is to investigate employee engagement at Maluti Mountain Brewery (MMB). The problem at MMB is; the declining level of employee engagement, despite changes being implemented. If employees continue to be disengaged, sales and production will be affected which will affect the bottom line. A quantitative research design was used. Questionnaires were sent to all 338 employees of MMB to collect data. The secondary objectives which were to analyse factors that influence employee engagement and to assess engagement according to their gender, age and educational level. The results from the study show that engagement at MMB is average, with absorption relatively high in all areas. According to the data collected, money and flexible hours are the factors what will keep most respondents engaged. The majority of the respondents also seem to think that MMB should improve on salaries. Respondents seem to be engaged differently according to their gender, age and educational level where money seems to be the main thing that would engage respondents followed by flexible hours. The main recommendation is for MMB to benchmarking salaries. Other recommendations included leadership training, effective use of resources, flexible working hours, alternative positions for older employees and re-evaluation of engagement
A climate change –induced drought resilient framework development for resettled women under fast track resettlement programme: a case of Zimbabwe
No full textStrengthening the resilience of women farmers is necessary for the development and growth in a nation. The aim of the study was to develop a resilience framework for resettled women against the effects of climate change induced drought risk. The Vulnerability to Resilience framework was adopted in the study and the four dimensions (hazards and stress, future uncertainty, livelihood and governance) assisted in acquiring techniques to strengthen the resilience of the resettled women. The Convergent parallel mixed method design was applied in the study; this directed the study to make use of both quantitative and qualitative methods for data collection. A multi sampling technique was used, for purposively selecting three out of seven districts in Mashonaland Central province, namely Bindura, Shamva and Muzarabani. This was followed by stratified random sampling and snowball sampling. A simple random sampling was used for the selection of interview participants. A structured questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data and a semi-structure interview guide was used to conduct face to face interviews. Qualitative data was analysed by extracting themes. The quantitative data was analysed using the exploration of demographics using PIVOT tables (MS excel), reliability test analysis (using SPSS V25 IBM), the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient and descriptive statistics per latent variable. The researcher also used confirmatory factor analysis and a vulnerability analysis for the resettled women was established. The structural equation was also used to develop a framework for resilience. The vulnerability analysis results indicated that the resettled women were vulnerable because of limited awareness, the women were not prepared for drought and lacked a drought plan. There was lack of coordination between the government and the community members. The government was unable to translate drought risk policies into the local drought risk reduction practices. The women had some form of capacities, they applied some adaptive strategies such as crop rotation and crop diversity, had access to good markets, they also had social networks such as farmers organisations, mikando, and church groups which were able to assist with financial and emotional support. The study recommended that the national drought policy should set up a clear regulated principle to administrate the management of drought and the associated impacts. One main recommendation is that the government should work closely with the farmers and the local leaders to make sure that the community abides to the laws and policies of the country
The influence of digital marketing strategies on it organisations in Botswana
No full textDissertation (MBA (Business Administration))--University of the Free State, 2020In the technological era, organisations are migrating to digital marketing strategies for competitiveness. However, the influence of digital marketing strategies has not been fully explored. The research’s primary objective is to determine the influence of digital marketing strategies on Information Technology (IT) organisations in Botswana. The focus was on IT organisations based in Gaborone, Botswana only. The empirical data comprises 12 semi-structured interviews. Theoretical convergences emerged from the participants’ answers, whose responses were adequate to conclude the study. The researcher used literature on the proponents and critics of digital marketing strategies and rigorous theoretical models such as the SOSTAC® model, the Technology Acceptance Model and Digital Marketing Communications Model were applied as the basis for data analysis. The research is qualitative, cross-sectional study in a non-contrived setting. The researcher’s epistemological approach is interpretivism and the ontological position is that of constructionism. The researcher seeks to explore the phenomena under study and attempts to generate themes based on the collective social constructs obtained from the interview participants drawn from the IT organisations. The target population was 18 IT organisations in Gaborone. Non-probability purposive sampling was used to select the participants for the study. A total of 15 participants formed the sample size for the study. The targets were experts from the marketing departments. However, upon interviewing 12 participants, theoretical convergence was achieved. The research findings reveal that digital marketing strategies have an impact on organisational strategies. The common theme shows organisational preference for owned media digital platforms rather than paid media or shared media. There is, however, no substantial evidence on the presence of knowledge platforms such as LinkedIn. Secondly, the research findings expose the lack of marketing analytical skills among the participants. There are no indications of formal training or the efforts by management to acquiesce marketing experts with such skills. The resultant findings are that marketers confine the data exploitation to what is familiar. The final significant finding is that the use of technology affects the level of decision-making.The interview results depict a curtailed use of data extrapolation for meaningful strategic purposes.
The researcher concluded that the study produces compelling evidence that organisations are migrating towards digital marketing strategies, although at a slow pace. The migration is not imposed by industry competition alone, but also by technology-savvy customers. Therefore, the findings disclose managerial implications for the lack of concerted investment into digital migration, exploration of new possibilities and human resource skills. The impact of analytical skills is also determined. The findings show that a lack of skills affects the quality of decision-making. The marketers confine themselves to that which is familiar. In the same vein, technology impacts decision-making relating to the skills level of the participants. The results affirm that no technologically enabled performance analysis, attribution modelling, digital consumer research and trend forecasting, for example, is made possible without comprehensive systems in place. This research contributes to the body of knowledge on digital marketing strategy on organisations. This study pioneers exploring the digital marketing strategies phenomena in detail, seeking to illuminate the influence of digital marketing strategies on IT organisations in Botswana. The findings expose the gaps for further research related to the field of digital marketing analytics and the application of technology for strategy formulation
Reparative Justice at international and hybrid criminal tribunals (Chapter 2)
No full textChapter 2 dwells upon the operationalization of the reparative dimension of international criminal justice at the international level, with a focus on the historical evolution of reparations by international criminal courts and tribunals prior to the ICC, and the reparative justice model devised by the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC). The goal of this chapter is to retrace the diverse models in place in international criminal tribunals in regards to reparations, from a model that excludes reparations from criminal proceedings to one that has a role for victims and encompasses reparative dimensions of justice. Concerning the latter, this chapter analyzes in-depth the reparation regime developed at the ECCC, including the role of parties civiles, and the rich developing case law of the court regarding reparations. This chapter provides a careful analysis of all decisions on reparations and submissions of the parties, it engages with critical scholarship on the system developed at the ECCC, the impact of reparation orders for victims and discusses practical and policy considerations of the types of reparation that can be ordered (collective and moral reparations). It also analyses the partie civile system under which the ECCC operates and discusses the contribution of the evolving case law to the development of reparative justice for international crimes.Publisher's versio
The views and experiences of Grade 10 Life Sciences teachers on the compulsory practical examination
No full textWith the introduction of the Curriculum Assessment and Policy Statement (CAPS) for Life Sciences (LS) in 2012 in South African schools, a practical examination has become compulsory in grades 10 and 11. The LS CAPS policy stipulates the types of practical work that needs to be conducted to develop specific process skills in learners. This case study explored grade 10 LS teachers’ views and experiences of the practical examination. This study was underpinned by two constructs from Rogan and Grayson’s theory of curriculum implementation, namely the profile of implementation
pertaining to practical work and the capacity to innovate. Purposive sampling was used to generate data via questionnaires and individual interviews with grade 10 LS teachers at selected schools of the Umtshezi ward of Estcourt region.
The findings highlight how physical resources, the mismatch between the medium of instruction and the learners’ home language, the culture of teaching and learning, teacher uncertainty and lack of confidence in performing practical work affect the kinds of practical work engaged in and their experiences of the practical examination. In addition, the dissonance between the intended LS CAPS policy document regarding types of practical work and the kinds of science process skills that ought to be developed in learners and the enacted LS CAPS policy document is exposed. Subsequently the disjuncture between policy intention and
practice emphasises the need for continuous teacher professional
development and a supportive school ethos.Publisher's versio
Correlation of blunt cervical spinal cord injury MRI tractography with the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) impairment scale motor scores
No full textA vision checklist as a vision screening tool by Grade R to Grade 3 teachers in Quintile 1 schools
No full textBackground: Vision screening in schools has been shown to identify children with visual disorders who are thereafter referred for a comprehensive eye examination with an optometrist and or ophthalmologist. In South Africa, the government has introduced an integrated school health policy that includes vision screening which is conducted by few school health nurses, who cannot screen all school children. Teachers spend most of the time with children in their classrooms and thus, educating them on common vision disorders and training them to screen the learners in their classrooms can help identify children with vision disorders. Aim: This research aimed to investigate the use of a vision checklist as a screening tool by Grade R to Grade 3 teachers to detect visual disorders among learners in Bloemfontein. Methods: The study population comprised of 41 teachers and 1360 learners from the 11 Quintile 1 schools. Convenience sampling was done to enrol 36 teachers from 11 Quintile 1 schools and 1360 Grade R to Grade 3 learners aged between five and thirteen years around the Bloemfontein area in the study. The study was done in three phases. In the first phase of the research study, the researcher administered the first questionnaire with nine items to evaluate baseline teachers' knowledge and thereafter an educational session was done covering the most common visual disorders in children. A second questionnaire with nine items was administered after the educational session to assess the acquired knowledge of visual disorders and their management. The teachers were classified as having good knowledge if they obtain seven or more correct answers. The teachers were also trained on how to use the vision checklist in their classrooms as a vision screening tool. In the second phase of the study, the teachers screened the learners in their classrooms using the vision checklist. The learner would fail the screening if the teacher recorded any "no" response. In the last phase of the study, the research team screened learners from the two randomly selected schools (School A and School B) using the basic optometric vision screening tests to validate the screening results of the teachers. The two schools had 8 teachers and 261 learners from Grade R to Grade 3. The learner would fail the screening if any of the tests conducted were recorded as “fail”. The descriptive statistics and diagnostic tests were calculated per group. A p -value of less than 0.05 was considered to indicate statistical significance. Results: Phase 1: All 36 teachers who participated in this study were female whose ages ranged between 27 and 36 years. Most of the participants (n=16, 44.44 %) had been teaching for more than 10 years. The highest qualification attained by the participants was Bachelor of Education Honours (n=2, 5.56%), and most participants (n=10, 27.78 %) had an Advanced Certificate in Education. Thirty-four participants (94.44%) obtained a score of seven and higher in the first educational questionnaire. The second questionnaire results showed that all participants obtained a score of seven and higher. Twenty-one participants (58.33%) showed improvement in knowledge, while two participants (5.56%) regressed. Overall, there was a statistically significant difference ( p <0.0001) between the scores of participants before and after the educational. Phase 2 : A total number of 1360 Grade R to Grade 3 learners whose ages ranged from five to thirteen years old were screened by the 36 teachers using the vision checklist, five hundred and forty learners (39.7%) failed the screening. Phase 3 : The total number of children tested by both the teachers and the research team was 221; this was (84.67%) of the total amount of 261 learners in those schools. The research team found that 102 learners failed the vision screening, as a result the prevalence of the vision disorders in learners was 46% (95% CI: 39% – 53%). The teachers only identified 20 learners out of 102 to have vision disorders therefore, missed 82 learners with vision disorders. The sensitivity of the screening with a vision checklist was 19.61% (95% CI: 12% – 29%) and specificity of 83.19% (95% CI: 75% – 89%). Conclusion: The current study showed that teachers had adequate knowledge of common vision disorders in children which was improved through the educational session. However, the teachers missed 80% of the learners who had vision disorders when using the vision checklist as a screening tool. Thus, the results showed that the vision checklist used in this study was not a sensitive screening tool as it could only identify 19.61% of learners with vision disorders. It can be speculated that teachers’ current workload, large numbers of learners in classes and lack of motivation could have resulted in the high false-negative rate found in the study
The economic effect of mechanised harvesting technology on grape-producing farms in the Western Cape Province of South Africa
No full textMechanisation and technological development in agriculture is becoming increasingly apparent, not just in developing countries, but also in African countries, and more particularly in South Africa. The purpose of the research was to evaluate the economic impact of mechanical grape harvesting on wine farms in the Western Cape. Subsequently, it further determined the factors influencing the adoption of mechanical harvesting of wine grapes, as well as the factors influencing mechanical processes on labourers. The third objective was to determine if a farmer would consider mechanical harvesting and whether it would be profitable to use it. Therefore, the economic aspects are addressed by these objectives, whether it would be financially feasible and viable to make use of mechanical harvesting, would the reduction in labour cost strengthen adoption and which other economic factors would contribute to the adoption of mechanical harvesting. The research comprised of both secondary and primary data; primary data stood mainly for determining factors that have an impact on adoption and labourers on these wine-producing farms. Secondary data were used to assess the profitability of employing a mechanical harvester for harvesting grapes. The number of farmers that participated in this study consisted of 91 producers of wine grapes. The result clearly showed that increasing average yield of grapes in tons per year and hectares used for the production of wine grapes were negatively associated with farmers utilising mechanical harvesting for the harvesting of wine grapes. There were three different scenarios for harvesting grapes on wine farms with respectively 100 ha and 40 ha under wine grapes. The results also showed that it would be more profitable for wine grape producing farmers to make use of mechanical harvesters for harvesting grapes with a land size cultivation area of 100 ha instead of a wine grape cultivation area of 40 ha land. The study revealed that permanent labour and hectares used for the cultivation of wine grapes do not significantly impact the adoption of mechanical harvesting of grapes. Farms with an average land size of about 75 ha to 100 ha, found mostly in the Breede Valley Municipality, would be more prone to mechanical harvesting than farms in the Stellenbosch area with an average wine grape land size of 40 ha, as investments in such machinery are profitable. The study also showed that the increase in hectares used for the cultivation of wine grapes, the number of seasonal labour, permanent labour, the number of hectares used for wine grapes, mechanical harvesting, as well as the cost of mechanical harvesting did not decrease seasonal or permanent labour demand. It was clear that larger farming units with higher production output, especially in the Breede Valley Local Municipality would be more prepared to adopt mechanical harvesting. The results of the research revealed that mechanical harvesting would be profitable if adopted, and it would not reduce labour on the wine-producing farms. However, further research is needed for a comprehensive understanding of mechanisation at large to provide tangible interventions from government