11613 research outputs found
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Indulgent prostithenai: ethical cacao-poiesis in the Old Castle Brewery, Woodstock
No full textDissertation (M.Arch. (Architecture))--University of the Free State, 2022Indulgent Prostithenai: Ethical cacao-poiesis refers to the ethically indulgent nature of a prosthetic architectural approach that introduces a chocolate factory that inspires the adaptive reuse of a historic building in Woodstock, Cape Town. It further refers to the investigation of the insights embedded in a venturesome architectural prosthetic to inspire radical urban renewal and reconnect the isolated site to the larger creative and diverse urban environment while preserving the contextual meaning of the historic building. The historic building in question, namely the Old Castle Brewery complex, is currently utilised as corporate rentable space. It is proposed that a more venturesome program, namely a chocolateria, will more readily be able to reintegrate the isolated location into the urban fabric of Woodstock comprising culinary and creative activities and functions. This approach encompasses the investigation of indulgence in cacao-poiesis, or chocolate-making, architecture and the 1964 novel by Roald Dahl, Charlie, and the Chocolate Factory. Thereby combining its findings with the principles of an Epicurean methodology to develop a contextual definition of ethical indulgence. It further explores ethics within an Epicurean approach, as three layers that lead to the development of radical urban renewal and venturesome prosthetics as derived from its medical origins. Ethical indulgence remains central to these explorations. Through investigating the negative associations attributed to indulgence and the possibilities of typological reinventions, moralised hedonism is questioned to revert indulgence to its humanitarian geneses. The amalgamation of the abovementioned concepts, investigations and explorations delivered the research question:
How can the embedded wisdom of cacao-poiesis, coupled with the creative sensibilities of ethical indulgence, inspire an architecture of radical urban renewal, historically sensitive adaptive reuse, and prosthetic venturesomeness in a historic industrial building in Woodstock, Cape Town
Construct validity and reliability of the perceived stress scale for nursing students in South Africa
No full textBackground: Increased levels of stress in nursing students are negatively related to caring behaviours and also result in poorer job proficiency and nurses who are more inclined to leave the profession. The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), developed by Sheu and colleagues, is one of the most cited instruments for measuring stress and sources of stress amongst nursing students in international studies. However, it has not been widely validated for this purpose.
Objectives: This research aimed to test the construct validity and reliability of the PSS for South African nursing students.
Method: A cross-sectional survey was conducted at a Central South African University, and 471 of the 685 registered nursing students (68.8% response rate) participated in the study. Questionnaires were distributed and collected during classes. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed to test the hypothesised six-factor latent structure and determine the construct validity of the PSS. The internal consistency of the PSS was measured using Cronbach’s alpha.
Results: The model fit was a good fit and supported the six-factor latent structure as stress from (1) taking care of patients, (2) teachers and nursing staff, (3) assignments and workload, (4) peers and daily life, (5) lack of professional knowledge and skills and (6) clinical environment. Overall the PSS had a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.93.
Conclusion: The results confirm the construct validity and the internal consistency of the PSS for South African nursing students.Publisher's versio
Conceptualising education for ecological democracy in Lesotho: an African philosophy of education perspective
No full textThesis (Ph.D.(Policy Studies in Education))--University of the Free State, 2022Climate change is a global threat that has brought us to the edge of ecological precarity. The crisis we face due to climate change impacts all aspects of human life, a reality which raises substantial concerns while highlighting our communities' relationship with the environment. Natural factors such as volcanic eruptions, changing ocean currents, solar variations, and internal variability are experienced in different countries. These natural factors are inducing climate change at an alarming rate. Such natural factors have been identified among those responsible for the climate-related disasters experienced by various countries in the recent past. Therefore, we are compelled to articulate and put in place structures to mitigate the causes of climate change to the changes already occurring.
This qualitative study explored the potential contribution of the African Philosophy of Education, grounded in communitarianism and expressed through the concepts of ubuntu and ukama, to conceptualising education for Ecological Democracy in the Lesotho education policy context. The study adopted a transformative paradigm to address the main research question: ? A qualitative approach supported by a literature review, document and policy analysis unpacked the African Philosophy of education and its communitarianism concepts of ubuntu and ukama.
As a literature review study, the study did not have participants but was guided by Samuel's guidelines on policy reading and Gagnon and Labonte's framework of analysis. I analysed the content of selected documents that address climate change in Lesotho and the Lesotho educational policy landscape to conceptualise the potential of Lesotho education for ecological democracy. Analyses of the documents revealed that climate change mitigation in Lesotho is possible when citizens are motivated to work through communities to maintain and preserve the Basotho cultural identity grounded within the African Philosophy of Education and its incorporation of the African ideas of ubuntu and ukama. By communitarianism living and observing democratic governance, people in communities learn to cooperate and collaborate, and care for the environment, and this will benefit not only humans but also non-humans through the creation of structures allowing harmonious living between humans and non-humans, and contribute to the knowledge of ecological democracy
Comparison of the importance of beef price labelling aspects: an eye-tracking approach
No full textSelf-reported approaches such as surveys are a common way in which consumers' preferences and needs can be assessed but this approach can provide incorrect results. Few studies combine data from cognitive psychology, cognitive neuroscience, and marketing. Among these techniques, eye-tracking can be used to elucidate how observers' overt visual attention is acted upon, and it can also be employed to evaluate and compare individuals' graphic search behaviour in a number of settings. Using eye-tracking technology, the purpose of this article is to identify how beef consumers pay attention to the information on price labels and to compare that to their self-reported attention ratings. The dataset used in this study consists of 307 participants. Kendall's W tests were used to identify and rank consumers' preferences from eye-tracking and post-test questionnaires. Pearson's correlations were used to correlate consumers' demographic information against their eye-tracking data. Results from the eye-tracking test showed that the aspects that received the most attention from the participants were the price of the pack, butchery name, and classification of the meat. The price of the pack was looked at more times by the largest share of consumers, and for the most extended period of all labelling, aspects presented. Results also showed that the butchery's name was the labelling aspect consumers mostly paid attention to first. Fewer consumers tended to look at the packaging date, sell-by date and cut name. A difference was found between the aspects that the participants indicated were the most important when buying red meat and what aspects they actually paid attention to when looking at packs of beef. Correlation results suggest that younger consumers are more likely to pay attention to the price labelling aspects and for a longer period. However, it will be at a later stage than older consumers. Also, price label information seems to be more important to higher educated beef consumers. The vital role that eye-tracking can play in improving the accuracy of research has been highlighted in the study. Marketing agents will also be able to use eye-tracking to ensure that products meet the demands of their customers. Future studies must be performed to confirm the results of this study before they can be generalised. It would be worthwhile to also test consumers' understanding of beef price label information.Publisher's versio
Architecture and the people: a youth social centre for cultural exchange Chitungwiza, Zimbabwe
No full textThe inaction of idleness is a terminal disease in the lives of young people all over Zimbabwe. This social crisis results mostly from the constantly and radically weakening economy, forcing a lot of people to barely survive on a hand-to-mouth basis. Young adults are mostly affected by this conundrum as the urban population keeps increasing, while job opportunities remain unchanged. The United Nations Youth Association of Zimbabwe (UNYAZ) is a youth-oriented organization that empowers young people to become agents of positive change in their local and global communities. Amongst the social tools that they need to solve the rising social dilemma, UNYAZ needs an innovative architectural space where young people can develop their existing skills and generate an income. The aim of this thesis proposal is to provide a place where this can happen in the form of a Youth Center on a vacant parcel of land on the outskirts of Chitungwiza, Zimbabwe. The design proposal is based on three theoretical concepts: biophilic design, terrain vague, and vernacular design. Biophilic design along with the use of vernacular construction methods and local materials results in a program that enables interaction opportunities that improve a sense of community and belongingness for its users. Terrain vague is used as a way both to identify the site typology and as a metaphor for the young adults it intends to serve. The environmentally sustainable design combined with vernacular architecture and biophilia/biomimicry is used to unpack the design intentions in terms of providing a place where the youth can develop an identity, purpose, and belongingness through interaction
Dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) clusters dataset: DFT relative energies, non-covalent interactions, and cartesian coordinates
No full textTheoretical understanding of dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) liquid depends on the understanding of the DMSO clusters. In this work, we provide the structures and the energetics of the DMSO clusters. The structures have been generated using ABCluster and further optimized at the MP2/aug-cc-pVDZ level of theory. The final structures have been optimized at two different levels of theory: PW6B95D3/aug-cc-pVDZ and ωB97XD/aug-cc-pVDZ. The Cartesian coordinates of the structures optimized at the MP2/aug-cc-pVDZ level of theory are also reported. The relative energies of the structures can be used to locate the most favorable structures of the DMSO clusters. The Cartesian coordinates of the structures can be used for further investigations on DMSO clusters. In addition, we report the data related to the quantum theory of atoms in molecule (QTAIM) analysis of the investigated clusters. The QTAIM data reported in this work can be used to understand and determine the nature of non-covalent interactions in DMSO clusters. For further reading and discussion on the data reported here, please report to the original manuscript Malloum and Conradie (2022).Publisher's versio
Criteria of embarrassment: J. M. Coetzee's 'Jesus Trilogy' and the legacy of modernist difficulty
No full textThis article takes as its starting point the divergent responses that J.M. Coetzee’s Jesus trilogy (The Childhood of Jesus [2013], The Schooldays of Jesus [2016] and The Death of Jesus [2019]) has drawn from reviewers and scholars respectively. Where reviewers have generally regarded these works’ difficulty as obstructive, scholars have taken their difficulty as both the justification and catalyst for sustained engagement. This divergence is explained, in part, as a consequence of the literacies developed by and in response to modernism – literacies which regarded difficulty as both the signature of the worthwhile artwork and as the criterion which justifies the special attention of specialized readers. If one aim of this article is to situate Coetzee and Coetzee studies within this tradition, a second aim is to ask whether the forms of attention garnered by his late trilogy are less an index of intrinsic challenges than of Coetzee’s reputation as a challenging writer. To do so is to worry the overready ascription of ‘Coetzeean’ difficulty – along with the modes of reading it tends to enlist – in order to reposition bewilderment, embarrassment and other ugly aesthetic-affects as generative for criticism.Publisher's versio
Guidelines for social work supervision from a developmental approach
No full textThesis (Ph.D. (Social Work))--University of the Free State, 2022English: Supervision plays an important role in the efficacy of service rendering and the professional development of social workers. Effective supervision should be grounded in theory and aligned with the national approach to social welfare. In South Africa, the Developmental Approach should be engrained in supervision practices to be aligned with the National welfare approach. Ultimately, supervision must focus on the deliberate development of the social workers to become more competent professionals, and the fundamental goal would be to provide excellent professional services to the service user. The focus of this study was to explore the implementation of supervision using the Developmental Approach, identify good and bad supervision practices, and develop guidelines for appropriate developmental supervision practices. The mixed-method research design (QUAL-quan) was used and involved social workers and supervisors from five provinces in the qualitative phase. During semi-structured interviews, current practices of supervision were explored. The objective of the quantitative phase was to involve more respondents to corroborate the information gathered during the first phase. Unfortunately, the response rate 1for the qualitative phase was extremely low, and the results cannot be generalised. The quantitative information does, however, provide important insights and support the information from the qualitative phase. The findings from the study revealed that supervisors do not use the Developmental Approach during supervision. Various challenges present themselves in the implementation of developmental supervision. The combination of limited conceptualisation of the Developmental Approach in supervision, a lack of knowledge among social workers and supervisors of the Developmental Approach and numerous structural issues in terms of resources and the realities of society hamper the implementation of the Developmental Approach. The study further revealed that, in many instances, the Developmental Approach, the national approach to social services, is not implemented in social work practice. The results show that supervisors carry out supervision without a thorough knowledge and understanding that underpins the theory of supervision, and their actions haphazardly attend to the supervisee's needs. Conducting supervision in this manner will negatively impact the development of the social worker and consequently hamper service delivery. The study resulted in developing guidelines for supervision that will promote the integration of the Developmental Approach in supervision.The aim of the guidelines is to ensure constructive realignment of supervision practices with the national approach to social services. Other recommendations include the following: • Social workers and supervisors must realise that social work is a profession, and that relevant theories should inform their practice. • Social workers and supervisors must have appropriate and professional knowledge of relevant theories, practice models and approaches and refrain from intuitive actions without a proper theoretical foundation when making decisions. • Social workers and supervisors must be proficient in applying theory in practice, and relevant theories, models and approaches should inform all services to service users and supervision of social workers. • Practice standards focusing on outcomes defined in terms of specific skills contributing to the effectiveness of social workers should be implemented. • The outcomes of supervision must be clearly defined according to a framework based on the professional skills required of a social worker. • The implementation of the proposed guidelines should acknowledge the current experience level and the expectations of the social worker. • The expectations of each social worker should be adapted according to the level of experience, and outcomes should promote progressive development. • Accredited training for supervisors should be implemented according to indigenous theories, techniques and approaches that specifically focus on supervision.Afrikaans: Supervisie speel 'n kritieke rol in die doeltreffendheid van dienslewering en die professionele ontwikkeling van maatskaplike werkers. Effektiewe supervisie moet teoreties gefundeerd wees en in lyn wees met die nasionale benadering tot maatskaplike welsyn. In Suid-Afrika behoort die ontwikkelingsgerigtebenadering in supervisiepraktyke ingebed te wees. Uiteindelik moet supervisie fokus op die doelbewuste ontwikkeling van die maatskaplike werkers om meer veerkragtig te word, en die uiteindelike doel sal wees om uitstekende professionele dienste aan die diensgebruiker te bereik. Die fokus van hierdie studie was om die implementering van supervisie vanuit die Ontwikkelingsbenadering te verken, om goeie supervisiepraktyke te identifiseer en om riglyne vir toepaslike ontwikkelingstoesigpraktyke te ontwikkel. Die gemengde-metode navorsingsontwerp (QUAL- quan ) is gebruik en het maatskaplike werkers en supervisors van vyf provinsies in die kwalitatiewe fase betrek. Tydens semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude is huidige praktyke van supervisie ondersoek. Die doel van die kwantitatiewe fase was om meer respondente te betrek om die inligting wat tydens die eerste fase ingesamel is, te staaf. Ongelukkig was die responskoers vir die kwalitatiewe fase uiters laag en die resultate kan nie veralgemeen word nie. Die kwantitatiewe inligting verskaf wel belangrike insigte en ondersteun die inligting vanaf die kwalitatiewe fase. Die studie het aan die lig gebring dat toesighouers nie die Ontwikkelingsgerigte benadering tydens supervisie gebruik nie. Verskeie uitdagings kom voor in die implementering van ontwikkelingsgerigte supervisie. Die kombinasie van beperkte konseptualisering en 'n gebrek aan kennis onder maatskaplike werkers en supervisors van die Ontwikkelingsbenadering asook talle strukturele kwessies in terme van hulpbronne en die realiteite van die samelewing belemmer die implementering van die Ontwikkelingsgerigte benadering. Die studie het verder aan die lig gebring dat, in baie gevalle, die Ontwikkelingsgerigte benadering, die nasionale benadering tot maatskaplike dienste, nie in maatskaplikewerkpraktyke geïmplementeer word nie. Die resultate toon dat supervisors supervisie doen sonder 'n deeglike kennis en/of begrip van die teorie van supervisie met die gevolg dat hul optrede lukraak in die behoeftes van die toesighouer voorsien. Om supervisie op hierdie wyse te doen, sal die ontwikkeling van die maatskaplike werker negatief beïnvloed en gevolglik dienslewering belemmer. Die studie het gelei tot die ontwikkeling van riglyne vir supervisie wat die integrasie van die Ontwikkelingsgerigte benadering in supervisie sal verseker om beter belyning met die nasionale benadering tot maatskaplike dienste te verseker. Ander aanbevelings sluit in: • Maatskaplike werkers en supervisors moet besef dat maatskaplike werk 'n professie is en hul optrede moet deur relevante teorieë gerig word. • Maatskaplike werkers en supervisors moet uitgebreide kennis van relevante teorieë, praktykmodelle en benaderings hê en hulle weerhou van intuïtiewe optrede wanneer besluite geneem word. • Dit word aanbeveel dat maatskaplike werkers en supervisors vaardig moet wees in die toepassing van teorie in die praktyk en dat alle dienste aan diensgebruikers en toesig oor maatskaplike werkers gerig moet word deur relevante teorieë, modelle en benaderings. • Praktykstandaarde wat fokus op uitkomste gedefinieer in terme van spesifieke vaardighede wat bydra tot die doeltreffendheid van maatskaplike werkers moet geïmplementeer word. • Die uitkomste van supervisie moet duidelik omskryf word volgens 'n raamwerk gebaseer op die professionele vaardighede wat van 'n maatskaplike werker vereis word. • Die implementering van die voorgestelde riglyne moet die huidige ervaringsvlak en die verwagtinge van die maatskaplike werker erken. • Die verwagtinge van elke maatskaplike werker moet aangepas word volgens die vlak van ervaring en uitkomste moet progressiewe ontwikkeling bevorder. • Geakkrediteerde opleiding vir toesighouers moet geïmplementeer word volgens inheemse teorieë, tegnieke en benaderings wat spesifiek op supervisie fokus
Salicylic acid improves growth and physiological attributes and salt tolerance differentially in two bread wheat cultivars
No full textAbiotic constraints such as salinity stress reduce cereal production. Salicylic acid is an elicitor of abiotic stress tolerance in plants. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of salicylic acid on two bread wheat cultivars (SST806 and PAN3497) grown under salt stress (100 and 200 mM NaCl) in the presence and absence of 0.5 mM salicylic acid. The highest salt concentration (200 mM), in both PAN3497 and SST806, increased the days to germination and reduced the coleoptile and radicle dry weights. The shoot dry weight was reduced by 75 and 39%, root dry weight by 73 and 37%, spike number of both by 50%, spike weight by 73 and 54%, grain number by 62 and 15%, grain weight per spike by 80 and 45%, and 1000 grain weight by 9 and 29% for 200 and 100 mM NaCl, respectively. Salicylic acid in combination with 100 mM and 200 mM NaCl increased the shoot, root, and yield attributes. Salicylic acid increased the grain protein content, especially at 200 mM NaCl, and the increase was higher in SST806 than PAN3497. The macro-mineral concentration was markedly increased by an increase of NaCl. This was further increased by salicylic acid treatment for both SST806 and PAN3497. Regarding micro-minerals, Na was increased more than the other minerals in both cultivars. Mn, Zn, Fe, and Cu were increased under 100 mM and 200 Mm of salt, and salicylic acid application increased these elements further in both cultivars. These results suggested that salicylic acid application improved the salt tolerance of these two bread wheat cultivars.Publisher's versio
Cash flow management of commercial grain farmers in the highveld of Mpumalanga
No full textDissertation (MBA (Business Administration))--University of the Free State, 2022The primary objective of the study is to evaluate the cash flow management of commercial grain farmers in the Highveld region of Mpumalanga. To investigate whether these farmers follow active cash flow management techniques in managing their farming businesses. Additionally, the study aims to investigate the impact of cash flow management on the financial performance reported in the farmers’ annual financial statements.
An overview of an understanding of cash flow management and its usefulness are addressed in the literature review, which are supported by a discussion around the use of cash flow budgets in farming businesses. Farm management is also a key aspect of this study because each farm is unique with its set of goals and targets that farmers seek to achieve at the end of the season. Therefore, the functions of farm management are discussed with a focus on planning, execution, control and fine-tuning because these aspects have an impact on the business’s cash flow. Next, the study moves to the research methodology in Chapter 3.
The study research methodology used the qualitative research design because interpretivism was the approach used to acknowledge the different realities and truths of the different farmers that participated in the study. The information was collected through semi-structured interviews with the participants to understand each participant’s viewpoint. The interview schedule was compiled and used to gather the data. The research findings from the interviews identified 10 themes that resonated with the participants. These themes were discussed and assessed, leading to the identification of 4 gaps that exist. The 10 themes were able to address the three secondary objectives of the study and the 4 gaps were complemented by 4 recommendations for the study. The conclusions derived were firstly, farmers have the knowledge and understanding of cash flow management and its potential impact on a farming business. However, farmers do not practically put this knowledge to use in their farming businesses. Secondly, good cash flow management alone could not conclusively be linked to the profit or loss reported on the farmers’ annual financial statements. The aim and objectives of the study were achieved. The study limitations were that it was confined to the Highveld region of Mpumalanga, and limited to grain commercial farmers currently banked with First National Bank. Additionally, a random sample of farmers was selected on the basis that each participant was not to plant more than 3000 hectares per season