21623 research outputs found
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Examining the role and sustainability of the Umbumbulu Agri-Hub as a model to support smallholder farmers.
No full textMasters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of an Agricultural Farmers Support Center in KwaZulu-Natal's Umbumbulu Town as a model for helping small-scale farmers in rural areas. The mixed-methods approach was adopted to gather and analyse qualitative and quantitative data to gain an in-depth understanding of the Hub's impact. Quantitative data were collected through semi-structured questionnaires which were distributed to 29 smallholder farmers engaged in the Hub's activities. The investigation employed regression modelling to ascertain significant determinants of farm income, including gender, age, type of farming, and the frequency of Hub visits. Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews with the Hub's management and municipal officials representatives, while the quantitative data was collected with the open and closed questionnaire that was administered by the research to the Umbumbulu Agri- Hub registered farmers. The results demonstrated that agricultural extension services are widely supported and that the Umbumbulu Agri-Hub has benefited farmers by serving as a channel for providing extension services to smallholder farmers in rural areas. The results indicated that the Umbumbulu Agri-Hub functions on an open-source small-scale business model designed to address the requirements of resource-limited smallholder farmers. The Hub's offerings, encompassing training, subsidised inputs, technical assistance, and market facilitation, have markedly enhanced agricultural yields and quality for most farmers. Regular visits to the hub correlated positively with increased income levels, which highlighted the significance of active participation in its services
An anatomical exploration of the hypoplastic mandible in hemifacial microsomia patients in South Africa: understanding facial asymmetry, clinical presentation and autologous fat graft treatment.
No full textDoctoral Degree. Universal of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.Introduction: This study uses clinical and morphometric analyses to investigate facial asymmetry (FA) in hemifacial microsomia (HFM) patients, specifically focusing on mandibular hypoplasia. It also assesses the effectiveness of autologous fat graft (AFG) camouflage for FA in a South African population. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study analysed 25 HFM patients, confirming diagnoses through plain radiographs or computed tomography. Patient charts provided data on age, sex, laterality, deformity severity, and associated anomalies. Malformations were categorised using the OMENS classification, and patients were grouped by Pruzansky-Kaban grading (mild/severe) and age (1-5, 6- 12, 13-19 years). Linear and angular measurements of the mandibular ramus and body from preoperative CT scans were used to compare severity, age groups, and affected-to-contralateral side ratios. Additionally, ten Pruzansky grades I and II patients (4-16 years) with unilateral FA received AFG, divided into AFG-treated (mean age: 5.8 ±3.89 years) and mandibular distraction osteogenesis combined with AFG (MDO+AFG)-treated (mean age: 8.8 ±4.32 years) groups, each with five patients.
Results: Twenty-five HFM patients (M:F 1:1.78; 60% Black; 32% Indian; 4% White; and 4% Coloured; R:L 1.4:1) found 100% mandibular hypoplasia and soft tissue defects, with high rates of ear (84%), orbital (40%), and facial nerve (60%) involvement. Other craniofacial and extracraniofacial anomalies were 84% and 40%, respectively. Significant differences were found in mandibular linear and angular measurements and ramus-body index (RBI) between affected and contralateral sides, excluding mandibular body length (MBL). However, mean RBI differences between mild and severe deformities were insignificant, as was the affected-to-contralateral (A/C) ratio between severity groups and across age groups. In the AFG group, mandibular ramus height (MRH) and mandibular ramus width (MRW) significantly increased post-treatment, while chin point deviation (CPD) and occlusal plane angle (OPA) significantly decreased (p<0.05). The MBL significantly increased in the MDO+AFG group, but mandibular body height (MBH) did not. Growth increases were comparable between affected and unaffected sides in both groups.
Conclusion: Notably, deformities in HFM vary significantly among the South African population. This study indicates that HFM is non-progressive, suggesting surgery should be delayed until skeletal maturity. MDO and AFG improve symmetry, with AFG effective for mild cases
Examining the factors affecting employee retention at an agricultural public entity in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
No full textMasters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.Employee retention is crucial for the long-term success and the stability of an organisation. The retention of qualified, skilled and experienced employees allows for continuity, preservation of institutional knowledge, and it reduces the costs that are associated with high employee turnover. These costs include recruitment, induction, and various on-boarding trainings which cause a dent in the organisation’s annual fiscus. Previous studies have pointed out the important role that leadership and human resources play in achieving employee retention. The aim of the study was to examine
the factors affecting employee retention at this organisation, with the view to suggest initiatives that management can implement to promote employee retention. The qualitative research approach was employed, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 participants who were purposively selected. Data were analysed using thematic analysis. The study highlights the importance of employee retention, job security, and limiting the constant change in executive management. It further highlights a lack of professional development opportunities, unsatisfactory compensation packages, and poor communication in the organisation. The study recommends that the organisation considers long-term employment contracts, have stability to employing the management, and adopt strategies for career pathing and effective communication
Information communication technology opportunities to promote effective remote working at Transnet within the Durban container terminal.
No full textMasters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal. Durban.The study sought to investigate Information Technology Communication opportunities to promote effective remote working in Transnet Port Terminals at Durban Container Terminal. This concept is meant to support business continuity through remote working, minimise disruptions in times of crisis. This study also sought to determine whether the adoption of Information Technology Communication and digital solutions is influenced by the availability of resources. Other objectives were to determine the support system available for remote workers and examine digital innovative management solutions for supervising and monitoring employees working offsite. The research used a qualitative methodology and interviewed a sample of managerial and nonmanagerial personnel including the employee-collective bargaining unit members from Durban Container Terminal. Thematic analysis was employed wherein the researcher searched for patterns in the data to understand themes. Emphasis was placed in attempting to identify, analyze, and interpret data patterns. The results of the study revealed that Transnet employees have a culture of hardworking, accountability, honesty and can be trusted with the organisations’ Information Technology Communication tools, computer equipment, and network in remote work and operational performance in the future, and in times of such pandemics, natural disasters and other events such as strikes service delivery protests, and industrial actions. The expected results was a positive change in the way the port operates by increasing collaboration amongst teams working remotely, utilising smart technology through automation and innovation. The research findings showed that funding and the availability of digital resources was a major challenge in the adoption of Information Technology Communication technological solutions. The research recommended
alignment of organisational strategy and ICT policy, intensive automation of operations among other measures through Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to promote remote working. Increased adoption of Information Technology Communication enhances regional and global competitiveness as port operating organisations sought to survive in the marine sector. Limitation of the research, include Covid-19 restrictions, protests, industrial strike action, and low employee morale due to protracted wage negotiations. Direction of future studies should focus on
quantitative research to include a larger population sample and wider geographical area including other ports under Transnet Port Terminals and review of port operational performance and funding model
HIV-1 subtype C LTR Sp1IIIT5A mutant enhances transcription activity and Sp1 binding affinity.
No full textMasters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.Background: Human immunodeficiency virus type 1 subtype C (HIV-1C) long terminal repeat (LTR) variants play a crucial role in influencing transcriptional activation and disease outcomes. However, it is unclear how much effect Sp1IIIT5A has on HIV-1C LTR transcription activity. To address this gap, the current study investigates the impact of a specific single mutation, T5A, which has been reported to affect the HIV-1 subtype B (HIV-1B), within the Specific Protein 1 (Sp1) III motif on HIV-1C LTR transcription activity and Sp1 binding affinity.
Methods: HIV-1C LTR consensus and LTR mutant exhibiting a single T5A mutation into the Sp1III motif were (LTR Sp1IIIT5A) independently cloned into the pGL3 Luciferase basic reporter vector and sequenced to confirm the presence of the mutation. Consensus LTR-pGL3 and LTR Sp1IIIT5A-pGL3 recombinants were transfected into SVG and Jurkat cell lines to determine their transcription activity. The Sp1 transcription factor expression levels in these cell lines, were quantified by western blotting assay. Additionally, we modeled the crystal structures of the HIV-1C LTR and Sp1 protein, and performed docking calculations using various web servers, including HDOCK, HADDOCK, and pyDockDNA. Lastly, molecular dynamics simulations were carried out to evaluate the stability and binding affinity of Sp1 to LTR consensus and LTR Sp1IIIT5A.
Results and Discussion: Our data show that LTR exhibiting Sp1IIIT5A mutation was successfully cloned into pGL3 basic reporter vector. The Sp1III5A mutation significantly enhances basal transcription activity compared to the canonical Sp1III motif in SVG cells (p<0.00001) and Jurkat cells (p=0.00521). This suggest that LTR Sp1III5A mutation is associated with enhanced transcription activity. Similarly, the Sp1IIIT5A mutation exhibited significantly increased Tat-mediated HIV-1C LTR transcription activity in SVG cells (p<0.00001) and Jurkat cells (p<0.00001). This further reinforces the notion that Sp1III5A enhances HIV-1C LTR transcription activity. Notably, transcription activity exhibited by LTR Sp1IIIT5A was more pronounced in SVG then in Jurkat cell line. Furthermore, the expression levels of the Sp1 transcription factor were comparable (p=0.08140) between SVG and Jurkat cell lines, suggesting that differences in transcriptional activity observed are not attributable to variations in Sp1 expression levels. Moreover, the binding affinity analysis revealed that the Sp1IIIT5A mutation exhibits stronger interactions with the Sp1 transcription factor than its canonical counterpart, with interaction values of -332.7, -174.6, and -279.2 kcal/mol compared to -311.4, -157.0, and -247.3 kcal/mol for the canonical sequence. These suggest that the Sp1IIIT5A mutation not only potentially enhances transcriptional efficiency but also stabilizes the binding of Sp1 transcription factor.
Conclusion: The HIV-1 LTR Sp1IIIT5A mutation enhances transcription activity and binding affinity of Sp1 compared to the Sp1III canonical sequence in both SVG and Jurkat cell lines. Future studies should investigate the effect of Sp1IIIT5A mutation on the HIV-1 subtype C latency profile
Examining the relationship between financial literacy and debt management in eThekwini municipality employees.
No full textMasters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.Every day, workers must make important decisions about investing portfolios, purchasing assets, and acquiring insurance. As a result of the financial markets making products more accessible without disclosing the risks involved, some workers wind up with a heavy workload. The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between financial literacy and debt management in eThekwini municipality employees and to raise employee understanding of financial literacy and improve debt management skills. The quantitative research methodology used in scientific research was employed to conduct this study. The study's goal was to examine the degree of financial literacy and debt management among eThekwini municipality employees working in the Human Settlement and Transport Authority departments by using a questionnaire-based survey method. Non-probability sampling was used in the research, and respondents were chosen according to availability or convenience. Smart PLS4 and SPSS version 29.0 were used to analyse the data gathered from the answers. For the acquired quantitative data, the results display the descriptive statistics as graphs, cross-tabulations, and other figures. The study's findings were utilised to develop recommendations for the eThekwini municipality structures, with the aim of establishing employee beneficial financial literacy programs and preparing staff members for efficient debt management
The role of mobile media in adolescent girls’ access to sexual reproductive health and rights information during covid-19 pandemic: a case study of 4 selected secondary schools in Lusaka, Zambia.
No full textDoctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.The Covid-19 pandemic caused several challenges in the health sector, particularly in the area of adolescent sexual reproductive health and rights (SRHR) services including physical access to information. However, the challenge of adolescent girls’ access to SRHR information in Zambia in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic is understudied (if at all). This study aimed at investigating the role of mobile media in adolescent girls’ access SRHR information in four selected secondary schools in Lusaka Zambia. The Covid-19 pandemic worsened the already existing vulnerabilities of adolescents’ access to SRHR information. This was caused by measures implemented to curb the spreading of Covid-19 such as lockdowns, restrictions on movements, prolonged closure of schools. Due to such measures, adolescents could no longer access SRHR information through face-to-face mobilizations such as workshops, drama, seminars, and classroom learning of comprehensive sexuality education. Additionally, the fear of contracting Covid-19 prevented women and young people from visiting health facilities for SRHR services. Community outreach services for SRHR also reduced during Covid-19. This thesis employed a qualitative approach that utilized FGDs for data collection. The study revealed that before Covid-19, adolescent girls had access to SRHR information through various sources, including Comprehensive Sexual Education (CSE) in schools, Peers, Youth-friendly corners at health facilities and clubs in schools and even their friends at home. However, Covid-19 affected access to SRHR information through school closures and lockdowns. The findings of this study indicate that adolescent girls in Zambia during Covid-19 were profoundly dependent on mobile media to access information SRHR given the restrictions on movements and prolonged school closures. The majority of participants reported using Google, Facebook, WhatsApp, and YouTube to search for SRHR information, and of these, Google was the most popular mobile media source. Additionally, the findings indicate that while many participants relied on mobile media for SRHR information, they had concerns about issues such as: accuracy of information, privacy, reliability, exposure to pornographic content, and risk of online abuse. The study underscores the potential of integrating mobile media with traditional methods to address SRHR information gaps among adolescent girls, particularly during crises. In addition, the findings reveal that mobile media has the potential to empower adolescent girls with SRHR knowledge, but there are also challenges and limitations to be addressed to ensure the safety of the adolescent girls as well as the quality and accuracy of information accessed. Furthermore, the study findings demonstrate the need to design SRHR information access’ interventions that consider the digital divide and unequal access to technology. Additionally, there is need for infrastructure development to enhance internet speed, reduce internet costs, expand network provision to include all areas in Zambia, and to stabilise electricity services. By and large, the study places emphasis on the need for a comprehensive approach to information access on SRHR that integrates both online and offline platforms to address the SRHR information needs of adolescent girls in Zambia
A Critical Assessment of the Implementation of eThekwini Municipality's Service Standards: A Case Study of Water and Sanitation Unit.
No full textMasters Degree. University of KwaZulu Natal, Durban.The advent of democracy in South Africa led to a shift from a highly centralised system to a decentralised one, with national, provincial, and local spheres of government. While distinctive, these spheres are interdependent and interconnected, necessitating cooperation to secure the wellbeing of citizens. The Constitution mandates national and provincial governments to support municipalities in managing their affairs and exercising their powers. However, challenges persist, including poor financial management, weak technical capacity, and governance issues. Provision of services to members of the communities is the function of local government which is done through municipalities. Currently, municipalities are faced with increasing pressure to deliver efficient and effective services to members of the community residing in their area of jurisdiction. The implementation of service standards plays a crucial role in achieving this goal. However, despite various initiatives and capacity-building efforts, many municipalities continue to struggle with service delivery challenges. This thesis critically assesses the implementation of eThekwini municipality’s service standards within the water and sanitation unit, aiming to identify key issues, gaps, and potential solutions. Data were collected from two groups which were members of the public who were randomly selected using the report from the municipality’s system which is called Faultsman, only members of the public who had reported water-related queries were selected and Municipal employees were also randomly selected from units within the municipality and participants were from all staff levels from employees who are on an internship programme to senior management. A total number of 36 participants made up the first group (municipal employees) and the second group consisted of 19 members of the public. Interviews and questionnaires were used as tools to gather data from participants’ responses and the total number of participants from this group was 19. As a result, frequent responses and trends found in the collected data were used to categorise the participant responses. The study found that whilst the development and use of service standards as a means to assess service delivery is widespread, several critical challenges remain. These challenges are service standards not communicated accordingly using different communication channels including publication through the municipality's annual report, "Service Delivery Standards" as a standing agenda item is not included during engagements with members of the community, service standards are not linked with the Individual Performance Management System of the municipality. Sufficient budget is not allocated to those areas where services need to be improved. A standardised process for engaging external clients in developing service standards is in place but not adhered to. Feedback from members of the public regarding service delivery is not addressed
Investigating antimicrobial resistance patterns in Gardnerella vaginalis isolates.
No full textMasters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.Background: Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is gaining interest due to its problematic outcomes in women of reproductive age. Common symptoms are abnormal grey discharge that has a fishy odour accompanied by itchiness and pain. BV is characterized by the overall decrease in Lactobacilli and an increase in anaerobic facultative bacteria such as Gardnerella vaginalis. G. vaginalis is said to be the main species of bacteria involved in BV and is responsible for its pathogenicity. G. vaginalis has many virulence factors (formation of biofilms, mucus degrading sialidase and the production of the protein toxin, vaginolysin) that influence its pathogenicity, aiding in establishing infection. Treatment of BV includes the use of broad spectrum antibiotics such as metronidazole and clindamycin, which can be administered orally or in the form of an ointment. However, in clinical settings, antimicrobial resistance has increased due to resistant bacteria left behind after initial treatment, resulting in recurrent BV. The aim of the current study was to determine the susceptibility patterns of isolates of G. vaginalis to various antibiotics. This study also investigated the genetic diversity of isolates and linked genetic data with antimicrobial resistance patterns. attending care at the antenatal clinic at the King Edward VIII hospital in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. A total of 150 pregnant women, 18 years and older, who were willing to provide written informed consent and willing to provide two self-collected vaginal swabs were enrolled in this study. Following sample collection, the first swab was placed in Amies transport media (Copan, Brescia, Italy) for the cultivation of G. vaginalis. The second swab was rolled onto a glass slide to diagnose BV by Nugent scoring on gram-stained vaginal smears. The genetic diversity assessments of the isolates were based on genetic differences in the tuf gene using clade specific primers on a quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) platform. The antimicrobial susceptibility profiles were generated using the Sensititre™ Anaerobe MIC Plate (Thermo Fischer Scientific, United States).
Results: Sixteen isolates of G. vaginalis were cultured from pregnant women. Of the 16 isolates, five isolates were obtained from BV positive women, nine from BV intermediate women, and two were from BV negative women. The 16S rRNA gene specific to G. vaginalis was amplified in all isolates, confirming the identity of the isolates. The genotyping/clade PCR revealed the presence of three clades. The frequencies for each clade were as follows; 100% for clade 1, 37.5% for clade 2 and 43.75% for clade 4. Multiple clades were found in 56.25% of the isolates. For antimicrobial susceptibility testing, only 14 isolates were viable for analysis. Of the 14 isolates that were successfully cultured and tested, 8/14 (57.1%) were susceptible to metronidazole (MIC of ≤8μg/ml) and 6/14 (42.9%) were resistant to metronidazole (MIC of ≥32μg/ml). Of the G. vaginalis isolates (n=5) cultured from BV positive women, 60% (3/5) of the isolates were susceptible to metronidazole whilst 40% (2/5) were resistant. There was no link between resistant patterns and infection symptoms, since one isolate was from an asymptomatic woman and the other isolate from a symptomatic woman. Of the G. vaginalis isolates (n=7) cultured from intermediate BV women, 43% (3/7) of the isolates were resistant to metronidazole while 57% (4/7) were susceptible. For intermediate women, there was a link between resistant patterns and infection symptoms, since all resistant isolates were cultured from symptomatic women. The G. vaginalis isolate cultured from the BV-negative women was susceptible to metronidazole and the woman was asymptomatic. Of the six resistant isolates, five isolates (83%) were assigned to clade 1 alone. The remaining resistant isolate was a mixed clade, it was assigned clade 1 and 4. The eight susceptible isolates belonged to mixed clades such as 1 and 2, 1, 2 and 4 and 1 and 4. The resistant isolates were more homogeneous in terms of the clades to which they belonged. However, it cannot be suggested that a particular clade is driving resistance since the clades were distributed among susceptible and resistant isolates.
Conclusion: The current study provided information on the resistance patterns of clinical isolates of G. vaginalis. In this study a high level of resistance to metronidazole was observed. Approaches to approve the administration of clindamycin and vancomycin should be taken into consideration for the future treatment of BV in our current setting
Exploring learning for professional growth: stories of lived experiences of an economics teacher in a rural setting.
No full textMasters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.This thesis presents an understanding of my personal and professional development as an Economics teacher in a rural setting. I adopted a self-study methodology with narrative inquiry in this study to examine my lived experiences therefore I am the main participant in this study. I made use of storytelling to tell about my lived personal and professional experiences that contributed to shaping and moulding me into the teacher that I have become. This study was framed by the theories of Evans (2014) and Reid (2007) who concentrate on teacher formal and informal learning. The purpose of this study was to understand how my learning happened as a teacher in a rural setting. In addition, this study focused on the movement of unqualified teachers to qualified teachers. As the researcher and the researched in this study, my curiosity was to explore how my personal and professional learning contributed to my professional growth as an underqualified teacher in an under-resourced school. By using personal narrative inquiry, I was able to reflect on the personal and professional events that happened in my childhood and professional life. Through this study, I have discovered the meaningful experiences that I had never shared with anyone previously and I was able to reveals the factors that contributed to my professional development and more importantly, I identified my weaknesses and strengths. I have gained the strength to continue with my professional growth and to further my studies in Economics. I have discovered that there is a link between planned and unplanned learning which enhance teacher professional growth. The findings reveal that I acquired a deeper understanding of the self through memorising, retelling and reflecting on my lived personal and professional experiences. Through sharing my lived experiences, I was able to reinvent myself. Through this study I have learn that sharing of stories of lived experiences, contribute positively to personal and professional growth