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Theoretical modelling of temperature and rainfall inuence on Schistosoma species population dynamics
Get PDFDissertation submitted to the Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology in partial fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Masters (MSc)in Biochemistry. Faculty of Science and Agriculture at the University of Zululand, 2018.Schistosomiasis, otherwise known as snail fever or bilharzia, is caused by parasitic
at-
worms called schistosomes. In human, these schistosomes infected the intestines or the
urinary tract where they develop to form other acute and chronic diseases which include
fever, malaise, severe abdominal pain, skin rashes, liver disease, lung disease, intestinal
disease and urinary tract disease depending on the schistosomes. The reoccurrence of
Schistosoma infections over the years may result into cancer of the bladder, obstruction
in urinary tract, portal or pulmonary hypertension and even death. This study was de-
veloped to investigate the in
uence of temperature and rainfall on population dynamics
of Schistosoma species over South Africa. Also, to investigate time-dependent control
strategies, so as to ascertain the best cost-e ectiveness optimal control strategy for schis-
tosomiasis eradication/control.
In this study, a deterministic schistosomiasis climate-based model was developed using
di erential equations. The numerical simulations of the system were done using MAT-
LAB and Ferret software in order to examine the e ect of climate variability on the
transmission dynamics of schistosomiasis. Furthermore, a deterministic model for the
transmission of schistosomiasis disease and optimal control analysis of the model was also
derived and analyzed. The model is found to exhibit multiple equilibria, the necessary
conditions for the optimal control of the disease was derived and analyzed. In addition,
the cost-e ectiveness of the controls was investigated in order to determine the most e ec-
tive strategy to control the disease with minimum costs. Finally, the numerical solutions
were presented.
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Numerical simulations showed that the impact of climate change on population dynamics
of schistosomiasis infection is greatly pronounced on the production, survivability and
fecundity rate of both freshwater snails and schistosomes. It was also showed by the nu-
merical simulations that all the strategies employed for schistosomiasis control have great
e ects both on the population of infected human and infected snail with control strate-
gies B, D, F, G, I and J showed great decrease e ects on the number of infected human
population. In the cost-e ectiveness of the control strategies, the results suggest that in
the presence of limited resources, policy makers may adopt the strategy I (combination
of the prevention, treatment and snail control) over J which includes additional cost of
controlling loss of immunity. Finally, the model further suggested future opportunity for
modi cation and re nement for the prediction of the e ects of climate variability on the
transmission dynamics of Schistosoma
Information literacy, self-concept and metacognitive ability of teacher-librarians at the University of Zululand
Get PDFPeer reviewed article published in the Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal),1673, (2018).The research scrutinises information literacy, self-concept and metacognitive ability of teacherlibrarians
at the University of Zululand, South Africa. A total of one hundred and ten (110)
copies of questionnaire were distributed among second-year teacher-librarians, out of which
fifty-seven (57) copies were returned with valuable responses, giving a response rate of 51.8%.
The study chronicled basic issues that concern self-efficacy, personal knowledge, task and
procedural knowledge, strategic and declarative knowledge, conditional knowledge and planning
ability of teachers. The research revealed, amongst other things, that the teacher-librarians lacked
the ability to use computer applications unaided. The teacher-librarians also acknowledged that
they had problem with their self-concept, especially pertaining to having the confidence to seek
for help in using computers and the Internet. In spite of the apparent advantages of information
literacy to teaching and learning, many of them declined that information literacy skill has the
potential to enhance their teaching skills. It was also observed that the teacher-librarians lacked
the ability to evaluate and identify sources of information resources. In conclusion, the findings
will constitute a veritable feedback to the Department of Education and lecturers handling the
teacher-librarians in evaluating the progress made in acquiring information literacy skill
Spectrum decision making in distributed cognitive radio networks using an optimal foraging approach
Get PDFA Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of ‘Doctor of Philosophy’
in the Department of Computer Science Faculty of Science and Agriculture at the University of Zululand, 2018In the recent past, Cognitive Radio (CR) technology has been regarded in the literature as the most promising technology for performing dynamic spectrum management. One of the major aspects of the spectrum management is referred to as the decision-making ability of CR users. Spectrum decision-making process involves the dynamic spectrum characterisation, selection as well as reconfiguration. The study of dynamic selection and reconfiguration of the frequency and channel bandwidth in spectrum decision-making is important specifically for the realisation of optimal spectrum utilisation in a distributed CR network (CRN).
Dynamic spectrum reconfiguration has previously been reported to improve the spectrum utilisation in CRNs. In exploiting spectrum reconfiguration of frequency and channel bandwidth to improve spectrum utilisation, various approaches have been adopted to develop models. However, the existing approaches have not been able to achieve optimal spectrum utilisation due to slow convergence, computational complexity, and repeatability challenges. Hence, the study of the efficacy of dynamic selection and reconfiguration approaches as a mechanism for improving the spectrum utilisation in a distributed CRN remains an open issue.
This study addresses this knowledge gap by studying the existing approaches that other researchers have used to develop models for spectrum reconfiguration. This provides unique insight into how those approaches converge slowly, consume computational resources, are non-generic and negatively affect the performance of the models that have been developed from those approaches. The biological approach has generic, simple analytic and high applicability properties. Motivated by the well-established properties of the biological foraging approach, a novel Foraging Inspired Spectrum Selection and Reconfiguration (FISSER) model is proposed.
In the proposed FISSER model, foraging animals are considered as Secondary Users (SU), whilst the prey are the available Primary Users’ frequencies. Similar to the biological foraging methodology, whereby the foraging animals search for prey the same way each SU with a message searches for possible available PUs’ frequency to be used for communication. The FISSER model is aimed at achieving both efficient spectrum utilisation and SUs’ node communication in a distributed CRN. The efficacy of the proposed FISSER model has been extensively validated both analytically and through computer simulations.
The simulation and analytical results obtained in this study have shown that the FISSER model yields improved communication performance, guarantees the energy efficiency, and maximises the spectrum utilisation compared to the most recently studied approaches
The experiences of high school educators in dealing with substance abuse at uThungulu District Schools
No full textA dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Education in fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Masters in Educational Psychology in the Department Of Educational Psychology and Special Needs Education at the University of Zululand, 2018The study examined the experiences of high school educators in dealing with substance abuse at uThungulu District schools. Data for the study was gathered through survey. A structured questionnaire was designed and used to obtain information from school educators who served as teachers and principals in selected schools. The descriptive design approach was employed in this study. Purposive sampling technique was employed to select five secondary schools in uThungulu Districts, while simple random sampling technique was used to select 176 educators from the five schools. The quantitative data collected through questionnaire were analysed using descriptive statistics of percentage and frequency counts. The results of the quantitative data were displayed as tables and graphs, followed by discussions of each result. The overall results revealed that substance abuse affects both mental and psychological wellbeing of learners, which later develops into poor academic performance. The Educators that participated in the study attested to this when they responded affirmatively that excessive use of drug affects physical coordination of learners in classes, mental disconnection, and permanent brain damage.
The study recommends the inclusion of Education for Substance Abuse Avoidance and Treatment as part of the core subjects in South African schools, and such should be offered in local languages. In addition, interactive teaching methods such as brainstorming, open discussions, and role-playing are recommended for all learners, including those who abuse substance and those addicted. Lastly, the study recommends the engagement of the professional Guidance and Counsellors in the South African schools whose primary assignment would be to counsel learners not only on substance abuse but also on career choice and future professional guidance
Recombinant expression, purification and structural characterization of Saccharomyces cerevisiae RING finger domain using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy
Get PDFA dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Science and Agriculture in fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Masters Of Science (MSc) in Biochemistry in the Department Biochemistry and Microbiology at the University Of Zululand, 2018RING finger domain is a domain that is incorporated with other domains to form a large protein known as RBBP6. This is a 250kDa protein that stands for Retinoblastoma binding domain protein 6. It is classified according to different homologues namely RBQ1, PACT, SNAMA, Mpe-1 and P2P-R depending on the organisms in which they are found. P2P-R (a RING finger containing protein) was found to be highly up-regulated in the oesophageal cells compared to normal epithelial cells. This was a pre-indication that P2P-R might serve as an antigen against cancer or be used in the diagnosis of cancer. Saccharomyces cerevisiae RING finger domain is a protein that is represented by the richness of cysteine sequence motif that binds to two zinc atoms. It has a cross-brace topology consisting of 70 amino acids and its sequence is defined as Cys1-Xaa2-Cys2-Xaa9–39-Cys3-Xaa1–3-His4-Xaa2-3-Cys/His5-Xaa2-Cys6-Xaa4–48-Cys7-Xaa2-Cys8 (where Xaa represents any amino acid residue). The RING finger domain is essential in proteins involved in a range of diverse cellular processes such as apoptosis, viral infections, oncogenesis and ubiquitination. The study presented in this dissertation reports on the recombinant expression and partial purification S. cerevisiae RING finger protein, as well as its biophysical and biochemical characterization. Structural predictions using the ProtParam tool on ExPASy provided information regarding the high structural stability due to the abundance of leucine in the protein. The protein has a limited ability for light absorption which is indicative of the absence of two important aromatic amino acids; tryptophan and tyrosine. More so, Swiss-Model showed that the 3D homology model structure is composed of two α-helices contributing to the stability of the structure, two β-sheets that prevents proteolysis and one 310 helix that maintains the helix-coiling transitions. The local quality estimate revealed the structure is rigid and stable. The non-redundant set of the Protein Data Bank analysis showed the structural prediction of the RING finger protein is accurate to a larger extent. Validation of the predicted model by Ramachandran plot showed that 88% of the amino acids residues are in the favoured region meaning that the modelled structure is an acceptable representation of the S. cerevisiae RING finger protein.More so, interacting partners for S. cerevisiae RING finger protein were also ascertained and these protein partners were shown to be involved in cleavage and polyadenylation, however, zinc fingers from YTH1 showed similarity with RING finger domain as promoters of DNA binding. Phylogenetics and sequence alignment showed the ancestral proteins are involved in ubiquitination, which is one of the major pathways of RING finger domains. Lastly, the biochemical characterization using a 1D proton NMR spectroscopy showed that S. cerevisiae RING finger protein is well folded and can be further worked upon. These results provide the baseline information for the structural determination of the S. cerevisiae RING finger domain for future studies
The contribution of the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) to democratic change in Swaziland, 1983-2013
Get PDFA thesis submitted to the Faculty of Arts in fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor Of Philosophy in History in the Department of History at the University of Zululand, 2018This is a historical study of modern politics in the Kingdom of Swaziland. It is a study of a leading driver for democratic change in Africa’s ‘only absolute monarchy’. The leading driver is a modern political formation known as the People’s United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) and the study demonstrates a variety of ways in which the Swazi monarchy responded to PUDEMO’s struggle to democratise the Kingdom of Swaziland. These ways are presented as signs of democratic practice in a country that abolished the Independence Constitution and cardinal practices of liberal democracy in 1973, five years after the end of formal British rule. The thesis uses the experience of PUDEMO to show that the signs of change were not simply products of monarchical benevolence, but came about as a result of pressure put by PUDEMO on the Swazi leaders. It is a study of the history of PUDEMO and its contribution to the process of democratisation of Swaziland. It interrogates the various ways in which PUDEMO has influenced change towards a democratic dispensation in the country
The disability cash transfer as a means of poverty reduction at Nqutu Local Municipality
Get PDFA thesis submitted to the Faculty Of Arts in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Masters in Community Work in the Department of Social Work at the University Of Zululand, 2017Disability and poverty can no longer be denied as being some of the major factors that affect a number of people across South Africa and other developing, or even developed countries. Yet, disability and poverty are still ill-defined and under researched. South Africa has developed an income system aimed at helping people with disabilities: The Disability Cash Transfer (DCT). Physical and mental conditions of people with disabilities vary from one person to another, which means that the type of care they require as they grow older is also different. Therefore, people with disabilities constantly require financial care and societal acceptance. This is why the South African government provides DCT for people with disabilities who cannot perform any formal work as a way to generate income for themselves. This study seeks to evaluate if the DCT has an effect on people’s lives, with regards to poverty reduction, within Nqutu Local Municipality. Based on the Nqutu Local Municipality Integrated Development Plan First review (2013/2014:6), the estimated dependency ratio on social grants is 90.60%. The Disability Cash Transfer is within that estimated percentage. In this study, both qualitative and quantitative data was obtained using questionnaires and interview schedules. The research instruments that were employed in this study to collect data from beneficiaries of DCT were questionnaires, and to gather information from SASSA officials, interview schedules were used. The study target population were the beneficiaries of DCT as well as SASSA officials of Nqutu Local Municipality. To sample DCT beneficiaries, convenience sampling was used, and to select SASSA officials, simple random sampling was employed. This researcher managed to get 73 DCT beneficiaries and 8 SASSA officials. Content analysis was used to analyse interview schedules, in which all SASSA officials expressed that DCT does have an effect on poverty reduction. To analyse questionnaires descriptive analysis and the statistics program (SPSS) was used. The findings of the study reveal that although the DCT may be satisfactory, there is a necessity for implementers to re-evaluate current operations to avoid the exclusion and inclusion errors that exist in the DCT distribution. Therefore, it is prudent for the government, community members, and SASSA to work concurrently into introducing new strategies that will strip off distribution errors and mitigate poverty. Findings, further exhibited that 91.78% respondents believe that the DCT has effects at Nqutu Local Municipality because beneficiaries are able to provide essential needs for their families. A high number of respondents 57.53% mentioned that there are challenges in the DCT distribution. These challenges were found to be the result of the imperfection of the system as it appeared the DCT beneficiaries would sometimes not receive full amount of their grant. It is recommended that the Department of Social Development working together with SASSA revisit the distribution procedure to avoid fraudulent activities that the DCT beneficiaries experience. To reduce poverty people with disabilities should also be given employment opportunities equal to people with no disabilities as a way to reduce a dependency ratio to social grants.National Research Foundation Of South Afric
Happiness as an end: a critique of Aristotle’s rational eudaemonism
Get PDFPeer reviewed article published under Inkanyiso journal, Volume 10 Number 1, p.51-62, November 2018.This paper examines Aristotle’s concept of happiness as encapsulated in his
Nicomachean Ethics. Aristotle argues that happiness is the supreme practical good
because it is perfect, final, self-sufficing and complete in itself. For him, happiness
is simply defined as rational eudaemonism (an activity of the soul according to reason
in contrast with mere sensual pleasure). In view of the foregoing, this paper
raises the question of whether happiness is actually an end as Aristotle posits.
What is happiness and how can we find it? Our objective is to critically evaluate
Aristotle’s position on the questions raised here and to see whether we can
develop a new moral thesis that can truly reflect our existential realities. Although
Aristotle’s position gives us a moral leap and is quite commendable in its ethicoepistemological
profundity, this paper, however, maintains that happiness is an
elusive concept. It argues that if at all anything termed happiness exists in this
world, it might only be transient, ephemeral and illusory and cannot be seen as an
end in the physical absolute terms when viewed from the standpoint of Plato’s
metaphysical dualism. The paper also argues that Aristotle did not say enough
about what we are supposed to do to attain happiness. He gives detailed
descriptions of many of the virtues, moral and intellectual, but with a persistent 'air
of indeterminacy'. The paper concludes that moral virtues are a necessary
component, but not a sufficient condition for happiness
Broadcast copyright and regulatory framework for free access to live football broadcasts in Kenya and South Africa
Get PDFoai:uzspace.unizulu.ac.za:10530/1847This study investigates the impact of broadcast copyright on access to the broadcasting of football in Kenya and South Africa. Broadcasting is the most important and popular platform over which football matches are distributed globally. Modern broadcasting and telecommunication technologies have created multimedia channels and platforms over which football events are exploited. The exploitation of these sporting events places greater reliance upon copyright and other intellectual property rights. Intellectual property rights in general and copyright in particular monopolises and individualises that which they protect. When football events are broadcast in Kenya and South Africa, they are assimilated into broadcasts which form one of the categories that are copyright protected in the two jurisdictions. At the same time when football games are recorded before transmission, they are protected as audio-visual works within the meaning of the copyright laws of South Africa and Kenya. The exclusive rights that broadcasting organisations enjoy in Kenya and South Africa create a monopoly over the broadcast football matches. Access to these events, therefore, on the part of the public becomes discretional at the whims of the broadcaster transmitting events.
On the other hand, the study found out that football is a popular culture not only in Kenya and South Africa but also across the world. Football is an expression of the people‘s culture and therefore glue that binds people together. It is viewed as a cultural heritage that promotes collective consciousness of a people. It promotes national cohesion and nationhood and thus important for countries like Kenya and South Africa where ethnicity and racial divisions are so pronounced. This calls for stronger legal and policy frameworks towards greater public access to broadcast football. This necessity is also justified by the fact that media transforms football events into stories through commentaries and analysis. The football events therefore become informational assets that have greater constitutional underpinnings within the context of the right to information. The public therefore has a constitutional claim to broadcast football as sports information as well as under the relevant international instruments like the International Convention on the Right of the Child of 1989 and the International Charter on Physical Education and Sport.
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The major findings of the study are that live broadcasting of football events is copyright protected in Kenya and South. This copyright protection though is not backed up by copyright doctrines and philosophies because transmission of football events is not a creation of the mind. Additionally, the exclusive rights that broadcasters enjoy over their broadcasts are buttressed by technological protection measures employed by pay TV services which encase absolutely football events. This situation has been exacerbated by the migration of premium football events from free-to-air (FTA) channels to subscription services which further limits access to broadcast football events that are encrypted.
Based on the foregoing findings, the study makes appropriate recommendations that would bring Kenya and South Africa to a level consistent with the global development. The global development is constructed from the practices and comparative analysis done vis-à-vis developed countries with strong traditions of sports and intellectual property rights
Experiences of growing up as a stepchild for young adults at university level: a qualitative approach
Get PDFA dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (Clinical Psychology) in the Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts at the University of Zululand, 2018.In this study, the qualitative approach was used to study the experiences of growing up as a stepchild. The aim of the study was to explore the experiences of growing up as a stepchild for young adults at university level. Half of the participants were male and half were females between the ages of 18 and 25. The results were presented as themes that were found to be common amongst the participants’ narratives. The themes are discussed and recommendations were made for functional stepfamily relationships and environment