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The perception of school management teams and Teachers about their role to implement the national school nutrition programme in the Sisonke District in KwaZulu-Natal
Get PDFThis study focused on the perception of School Management Teams and Teachers about their role to implement the national school nutrition programme in the Sisonke District in KwaZulu-Natal (South Africa). The national school nutrition programme like any other projects in the country, faces some changes in the District which seem to interfere with the role of stakeholders in implementing the programme. This study explored the following research question with the set of secondary research questions: What are the perceptions of School Management Teams and Teachers in the Sisonke District of KwaZulu-Natal about their role in National School Nutrition Programme? • What perceptions do teachers and school managers have on the implementation of National School Nutrition Programme? • What challenges do Teachers and School Managers have to enhance the objectives of the National School Nutrition Programme? Both Teachers and School Managers were conveniently and purposively selected. For the generation of data, semi-structured interviews were used which were tape-recorded which were followed by transcription of data with interim analysis. Data was also generated through the use document analysis. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data, which was theoretically framed by Maslow’s theory of motivation, Hertzberg two-factor motivation theory, Lawler and Porter’s Expectancy theory of motivation and the Situational theory of Hersey and Blanchard through which, I lens the study and managed to explain the findings. The study findings revealed that most Teachers and School Managers perceived national school nutrition programme as an important programme in the context of Umzimkhulu as it isa deep rural area. Despite the positive perceptions of Teachers and School Managers about their role, the study findings further revealed that they are facing some challenges in the implementation of the programme. The findings have several implications for poverty alleviation in the Sisonke District, job creation and improved learner’s attendance, improved health conditions of learners. They also highlighted the weaknesses of the DBE official’s nutrition sub-directorate about role players of the programme. Both stakeholders in fulfilling their role, should take into consideration the constitutional rights of learners as some of them are in Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Education, 202
Influence of argon ion implantation on the thermoluminescence properties of aluminium oxide
Get PDFThe influence of argon ion implantation on the thermoluminescence properties (TL) of aluminium oxide (alumina) was investigated. Aluminium oxide (Al2O3) samples were implanted with 80 keV Ar ions. An unimplanted sample and samples implanted at fluences of 1×1014, 5×1014, 1×1015, 5×1015, 1×1016 Ar+/cm2 were irradiated at a dose of 40 Gy and heated at a rate of 1°C/s using a Risø reader model TL/OSL-DA-20 equipped with a Hoya U-340 filter. The thermoluminescence glow curves showed five distinct peaks with main peaks at 178°C, 188°C, 176°C, 208°C, 216°C and 204°C for the unimplanted sample as well as implanted samples. The peak positions of the samples were independent of the irradiation dose suggesting that the samples were characterised by first order kinetics. This was also confirmed by the TM-TSTOP analysis. It was observed that the TL intensity decreases with fluence of implantation. This observation suggests that the concentration of electron traps responsible for thermoluminescence decreases with ion implantation. The decrease in electron concentration might be due to the formation of non-radiative transition bands or the creation of defect clusters and extended defects following the ion implantation and ion fluence increases. The stopping and range of atoms in matter (SRIM) program was used to correlate the TL response of Al2O3 with defects under ion implantation. Subsequent to ion implantation, it was found that the number of oxygen vacancies which are related to electron traps are higher than the number of aluminium vacancies. Kinetic analysis was carried out using the initial rise, Chens peak shape, various heating rate, the whole glow curve, glow curve fitting and the isothermal decay methods. The activation energy was found to be around 0.8 eV and the frequency factor to be of the order 108 −1 regardless of the implantation fluence. This means that argon ion implantation did not affect the nature of electron traps. The dosimetric features of samples were also investigated at doses in the range of 40 – 200 Gy. Samples generally showed a superlinear response at doses less than 140 Gy and sublinear response at doses higher than 160 Gy.Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Physics and Electronics, 202
Cannabidiol: extraction and purification using flow Chemistry
Get PDFcannabinoids are of growing interest in research and pharmaceutical applications. Cannabidiol, which is a non-psychoactive cannabinoid, has many pharmaceutical applications. The current and main source of cannabidiol and other cannabinoids is from cannabis and hemp extractions. Current extraction methods involve the use of conventional solvent extraction, which employs the use of organic solvents, in some cases along with mechanical assistance from various equipment. Alternatively, another widely used extraction method is the use of supercritical extraction fluids (SC-CO2 being the most common). An alternative method, which uses chemical synthesis to derivatize cannabidiol to form an intermediate, which is crystalline and can easily be isolated from the extract; the crystalline intermediate can then be deprotected back to pure cannabidiol. In this research, we investigated and adapted the crystallisation method (originally employed by Adams) into continuous flow. In this research, hemp extracts and oilsrich in CBD were used as the source for cannabidiol. This synthesis was adapted into microreactors to synthesise the crystalline intermediate ester product (cannabidiol-3,5-bis-benzoate) which was subsequently reacted in a saponification ester hydrolysis to convert back and isolate pure CBD using continuous flow microreactor technology. Chapter one gives a comprehensive literature review and background on cannabidiol, along with its chemistry and pharmacological benefits in addition to a brief introduction to continuous flow technology with its advantages. Chapter two details the experimental procedures utilised for both batch and continuous flow syntheses. The continuous flow synthesis and subsequent hydrolysis of the ester intermediate, which shows the improvements in comparison to batch; giving higher product recovery (63% CBD), in shorter reaction times (2.5 min for CBD bis-benzoate; 30 min for CBD) is subsequently presented. This is expanded in chapter three with detailed discussions of the results attained during the continuous flow. The concluding remarks, the impact of this study and future work are elucidated in chapter four.Thesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Biomolecular and Chemical Sciences, 202
An employer's ability to substitute a disciplinary hearing sanction
No full textIt is common practice for employers to appoint external disciplinary hearing chairpersons to preside over a disciplinary hearing which has been convened for purposes of investigating allegations of misconduct against an employee. The external chairperson is ordinarily mandated to decide on guilt, and to the extent that there is a guilty finding, to recommend or impose the appropriate disciplinary sanction. Employers often tend to have expectations that the external chairperson will, after having found the employee guilty of the alleged misconduct, impose a sanction of dismissal. The expected outcome of dismissal, however, does not always occur. An external chairperson may impose a sanction short of dismissal after considering an disciplinary sanction may result in the employer instituting an internal review process to review the external chairperson employers may resort to unilaterally substituting the external disciplinary sanction with a sanction of dismissal. or the collective agreement regulating the disciplinary procedure in the workplace may or may not make provision for the substitution of the disciplinary sanction. In circumstances where there is no provision for the substitution of the disciplinary sanction, t questions regarding the applicability of the double jeopardy principle which means, in an employment context, that an employee should not be subjected to more than one disciplinary hearing on disciplinary charges arising from the same set of facts. It is, however, a well-established principle that employers who are classified as organs of state can review their own decisions. This includes decisions of chairpersons who are appointed preside over disciplinary hearings and decide on the appropriate disciplinary sanction. In the latter case, and in circumstances where the organ of state is dissatisfied with the disciplinary sanction, it may institute review proceedings in the Labour available to organs of state and not private-sector employers. This research seeks to determine whether it is permissible for an employer to substitute an external , and, if so, the circumstances under which an employer is allowed to do so and the procedure which should be followed in such an instance.Thesis (LMM) -- Faculty of Law, Mercantile Law, 202
Effects of hydraulic fracking fluid on soil microbial composition and diversity
Get PDFThesis (MSc) -- Faculty of Science, Biochemistry and Microbiology, 202
Rainwater and alternative potable water microbial water quality and DRM implications in Makana Local Municipality
Get PDFThesis (MSc (Pharm)) -- Faculty of Pharmacy, Pharmacy, 202
A Smaller Circle
Get PDFMy thesis is a collection of prose forms weaving my identity as a South African woman of colour, my observations of life through personal, cultural and sociological lenses, where traditions are constantly challenged and evolving. The collection focuses on the untold and unresolved, using fiction as a tool of pushback and psychological reflection. I am motivated by writers who use what I would term reflective expressionism to evoke empathy by tapping into innate, universal emotions. In particular Tiff Holland’s vivid telling of family in the novella Betty Superman where she navigates complex relationships, and bell hooks’ memoirs Bone Black: Memories of Girlhood written as poetic vignettes in fluctuating points of view to draw attention to the intricacies of social structures. Joanna Walsh’s Vertigo has strongly influenced my approach to writing through her compelling imagery and use of motif in fragmented prose that delves into the psyche of her characters. I am also inspired by Lidia Yuknavitch’s visceral use of language, identifying with her invitation: “You deserve to sit at the table. The radiance falls on all of us.”Thesis (MACW) -- Faculty of Humanities, School of Languages, 202
An appraisal of strategies to mitigate related to non-communicable diseases of the eye: a case study of Michael Mapongwane Health Clinic in Khayelitsha, Western Cape Metro District
Get PDFPreventive and curative eye-care services are a critical component of care for patients diagnosed with chronic diseases. The South African constitution guarantees health as a fundamental human right of all citizens. While most chronically ill patients are managed at the primary health care centers, eye care services are currently contracted to private service providers. The extent to which people, especially the chronically ill patients, have access to eye-care service under the current structure is less understood. The study aims to establish the effectiveness and sustainability of the eye-care service delivery model at the Michael Mapongwane CHC, with specific reference to access to eye-care services. Specifically, the study examined the rate and determinants of eye-care service utilisation, assess user’s satisfaction and perspectives of primary health workers and private service providers regarding the current structure of eye-care services. The study adopted a descriptive and explanatory design, which involved a survey and semi-structured interviews. The survey was conducted among 423 patients attending the two primary health centers selected for this study. Patients with chronic illness were recruited over a period of one month. Overall, 365 patients with chronic illness and 58 patients without chronic illness took part in the study. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the quantitative date. Purposive sampling was used to select nine health workers and 10 private eye-care service providers for the semi-structured interviews. The data obtained were transcribed and coded. Thematic content analysis was performed on the qualitative data. The results show that less than half of the respondents (n=168) had ever had an eye test, and an even lower proportion (n=115) had had an eye test in the past two years. Age, female sex, formal rural dwelling, marital status, and income were significantly associated with ever having an eye test done. The results reveal a gross inequality in access to eye care test. Only 19.2% of patients diagnosed with hypertension had had their eyes examined. Even fewer proportions of the patients (8.5%) had had their eyes examined during or after diagnosis for hypertension. Likewise, only one in three patients diagnosed with diabetes has had their eyes examined before or after they were diagnosed with diabetes. The majority of patients who had used the services affirmed that it was easy to access eye care services. While most respondents agreed that waiting time to make an appointment was not too long, over half of them affirmed that waiting to see an eye doctor was too long. Most users were reasonably satisfied with the eye care services received. Primary health care providers highlighted challenges such as work overload, poor infrastructure, and patient’s forgetfulness of the appointment dates as factors affecting access to eye care services in their clinic. The primary challenges the private eye-care service providers experienced were small rooms or inappropriate clinic rooms, language barrier and inadequate support from the clinics. In conclusion, this study has shown that access to preventive and curative health care services was among patients attending primary health care centres, and especially those with chronic illness. The current structure of eye care services makes it difficult for patients to access care and for providers to provide quality care.Thesis (MPH) -- Faculty of Health Sciences, 202
Artisanal mining versus sustainability of agricultural food supply chains: effects of the conflicts in Southern Zimbabwe
Get PDFThis article seeks to establish the social and environmental consequences of artisanal mining on economic sustainability of agricultural food supply chains in Zimbabwe. Following a descriptive research design, interviews were conducted with 36 farmers. Interviewees were purposively sampled from potential respondents in Southern Zimbabwe. Interview results were triangulated with data from published reports and newspaper articles. Data was analysed using NVivo application version 12 and presented in vignettes. The results of this study are useful to artisanal miners, farmers, and government. Recommendations for further studies are given. KEYWORDS: Artisanal mining farmers food supply chains Zimbabwe sustainabilit
Pharmacological, toxicological and phytochemical evaluation of helichrysum petiolare hilliard & b.l. burtt - an indigenous plant traditionally used in the treatment of diabetes in the eastern cape province of South Africa
Get PDFDiabetes mellitus is one of the leading causes of death in South Africa, and it has already placed significant stress on the country’s health sector and economy. The orthodox hypoglycaemic drugs are not only ineffective in the management of the disease and its complications, but they also possess unwanted side effects. The need for alternative non-toxic drugs is therefore imperative. Various studies have listed several medicinal plants that can be successfully used in the herbal treatment of diabetes and have investigated them for their anti-diabetic potentials in vivo and/or in vitro. Out of the different potential herbal species, plants belonging to the Asteraceae family possess highly potent hypoglycaemic properties with negligible toxicities. Five Asteraceae plants widely used in different parts of South Africa for the treatment of diabetes were reviewed. The review provided an update of scientific evidence on the hypoglycaemic properties of the plants. However, Helichrysum petiolare was studied extensively in this study for its antidiabetic activity H. petiolare has been listed in many ethnobotanical surveys as a plant with potent hypoglycaemic potential, this, however, has not been properly verified in scientific literature and there has hardly been any study on the essential oil and nutritional composition, and antioxidant, antidiabetic, and cytotoxicity potentials of the plant. The effects of hydro-distillation (HD) and solvent-free microwave extraction (SFME) methods on the chemical constituents of H. petiolare-derived essential oils were evaluated. The SFME method had a higher yield of essential oil than the HD. There were substantial amounts of monoterpenes, monoterpene alcohols, sesquiterpenes, and sesquiterpene alcohols in both essential oils obtained, but these compounds were more profound in the SFME derived essential oil which has 62 compounds compared to the 52 derived through HD. The SFME derived essential oil can therefore be said to be of better quality than the HD method. The compounds obtained in the essential oils have high pharmaceutical and cosmetic value, and as observed in this study, their quantity is dependent on the method of extraction (Ibáñez and Blázquez, 2021; Kaur et al., 2021). The proximate analysis of the whole plant of H. petiolare showed high levels of Acid Detergent Fibre (ADF), vitamins (A, C and E), Neutral Detergent Fibre (NDF), and minerals. The high ADF level is believed to be responsible for the low energy, fat and carbohydrate levels observed in the study. The result showed a high level of oxalate and therefore suggests cooking of the plant before human consumption. Overall nutrition and mineral compositions of the plant showed that H. petiolare is immensely rich in vital nutrients that are of great importance to health and metabolism; these nutrients are suggested to be partly responsible for the plant’s useful medicinal properties. The phytochemical contents of the acetone (ACQ), ethanol (ETQ), and boiled (BAQ) and cold (CAQ) aqueous whole-plant extracts of Helichrysum petiolare were determined using standard phytochemical reaction methods. ABTS, DPPH, NO and TAC assays were used to evaluate their antioxidant properties. The highest total phenolic content (212,963 mg/g) was reported in the BAQ extract, while the ETQ had the highest flavonoid (172.393 mg/g) and proanthocyanidin contents (65.855 mg/g). Alkaloids, flavonols, and saponin were highest in the ACQ extract, while the CAQ had the lowest phytochemical content. Among the extracts, the BAQ had the highest DPPH•+ (IC50 0.02 mg/mL) and ABTS•+ (IC50 0.07) inhibition capacities, while the ETQ exhibited the highest NO• Inhibition (IC50 0.41 mg/mL) and TAC (IC50 0.19 mg/mL). These findings justify the use of H. petiolare in traditional medicine and further recommend the ETQ and BAQ extracts of the plant as more effective extracts for medicinal treatment. The hepatotoxicity (cytotoxicity, mitotoxicity and lipotoxicity) potential of the BAQ, CAQ and ETQ extracts of Helichrysum petiolare was evaluated using standard procedures. The results showed negligible BAQ and CAQ cytotoxicities, which were further, corroborated by stability in the mitochondrial membrane potentials and were congruent with the CAQ and BAQ results for steatosis and phospholipidosis. The data suggested favourable CAQ and BAQ toxicity profiles with limited risks for hepatotoxicity. The ETQ extract, however, showed significantly high levels of cytotoxicity and lipotoxicity, and a low level of mitotoxicity. Our result suggested a potential risk of the ETQ extract for hepatotoxicity but appears partly independent of direct mitochondrial involvement. Glucose uptake assay showed significantly increased glucose uptake in the BAQ and CAQ treated L6 and C3A cell lines. The CAQ extract enhanced glucose uptake more in the L6 myocytes than in the C3A cell-lines hepatocytes. The BAQ extract showed higher levels of inhibition on α–amylase and α-glucosidase activities as compared to CAQ. The BAQ and CAQ extracts of H. petiolare may, therefore, contain pharmacologically active and relatively non-toxic hypoglycaemic chemicals, which may be effective substitutes in the treatment of diabetes mellitus. This study provides up to date scientific information on the use of H. petiolare in the treatment of diabetes mellitus in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. It justifies the use of this plant in herbal medicine and sheds more light on its previously vaguely understood nutritional and medicinal potentials. More studies, however, need to be done to isolate, identify and purify the constituent bioactive compound(s). Their dosage of application and mode of action also needs to be understood.Thesis (PhD) -- Faculty of Science and Agriculture, 202