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Assessment of Agro-based entrepreneurship opportunities in the fast track land reform programme in Marondera District, Zimbabwe
Get PDFIncludes summary in isiZuluThis study assessed the entrepreneurial opportunities inherent in the Fast-Track Land Reform
Programme (FTLRP) in the Marondera District of Mashonaland East province, Zimbabwe. The
study was energised by the idea that the quest for total economic independence can only be
realised by exploiting the agro-based entrepreneurial opportunities in the FTLRP. Critical
judgements have been made on the extent to which the FTLRP has been a success or a failure.
The researcher argues that the entrepreneurship opportunities contained in the FTLRP could
have had a transformative impact on livelihoods. Livelihoods have been impacted positively to
a large extent, hence the reason for this study. The study is anchored on the pragmatist
philosophy and adopted the mixed methods research paradigm. Data were collected using
unstructured interviews, structured questionnaires, and focus group discussions. The
respondents included stakeholders related to the FTLRP, such as the land beneficiaries as well
as agro-based dealers who facilitated the provision of enabling services for entrepreneurship
development. The major findings are that most farmers are engaged in primary production of
agricultural produce, which constitutes raw materials such as maize, sunflower and soya beans
that are produced for resale in processing industries. The prices offered in local markets are not
attractive enough to lure investment into agro-business entrepreneurship. Even though
government allocated land to beneficiaries, the issue of property rights has remained a concern
to FTLRP farmers. The farmers feel vulnerable because they do not have ownership rights,
thus making them at risk of eviction. Furthermore, these farmers cannot farm sustainably, as
they are unable to borrow money from banks to support agro-business entrepreneurship. The
study recommends that government issues farmers with the property rights such as title deeds,
and train farmers on more intensive farming methods towards increasing the hectares of
productive land, with specialisation in selected crops that fetch bigger margins of return on
investment for farmers to enjoy economies of scale. There is a need for all stakeholders,
particularly government, banks, development partners and the donor community to mobilise
financial resources that can provide a diverse source of funding to support agro-based
entrepreneurship.Olu phando luhlole amathuba oshishino akhoyo kwiNkqubo yokuHlaziywa koMhlaba
ngokukhawuleza eyaziwa ngokuba yi-Fast-Track Land Reform Programme (FTLRP)
kwiSithili iMarondera kwiphondo laseMashonaland East, eZimbabwe. Uphando lukhuthazwe
yingcamango yokuba ukufuna ukuzimela ngokupheleleyo kwezoqoqosho kunokufezekiswa
kuphela ngokusebenzisa amathuba oshishino olusekelwe kwezolimo kwiFTLRP. Kwenziwe
uhlalutyo olugwebayo malunga nokuba iFTLRP ibe yimpumelelo okanye iye yasilela na.
Umphandi uxoxa ukuba amathuba oshishino aqulethwe kwiFTLRP ebenokuba nefuthe
lokuguqula indlela yokuziphilisa. Iindlela zokuziphilisa ziye zachaphazeleka kakuhle
ubukhulu becala, nto leyo ekhokelele kolu phando. Olu phando lusekelwe kwifilosofi egxile
ekusetyenzisweni kwengcamango esebenzayo endaweni kokufaneleka kwayo okunokwenzeka
eyaziwa ngokuba yi-pragmatist philosophy, lwaze lwasebenzisa iindlela ezixubileyo
zophando. Idatha iqokelelwe kusetyenziswa udliwanondlebe olungacwangciswanga,
amaxwebhu emibuzo ecwangcisiweyo, kunye neengxoxo zeqela ekugxilwe kulo luphando.
Abaphenduli bophando baquka abathathinxaxheba abanxulumene neFTLRP, njengabaxhamli
bomhlaba kwakunye nabathengisi bezolimo ababeququzelela ukubonelelwa kweenkonzo
ezinika amandla kuphuhliso lwamashishini. Iziphumo eziphambili kukuba uninzi lwamafama
lubandakanyeka kwimveliso ephambili yemveliso yezolimo, evelisa iimveliso ezingacolwanga
ezifana nombona, ujongilanga kunye neembotyi zesoya eziveliswa ukuze zithengiswe
kwakhona kumashishini okuzicola. Amaxabiso anikezelwa kwiimarike zasekuhlaleni
akanamtsalane ngokwaneleyo ukulukuhla utyalomali kushishino lwamashishini ezolimo.
Nangona urhulumente wabela abaxhamli umhlaba, umba wamalungelo omhlaba uye wahlala
uxhalabisa kumafama eFTLRP. Amafama aziva esemngciphekweni kuba engenawo
amalungelo obunini, nto leyo ibenza abe semngciphekweni wokugxothwa kule mihlaba.
Ngaphezu koko, la mafama awakwazi ukulima ngokuzinzileyo nanjengoko engakwazi
ukuboleka imali ezibhankini ukuxhasa ushishino lwamashishini ezolimo. Olu phando lucebisa
ukuba urhulumente anikeze amafama amalungelo omhlaba afana neziqinisekiso/iitayitile
zomhlaba, aze aqeqeshe amafama kwiindlela zokulima ezimandla ngakumbi ekwandiseni
iihektare zomhlaba onemveliso, ingakumbi kwizityalo ezikhethiweyo ezenza ingeniso enkulu
yenzuzo kutyalomali lwamafama ukuze onwabele uqoqosho lwemveliso yawo. Kukho
imfuneko yokuba bonke abachaphazelekayo, ingakumbi urhulumente, iibhanki, amahlakani
ophuhliso kunye noluntu olunikelayo, baqokelele izibonelelo zemali ezinokubonelela
ngomthombo wenkxasomali ongafaniyo ukuxhasa ushishino olusekelwe kwezolimoD. Phil. (Development Studies)Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theolog
Experiences of administrators and teachers espousing child-centred learning in three Utah County charter kindergartens
Get PDFIn the United States, national laws regarding education have been pushing for higher standards in terms of academic rigour and accountability. Standards-based education is now the law of the land. In response to these legal and political pressures, highly structured, didactic pedagogical approaches have become more common in kindergarten, the first year of state-funded education (comparable to Grade R in South Africa). Utah, specifically, has the largest class sizes and the lowest per-pupil funding of any state in the US, compounding the challenges in protecting child-centred pedagogical approaches. Because of these pressures, child-centred pedagogical practices have become threatened in kindergarten to make way for more direct-instruction, highly academic work with narrow focus on math and literacy achievement. The problem facing kindergarten stakeholders is how to incorportate child-centred practices in the face of these new pressures and expectations. This research seeks to elucidate what three Utah County Charter Schools are doing to include child-centred practices in their kindergartens by examining the experiences of administrators and teachers who establish or maintain these programmes. The objectives of the study are these: to explore how child-centred kindergartens are established, determine specific strategies used by administrators and teachers to support child-centred learning in kindergarten, and to identify resources necessary to maintain a child-centred kindergarten programme.
For this qualitative study, the public websites of all charter elementary schools in Utah County were consulted and all those that indicated they use child-centred approaches were selected as case study sites. From each of these three schools, one administrator and any experienced kindergarten teachers were invited to participate. One administrator and two teachers from Site A, two teachers from Site B, and the sole kindergarten teacher at Site C all participated. These six participants were all interviewed. A classroom at each site was observed. Documents regarding child-centred practices at each site were collected. Gathering data using these three methods bolsters the creditability of the findings. Framework analysis, chosen for its qualities of weighing all data equally and usefulness in evaluating the application of theory, was conducted on the data from the interviews, observations and documents.
Significant findings include substantial agreement among participants with the literature in philosophies and strategies espoused by other child-centred programmes. Interestingly, all three schools profess very distinct philosophies: one Montessori, one Waldorf and one with a general emphasis on discovery- and play-based learning. However, despite their differences they all have successful child-centred kindergartens. One strategy common to them all is their schedule. They all have full-day programmes, over twice as much daily time as Utah law requires for kindergarten, and they all budget significant time for play. Other findings common between sites include extensive resource use in terms of toys, space and hands-on learning materials. A surprising finding is that there is a lack of training in child-centred approaches given to teachers at Site A and Site B, yet these kindergartens still have many child-centred elements. One possible explanation for this success despite minimal training is the unifying philosophy each school is founded on, codified in each school’s charter.
Recommendations based on this research include both theoretical and practical recommendations. Theoretically, children would benefit from their school adopting a unifying philosophy across a school; this would help teachers to self-regulate and self-train according a shared set of balues. Practical recommendations include striving for small teacher: pupil ratios, devoting adequate resources to kindergarten, making child choice a part of every day, and providing children in kindergarten with a wealth and variety of experiences.D. Phil. (Education in Early Childhood Development)Early Childhood Educatio
Genomic markers associated with immune traits in Sasso chickens raised in Ethiopia
No full textNewcastle disease virus (NDV) is one of the highly contagious avian pathogens that threaten
poultry producers based in endemic zones as a result of its epidemic potential. Selection for
antibody (Ab) response has potential to effectively improve the resistance of disease in chickens.
However, the molecular basis of the variation among chickens in Ab response to NDV remains
unclear. This study aimed to identify the genes modulating Ab response to a viral pathogen such
as NDV while under outdoor conditions. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) was
conducted on Sasso T451A chickens that were naturally exposed to infectious diseases to identify
regions associated with Ab response to NDV. Phenotypic and immune data from 1022 chickens in
two batches (507 in batch four and 515 in batch five) and genotyping from 935 chickens (2,676,181
single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNP)) were used for association analysis. BioMart data mining
as well as variant effect predictor tools were used to annotate SNPs and candidate genes,
respectively. The results revealed that batch four compared to batch five chickens showed a
stronger Ab response at 56 days and lower Ab response at 112 days old. A total of five significant
SNPs (rs733628728, rs316795557 (FOXP2), rs313761644 (CEP170B) and two unnamed) were
significantly (p <3.92E-7) associated with chicken antibody response to ND. These SNPs present
on chromosomes 1, 5 and 13, are in genomes regions including several genes with roles in the
regulation of the immune response. The results of this study pave the path for more investigation
into the host immune response to NDV.M. Sc. (Agriculture)College of Agriculture and Environmental Science
Development of a support model for the implementation of the new nursing qualifications in South Africa
No full textThe purpose of the study was to explore the preparedness of Public Nursing Colleges
(PNCs) in the implementation of the new nursing qualifications framework and
development of a support model to provide a blueprint for the implementation of R174
programme at PNCs in South Africa. The study was undertaken at thirteen (13) selected
PNCs in Gauteng, North-West, Free State and Limpopo provinces that are involved in
the implementation of the new qualification.
A multi-phase explanatory sequential mixed-methods research design was adopted. In
the first phase, the researcher collected qualitative data with the selected principals and
vice-principals, through a face-to-face semi-structured interview guide. In the second
phase, quantitative data was collected from 209 educators through a self-administered
and close-ended structured questionnaire based on a 5-point Likert scale. Sequential
data analysis was performed for the qualitative interview-based data by means of Tesch’s
eight-step method, while the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 26
computer programme was used to analyse the quantitative data. The results revealed
that the participants found the support inadequate and reported various challenges,
despite constant involvement and support from different stakeholders. The challenges for
implementation of new nursing qualifications included: budget constraints for
procurement of resource materials; creation of posts and hiring staff for facilitation,
teaching and clinical support; lack of support from different bodies responsible for
programme accreditation; uncooperative and limited commitment by key role players;
lack of communication between clinical and academic settings; weak leadership and
governance in planning and oversight of the preparation process; ineffective
implementation of staff development programmes; inadequate funding and limiting capacity for admission of students; inconsistent Management of Information System
(MIS) practices, as well as infrastructure and technology-related problems such as poor
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) facilities to realise the Fourth Industrial
Revolution (4IR).
The findings indicated the need for various support systems to enhance the
implementation of the new programmes in Public Nursing Colleges. Both phases
indicated the need for consistent involvement or strengthening collaboration of external
stakeholders in a formal quality assurance processes and upgrading of Information and
Communication Technology infrastructure. Phase I indicated the need for an improved
Management Information System and upgraded storage and logistics for handling
teaching and learning activities. Phase II indicated a need for common standards for
lecturers to support the implementation of the new qualifications, and for leadership and
governance weaknesses to be addressed to support the implementation process. Based
on the qualitative and quantitative findings, the researcher then developed a support
model for the implementation of the R174 programme at PNCs in South Africa. The
support model was examined and refined for content relevance, and accepted on the
basis of consensus expert nurse educators. The model was deemed important to assist
the PNCs to implement the new nursing qualification as informed by the reviewed
literature and participants’ recommendationsD. Litt. et Phil. (Health Studies)Health Studie
The experiences, challenges and coping strategies of foster parents raising teenage foster children
No full textGlobally, there is an estimated high population of teenage children who grow up in
foster care. In South Africa, these children are legally placed in foster care by the
commissioner of the children`s court inquiry in terms of Section 156 of the Children`s
Act 38 of 2005. However, in South Africa and beyond, foster care is just one of the
options that are available to care for and protect teenage children in need. Teenage
children that are admitted for foster care exhibit various behaviours that originate from
their family of origin. This tends to pose challenges to foster parents who, resultantly,
may face various difficulties to raise their teenage foster children.
The primary goal of the current study was to develop an in-depth understanding of
challenges, experiences, and coping strategies of foster parents in raising teenage
foster children. This qualitative study explored, described, and contextualised
challenges that are faced by teenage children’s foster parents. Participants were
recruited through purposive sampling, which is designed to access participants who
have lived experiences and highly likely rich data. The data saturation was reached
with fourteen (14) participants. Semi-structured interview questions that were collated
into an interview guide were used for data collection. The data was analysed using
Tesch’s eight steps. Furthermore, to ensure trustworthiness, Guba’s data verification
model of credibility, dependability, conformability, and transferability, was used. The
study followed appropriate research ethical procedures.
The study’s findings suggest that teenage children’s foster parents face various
challenges in raising them. The challenges include teenage foster children back
chatting their parents, coming home late at night, abusing substances, and demanding expensive clothes. However, foster parents reported various coping strategies that
they adopted to survive the challenges that they faced. The study recommends that
teenage children’s foster parents must receive ongoing support to enhance their
coping strategies. The support may include the development of support groups,
ongoing foster care supervision, and counselling for foster parents.M.A. (Social Work)Social Wor
An exploratory study into the connection between Industry 4.0 and workplace diversity
Get PDFIncludes summaries in Afrikaans and ZuluThe Fourth Industrial Revolution has disrupted our traditional world of work through
the introduction of advanced technology. The way in which workplace diversity in the
form of age, gender, and education of people affect their ability to function in the Fourth
Industrial Revolution era is largely unknown. The study aimed to explore the impact of
Industry 4.0 on the workplace diversity traits of age, gender, and education in the South
African workplace. An interpretivist study using a qualitative methodology was
undertaken. Nineteen in-depth semi-structured interviews and observations were
conducted online and face-to-face at three organisations in the Gauteng province.
The results of the study showed that technology has removed mundane and
repetitive tasks to simplify work and improve time of task completion in the workplace;
however, the integration of robots into the workplace has raised concerns of
increased job losses. The study further indicated that robots will not take over jobs
completely but will require the workforce to be enhanced, thus calling for reskilling
and upskilling of existing and future employees. Job roles will continue to change as
technology is updated. The older generations are resistant to technological changes,
but they should not be alienated because of their vast knowledge and experience.
The younger generations embrace diversity, are flexible, innovative, and competitive.
These characteristics allow for managers to utilise their strengths to drive the
organisational goals and vision. Gender was not a determining factor as to which
gender adapts better to technology. However, more males occupy senior positions in
the three sample organisations as opposed to females, which points to gender
inequality at higher levels in the sample organisations. A formal qualification is a good
foundation to have; however, self-education through informal learning avenues can
assist willing individuals to upskill themselves through online resources. There needs
to be collaboration between the industry and universities to ensure better
employability and training of graduates to convert theoretical knowledge into practical
skills in order to solve real-world problems in the modern workplace.
This study contributed to filling a gap in the literature by combining the Fourth
Industrial Revolution with workplace diversity, focusing on the specific diversity traits
of age, gender, and education. The findings were used to make recommendations to
industry, government and theory. Industries who have employed Industry 4.0
technologies, can utilise this study to benchmark with other organisations to gain
knowledge from different perspectives and to share their knowledge to manage their
employees better. Government needs to encourage innovation, allow for investment
into education and training around Industry 4.0, and update policies and other
requirements as technology changes. The study will facilitate an understanding of
how resources can be used to optimise the impact of the Fourth Industrial Revolution
on major organisations as well as the impact thereof on employees in the
workplace. It is recommended that the organisations focus on the internal resources
and utilise their resources better by means of the resource-based view.Die Vierde Industriële Revolusie het ons tradisionele wêreld van werk ontwrig deur die
bekendstelling van gevorderde tegnologie. Die manier waarop werkplekdiversiteit in
die vorm van mense se ouderdom, geslag en opvoeding hulle vermoë beïnvloed om
in die era van die Vierde Industriële Revolusie te funksioneer, is grootliks onbekend.
Die studie het ten doel gehad om die impak van Industrie 4.0 op die
werkplekdiversiteitseienskappe van ouderdom, geslag en opvoeding in die Suid Afrikaanse werkplek te verken. ’n Interpretivistiese studie is met behulp van ‘n
kwalitatiewe metodologie onderneem. Negentien diepgaande semi-gestruktureerde
onderhoude en waarnemings is aanlyn en van aangesig tot aangesig gevoer by drie
organisasies in die Gautengprovinsie. Die resultate van die studie het getoon dat
tegnologie alledaagse en herhalende take verwyder het om werk te vereenvoudig en
tyd van taakvoltooiing in die werkplek te verbeter; die integrasie van robotte in die
werkplek het egter kommer oor verhoogde werkverliese laat ontstaan. Die studie het
verder aangedui dat robotte nie werk heeltemal gaan oorneem nie, maar gaan vereis
dat die arbeidsmag verbeter word, wat dus ’n beroep doen op heropleiding en
vaardigheidsverbetering van bestaande en toekomstige werknemers. Werkrolle gaan
aanhoudend verander soos tegnologie verbeter. Die ouer generasies bied weerstand
teen tegnologiese veranderinge, maar hulle moet nie vanweë hulle uitgebreide kennis
en ervaring vervreem word nie. Die jonger generasies aanvaar diversiteit, en hulle is
buigsaam, innoverend en mededingend. Hierdie eienskappe laat bestuurders toe om
hulle sterkpunte te gebruik om die organisasiedoelwitte en -visie te bevorder. Geslag
was nie ’n bepalende faktor van watter geslag beter by tegnologie aanpas nie. Meer
mans beklee egter senior posisies in die drie steekproeforganisasies in teenstelling
met vroue, wat dui op geslagsongelykheid op hoër vlakke in die
steekproeforganisasies. ’n Formele kwalifikasie is ’n goeie grondslag om te hê;
selfopvoeding deur informele leerweë kan egter gewillige individue help om hulle
vaardighede deur middel van aanlyn hulpbronne te verbeter. Daar moet samewerking
wees tussen die bedryf en universiteite om beter indiensneembaarheid en opleiding
van gegradueerdes te verseker om teoretiese kennis in praktiese vaardighede om te
skakel en sodoende werklike probleme in die moderne werkplek op te los.
Hierdie studie vul ’n gaping in die literatuur deur die Vierde Industriële Revolusie met
werkplekdiversiteit te kombineer, met die fokus op die spesifieke
diversiteitseienskappe van ouderdom, geslag en opvoeding. Die bevindinge is gebruik
om aanbevelings vir die bedryf, regering en teorie te maak. Bedrywe wat Industrie 4.0-
tegnologieë gebruik, kan hierdie studie gebruik om saam met ander organisasies
normbepaling te doen om verskillende perspektiewe te verkry en om hulle kennis te
deel om hulle werknemers beter te bestuur. Die regering moet innovasie aanmoedig,
voorsiening maak vir belegging in onderwys en opleiding rondom Industrie 4.0, en
beleide en ander vereistes bywerk soos tegnologie verander. Die studie fasiliteer ’n
begrip van hoe om hulpbronne in te span om die impak van die Vierde Industriële
Revolusie op groot organisasies asook werknemers in die werkplek te optimaliseer.
Daar word aanbeveel dat organisasies moet fokus op interne hulpbronne en dit beter
benut deur middel van die hulpbrongebaseerde siening.Inguqukazi Yesine Yezorhwebo iyiphazamisile indlela ebekufudulwa kusetyenzwa
ngayo ngenxa yokungenisa ubuchwepheshe obukwizinga eliphezulu. Ifuthe
leyantlukwano ekusebenzeni kwabantu ngokuphathelene nobudala, isini,
nemfundo yabantu alaziwa gokubanzi kweli xesha leNguqukazi Yesine
Yezorhwebo. Esi sifundo sasijolise ekuphandeni ngefuthe leNguqukazi Yesine
Yezorhwebo kwiimpawu zeyantlukwano emsebenzini ngokumalunga nobudala, isini
nemfundo kwiindawo zemisebenzi eMzantsi Afrika. Uphando lwalandela indlela
yophando ngokutolika imeko nangokuzathuza. Iindliwano ndlebe ezilishumi
elinethoba ezingaqingqwanga ngqongqo kunye neengqwalasela zaqhutywa
ngeintanethi nangeendibano zobuso ngobuso kumaqumrhu amathathu kwiphondo
laseGauteng. Iziphumo zesifundo sophando zabonisa ukuba ubuchwepheshe
buyisusile imisetyenzana edikayo nephindaphindayo ukuze umsebenzi ube lula,
kuphuculwe ixesha lokugqiba ekumele kwenziwe emsebenzini. Noxa kunjalo,
ukufakwa kweerobhothi emsebenzini kudale inkxalabo yokuba kungakhula
ukulahlekelwa yimisebenzi. Isifundo sibuye sabonisa ukuba iirobhothi
azizukuyithatha ngokupheleleyo imisebenzi, into efunekayo kukuxhobisa abasebenzi
abakhoyo nabaseza kuqeshwa ngezakhono ezitsha. Iindima zomsebenzi ziza kuthi
gqolo zitshintsha njengokuba ubuchwepheshe buhambela phambili. Abantu abadala
abazithakazeleli iinguqu zobuchwepheshe, kodwa oko akuthethi kuthi mabakheswe
ngoba banolwazi namava abanzi. Abantu abatsha bona bayamkela lula
iyantlukwano, bayithambele inguqu, ba nodla ekuqaleni izinto kwaye bayathanda
ukukhuphisana. Ezi mpawu zivumela ukuba abaphathi basebenzise amandla abo
ekuqhubeleni phambili iinjongo neembono zequmrhu. Isini asibanga luphawu
oluphandwayo kuba asidlali ndima ingako kubuchwepheshe. Kwafumaniseka
ukuba maninzi amadoda ngaphezu kwabafazi kwizikhundla eziphezulu kula
maqumrhu mathathu kwakuphandwa kuwo, nto leyo ibonakalisa ukungalingani
ngokwesini. Imfundo esesikweni sisiseko esomeleleyo, kodwa ukuzifundela
umsebenzi kumaqonga angekho sesikweni kunakho ukumnceda umntu ofuna
ukunyusa umgangatho wakhe njengokufunda kwimithombo yolwazi efumaneka kwi intanethi. Kudingeka intsebenziswano phakathi kwamashishini neeyunivesithi ukuze
kuqinisekiswe ukuqesheka okungcono nokuqeqeshwa kwabafundi abaphumeleleyo
ekuthini baguqule ulwazi olusezincwadini lube lolunokusetyenziswa ngeenjongo zokusombulula iingxaki ezikhoyo kwiindawo zemisebenzi zale mihla.
Esi sifundo sifake igxalaba ekuvaleni isikhewu kuluncwadi ngokudibanisa
Inguqukazi Yesine Yezorhwebo kunye neyantlukwano emsebenzini, kugxininiswa
kwiimpawu zeyantlukwano ezibubudala, isini nemfundo. Okufunyanisiweyo
kwasetyenziselwa ukufaka iingcebiso kumaqumrhu ezoshishino, kurhulumente
nakubaqulunqi beengcingane. Amaqumrhu asebenzisa ubuchwepheshe ekuthiwa
bobeIndustry 4.0, angasisebenzisa esi sifundo ekuzithelekiseni namanye amaqumrhu
ngenjongo yokufumana ulwazi oluvelelwe kwiinkalo ngeenkalo kunye nokwabelana
ngolwazi ngenjongo yokuphucula indlela yokulawula abasebenzi. Urhulumente udinga
ukukhuthaza umdla wokuziqalela, atyale imali emfundweni nakuqeqesho malinga
neIndustry 4.0, kwaye aphucule imigaqo nkqubo nezinye iimfuno njengokuba
ubuchwepheshe buguquguquka. Esi sifundo siza kuququzelela ukuqonda ukuba
imithombo inokusetyenziswa njani ekomelezeni ifuthe leNguqukazi Yesine
Yezorhwebo kumaqumrhu amakhulu nakubasebenzi. Kucetyiswa ukuba amaqumrhu
aqwalasele imithombo yangaphakathi, ayisebenzise ngcono loo mithombo
ngokuyibona ngenkalo yokuqonda esekelwe kwimithombo.M. Com. (Business Management)Business Managemen
Fabrication of electrochemical sensors using manganese oxide nanostructure- and cobalt oxide nanostructure-decorated ytterbium nanorods as electrocatalysts for the detection of flutamide, bicalutamide and hydroxyflutamide in spiked samples
No full textAnti-androgens (AAs) are a class of pharmaceutical drugs used to treat prostate cancer. Over the years, prostate cancer has been reported as the most frequent cancer diagnosis in men and the leading cause of mortality worldwide. However, recent studies show that deaths related to prostate cancer have reduced due to new cancer therapies, including AAs. Consequently, the number of patients using AAs is increasing exponentially. The unremitting use of these AAs may lead to regular excretion in the urine and faeces, thus entering wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Since some of these compounds are not entirely eliminated by wastewater treatment plant processes, trace levels remain in inadequately treated sewage effluents and are discharged into surface waters. The discharge might cause continued consumption by people who use surface water for survival, thus causing problems such as drug resistance.
Consequently, there is a need to develop methods to determine and control AAs in water. Several analytical methods have been employed. However, the employed methods suffer drawbacks such as high-cost, time consumption and tedious protocols. It is, therefore, of uttermost importance to develop alternative methods to monitor and quantify AAs in water bodies. The AAs of interest in this study are flutamide (FLU), bicalutamide (BIC) and hydroxyflutamide (OHF). In this work, I have developed five electrochemical sensors based on manganese oxide (MnO) and cobalt oxide (CoO) nanostructures (NSs); ytterbium nanorods (YbNRs); as well as YbNRs decorated with MnONSs and CoONSs (YbNRs/MnONSs and YbNRs/CoONSs) as electrocatalysts. This study was conducted in compliance with the University’s Policy on Research Ethics and within the confines of the conditions stipulated in the acquired ethical clearance certificate. The electrocatalysts were synthesised using the hydrothermal and precipitation methods. The as-prepared materials were characterised using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, Ultraviolet-Visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), Transmission Electron microscopy (TEM), Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD). The electrochemical techniques employed in this study are Cyclic Voltammetry (CV) and Square Wave Voltammetry (SWV). The electrochemical responses of the fabricated sensors were examined at a linear range from 32.01 – 50.00 μM. The limit of detections (LODs) and quantifications (LOQs) of the fabricated sensors were comparable to the literature. Both fabricated sensors showed good percentage recoveries. The fabricated electrochemical sensors showed good selectivity, stability, reliability, repeatability and reproducibility. Thus, it can be concluded that the fabricated sensors may represent a simple, low-cost and comfortable electrochemical tool for routine analysis in pharmaceutical and environmental monitoring of contaminants.M. Sc. (Chemistry)Chemistr
An ethico-legal analysis of benefit sharing for health research in South Africa
No full textHealth care research conducted in LMICs, including South Africa, has exploded in the last few decades. Albeit a welcome development, there has emerged the fear of and actual exploitation of host communities. As health care research has become funded by private business and often in North-South collaborations at academic institutions by foreign government agencies, potential exploitation is a reality, as there is usually an unfair distribution of risks and benefits among the parties involved. While it stands true that the overall goal of health research is to attain global health and wellness for all, health research using HBMs cannot occur in an exploitative environment that takes unfair advantage of people’s vulnerabilities. Benefit sharing should be a tool for guarding against exploitation and not the basis of a strategy to address urgent global health needs or resolve inherent issues of global distributive justice.
In an attempt to identify the best benefit sharing model for health research for South Africa from an ethico-legal view perspective, one that tempers (not diminishes) commercial interests, redresses economic imbalance and gives research participants fairer and more active roles in influencing the sharing of benefits, this thesis canvasses the current legal framework for benefit sharing in South Africa, as well as other jurisdictions.
The thesis concludes that a benefit sharing framework, based on the charitable trust model, could be adopted in South Africa. This framework recognises the various stakeholders that are part of a research project at different levels of society, whilst simultaneously acknowledging that it is possible to have different types of fair benefits at each stakeholder level, even in the absence of a final, tangible benefit. In terms of this model, academic medical centres and/or research institutions would cease to be brokers of the HBMs and instead become custodians of the samples. This proposed framework will promote compliance with data privacy and informed consent requirements without compromising its value as an information-rich HBM supplier. It would also make the first recipients of HBMs the trustees of the HBMs instead of brokers having legal fiduciary duties over the HBMs, whilst permitting the use of the donated HBMs in a way that benefits the donor as a beneficiary of the trust. Moreover, this trust model will be in the ideal position to create and facilitate continuous communication channels with the donor community, researchers, policymakers and teaching hospitals for fostering trust in health research and its benefits for all stakeholders involved.Ph. D. (Philosophy of Law)Jurisprudenc
Strategies for the prevention of type 2 diabetes mellitus among adults in Bale Zone, South East Ethiopia
No full textText in EnglishThe purpose of this study was to develop strategies to prevent type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) among adults in the Bale Zone, south-east Ethiopia.
The study was organised into three phases. Phase I involved a population-based quantitative descriptive cross-sectional design to determine the prevalence of T2DM, analyse its risk factors, and describe adults' knowledge and perceptions towards T2DM risky behaviours and their prevention among adults in the Bale Zone administrative towns. It involved 557 adults aged 18 and above. The data was collected using a structured questionnaire for the interview, physical measurements, and fasting blood glucose testing. Phase II focused on an unmatched case-control study to identify determinants of T2DM and involved 182 T2DM patients and 362 control adults without diabetes from selected hospitals in the Bale Zone using a structured questionnaire, physical measurements, mental stress, and food insecurity. The data were processed using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) version 25 and STATA software version 14 for both phases 1 and 2 of the study. The validity and reliability of the data were ensured. The rigour of the data in phases 1 and 2 of the study was ensured through validity and reliability. Simple descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression were used to analyse the data. The study was conducted with consideration for ethical principles of research such as beneficence, justice, informed consent, respect for individuals, privacy and confidentiality, and scientific integrity. In phase III, based on the findings of the two phases of the study, an extensive literature review, and expert opinions, the researcher developed strategies for the prevention of T2DM in adults.
In Phase I, the prevalence of T2DM was found to be 6.7%, with only 8.2% aware of their status. Factors such as not eating fruit, eating animal fat, not engaging in vigourous-intensity physical activity related to work, having a higher BMI, and having high blood pressure (hypertension) have all been significantly associated with T2DM.
In terms of knowledge about T2DM risky behaviours and prevention, 42.6% of respondents had a "low" level, 38.3% had a "medium" level, and 19.1% had a "high" level. The majority of respondents demonstrated high perceptions of susceptibility, severity, and the benefits of applying preventative activity to T2DM.
In phase II, the determinants of T2DM were age over 50 years, male sex, primary and secondary education, medium wealth index ,ever smoking, current alcohol use, food insecurity, and mental stress.
The prevalence of T2DM in the study area was higher than the national prevalence in Ethiopia and has become a significant public health problem, yet there are limited efforts or activities to prevent it. The developed strategies from this research, if implemented, will help reduce the burden of T2DM among adults in Ethiopia.D. Phil. (Public Health)Health Studie