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Multilingual Robotics Glossary: South African Languages Version
No full textThe development of the Unisa Multilingual Robotics Glossary culminated in the creation of a pioneering booklet comprising one hundred robotics terms translated from English into all eleven South African official languages. This impressive feat reflects the project's dedication to linguistic inclusivity and cultural appreciation. The availability of both print and digital versions of the booklet further enhances its accessibility, ensuring that learners and educators can engage with the content through their preferred medium.
Coordinating Team
Dr Napjadi Letsoalo (Linguistics Project Leader)
Dr Patricia Gouws (Robotics Project Leader)
Mr Delvah Mabaso (Auxiliary Researcher)
Dr Kganathi Shaku (Glossary Concept Co-Founder)
Mr Jimmy Mabina (Project Coordinator)
ISET Team
Andzani Sibiya and Kabelo Pheeha
Layout by
Napjadi Letsoalo (using TshwaneLex)
Graphics by
Casper van Staden and Tumelo NhlapoAt the heart of the Unisa Multilingual Robotics Glossary project lies a meticulous consideration of the structural and semantic features of English robotics terminology used in I-SET Robotics workshops and presentations. Through a methodological approach encompassing translation-based terminology and frame-based terminology, the project explores the development of robotics terms and artifacts in South Africa's indigenous languages. This methodology not only ensures accurate translation but also delves into the context and usage of these terms, resulting in a comprehensive and culturally resonant multilingual glossary. The significance of this project is underscored by its role in addressing the digital divide and fostering interest and engagement in science, engineering, and technology fields among all learners in South Africa. By facilitating communication through the promotion of multilingualism, the project empowers indigenous communities and ensures equitable access to robotics education.School of ArtsThe South African Centre for Digital Language Resources (SADiLaR
The lived experiences of offenders enrolled in an ODeL university : a career counselling perspective in Johannesburg Correctional Centre
No full textSummaries in English, Afrikaans, and SepediCareer counselling is the cornerstone of every person embarking on their career journey. While career counselling is still finding its roots in society, it became imperative for me to extend the need for these services at correctional centres. Career counselling should be integrated into the rehabilitation process to ensure that offenders make informed career decisions that will help them when they return to their communities. Against this background, the study explored the experiences of offenders receiving career counselling, the meaning they attach to it, and how their chosen career paths could assist with their rehabilitation and reintegration into society, especially by increasing their chances of being absorbed into the labour market. This is a phenomenological study where I explored the lived experiences of offenders at a Johannesburg correctional centre (JCC) who are receiving career counselling from an Open Distance eLearning institution (ODeL) like UNISA. The data collected here using in-depth semi structured interviews was analysed and interpreted using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The constructivist theory and chaos theory of careers were used in the study to give proper theoretical background. This study will assist counsellors with relevant skills and insight when providing career counselling to offenders enrolled at an ODeL university; it will also assist offenders in making informed career decisions. Provisioning these services will also play a role in rehabilitating participating offenders so they can be integrated into society on their release. Results from the study show although, offenders have little knowledge on career counselling, those who choose often do so based on their circumstances. It is also found that family contributes positively on the career decision making of the offenders, whereas on the other hand, the correctional officers have no contribution.Beroepsvoorligting is die hoeksteen van elke persoon wat hul loopbaanreis aanpak. Terwyl beroepsvoorligting steeds sy wortels in die samelewing vind, het dit noodsaaklik geword vir die navorser om die behoefte aan hierdie dienste na korrektiewe sentrums uit te brei. Loopbaanvoorligting moet by die rehabilitasieproses geïntegreer word om te verseker dat oortreders ingeligte loopbaanbesluite neem wat hulle sal help wanneer hulle na hul gemeenskappe terugkeer. Dit is teen hierdie agtergrond dat die studie die ervarings ondersoek het van oortreders wat beroepsvoorligting ontvang het, die betekenis wat hulle daaraan heg, en hoe hul gekose beroepsrigtings kan help met hul rehabilitasie en herintegrasie in die samelewing, veral deur hul kanse om in die arbeidsmark opgeneem te word, te verhoog. Hierdie is 'n fenomenologiese studie, waar die navorser die geleefde ervarings van oortreders by 'n Johannesburgse korrektiewe sentrum wat beroepsvoorligting van 'n Oopafstand-e-leerinstelling (ODeL) ontvang het, ondersoek het. Interpreterende Fenomenologiese Analise (IPA) is gebruik om die data wat ingesamel is deur middel van in-diepte semi-gestruktureerde onderhoude te ontleed en te interpreteer. Die konstruktivistiese teorie en chaosteorie van beroepe is in die studie gebruik om behoorlike teoretiese agtergrond te bied. Hierdie studie sal voorligters bystaan met relevante vaardighede en insig wanneer hulle beroepsvoorligting verskaf aan oortreders wat by 'n ODeL-universiteit ingeskryf is; dit sal ook oortreders help om ingeligte loopbaanbesluite te neem. Die verskaffing van hierdie dienste sal ook 'n rol speel in die rehabilitasie van deelnemende oortreders sodat hulle by hul vrylating in die samelewing geïntegreer kan word. Die resultate van die studie toon dat hoewel oortreders min kennis van beroepsberading het, doen diegene wat dit kies dit dikwels op grond van hul omstandighede. Daar word ook gevind dat families positief bydra tot die loopbaanbesluitneming van oortreders, terwyl korrektiewe beamptes aan die ander kant geen bydrae het nie.Keletšo ka tša mošomo ke motheo wa motho yo mongwe le yo mongwe yo a thomago leeto la gagwe la tša mošomo. Le ge keletšo ka tša mošomo e sa hlwa e tsebja ke batho ka bontši setšhabeng, go ile gwa ba bohlokwa gore monyakišiši a katološetše tlhokego ya ditirelo tše disenthareng tša tshokollo. Keletšo ka tša mošomo e swanetše go kopanywa le tshepedišo ya tshokollo go netefatša gore basenyi ba tšea diphetho ka tša mošomo tše di nago le tsebo tšeo di tlago ba thuša ge ba boela ditšhabeng tša bona. Ke kgahlanong le tshedimošo ye ya peleng moo nyakišišo e ilego ya hlahloba maitemogelo a basenyi bao ba amogelago keletšo ka tša mošomo, tlhalošo yeo ba itlamilego go yona, le ka fao ditsela tša mošomo tšeo ba di kgethilego di ka thušago ka gona ka tshokollo ya bona le go tsenywa gape setšhabeng kudukudu ka go oketša dibaka tša bona tša go akaretšwa mmarakeng wa mošomo. Ye ke nyakišišo ya ditiragalo, moo monyakišiši a ilego a hlahloba maitemogelo ao a phetšwego a basenyi senthareng ya tshokollo ya Johannesburg bao ba amogelago keletšo ya tša mošomo go tšwa go Setheo sa Lenaneotshepedišo la kabo ya thuto ya kgole ya elektroniki (ODeL). Tshekatsheko ya Tiragalo ya Tlhathollo (IPA) e šomišitšwe go sekaseka le go hlatholla datha yeo e kgobokeditšwego ka dipoledišano tše di tseneletšego tšeo di sego tša rulaganywa gabotse Teori ya gore tsebo e a agwa le teori ya tlhakatlhakano ya mešomo di šomišitšwe thutong go fa setlogo sa teori sa maleba. Dinyakišišo di tla thuša baeletši ka bokgoni bja maleba ge ba aba keletšo ya tša mošomo go basenyi bao ba ngwadišitšwego yunibesithing ya ODeL; di tla thuša gape basenyi ka go tšea diphetho tša tsebo tša mošomo. Kabo ya ditirelo tše e tla kgatha tema gape go tsošološong ya basenyi bao ba kgathago tema gore ba kgone go kopanywa le setšhaba ge ba lokollwa.M.A. (Psychology)Psycholog
Happiness and being human: The tension between immanence and transcendence in religion/spirituality
Get PDFWhat is the happiness that we strive for and what does it mean for our understanding of being human? As we pursue happiness, we find that happiness is complex, in many ways subjective to the experiences and contexts of individuals or groups. Happiness also can be found in attaining greater self-awareness and a sense of meaning/purpose. This article argues that religion/spirituality has a role to play in facilitating well-being/happiness in terms of the tension held in their understanding of immanence and transcendence. This will be done, using a science and religion discourse.Research Institute for Theology and Religio
Characterization and properties of sulfonated chitosan membrane for direct methanol fuel cell
No full textThis dissertation examines the structure and properties of chitosan membranes regarding their applicability in fuel cells. The objective of this work is to synthesize a polymer membrane with improved properties such as high proton conductivity, low water uptake, low methanol permeability, and high efficiency. Membranes made of synthetic polymeric materials with enhanced functionality have been developed to compensate for Nafion® deficiency. Polymeric membranes have numerous benefits, including an excellent mechanism for pore-forming control, high mechanical strength, low cost, and greater flexibility.
The membrane properties such as identification of functional groups using Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR), physical properties using Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM), water uptake, Ion Exchange Capacity (IEC), proton conductivity, methanol permeability, and tensile strength were evaluated. Silica is used as a filler, and it was synthesized through Sol-gel and Stober methods and was calcinated for 2h and 24h. Synthesized silica particles were categorized as pure and sulfonated.
The membranes showed successful modification with silica. It was found that the water uptake and proton conductivity of the unmodified and modified silica/chitosan membrane increase with an increase in filler content. The s-SiO2/Cs membranes show improvement in membrane properties, particularly, the 4% s-SiO2/Cs (Sol-gel 24h) which has superior proton conductivity of 0.238 Scm−1 which is higher than that of Nafion® of 1.43 x 10-2 Scm−1. However, this membrane has a methanol permeability of 0.97 × 10−7 cm2s−1 which is higher than 2.83 x10-6 cm2s−1 of Nafion®. The selectivity of the fabricated membrane is 1.269 x 105 S.s/cm-3 which is higher compared to that of Nafion® of 3.71 x 104 S.s/cm-3.
It was found that the incorporation of silica particles successfully improves the chitosan membrane’s proton conductivity while suppressing its methanol permeability. The recommended synthesis method of silica is by Sol-gel, and it is significant to introduce sulfonic groups in the silica as to improve its suitability as a membrane filler.M. Eng. (Chemical Engineering)Civil and Chemical Engineerin
Archives as a tool to support land restitution in South Africa
Get PDFArchives have become acceptable evidence in the context of land restitution to prove events that occurred in the past during land dispossessions. Although researchers agree that archives are not always available and accessible when restitution claimants seek them due to loss, restrictions, and lack of intellectual control. In South Africa, the National Archives and Records Service of South Africa (NARSSA) is legally required to collect archives from governmental bodies in order to preserve the country's documentary heritage for future use. For example, the NARSSA Act (Act No. 43 of 1996), as amended, states that "public records identified in a disposal authority as having enduring value shall be transferred to an archives repository when they have been in existence for 20 years." The purpose of this study was to explore the use of archives as a tool to support the land restitution in South Africa with the view to establish whether the Commission on Restitution of Land Rights (CRLR) was sourcing evidence on land claims in accordance with the legal and policy framework. Snowball sampling was used to select restitution claimants, while purposive sampling was used to select CRLR project officers and NARSSA archivists. Interviews and document analysis were used to collect qualitative data from oral testimony. The findings indicate that South Africa's legal and policy framework for sourcing evidence for land claims fails to provide the public with effective and efficient access to and use of available archives in the NARSSA holdings. This is because archival legislation, such as the NARSSA Act, as well as other pieces of legislation and policy guidelines, are deafeningly silent on the use of archives as evidence. As a result, there are a large number of unresolved land claims to redress land dispossession injustices caused by missing information, language barriers, and archive restrictions. Therefore, the study concludes that if archives are not transferred to an archive repository for safekeeping and future use, and oral histories from marginalised communities are not collected and documented, project officials may dispute the validity of the land claims. As a result, South African citizens' land rights will be denied, as land grabbers will believe they are entitled to land that does not belong to them. While developing a legal and policy framework for the use of archives as evidence in land restitution, the NARSSA should consider digitising land restitution collections and making them freely accessible online.M. Inf. Sc.Information Scienc
Evaluating the quality of distance learning materials in selected universities in Ethiopia
Get PDFOpen and Distance Learning (ODL) has become the most innovative concept in the history of education and relies on self-learning materials developed by institutions. Moreover, the success and effectiveness of the programmes carried out via this system are anchored on the development, and use of high-quality learning materials. Many universities using the ODL approach recognize that distance learning materials inspire and provoke students to learn. Such experiences are built into the self-instructional materials using access devices and advance organisers which are thought to represent specific characteristics of the material and are compounded to make the self-instructional materials self-contained. This research was carried out to evaluate the quality of open and distance learning materials used by selected universities in Ethiopia. It also suggested recommendations as to what governing bodies and higher learning institutions should do to assure the quality of open and distance learning materials. The study used a mixed methods approach to achieve the objectives set forth and collected quantitative and qualitative data through questionnaires and document analysis. The target population of the study consisted of 744 subjects taken from four categories, and the ultimate sample size stood at 291. The course modules of the chosen distance teaching universities were also analysed against the standard rubric which has been accepted by the International Council for Open and Distance Education. As the findings revealed, except for one private higher institution, three institutions did not properly develop course materials that could serve ODL, which should ideally be self-instructional. The main factors contributing to the incompetency of the course writers were found to be their feeble attitudes towards ODL and the insufficient professional skills they acquired while developing the course materials. The study also recommends what the governing bodies and higher education institutions should do when developing distance learning materials and proposes a model that can be used to guide that process.D. Phil. (Open Distance Learning)Educational Studie
Experiences of Students’ Challenging Behaviour in Primary Schools in South Africa: Teacher, Governor, and Caretaker Perspectives
No full textStudents’ challenging behaviour is a persisting problem in some primary schools. In South African primary schools, however, students’ challenging behaviour is mainly understood as disruptive classroom behaviour. To establish how primary schools experience this phenomenon, interviews were held with twenty-one participants, purposively selected from three primary schools, to provide qualitative data. Opposing prior understandings, thematic analysis showed that students’ challenging behaviour in primary schools is experienced through acts of violence, vandalism, and bullying. Social cognitive theory revealed how students growing up in hostile environments emulate and reproduce hostility. Education departments should consider these experiences to appraise and revise disciplinary policies to promote school safety, and more effective learning in the classroom.College of Educatio
Challenges associated with HIV treatment compliance among adolescents and young adults living with HIV in Emfuleni, Gauteng
No full textText in EnglishThe purpose of the study was to explore and describe the challenges associated with HIV treatment compliance among adolescents and young adults (AYAs) living with HIV aged between 18 to 24 years in Emfuleni, sub-district municipality, and to describe recommendations to overcome the challenges related to non-compliance to HIV treatment resulting from the findings.
The study took a form of an exploratory-descriptive contextual qualitative method attributed to the Health Belief Model’s (HBM) theoretical underpinnings. The interview guide was developed and Individual interviews that were semi-structured with twenty participants were conducted for data collection following a thorough in-depth literature review. Data collected from the participants were analysed thematically. The findings revealed the need for improved support of AYAs living with HIV to improve treatment compliance and viral load suppression and recommendations were made to improve support and treatment compliance as well as for further research.M. A. (Public Health)Health Studie
Development and application of carbon-based nanomaterials to improve the performance of lead acid energy storage device
No full textLead-acid batteries with conventional materials are now no longer able to meet the
emerging requirements for several applications in telecom, automobile, solar, etc., Due to
the increase in the demand for higher performances, batteries keeping with the change in
the CO2 emissions, carbon-based materials, which are of possible consideration, are
investigated to meet the requirements. The areas in which the lead acid battery is more
affect are is the sulphate growth or the grid growth of the current collectors and sulphation
in the negative electrode.
Several types of carbon with low and higher dimensions have been attempted to study the
electrical performances in the negative plates of lead-acid batteries (LAB). Attempts were
made to improve discharge capacity, charge acceptance & life cycling ability of the LAB. Out
of many types (2D) Graphene has been selected to evaluate the performance of the LAB due
to its unique characteristics. The Carbon Black was commercially purchased as the
negative active material additive for the performance comparison, and graphene has been
synthesized in our laboratory.
Production of Graphene in Bulk form through chemical methods is a significant drawback
of graphene-related research, which is hindering its commercialization. In this work, various chemical methods for the synthesis of graphene were examined, like the Hummers
method, Modified Hummers method, and Microwave-assisted acid method. The results were
very accurate by the microwave-assisted acid method. The productivity and purity of the
produced graphene using this method are very high. The Morphology, Structure, and Phase
characteristics were well studied by using various characterization techniques like XRD,
SEM/EDS, Raman, and BET.
Along with Graphene layers, which were synthesized by microwave-assisted method, the
commercially purchased carbon black was also used as part of the electrode material validation for energy applications. The carbon-based nanomaterial is used as an additive for
negative electrode material for absorbed Glass Mat (AGM) lead-acid batteries.
For making an electrode for lead acid battery application, electrochemical & electrical
studies are essential to rationalize.
In one aspect, to address the premature failure (PMF) due to the grid surface, the graphene
material is prepared in the colloidal for and applied to the grids. A 2V cells was assembled
to study the coated grid performance and found the positive coated grid has better electrical
behavior than the negative coated grids. This higher-rated capacity is prepared with positive
coated grids (2V-600Ah). The electrical tests at lower rates 0.1C, 0.5C, and 1C are
marginally higher than the uncoated grids. But at higher current discharges for shorter
durations like C15 minutes and C5 minutes, the positive coated grids outperformed by 2 to
3 times, respectively.
In another aspect, Graphene was prepared and applied in negative active material of AGM
lead acid battery, and studies were carried out. Other individual components of the
composite like BaSO4 & Lignin are used to integrate the low dimensional carbon as an
additive composite and are dry mixed with the active material (Lead Oxide) and applied to
the lead grid used as current collectors.
By the experimental investigation as per Japanese Industrial Standards (JIS) the electrical
performances, it is observed that the current discharge capacity increased by nearly 27%
with graphene as an additive in NAM.
Whereas in charge acceptance capability enhancement of 14% is observed, and the time
taken for discharge capacity of the batteries with Graphene has exceeded the requirement
and for a long-time-interval of 23%, respectively.
The cycle life of the graphene batteries increased by 33% compared to that of the control
batteries above the 40%SoH condition.
The results demonstrated that the component particles are uniformly distributed towards
the nanomaterials; this tells the proper formation of the composite. Electrochemical studies of graphene nanomaterial electrode reveal that the impedance characteristic is very
different from that of traditional one. Therefore, the electrical performances are evidence of
these materials having the ability of electrode material properties for energy applications.Ph. D. (Mechanical Engineering)Mechanical and Industrial Engineerin