Live shopping is a relatively new phenomenon that combines live streaming with online shopping. Past research has explored live shopping as a functional marketing tool, used to increase sales and purchase intention. The purpose of this study was to explore consumers’ perspectives on live shopping as an experience, with the experience economy theory as a lens. Furthermore, this study utilized the four realms of an experience and five principles of design to analyze and explain the collected data. The empirical data was gathered through semi-structured interviews with respondents aged 18-27. The findings showed that consumers perceive the live shopping experience as mostly educational in conjunction with aspects of entertainment. Escapist and esthetic aspects are considered complementary and can strengthen the experience. This study contributes to an increased understanding of the live shopping experience from consumers’ perspectives. In addition, the theory of experience economy has not been previously applied to live shopping. In turn, this study has contributed to an increased use of experience economy theory in areas other than tourism and hospitality.

This study proposes a detailed historic account of the life and career of Lionel Bowman as a concert pianist and teacher. The role and relevance of criticism in music have also been included and documented with specific reference to Bowman’s playing. In order to do this, a survey of the available relevant literature such as Bowman’s journal and notebook, published articles, newspaper articles and reviews on the subject were comprehensively examined. Available recorded materials such as compact discs with Bowman’s live performances have been incorporated in the study. Apart from a detailed biographical account of Bowman’s life and career, as an orientation to the historic account, attention is given to how Bowman’s teaching style initiated and its development into a unique and personal method which resulted in the publication of The Magic Touch: For pianists and teachers. A workable practical guide to piano playing by Wallace Tate (2000). The success of this method supported by commentary from several pianists, who experienced Bowman’s method first hand, has been incorporated in the study. Light is also shed on Bowman’s human side including the past and present situation of the arts in South Africa in order for artists in general to learn from it and facilitate new growth and vision of the future of the Arts and Cultural field. Bowman’s final legacy and information about his death, including commentaries from people who knew him as a pianist, teacher and friend has also been documented. The study ends with a concluding chapter summarising the whole study and sheds light on future possible studies on related topics. Copyright / Dissertation (MMus)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Music / unrestricted

This study aims to explore the boundaries and creative possibilities of composing and improvising music with a base in sampled saxophone fragments inside of Ableton Live. The study have included things as: exploring different sound design techniques, manipulation of saxophone samples, composing and rearranging music as well as rehearsing with a band and trying different concepts and approaches to performing the music in a live situation. The work includes creating polytonal sample instruments built inside of Live and the creation of more texture based ones as well. This work also resulted in composing 6 different compositions and the rearranging of an earlier composition to match the aesthetic character of the other ones. I’ve also tried to stretch the linear boundaries of Ableton Live with a more rubato based approach to composing to see what possibilities the program had to handle that type of context.As a composer I’ve early on created an aesthetic vision of what I wanted this sample based music to sound like and tried to very precisely recreate what I’ve heard inside of my head in detailed sketches in Ableton Live using midi instruments together with the sampled textures and instruments. I then realised that a great deal of the final task of this study was to bring this vision to the ensemble and make them play the music in a way that resonated with what I’ve heard when I composed it.

This thesis addresses the ambiguous role of Malmö’s latest megaproject in the context of the city’s racializing urban development trajectory. The project is a public/private congress center, concert hall and hotel complex called Malmö Live. Malmö Live is problematized as the height of spectacle and challenge as it is expected to be the city’s most prominent cultural and social meeting place. The inquiry is directed to how its expectation of relevancy came about and utilizes a Foucauldian inspired genealogical methodology. The result stems from an investigation of the historical, present, local and global conditions that constitutes the expectancy of its relevancy. The investigation notes the divisiveness of tourism and how it affects ways of thinking and doing government on multiple scales, and in particular how it motivates the case in question. The result shows that there are affinities between tourism- during-colonialism and the contemporary tourism industry. Where the former was appropriated by colonialism and overtly racializing, the latter is allowed appropriacy by a currency ascribed to selected geographies and histories. By describing the becoming of this megaproject and the use of tourism knowledge and technology, the how-question about the expectation of Malmö Live’s relevancy leads to a genealogical reconstruction of Malmö Live as a wager on whiteness. The wager on whiteness hold no guarantees, but the power of it is the ability to be persuasive and believed, and the currency it holds for those who perform it. The thesis ends with a discussion on what is at stake with Malmö Live, i.e. Malmö’s whiteness.

Although Newcastle disease is reported to be endemic in Nigeria, little information exists on the molecular epidemiology and the lineage distribution of the Newcastle disease viruses (NDVs) in the country, especially in the live bird markets. Recent studies reported the identification of three distinct sub-lineages namely; 5f, 5g and 5h in West Africa, particularly sub-lineages 5f and 5g were identified in Nigeria. In this study a total of 41 NDV isolates were analysed. Thirty six NDVs were recovered from a variety of poultry species from live bird markets in the six geo-political zones of Nigeria during active surveillance from 2007 to 2008. Five NDVs recovered from outbreaks in backyard and commercial poultry farms within the same period were also genetically characterized. A commonly used region of the virus genome that spans nucleotide 61 to nucleotide 374 of the Fusion protein, including the cleavage site was targeted. Based on sequence analysis, 39 of the isolates were classified as virulent. Of these, 20 were classified as sub-lineage 5g and 17 were classified as sub-lineage 5f. One isolate differ markedly from all other strains included in the phylogeny. Interestingly, 13 strains from the 5f group formed a distinct cluster that was not identified by other groups in similar studies. Phylogenetic analysis, amino acid sequence determination of the F0 cleavage site sequence analysis, pair wise distance analysis of the partial fusion protein gene sequences and Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping was done. Results showed close genetic similarities and provided evidence for the first time of the epidemiological link between the viruses circulating in the LBMs and those identified in outbreaks in backyard and commercial farms in Nigeria between 2007 and 2008. The emergence and identification of new sub-lineages gives an insight in to the high rate of genetic drift occurring in NDV strains in Nigeria, and raises concerns about the efficacy of current NDV control measures in the country. Thus there is need for continuous surveillance and characterization of NDV from Nigeria to monitor the emergence of new lineages and sub-lineages in the Nigerian poultry industry. Copyright / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Production Animal Studies / unrestricted

No description available.

Edwardsiella ictaluri causes enteric septicemia of catfish (ESC), one of the most important bacterial diseases of farmed channel catfish in the USA. Use of live attenuated vaccines (LAVs) is an effective strategy for combating mortalities in catfish farms. Our research group has developed three live attenuated E. ictaluri strains [EiΔevpB, EiΔgcvPΔsdhCΔfrdA (ESC-NDKL1), and EiΔhemRΔfrdAΔsdhC (triple-hemR)] that provide various levels of protection against ESC. However, the protective mechanisms of these vaccine candidates are mostly unknown. The overall objective of my study was to investigate protective mechanisms of these LAVs. To accomplish this, catfish fry were immersion challenged with EiΔevpB, ESC-NDKL1, and triple-hemR. Additional catfish fry were immersion challenged with Aquavac-ESC and E. ictaluri wild-type (EiWT) as controls. The internalization of antigens through the mucosal surfaces as well as the pathology and molecular immune responses were studied. The investigations showed that EiΔevpB and ESC-NDKL1 were highly safe and efficacious compared to Aquavac-ESC and EiWT. Pathologically, vaccination with EiΔevpB and ESC-NDKL1 decreased the pathological lesions, EiWT replication in catfish, and increased the ability of the immune system to resist and kill EiWT. On the other hand, triple-hemR was not safe causing severe tissue damage similar to EiWT. The gene expression data showed significantly high expression of innate and adaptive immune genes following vaccination and challenge with EiWT. Additionally, EiΔevpB and ESC-NDKL1 induced immune proliferation in pronephros after exposure to EiWT. Taken together, EiΔevpB and ESC-NDKL1 vaccine strains performed better to induce immune responses and reduce damage in the host tissues during EiWT challenge compared to Aquavac-ESC.

No description available.

This thesis is an exploration of how small independent residential units added one at a time can offer old buildings and the cities they are in the opportunity to gradually grow and change – in a way that isn’t presented by the typical double-loaded corridor build-out. The first component of this exploration is a modular unit that can be brought into existing buildings and assembled in a flexible layout. This House acts as a ‘Core’ that provides basic shelter, warmth, and a place to sleep and prepare food; the density of this unit allows the surrounding square footage to be used for other activities: kids playing, welding a project, or setting up easels for painting. The second part of this exploration is a pattern-based approach to the interaction of these units within the building: given certain rules that govern arrangement what are some possible spatial outcomes?

No description available.