The dry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is an important grain legume that is used for human consumption worldwide. In Africa and other parts of the World, legume diets contribute tremendously to protein and energy requirements of consumers. Dry beans provide about 16- 33% protein, dietary fibre (between 14 and 19%), starch, minerals and vitamins. Dry beans have a long storage life and can be cooked as whole grains, fried or dehulled and splitted for production of dhal and salads. There is a tremendous variability in the dry bean varieties. It is believed that consumer preferences for dry beans are influenced by factors such as seed size, seed colour, cooking time and flavour. Although, substantial research has been done on physicochemical properties, description of sensory properties that differentiate bean varieties specifically in terms of liked or disliked flavours was lacking. Sensory evaluation is one of the methods used for evaluating product quality and it can be used to describe the sensory properties of a product (i.e. descriptive sensory evaluation) and determines its acceptability by consumers (i.e. consumer acceptability or preferences). Physicochemical properties and descriptive sensory evaluation of six dry bean varieties (Jenny, Kranskop, PAN 148, AC Calmont, PAN 150 and Mkuzi) from Mpumalanga (MP) and Free State (FS) locations of South Africa were determined. Significant (p<0.05) variety, location as well as location x variety interaction effects were found for both physicochemical and sensory properties of beans. Of the six bean varieties, Jenny (FS), Mkuzi and PAN 148 (MP) beans had relatively long cooking times (>60 min) using a Mattson Bean Cooker. PAN 150 beans from both locations were described as bitter, soapy and metallic with a raw bean flavour. Mkuzi beans were mostly described as having a soapy mouthfeel. Jenny (MP), Kranskop (MP&FS) were sweet, soft and with a cooked bean flavour. Consumer sensory evaluation revealed that beans with sweet, soft and cooked bean flavours were the most preferred. Beans that took long to cook and those that were described as bitter, soapy and metallic in the mouth, received low consumer ratings on a 9-point hedonic scale. The total polyphenol content of PAN 150 (MP), along with Jenny and AC Calmont from MP was determined to find out whether the bitterness was associated with its polyphenol concentration. PAN 150 beans had the lowest concentration of total polyphenols compared to the two other varieties, suggesting that factors other than total polyphenol content caused the bitterness of these beans. A follow up investigation of mineral profiles in whole bean flour of all six bean varieties from the two locations was done to find out whether differences in mineral content e.g. iron (Fe) contributed to bitterness and metallic mouthfeel of certain beans. Results showed significant (p< 0.05) variety differences for phosphorous (P) and significant (p< 0.05) location differences for magnesium (Mn) only. Fe and copper (Cu) contents did not contribute to bitterness or metallic mouthfeel of PAN 150 beans. For maximum consumer acceptability, farmers should concentrate on the production of beans that have characteristics similar to Kranskop (MP&FS), PAN 148 (FS) and Jenny (MP) beans. As bean hardening was suspected in Jenny (FS), PAN 148 (MP) and Mkuzi (MP), the importance of storing beans at proper temperatures (e.g. less than 35ºC) and relative humidity (e.g. < 75 %) should be emphasized to minimize the development of the hard-to-cook defect over long storage periods. / Dissertation (MSc(Agric))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Food Science / unrestricted

This paper analyses (female) voices that reported sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) to the Commission of Inquiry of the Congo Free State between October 1904 and February 1905. Couldry's (2010) notion of "voice as value" is used to assess the possible contribution of these voices to the decade-long international humanitarian campaign that outsted King Leopold II from his personal colony. Document Analysis was performed on 21 witness accounts, including five female survivors and 16 African and European men who either corroborated or ruled out these women's statements. The analysis reveals one of the two main sites of violence to have been the home of the victim, a peculiar site of conflict-related SGBV even in the DRC today. Additionally, the study suggests a correlation between the geographical region of rubber exploitation and the area of concentration of SGBV - a finding which could signify germination of the 'world's capital of rape' to have started during the Leopoldian era and necessitates further examination. In answer to the inquiry's main question, results show that although voices denouncing SGBV remained unheard during the campaign, they did echo the main message carried by most if not all 300 or so Congolese men and women whose stories bear witness to brutalities that took place 120 years ago. The message they would have wanted reverberated worldwide is that ending the rubber regime was the only way out of their ordeal.

The study seeks to find out students' and library staff's perceptions and experiences of the popular fiction collection at the University of the Free State's Sasol Library. The purpose of the study is to examine what these perceptions and experiences mean for the future expansion and development of the leisure collection. The Social Learning Theory guided the study. The study adopted a qualitative and quantitative approach whereby open- and close-ended questionnaires were distributed online to students and to library staff to gather research data. The population that participated in the study comprised undergraduate and postgraduate students and library staff. The study employed stratified random sampling as a research technique. The targeted population comprised 37,800 registered students and 61 library staff members accidentally sampled. This in turn gave sample sizes of 381 for students and 53 for library staff. Quantitative data was analysed using Google Forms and the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Further, qualitative data was analysed thematically through content analysis. The study found that students enjoy reading popular fiction at the Sasol Library's fiction collection for leisure. The study also found that library staff support the existence of the leisure reading collection, even though a small number felt that its operations could be improved. The study therefore recommends that the university direct resources towards the expansion and improvement of the popular collection through the training of staff and stocking of reading genres that the students require.

MCur / Department of Advanced Nursing Science / Survival of children with HIV/AIDS has increased considerably with the use of effective antiretroviral therapy. However, the benefits of this therapy are limited by the difficulty of adherence to the treatment. This study sought to explore the role of professional nurses on anti-retroviral therapy adherence among children in Lejweleputswa district: Free State, South Africa. An exploratory descriptive qualitative research design was used to identify and describe role of professional nurses toward anti-retroviral therapy adherence among children. Population for this study included seventeen (17) professional nurses working in four purposively sampled Primary Health Care clinics invited to participate in the study. Four focus group discussions were conducted in which each group had 6 participants. The transcribed data was analysed using the framework approach of data analysis. Professional nurses in Lejweleputswa district report poor knowledge of parents/caregivers of children, perceived poverty, stigma and discrimination, inappropriate care approaches, and parental dynamics as factors influencing poor ART adherence. Recommendations for enhancing children ART adherence levels in Lejweleputswa district included: mainstreaming adherence counselling in children ART and adopting a comprehensive family centered care approach were identified as measures for improving children ART adherence. Other measures included integration of ART services into Primary Health Care (PHC) services, parental empowerment, development of a programme to reduce stigma and discrimination in the community.

Equine sarcoid was diagnosed in the Cape mountain zebra (CMZ) population at the Gariep Nature Reserve (GNR) located in the southern Free State Province of South Africa in 1996. The course of the disease outbreak over the period from 1996 to 2003 is retrospectively described from data gathered during that time. In total, data from 39 affected animals was gathered during the study period. The average population size during the outbreak was 69 individuals. The initial prevalence was 9.4% in 1996. When ompared to the neighbouring domestic horse population, where no cases of equine sarcoid had been noted, the CMZ population showed a high prevalence of sarcoid for reasons unknown at the time. To mimic dynamics in a natural ecosystem with predators, it was decided to remove sarcoid-affected zebra from the population during 1996 and 1997. No sarcoid cases were seen in 1998 and 1999. After thoroughly examining the population in 2000, seven new sarcoid cases were found. Given the endangered status of the CMZ, no further affected animals were culled and a decision was made to study the disease more intensively, with emphasis on epidemiology, aetiology, clinical appearance and pathology, and treatment options as well as to investigate the genetic status of the population and the possibility of a genetic predisposition to the development of equine sarcoid. Prevalence of sarcoid cases in the Gariep CMZ population increased to 24.7% in 2002. Incidence varied between 4.65-17.6% during the study period with higher incidence rates recorded towards the second half of the study period. No sexual predilection was established. Sarcoids were not seen in animals younger than three years of age. Of the affected individuals, 64.1% had a single lesion and no animal had more than four lesions. Sarcoids were mostly of the fibroblastic (57%), verrucose (16%), and nodular (10%) types or a combination of these. The majority of lesions in males occurred in the inguinal area (55.17%), whereas the majority of lesions in females occurred on the head and neck (41.38%). Because treatment trials were conducted in a number of affected individuals, there were not many untreated control animals in which to study the rate of growth of the tumours, but the average annual increase in lesion size in untreated animals was found to be as much as 260%, becoming so large as to mechanically impede movement. During the study period, known sarcoid-related mortalities numbered four, while nine animals were euthanased for humane reasons, and ten other animals having been identified once with sarcoid were not seen again and presumed dead. / Dissertation (MSc (Veterinary Science))--University of Pretoria, 2007. / Paraclinical Sciences / MSc / unrestricted

Thesis (M. Tech. (Public Management)) -- Central University of Technology, free State, [2014] / The primary aim of the proposed study is to investigate the technical problems affecting the efficiency and effectiveness of District Hospitals in the Free State Province. The proposed research therefore stands to contribute to the existing body of evidence on the efficiency and effectiveness of health care services, with regard to the existing problems in the health sector such as high staff turnover, facilities with lack of appropriate equipment, unmanageable workload, lack of appropriate infrastructure, a high absenteeism rate and low morale of the employees in the public health institutions. Therefore the study will identify potential shortcomings that are compromising the efficiency and effectiveness of the district hospitals. The findings of the study will be used to address some of the identified problems and also to describe how progress can be measured. The outcomes of this study are intended to raise important issues and to assist management of the Free State Department of Health to address the challenges that are affecting the functioning of the district hospitals. The findings will also assist the relevant managers in planning and implementation of policies that will address inequalities and problems as highlighted in the study. It will also create opportunities for shared responsibilities that management and the staff need to resolve jointly.

Thesis (D. Phil. Education) -- Central University of Technology, Free State, 2011 / After the inception of the new government in 1994, a new curriculum was introduced, replacing the then existing curriculum. This new curriculum brought about challenges confronting the School Management Team (SMT) regarding its management and implementation. The changes required a paradigm shift and a proactive leadership approach by the SMT and particularly the principals of the Further Education and Training Schools (FET Schools). New policies were developed in respect of the management of this curriculum, which necessarily require the SMT to know and understand in order to be able to implement the curriculum. The aspect of training was also important in order for the SMT to be effective and efficient managers and implementers of the curriculum. The research study was therefore, about the investigation of the factors which influence the implementation of this curriculum known as the National Curriculum Statements (NCS) in the selected FET Schools in Motheo district. The literature in this study was informed and guided by both international and South African contexts and perspectives. The researcher in this study pursued a mixed mode approach. Quantitative investigation was conducted in selected FET schools within Motheo district specifically Bloemfontein, Thaba-Nchu and Botshabelo schools for deputy principals and Heads of the Departments (HOD) whilst qualitative, interviews were done with the principals. Data analysis was done through the development of categories and comparisons and contrasts were made. The data analysis also took into cognizance the visibility of contrary or alternative explanation for the findings. The investigation, therefore, discovered that most of the School Management Team particularly the principals were not trained on the National Curriculum Statement (NCS), and schools were also experiencing a shortage of resources. The recommendation was that the training for the SMT be an ongoing process as it will help with the successful and effective implementation of the NCS.

Thesis (Master in Education) - Central University of Technology, Free State, 2014 / It is generally believed that Information Communication Technologies can extend knowledge and education to poor and marginalised people in South Africa. However, African countries still face many challenges in trying to provide appropriate and sustainable solutions for improving education and skills that will support the development of educators in all communities; this can be viewed in light of the millennium developmental goal. Thus the Department of Education put measures in place to bridge the gap in knowledge, skills and understanding of Computer Application Technology (CAT) educators through the provision of in-service training (INSET) programmes. The research study aimed at assessing the impact of in-service training programmes offered to CAT educators in Secondary Schools in the Free State province. The study made use of a survey and an evaluation research design. The target population for this study was all Further Education and Training (FET) Phase educators in all secondary schools in the Free State Province. A self-constructed questionnaire was used to collect both qualitative and quantitative data. The study revealed that the INSET programme still needs to improve on its content relevance to syllabus and it should provide educators with skills in dealing with the challenge of teaching learners with disabilities. The majority of educators were satisfied with the INSET programme as they indicated that it assisted in enhancing their skills and content knowledge; they further indicated that it gave them motivation to go into classrooms and teach. One educator quoted “I am now able to make some functions that usually gave me headaches. It greatly changed and developed the knowledge I had”. This indicates that the challenges that were experienced in classrooms were also met. It can thus be concluded that the INSET programmes did have a positive impact to the skills and challenges that educators experienced. That the study did achieve its v goal which was to assess the impact of INSET programs for CAT educators in the Motheo District, Free State province.

Thesis (Phd. (Education )) - Central University of Technology, Free State, 2015 / For learners to be effective computer applications users, they need three basic skills – computer literacy, computer fluency and intellectual and reasoning skills to apply computational techniques or computer applications to the problems and projects in a field. Computational thinking as addressed in the first literature chapter is the description and the promotion of new ways of thinking in an increasingly digital age. A computational thinker must constantly engage in technology advancements. Computational thinking is a way of solving problems and is a cognitive or a thinking process. To flourish in the world of work, computational thinking has to be a fundamental part of the way learners think and understand the world. It describes the mental activity in formulating a problem to allow a computational solution. The solution can be carried out by the learner or the computer or a combination of learner and computers. Problem-solving competency as addressed in the next literature chapter involves the ability to acquire and use new knowledge, or to use old knowledge in a new way to solve problems that are not routine. Problem-solving as a skill involves a range of processes that includes analysing, interpreting, reasoning, predicting, evaluating and reflecting. Learners need profound Computer Applications Technology (CAT) knowledge and a general reasoning ability as well as investigative strategies for solving ill-defined problems. To address the research questions, the researcher employed the QUAN-QUAL design in this study. In this study the quantitative method was used to gather data relating to the education of teachers, in-service training received and answers to certain computational thinking skills and problem-solving skills. It was also used to test the relationship between problem solving and computational thinking skills. A Likert-scale type questionnaire was completed by 150 CAT teachers. In addition, this study also employed the qualitative method with semi-structured interviews to gather data relating Abstract vi to problem solving and computational thinking skills. Eight CAT teachers were interviewed to ascertain the afore-mentioned. A pilot study was conducted with the aim to test the research approach and to identify potential problems that may affect the quality and validity of the results. The wording of some questions in the questionnaire was altered to ensure that the instrument measures what it is supposed to. Descriptive statistics in this study was used to describe the findings and the inferential statistics used to test the hypotheses and draw conclusions from the quantitative statistics. For qualitative data, thematic analysis was used to analyse the original data obtained from the semi-structured interviews. To promote critical thinking skills, teachers must engage learners in higher-order thinking. Findings show that teachers do not always use classroom practices that encourage critical thinking. It was encouraging that the majority of teachers do allow group work in the CAT classroom, as group work is an important facet in computational thinking and problem solving. The study culminates in a computational thinking and problem-solving toolkit developed by the researcher. This toolkit is intended primarily for facilitators (such as CAT subject advisors or CAT mentor teachers) to enable them to conduct workshops for fellow CAT teachers. By using this toolkit, teachers will gain an understanding of what computational thinking skills and problem-solving skills are and how to develop these skills in Grades 10 – 12 CAT learners.

Never before has the learning experience of incarcerated persons been captured by one of their fellow inmates. Public perception is that prisoners should be denied access to educational opportunities and be punished for the crimes committed. In this groundbreaking study, situated in the qualitative paradigm, I recorded the learning experiences of a group of inmates who are studying at undergraduate level, via distance learning. This phenomenological study originated from my experience of studying while incarcerated, and is aimed at increasing our knowledge of, and enhancing our understanding of incarcerated persons. The study focuses on the learning experiences and challenges encountered by these students. Data was collected from the participants using qualitative methods and analysed using content analysis. Interpretation of the data revealed a number of factors which impede the studies of these students. The investigation is of importance to all persons involved in the Corrections environment but also the general public as inmates return to their communities upon release. / Curriculum and Instructional Studies / M. Ed. (Curriculum Studies)