Emerging broiler famers are faced with the challenge of acquiring contracts with the contract providers in South Africa. The question is, are these emerging farmers able to perform well financially regardless of the availability of contracts to their disposal. Profitability is one of the core issues to the development and sustainability of emerging broiler farmers. A well performing farmer is the one who is able to manage and improve the good financial performance of the farm in general. In order to determine the financial performance of the farm, financial ratios can be useful in determining and analyzing how a farm performs financially. In this study, four financial ratios are used to analyze and determine how emerging broiler farmers in Gauteng perform financially. This is done through a representative farm model which makes use of ten emerging farmers situated in the southern and northern sides of Gauteng. Out of ten emerging broiler farmers that took part in the study, the results show that only two of them are producing under contracts. This is an indication that emerging broiler farmers in Gauteng are characterized by both financial and production risk. This further implies that farmers who do not have contracts are likely to have a poor financial performance in as far as broiler enterprise is concerned. The study establishes the differences between the contract growers and the non contractors that form the representative farm model and this is achieved by looking the results of the financial ratios. The study further distinguishes the financial performances between the southern and northern sides of Gauteng which form the representative farm model. The results indicated that although 80% of the emerging broiler growers in Gauteng do not produce under contracts, they are still able to perform well financially. However the contract growers outperform the no contractors in terms of financial performance due to a well defined market structure. / Dissertation (MScAgric)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Agricultural Economics, Extension and Rural Development / unrestricted

The primary focus of this thesis is to describe the prevailing atmospheric conditions when heavy rainfall occurs over the Gauteng Province in South Africa. This thesis first describes the characteristics of daily heavy rainfall over Gauteng by defining different heavy rainfall classes and considering the seasonal distribution of these events. Late summer (January, February and March) has considerably more heavy rainfall days than early summer. The change of the character of the atmosphere as the summer season progresses is highlighted by the investigation into the monthly average synoptic circulation patterns when heavy rainfall occurs. The weather systems change from extra-tropical in the first few months of the summer rainfall season to tropical in February months. It is also shown how cyclonic vorticity advection occurs in the upper troposphere whenever heavy rainfall occurs, irrespective of the time of the season. A deep layer of horizontal wind convergence is also present when heavy rainfall occurs and this is replaced by horizontal wind divergence above that. A monthly climatology of sounding-derived parameters associated with heavy rainfall is constructed and it is again apparent how the atmosphere changes from one where conditional instability dominates the production of heavy rainfall in early summer to one where convective instability plays a dominant role in late summer. Twelve sounding-derived variables are identified to describe the thermodynamical profile of the atmosphere when heavy rainfall occurs over Gauteng. They include variables not previously used such as the Elevated K-Index and the meridionial wind component near the surface. Self-organizing maps are used to create a climatology of the vertical profile of the atmosphere during heavy rainfall and this methods captures the changes to the atmospheric state during the progression of the summer season. Favourable sounding-derived parameters and circulation criteria are combined in a self-organizing map to predict daily rainfall frequencies. This method produces encouraging results and methods should be explored to create probabilistic daily rainfall forecast for Gauteng in an operational environment. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / gm2013 / Geography, Geoinformatics and Meteorology / unrestricted

Aim: The overall aim of the study was to determine the extent of general knowledge, beliefs, attitudes and practices of Gauteng adolescents towards cancer. Objectives: The specific objectives were to: 1) ascertain cancer¬related knowledge, beliefs, attitudes and practices of school-going adolescents; 2) obtain previous information on cancer and reported family history of cancer; 3) investigate the relationships among knowledge, attitudes and behaviour; 4) investigate the effects of gender and of type of schools on cancer knowledge. Population and Method: This study was a cross-sectional survey of Knowledge, Attitudes, Beliefs and Practices (KABP), personal health behaviours and of demographic and psychological characteristics of a specific group of adolescents in Gauteng. A questionnaire survey was conducted, and a total of 2278 pupils in Grade 10, from 681 schools in Gauteng, participated. The questionnaire was designed to obtain information from the pupils on the following: gender, list of known cancers, family cancer history, previously received information on cancer, true and false statements regarding the aetiology, signs and symptoms of skin cancer, breast cancer, cervical cancer, head and neck cancer and lung cancer. It also consisted of 10 statements regarding pupils' attitude towards cancer and questions on practices related to risks of developing cancer (smoking, sunblock use and breast-feeding) to which pupils were asked to respond. Descriptive statistics were the first step in data analysis. Thereafter, integrated multivariate statistical procedures (e.g. analysis of co¬variance and factor analysis) were used to analyse the data further. Results: Demographic Information: There were 2278 pupils who completed the questionnaire of those who indicated their gender 1267 (55.6%) were females and 958 (42.1%) males. The pupils' age ranged from 13 to 24 years (average age = 16.5 years, standard deviation (sd) = 1.5). Pupils were from different types of schools formerly known as the Department of Education and Training (DET = 1120); Transvaal Education Department (TED = 663); House of Representatives (HOR = 53); House of Delegates (HOD = 40); and Independent Ordinary (10 = 340). Some pupils had previously received cancer information (48.6%) while others indicated that they had a family related history of cancer (23.6%). Significantly more females reported having received cancer information or having a history of cancer in the family than males (p < 0.001). Television (34.8%) and parents (19.2%) appeared to be the main sources of cancer information. Knowledge About Signs, Symptoms and Aetiology of Cancer: Average knowledge scores among the pupils were low. Females were more knowledgeable than males with regard to breast cancer (p < 0.001). Pupils who received cancer information or who reported a family history of cancer were more knowledgeable than those who did not (p < 0.001). The knowledge scores were significantly different between different types of schools; Transvaal Education Department (TED), also known today as public schools, tended to have better knowledge of the signs, symptoms and aetiology of the five cancers included in the questionnaire. Attitudes Towards Cancer Risks: Pupils indicated a favourable attitude towards possible cancer risks, meaning that they would avoid doing things that were seen as possible cancer risk factors. Factor Analysis demonstrated a negative correlation between Factor I (socially acceptable behaviour) and Factor II (socially unacceptable behaviour), meaning that pupils were able to identify the risk factors associated with cancer development even if they were stated in a positive way in the questionnaire. Pupils separated the attitudes into two groups either socially acceptable behaviour or socially unacceptable behaviour. Practices: Smoking - More males (26.9%) than females (10.9%) indicated that they smoke (p < 0.001). The number of pupils who indicated that smoking was important to them was 27%. Sunblock - More females (41.7%) used sunblock than males (34%) (p < 0.001). The amount of pupils who used sunblock were 38.2%. Pupils who used sunblock demonstrated higher knowledge scores regarding the signs, symptoms and aetiology of cancer. Conclusions: Pupils in grade 10 living in Gauteng are not well informed on the aetiology, signs and symptoms of cancer or cancer risks. Females are more informed than males with regards to cancer. Types of schools types differ with regards to cancer knowledge. School from the public sector (TED schools) showed higher knowledge scores than private schools (10 schools). Pupils who received cancer information previously or who reported a family history of cancer were more knowledgeable than other pupils. Recommendations: The implementation of Cancer Educational programmes should be considered by the Gauteng Education Department. Future development of educational programmes are needed to include cancer education into the current 'life-skills' training programmes. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2006. / School of Health Systems and Public Health (SHSPH) / Unrestricted

The issue of urban sprawl has been discussed extensively in planning circles over the past two decades. The result of sprawled cities is far-reaching. Some see it is a major contributor to air pollution and traffic congestion and it encourages development on prime agricultural land and floodplains. Others discuss the monetary implications of sprawl calculating costs of infrastructure, fuel and the time spent traveling. In South Africa, major urban areas have one important feature in common with this North American, Australian and British phenomenon- that urban growth has taken the form of dispersed residential accretion at the city edge, however, the reasons for sprawling urban areas in South Africa can be attributed to an intricate and complicated cultural and political history. Following a unique situation in South African urban areas, the Gauteng Provincial Government recognised the growing pressure to rectify the situation in order to achieve a more equitable urban environment to all its citizens. One of the initiatives proposed was the containment of urban growth inside the Province. The idea of a more compact urban environment held the promise of increased accessibility to urban opportunities, greater viability of public transport, as well as environmental advantages. Together with its three metropolitan municipalities, Gauteng province proved to be pioneer in initiating and implementing an “Urban Growth Management” approach (The Gauteng Urban Edge) in its urban areas, however, this approach remains widely debated and controversial throughout planning circles in South Africa. The study explores the reasons and rationales underpinning the implementation of a growth management approach as gathered from international literature, and whether these reasons were in fact informing the Gauteng Provincial government’s reasons for initiating an urban edge. It also considers the different tools and mechanisms available for urban growth management and how these tools and mechanisms and their respective objectives informed the idea behind an urban edge specifically. The study further reviews the opinions and ideas of role-players who were involved in delineating and implementing the urban edge and based on these factors, attempts to draw some conclusions on what could possibly have improved the process of initiating and implementing the Gauteng Urban Edge. Copyright / Dissertation (MT&RP)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Town and Regional Planning / unrestricted

The goal of this study was to determine the bio-psychosocial treatment needs of dual diagnosis patients with depressive episodes and alcohol misuse. In order to achieve this goal, a qualitative research approach was adopted to gain a holistic understanding of dual diagnosis, as well as to explore and to describe the bio-psychosocial treatment needs of these individuals. This research study aimed to contribute towards solving a practical problem in practice by offering recommendations for a multidisciplinary team approach with regard to the treatment of patients diagnosed with depressive episodes and alcohol misuse in South African treatment centres. To this end, the collective case study design guided the research study. A two-stage sampling strategy was implemented in the study. Firstly, purposive sampling was used to identify potential participants, and it was followed up with, secondly, volunteer sampling to recruit 10 individuals with co-occurring depressive episodes and alcohol misuse from a private psychiatric clinic in Pretoria, which formed the research sample. Furthermore, a semi-structured one-on-one interview, guided by questions contained in an interview schedule, was used as a data collection method. The researcher implemented the qualitative data analysis process of Creswell (1998, in Schurink, Fouché & De Vos, 2011) to extrapolate themes and sub-themes from the raw data through thematic analysis. The trustworthiness of the data interpretation was confirmed through peer debriefing, member checking, as well as the assurance of confidentiality. An analysis of two different sources of data, namely the literature review and interviews, was used to answer the following research question: What are the bio-psychosocial treatment needs of dual diagnosis patients suffering from depressive episodes and alcohol misuse? The key findings indicated that persons suffering from a dual diagnosis of depressive episodes and alcohol misuse have idiosyncratic biological, psychological and social treatment needs. On a biological level it was found that patients with a dual diagnosis lead a less active and an unhealthy lifestyle and are therefore more prone to the development of chronic illnesses, such as hypertension and cardiovascular disease. It was also found that these individuals exhibit addictive behaviours apart from the alcohol misuse. With regard to psychological needs, the research found that dual diagnosis patients experience difficulties in expressing their needs and emotions to others. In this regard the research indicated that these individuals have poorly developed coping mechanisms and limited resources for gaining an improved sense of well-being. Identified areas in which these individuals may need assistance on a psychological level include: general coping mechanisms, communication skills, problem solving skills, and conflict management. With regard to violent and aggressive behaviour, it was found that these individuals are more likely to internalise their frustration and aggress towards themselves. On a social level it was found that individuals with a dual diagnosis of depressive episodes and alcohol misuse experience more relationship breakdown and less social support. Additionally, on a social level these individuals experience difficulties in coping in the workplace, as well as having problems with financial management. It is recommended that the multidisciplinary team participate in the development of psycho-educational groups that focus on the education of dual diagnosis patients regarding their needs on each level of functioning. Furthermore, it is recommended that effective clinical communication patterns are in place to prevent fragmented service delivery to individuals with a dual diagnosis. It is recommended that service delivery takes place in all forms of service delivery, including individual therapy, psycho-educational groups, group work activities, as well as family counselling. Further research could focus on the following: 1) Extending the research population to areas outside the Gauteng Province, or even South Africa, in order to determine if these findings can be generalised to all patients with a dual diagnosis of depressive episodes and alcohol misuse; 2) Conducting the research in public health care centres to determine if the findings of this study are also prevalent in lower socio-economic classes (taking into consideration that the present study was conducted at a private psychiatric clinic); 3) Repeating the study with different combinations of psychiatric illnesses, as well as substances of abuse, to determine if the conclusions drawn from this study can be made applicable to dual diagnosis in general, or only to dual diagnosis with depressive episodes and alcohol misuse in particular. / Dissertation (MSW)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / tm2015 / Social Work and Criminology / MSW / Unrestricted

Please read the abstract in the section 00front of this document / Thesis (PhD(Geotechnical))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Civil Engineering / PhD / unrestricted