M.P.H., Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, 2009 / Background: Herpes Simplex Virus type 2 (HSV-2) is a common cause of genital ulcers worldwide and has emerged as a co-factor in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) acquisition and transmission. A study was conducted to determine the prevalence of HSV-2, its correlates, the accuracy of reported history of genital ulcer disease (GUD) to predict HSV-2 infection and the extent of symptom recognition in a clinic population in Johannesburg. Methods: 210 women aged 18 years or older were interviewed and socio-demographic, sexual behaviour and clinical information collected. Serological testing for HSV-2 and HIV infections was performed, but only where sera were available for the latter. Factors associations with HSV-2 infection were assessed using logistic regression to estimate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). The sensitivity, specificity, predictive values and likelihood ratios of a history of GUD were calculated. Results: The estimated sero prevalence of HSV-2 was 73% (95% CI 67% - 79%). Few participants, 13/206 (6%) participants had knowledge of genital herpes. Only 9/203 (4%) participants recognised lesions of genital herpes following education and counselling about HSV-2 infection. HSV-2 infection was associated with older age(>25 years of age) OR 2.6 (95% CI 1.4-5.0), spending more than 2 nights away from home, OR 6.0 (95% CI 1.0-62.7), having more than 2 sexual lifetime partners, OR 2.2 (95% CI 1.1-3.9), a history of an STI in the past 3 months ,OR 3.6 (95% CI 1.2-9.5) and HIV infection, OR3.3( 95%CI 1.4-7.9). A history of genital ulceration performed poorly as a predictor of HSV-2 seropositivity; the sensitivity was 7% and specificity was 96%. Conclusion: HSV-2 prevalence was high and few participants were aware of their infection. HVS-2 infection was associated with risky sexual behaviour .A history of genital ulcer disease was not sufficient as a diagnostic tool for HSV-2 infection. Public health interventions should focus on behavioural modification and increasing awareness of genital herpes. HSV-2 management should be incorporated into HIV care and STI protocols.

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This research project investigates secondary schooling Visual Arts programmes and the extent pedagogical approaches encourage critical and closely integrated learning. The research involves a case study between two secondary schools in Johannesburg - a comparison of two grade ten Visual Arts learning programmes - by investigating the content taught and the pedagogical approaches employed. By evaluating the content of the learning programmes and pedagogical approaches, I investigate whether, or to what extent, the learning programmes challenge hegemonic ideologies and encourage a learning approach that does not perpetuate biased and stereotyped views of culture but learning that critically integrates diversity and difference in the classroom in a manner that is relevant and meaningful to the learner.

Master of Commerce (Finance) in the Finance Division, School of Economic and Business Sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 6 September 2017 / The aim of this study is to investigate the relationship between market liquidity changes on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE), and the market’s degree of efficiency. Market efficiency is characterised in terms of two philosophies: Fama’s (1970) Efficient Markets Hypothesis, and Shiller’s (1981; 2003) informational efficiency designation. Efficiency was tested using measures of return predictability, a random walk benchmark, and price volatility; liquidity was measured using market turnover. The tests were conducted on JSE Top 40 shares across three regimes, spanning January 2012 – June 2016. The regimes are demarcated by two structural breaks in the JSE’s microstructure: the 2012 trading platform upgrade, and the 2014 colocation centre launch. The results show that past order imbalances are a significant predictor of daily returns, although the significance of this predictability has dissipated over time. Return predictability is not influenced by liquidity. In fact, there is evidence that illiquidity weakens return predictability. Prices were closer to random walk benchmarks during the third regime. In consideration of informational efficiency, during the latter two regimes price volatility is greater during trading versus non-trading hours. This is coupled with an emergence of nonlinear return dependence, which is indicative of greater mispricing. Thus, over the three regimes, market efficiency improved in the sense of the EMH, but informational efficiency deteriorated. The study contributes to the field by: introducing an inverse measure of market efficiency; providing insight into the measure’s time variation and relation to liquidity; and demonstrating that market efficiency tests should incorporate its dual meanings, enabling richer understanding of their intersection. / GR2018

This research explores the relationship between poverty and the availability and use of an efficient public transport system. This is done by examining other third word cities, with particular reference to Bogotá (Colombia), which incorporated public transport in their transportation systems. The research concludes by pointing out lessons for Johannesburg that wants to implement a Bus Rapid Transit System and lower its poverty levels.

Thesis (M.M. (Finance & Investment))--University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Commerce, Law and Management, Graduate School of Business Administration, 2013. / This study examines potential benefits of investing in various gold investment vehicles in terms of risk and return from a typical South African investor’s perspective. Furthermore, the study examines the relationship between gold price and South African macroeconomic variables. Data used in the study comprises of monthly closing share price data of JSE listed gold mining companies, gold price, Krugerrand coin, NewGold ETF, FTSE/JSE all share index, gold mining index, unit trust index (gold & precious metals), real GDP, rand/dollar exchange rate, repo rate and CPI. It was found that gold bullion produced superior abnormal returns and yielded greater capital growth compared to the JSE all share index. However, the JSE all share index exhibit lower volatility compared to gold bullion. Abnormal returns for JSE listed gold mining companies tend to differ substantially from gold bullion abnormal returns. Gold mining companies exhibit added risk which cannot be attributed to the gold bullion. Gold has a potential to reduce systematic risk when added to a portfolio of stocks. A multiple regression model was estimated which relates gold price to South African macroeconomic variables. It was found that gold price depends on real GDP and rand/dollar exchange rate.

Student Number: 0400580V Master of Arts in Forced Migration Studies. Graduate school for the Humanities and Social Sciences / This research report looks at Somali refugees’ conceptions concerning entitlement to protection and assistance. It seeks to find out what Somali refugees’ conceptions about assistance and protection are and on what they are primarily based. It explores how the personal and ideological beliefs of Somali refugees living in Johannesburg influence their expectations for receiving and extending assistance. Ethnographic methods, mainly, personal interviews and informal group discussions were used to find that, though Islam has a major role in the lives of Somali migrants and on their conceptions about assistance, religion is only one among many influencing factors on their conceptions. Daily lived experiences, pride, tribal affiliation, and conflict within the community equally impact Somali refugees’ conceptions of entitlement to protection and assistance.

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in the field of Medical Physics. 2017 / Aim The aim of this research was to contribute to clinical implementation of the small field dosimetry Code of Practice (CoP) that is due to be published by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in collaboration with the American Association of Physicists in Medicine (AAPM) (1). A 6 cm × 6 cm virtual machine-specific reference (fmsr) field was established in a clinical 60Cobalt teletherapy beam used for conventional radiotherapy at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital, and relative output factors were measured down to a set field size of 1 cm × 1 cm using three different models of Physikalisch-Technische Werkstatten (PTW) small field ionization chambers. Materials and Methodology The measurements were all performed on a Cobalt teletherapy unit (MDS Nordion Equinox, S/N 2009) in a PTW MP3 water phantom. The small field ionization chambers that were used were a PTW 31016 3D pinpoint 0.016 cm3, a PTW 31006 pinpoint 0.015 cm3 and a PTW 31010 semiflex 0.125 cm3. A calibrated PTW 30013 Farmer 0.6 cm3 ionization chamber was used to provide traceability for the cross calibration. A ―daisy chain‖ methodology was used to perform the cross calibration in a virtual fmsr field of 6 cm × 6 cm and then establish the absolute dose rate in a 4 cm × 4 cm field. Relative output factors as a function of field size were measured with each small field ionization chamber and then compared to published results. Results Small square fields from a 60Cobalt beam were created using the secondary collimators integrated into the unit. Equivalent square fields were calculated using the profiles obtained by the three ionization chambers during scanning and were in agreement with the ones that were programmed into the console. The coincidence of the central axis of the beam and the point of measurement for each detector was determined from the beam profiles. The cross calibration and daisy chain measurements resulted in a consistent dose rate of within + 0.6% in the 4 cm × 4 cm field when measured with the four different ionization chambers. For 6 cm × 6 cm, 4 cm × 4 cm, 3 cm × 3 cm and 2 cm × 2 cm field sizes, relative output factors obtained from the uncorrected detectors’ response agreed to within + 0.8 % between the three small field ionization chambers. The variation in the 1 cm × 1 cm field size was + 8.1 %. When compared to published data, large differences in field size correction factors were obtained. Conclusion Small field dosimetry in a 60Cobalt photon beam using three different PTW small field ionization chamber models was investigated. A cross calibration in a virtual msr field was done followed by a daisy chain process to determine the dose rate in a small field. Dose profiles and relative output factors were then measured and compared. The lack of lateral charge particle equilibrium and volume averaging effect was evident when using the PTW 31010 semiflex chamber in a 1 cm × 1 cm field. The PTW 31006 pinpoint and 31016 3D pinpoint were in close agreement for field sizes down to 1 cm × 1 cm with the 3D pinpoint performing as the best detector in this study. The optimal positioning of a detector should be determined from beam profile scans and not the engineering diagrams. The PTW 31016 3D pinpoint and PTW 31006 pinpoint are recommended for the determination of output factors in small field sizes. However, field output correction factors are required for both detectors in field sizes under 2 cm × 2 cm. Small field data published in the British Journal of Radiology (BJR) Supplement 25 (2) should not be used to benchmark dosimetry in modern 60Cobalt teletherapy units. / MT 2017

The purpose of this research is to investigate the impact of the City Development Agencies on the regeneration of the Johannesburg inner city. Urban degeneration within Johannesburg has been a major challenge, which has an adverse impact on crime, pollution and loss of revenue. This study will investigate public private partnership city development agencies which play a role in establishing sustainable communities. The City Development Agencies and their objectives are reviewed with the principle intention of establishing how successful they are in achieving these objectives. Interviews with senior management from these organizations provided conclusive evidence about their effectiveness and the state of regeneration. These structured interviews incorporated challenges associated with urban degeneration. Key performance indicators were established to measure the success of the organizational structures. These are reviewed against the data from the interviews and government reports. The results of this study show that organizational structures have a positive impact on the sustainable regeneration process and are structured to foster continuous regeneration. Management, communication and fiscal issues were identified as areas of difficulty Organizational structures are essential for the regeneration process, as they provide a structured platform for managing the process. Proper management, communication and adequate funding will help in ensure sustainable regeneration.

The Johannesburg Art Foundation (JAF), founded in 1982 by Bill Ainslie, maintained a teaching philosophy which opposed any form of discrimination and stressed that art education should be a possibility for everyone. There was no prescribed curriculum and the programme was not dependent on an external educational authority. I argue that particularly in the decade 1982-1992, the South African apartheid government's educational policy towards cultural activities was prescriptive, stifling and potentially paralysing for many artists. Nevertheless, the teaching at the JAF sustained a flexibility and tolerance of ideas combined with an emancipatory ambition that promoted exchange. The philosophy was infused with a social justice and a political activism agenda squarely in opposition to the separatist apartheid education laws. This study contextualizes the impact and efficacy of the teaching approach at the JAF in terms of its intellectual, social and political perspectives during the years 1982-1992. This teaching approach prompted acerbic encounters within the competing systems of formal and informal institutions. It is this controversial anomaly signifying elements of collision in the pursuit of developing modernism that are investigated to some extent. Personal involvement as an artist and teacher, during the period 1982-1992, allowed my contribution and participation in the development of the teaching philosophy. The paucity of available literature on the subject has stimulated a comprehensive preliminary investigation of the way in which the JAF cultivated alternative educational policies. The individual methodologies and personal experiences extracted from interviews with artists, Council Members and members of staff are documented in order to provide a detailed characterisation of the values of the JAF. In addition, original documentation representative of the genealogy of the JAF forms part of the curatorial practice for the exhibition Controversial ways of seeing at the Bag Factory Gallery. The JAF declined from 1992 and finally ceased to exist in 2001.