Thesis (Ph. D.)--Brunel University, 1988. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 395-416).

Thesis (D.B.A.)--George Washington University, 1994. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 321-330).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Miami University, 1994. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves [519]-557).

Thesis (D.P.A.)--University of Southern California, 1997. / Includes bibliographical references (v.2, leaves 639-646).

Thesis (M. Tech.(Environmental Health)) - Central University of Technology, Free State, 2005 / As the concentration of dust has been shown to be proportional to seasonal change in the Free State Province of South Africa, one might expect the prevalence of associated microorganisms to follow the same pattern. The presence of dust is also associated with an aerosolised microbial population that gets blown into almost any unsealed environment including food storage facilities at schools. In addition, facility design and storage practices at these schools are under-developed and could subsequently lead to the contamination of stored food by dust, insects and rainwater. The foods in question include fortified biscuits that are intended for malnourished, and in several cases immunocompromised, children who are susceptible to opportunistic pathogens. Therefore this study aimed to determine the impact of facility design on the level and distribution of viable airborne microorganisms (fungi and bacteria) in the storage rooms and the outdoor environment at both rural (higher dust exposure) and urban schools. Besides the pathogenicity of these organisms, their ability to degrade the sugars (major fortifying agent) in the mentioned biscuits was also established. The results showed the presence of Escherichia coli, which signifies faecal contamination and could be attributed to the lack of toilet facilities in the schools, especially in rural areas. Although Staphylococcus sp. is normally related to poor personal hygiene practices, these organisms were also isolated from the air of the storerooms and school premises. The presence of moulds and airborne microorganisms was attributed to unfavourable environmental conditions as well as crowding in the classrooms. The microbial contamination originally present on the fortified biscuits or originating from the air further caused deterioration in the quality of the food. The fungi present in the air (identified species) cause respiratory problems when inhaled by children as they are opportunistic pathogens. It is further evident that a change of season corresponded to a general change in bioaerosol composition, such as the increased presence of dust during the winter months. It was further concluded that schools situated in different environments (urban/rural) should have storerooms that address the various environmental factors influencing bioaerosols. This would impact not only directly on the health of children in terms of their exposure to possible allergens, but also indirectly through the food that they consume as part of the feeding programme.

Thesis (M.Phil (Science and Technology Studies))--University of Stellenbosch, 2005. / The purpose of the study is to investigate and provide an overview of the science and technology systems of three countries, namely South Africa, India and Malaysia. The study seeks to describe the process of science and technology policy development; the relationship of science policy with national policies of these countries and the link between the science and technology policies and national goals. It also identifies the differences, strengths and weakness of the three systems and shows their relevance to Lesotho. The methodology followed in the study was qualitative, conducted through desk research. The source of data was archival, specifically in the case of historical background of the three science systems and documentary, in terms of the current situation of the science systems of each country. The comparative analysis was textual based on the findings of the three case studies of each country. The comparative analysis depicts the common features, strengths and weaknesses, pertaining to each country. The common features were identified in the areas of; National System of Innovation, Politicisation of Science, Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Pubic Understanding of Science. The differences of the three systems were characterised on trends in investment on science and technology, in terms of inputs in research and development, institutionalisation of science, nature of the policies and their implementation process inclusive of the policy instruments, and provision of conducive environment for the prolific growth of science and technology, as a key to socio-economic development of any nation. The comparative analysis also provides lessons to be learned for a Least Developing Country (LCD) like Lesotho. This is in view of the current situation where the country is at its infancy stage to establish a stable, well-coordinated science and technology system. The study recommends pragmatic solutions and strategies that can be copied and be employed, in order to enable science and technology have meaningful contribution towards socio-economic imperatives of Lesotho.

This dissertation is a study of the social dimensions and implications of the smart city, a new kind of urbanism that augments the city’s existing infrastructures with sensors, wireless communication, and software algorithms to generate unprecedented reams of real-time data. It investigates how smartness reshapes civic ties, and transforms the ways of seeing and governing urban centers long-plagued by racial and economic divides. How do the uneven adoption of smart technologies and data-driven practices affect the relationship between citizens and local government? What mediates the understanding and experience of urban inequalities in a data-driven city? In what ways does data-driven local governance address or exacerbate pervasive divides? The dissertation addresses these questions through three years of ethnographic fieldwork in Kansas City, where residents and public officials have partnered with Google and Cisco to test a gigabit internet service and a smart city program respectively. I show that the foray of tech companies into cities not only changes how urban problems are identified, but also reproduces civic divides. Young, middle-class, white residents embrace the smart city with the goal of turning the city’s problems into an economic opportunity, while already-vulnerable residents are reluctant to adopt what they perceive as surveillance technologies. This divide widens when data-driven practices of the smart city compel public officials and entrepreneurial residents to feign deliberate ignorance against longstanding issues and familiar solutions, or explore spurious connections between different datasets due to their assumptions about how creative breakthroughs surface in the smart city. These enthusiasts hope to discover connections they did not know existed, but their practices perpetuate existing stereotypes and miss underlying patterns in urban inequalities. By teasing out the intertwined relationships among tech giants, federal/local governments, local entrepreneurial groups, civic tech organizations, and nonprofits, this research demonstrates how the interests and cultural techniques of the contemporary tech industry seep into age-old practices of classification, record keeping, and commensuration in governance. I find that while these new modes of knowledge production in local government restructure the ways public officials and various publics see the city, seeing like a city also shapes the possibilities and limits of governing by data.

Thesis. 1979. Ph.D.--Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Alfred P. Sloan School of Management. / MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND DEWEY. / Bibliography: leaves 177-182. / Ph.D.

No description available.

This research sets out to ascertain the application of e-governance in five selected African countries, (namely South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Ethiopia) and whether it has the potential to contribute to good governance. In the 21st century, globalisation has changed the way countries relate politically, socially, and economically in the global arena. This has been driven by many factors, but the most notable being technological advancements. According to the 2003 World Public Sector Report, the advancement in Information Communications Technologies (ICTs) has presented new opportunities to integrate networking to improve the efficiency of how business is carried out and how services are provided. The use of ICTs such as computers, electronic databases and other technologies have been in use for a number of years within the public sector to organise, manage and disseminate information to the public as well as to facilitate day-to-day communication in government offices. In this context, the value of the use of ICTs has been to assist and streamline government operations. Alongside the growing application of ICTs in government operations, good governance is more and more regarded as the ideal manner in which to govern and provide public services. Grindle (1) points out that good governance is about the state's capacity to be able to design and implement appropriate public policies that in a way ensures equitable administering of resources with values such as accountability, transparency, efficiency, effectiveness, representativeness, public participation and responsiveness. This study makes a comparison between the developing countries of South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Ethiopia in order to determine the extent to which they are adopting e-governance practices as well as ascertaining whether these contribute to the good governance mandate. Findings from the study reveal that although e-governance has been promoted as an initiative to improve public service delivery, it is not an end but rather a possible means to an end to improve service delivery. This is attributed to the fact that there are still some hindrances to the implementation and application of e-governance in the five countries discussed. Such include the widespread prevalence of digital divides. Despite this, the overall implication for the use of ICTs in governance can be of some benefit in enhancing the requirements of good governance. With the rapid advancement of ICTs and continuous nascent nature of e-governance, the progress the countries discussed have made shows that the implementation and application of e-governance is and will be a continuous process. As a result, the state of e-governance may therefore improve. (1) Grindle, M.S. 1997. Getting Good Government: Capacity Building in the Public Sectors of Developing Countries. Harvard University Press: Harvard Institute for International Development. p.5. / Thesis (M.Soc.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2010.