Thesis (D. Tech. (Biomedical Technology)) -- Central University of Technology, Free State, 2015 / This study reviewed national and international literature to develop an audit-feedback instrument (AFI) to monitor adherence of South African oral health care facilities with compliance to infection prevention and control precautions. In a multi-phased literature search, existing infection prevention and control recommendations, guidelines and audit-feedback instruments were reviewed and broadened to include “dental audit tools”, as well as audit tools from other health care disciplines. Audit-feedback instruments were scrutinised for user friendliness, the use of simple language, electronic calculations and feedback possibilities. A new South African AFI was proposed, considering the differences between public and private oral health care facilities and also the diversity of training levels of oral health care personnel employed. Eleven focus areas supporting all aspects of infection prevention and control in oral health care facilities, including administrative controls; personnel protection controls; environmental- and work controls; surface contamination management; equipment maintenance, service or repair; air- and waterline management; personal protective equipment usage; personal and hand hygiene practices; sterilisation practices; safe sharps handling and waste management were included. The AFI was tested in a sample of 50 oral health care facilities. None of the participating facilities demonstrated 100% compliance. Personal- and hand hygiene practices and waste management performed the best, at respectively 75% and 63%, while administrative controls and air- and waterline management scored the lowest mean values; 31% and 36% respectively The general lack of compliance with infection prevention and control precautions in the participating oral health care facilities clearly poses a safety hazard to both patients and oral health care workers. Results indicate that adherence of South African oral health care facilities with compliance to infection prevention and control precautions need to be improved. The AFI should go a long way towards improving safety and the high expectations about providing quality infection prevention and control outcomes in oral health care.

Thesis (M. Tech. (Biomedical Technology)) -- Central University of Technology, 2014 / The rising costs of health care, the outbreak of drug resistant organisms, health depleting lifestyles and the risky side effects of currently used drugs are world-wide problems. This has led to the search for novel drugs and drug leads. Traditional healers and other individuals across the globe possess unlimited knowledge on the healing powers of different plants that has been passed on through generations. This knowledge together with scientific investigations can lead to the eradication of most of the diseases either by treatment or prevention. Aloe ferox Mill. is one of the plants that have gained a lot of interest from the pharmaceutical industry. The plant has over 80 documented medicinal uses. These include treatment of impotence and infertility, sexually transmitted infections, arthritis, hypertension, leukaemia, bacterial and fungal infections. It is also known as a blood purifier, widely used as a laxative and anti- inflammatory agent. More research is required to discover more about A. ferox and its benefits to health as well as to investigate its potential for the development of novel drugs. The current study was focused at investigating the anti- cancer, anti- microbial antidiabetic, cytotoxic activities and phytochemical composition of leaf extracts of A. ferox. Three cancer cell lines namely: breast (MCF7), colon (HCT116) and prostate (PC3) cancer cell lines were used to investigate the anticancer activity of the extracts using the Sulforhodamine B (SRB) method. To determine the anti- diabetic activity of the plant extracts the C2C12 and Chang cell in- vitro models of glucose uptake were used. The micro- dilution technique was IV used to evaluate the antibacterial and antifungal activity of the extract. The safety of these extracts against normal human foetal lung fibroblasts (W138), Chang and C2C12 cells was done by through the SRB and the MTT methods. To determine the phytochemical profile of A. ferox the DPPH radical scavenging and the Folin Ciocalteu methods were used to test the antioxidant activity and the total phenolic content of the different extracts respectively. Different methods were used to determine the presence of phytochemicals such as steroids, saponins, alkaloids, carbohydrates and flavonoids. LCMS was also done to detect the elemental composition of the plant extracts. According to the CSIR criteria A. ferox was inactive against the cancer cell lines used. It however exhibited antioxidant activity even at low concentrations, with an EC50 of 0.865 ± 0.783. The methanol extract showed more phenolic content than the dichloromethane and aqueous extracts at a concentration of 5mg/ml. It is believed that the antioxidant activity correlates with the phenolic content and quality of the phenols present in the plant and more assays have to be done to prove this hypothesis. Other phytochemicals found in the extract included saponins, steroids, alkaloids as well as flavonoids. Both the methanol and aqueous extracts of A. ferox caused a significant increase in glucose uptake by C2C12 cells but caused a slightly decreased uptake by the Chang cells. The plant extracts inhibited the growth of Staphylococcus epidermidis, Streptococcus pneumonia, Escherichia coli and Candida albicans at a concentration of 15mg/ml extract. Candida tropicalis and Escherichia faecalis were resistant to A. ferox extracts. Finally the extracts showed no toxic activity against the normal foetal lung fibroblasts, Chang and C2C12 cells validating the safety of this plant for human use. V The results in conjunction with literature findings show A. ferox to be a promising source of drugs and therapeutic agents. Due to the fact that traditional healers already rely on it as treatment for different ailments, it is important that the safety of the plant for use has been validated though other studies and clinical trial still need to be done to fully confirm this. All the information gathered also showed this plant to be of great benefit against major health problems, responsible for millions of deaths each year such as cancer, cardiovascular and inflammatory diseases, and diabetes. There is however still a great need for more investigation to be done on this plant against a vast majority of organisms and diseases so as to fully benefit from it.

Thesis (M. Tech.) - Central University of Technology, Free State, 2006 / Occupational noise affects industries in many countries around the world, and there is strong evidence from previous research linking it to noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL). More than 30 million workers in the United States of America alone were exposed to hazardous noise at the workplace before 1998. In South Africa, workers are not supposed to be exposed to a noise rating limit at or above 85dB(A). Abattoir employees are subjected to high noise levels when compared to the occupational noise rating limit of 85dB(A). Noise is generated from various mechanised and manual processes and activities in the abattoir during the slaughter of different animal species. Noise sources include conveyers, circular saws, air conditioners and pumps, pneumatic and other mechanical equipment. The aim of this study was to characterise noise exposure in different grades of abattoirs during the slaughter of cattle and sheep. The grading of abattoirs was previously done according to Grade A-E. Grade A-C is now referred to as high throughput abattoirs while Grade D and E are referred to as low throughput abattoirs. Personal and environmental noise exposure levels of workers in Grade A, C and D abattoirs in the Free State were therefore investigated. Noise measurements were done in accordance with the methods stipulated in the South African National Standards (SANS) Code of Practice 10083. Environmental and personal sampling were conducted with a calibrated Type 1 Quest integrated sound level meter (ISLM) and a Quest noise dosimeter respectively. Calibration was checked before and after taking measurements to ensure reliability and validity of results. The average noise exposure level in the high throughput abattoirs was above the recommended standard of 85dB(A). In the low throughput abattoirs the noise exposure levels were below this level. There were no statistically significant differences between the noise exposure levels during the slaughter of different species (P>0.05), or between Grade A and Grade C (P>0.05). There was a statistically significant difference (P<0.05) however between Grade A and Grade D noise exposure levels. The results indicate that workers in Grade A and C abattoirs are exposed to unacceptable noise levels. Further research is recommended to include all categories of abattoirs and to determine the impact of noise exposure on the worker’s hearing in order to develop strategies to protect employees from the effects of excessive exposure to noise.

Thesis (M.Tech.) - Central University of Technology, Free State, 2007 / The latest technological trend worldwide, is automation. Reducing human labour and introducing robots to do the work is a pure business decision. The reason for automating a plant can be some, or all, of the following: Improve productivity Reduce labour and equipment costs Reduce product damage System reliability can be monitored Improves plant safety When the automation process is started, Automatic Guided Vehicles (AGVs) will be one of the first commodities that can be used. The reason for this is that they are so versatile. They can be programmed to follow specific paths when moving material from one point to another and the biggest advantage of all is that they can operate for twenty four hours a day. Automatic Guided Vehicles are developed for many different applications and therefore many different types of AGVs are available. All AGVs are equipped with sensors so that they are able to “see” what is happening around them. Since the AGV must be able to function without any human help or control, it must be able to navigate through the work environment. In this study a remote control car was converted to an AGV and thorough research was done on the different types of sensors that can be used to make the AGV more intelligent when it comes to navigating in an unknown environment.

Thesis (M.Tech.) - Central University of Technology, Free State, 2006 / The ultimate goal regarding this research was to make an intelligent learning machine, thus a new method had to be developed. This was to be made possible by creating a programme that generates another programme. By constantly changing the generated programme to improve itself, the machines are given the ability to adapt to there surroundings and, thus, learn from experience. This generated programme had to perform a specific task. For this experiment the programme was generated for a simulated PIC microcontroller aboard a simulated robot. The goal was to get the robot as close to a specific position inside a simulated maze as possible. The robot therefore had to show the ability to avoid obstacles, although only the distance to the destination was given as an indication of how well the generated programme was performing. The programme performed experiments by randomly changing a number of instructions in the current generated programme. The generated programme was evaluated by simulating the reactions of the robot. If the change to the generated programme resulted in getting the robot closer to the destination, then the changed generated programme was kept for future use. If the change resulted in a less desired reaction, then the newly generated programme was removed and the unchanged programme was kept for future use. This process was repeated for a total of one hundred thousand times before the generated program was considered valid. Because there was a very slim chance that the instruction chosen will be advantageous to the programme, it will take many changes to get the desired instruction and, thus, the desired result. After each change an evaluation was made through simulation. The amount of necessary changes to the programme is greatly reduced by giving seemingly desirable instructions a higher chance of being chosen than the other seemingly unsatisfactory instructions. Due to the extensive use of the random function in this experiment, the results differ from one another. To overcome this barrier, many individual programmes had to be generated by simulating and changing an instruction in the generated programme a hundred thousand times. This method was compared against Genetic Algorithms, which were used to generate a programme for the same simulated robot. The new method made the robot adapt much faster to its surroundings than the Genetic Algorithms. A physical robot, similar to the virtual one, was build to prove that the programmes generated could be used on a physical robot. There were quite a number of differences between the generated programmes and the way in which a human would generally construct the programme. Therefore, this method not only gives programmers a new perspective, but could also possibly do what human programmers have not been able to achieve in the past.

Thesis (M. Tech.) - Central University of Technology, Free State, 2007

Submitted in partial compliance with the requirements fo the Master's Degree in Technology: Chiropractic, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2017. / Background Competitive swimming, as with most other sports that are participated in at more than a recreational level, involves a substantial amount of training. Training excessively results in the overuse of muscles. The overuse of muscles commonly causes the production of myofascial trigger points (MFTPs) within the overworked muscles. The presence of MFTPs is a condition known as myofascial pain syndrome (MPS). Myofascial trigger points may be active or latent. Either way, they produce a wide range of effects. This study focuses on the effect of reduced muscle strength. Muscle strength is essential to athletes as it determines performance. Swimmers with MFTPs will not perform at their full ability. Dry needling is an effective form of treatment for MFTPs as it produces immediate relief from the effects of MFTPs. There is not enough information on the immediate effects of dry needling on athlete performance. Since dry needling brings about the immediate relief of MFTPs, this study aims to restore a swimmer’s muscle power and hence improvement of their swimming performance post-intervention. Aim The aim of this study was to determine the immediate effect of dry needling common myofascial trigger points (MFTP) found in four muscles of the shoulder girdle on competitive swimmers’ 100m freestyle lap-times. Methods The design was a pre-test post-test quasi-experimental study. Thirty five competitive swimmers between the ages of 16 and 30 years old participated in this study. Each participant underwent one assessment. Participants’ lap-times were taken using a Sportline Econosport Stopwatch. The pre- and post-intervention lap-times were compared to each other using statistical analysis. The intervention for the purpose of the study was trigger point dry needling. Myofascial trigger points were assessed using manual palpation and the Myofascial Diagnostic Scale (MDS). Results The median lap time was slightly longer post intervention (0:01:16.10) than pre-intervention (0:01:16.03), and was highly statistically significant (p=0.001). The results of the study were inconclusive, however, as there were too many confounding variables (for example, fatigue due to repeatedly swimming laps, swimmers of a lower caliber and hence quicker fatigue rate being included in the study)which negated the effect of dry needling and so the poorer performance of the participants post-intervention could not be attributed entirely to the intervention. A small number of participant’s lap-times decreased post-intervention i.e. they performed better post-intervention. These individualswere predominantly sprint-swimmers. Conclusion Dry needling negatively affects immediate lap-time performance. Future studies should reduce the number of variables affecting the study, for example, having a sprinter versus long-distance swimmer group, testing the outcome of dry needling after the swimmer has had sufficient time (for example, a day) to rest post-intervention. / M

A carefully constructed set of 16 graphical tasks related to key biochemistry concepts was designed and administered to a group of 82 students in their final year of B.Sc. study. The test mean score of 48,3% ( 12,1) was low and characterised by gender and ethnic differences. There was a moderate linear relationship between biochemistry grades obtained by the students over two years of study and their graphical literacy (r = 0,433). The majority of the students exhibited slope/height confusion and only seven students (8,5%) were able to answer the two items corresponding to Kimura‘s Level F, the most complex and difficult level of graphical literacy. Eye tracking data gave valuable insights into different strategies used by students while interpreting graphs and is a valuable tool for assessing graphical literacy. These findings confirmed other studies where researchers have found a widespread lack of graph comprehension among biological science students. / Institute of Science and Technology Education / M. Sc. (Science Education)

Text in Afrikaans / After taking her severely incapacitated husband to Europe immediately after the cessation of hostilities to obtain specialist medical treatment, Mrs Rachel Isabella Steyn (Tibbie) in 1905 brought the partially recovered Pres Steyn back to South Africa. She joined forces with her husband to revive the defeated Afrikaner socially, spiritually and materially. Tibbie assisted her husband with establishing the Oranje School for Girls in 1906, and in 1907 the Oranje Association for Women (OVV) was formed with Tibbie as chairperson. Although she was English speaking by birth, she openly identified herself with efforts to promote Afrikaans as a cultural language. Alongside her husband she worked for the building of the National Women's Monument to commemorate those who had died during the war. During all these activities she conscientiously cared for the health and spiritual needs of Pres Steyn. After Pres Steyn's death in 1916 she emerged more forcefully in public life. After the First World War in co-operation with Emily Hobhouse she collected money for the needy in Central Europe. She was constantly occupied with alleviating the needs of people, e.g. by collecting small donations from her people who had been impoverished by the war. In this manner a home could be acquired for Emily Hobhouse and Mrs De Wet, widow of the famous war general, could be assisted in her need. In 1926 Tibbie also arranged the burial of Emily Hobhouse at the Women's Monument. As a leader among her people Tibbie experienced the tensions of the Rebellion and two world wars without becoming involved publicly. Despite sharp political differences between the two language groups and amongst members of her own fam~ly, she successfully maintained her role as binding force. She preferred acting behind the scenes. She was the patroness of many organisations, and while she was often involved in ceremonial situations she always performed her duties with grace. Among both English and Afrikaans speaking peoples she was held in high esteem and among Afrikaners she spontaneously became accepted as Volksmoeder. When she was 83 years of age the Government asked her to act as South Africa's official representative at the abdication of Queen Wilhelmina of the Netherlands. She was accorded a state funeral at the Women's Monument when she died on 3 January 1955. / Nadat sy haar ernstig ongestelde man na die einde van die Anglo-Boereoorlog vir gespesialiseerde mediese behandeling na Europa geneem het, het mev. Rachel Isabella Steyn (Tibbie) die gedeeltelik herstelde pres. M. T. Steyn in 1905 na Suid-Afrika terug gebring. Sy het haar saam met pres. Steyn beywer om die verslane Afrikanervolk op maatskaplike, geestelike en stoflike gebied weer op te hef. Tibbie het pres. Steyn bygestaan met die oprigting van die Meisieskool Oranje in 1906. In 1907 het die stigting van die Oranje-Vrouevereniging (OVV) onder haar voorsitsterskap geskied. Hoewel sy van afkoms Engelssprekend was, was sy een van die eerstes wat Afrikaans tot skryftaal verhef het. Aan die sy van haar eggenoot het sy gewerk vir die oprigting van die Nasionale Vrouemonument om die gestorwe vroue en kinders van die oorlog te gedenk. Te midde van dit alles het sy nougeset gewaak oor pres. Steyn se gesondheid en sy geestelike welsyn. Na pres. Steyn se dood in 1916 tree sy sterker na vore in die openbare lewe. In samewerking met Emily Hobhouse samel sy na die Eerste Wereldoorlog geld in vir noodlydendes van Sentraal-Europa. Sy het haar voortdurend beywer vir die verligting van die lot van haar mense, o.a. met die insameling van halfkrone by 'n oorlogsverarmde volk. So is o.a. 'n huis vir Emily Hobhouse bekom, en is die nood van genl. De Wet se weduwee verlig. Tibbie het ook in 1926 die leiding geneem met die begrafnis van Emily Hobhouse by die Vrouemonument. As leiersfiguur het sy die spanning van die Rebellie en die twee wereldoorloe sonder enige omstredenheid deurleef. Te midde van skerp politieke verskille tussen die taalgroepe en onder haar eie familie tree sy met sukses as saambindende krag op. Hoewel sy geweldige invloed gehad het, het sy by voorkeur agter die skerms opgetree. Sy was beskermvrou van verskeie organisasies en waar sy dikwels by seremoniele geleenthede betrek was, het sy haar pligte met groot grasie vervul. Onder sowel Engelse as Afrikaners is sy sonder voorbehoud geeer, en by die Afrikaners het sy spontaan die eretitel van Volksmoeder verwerf. Op drie-en-tagtigjarige ouderdom is sy in 1948 deur die Regering afgevaardig as Suid-Afrika se gesant tydens die plegtighede verbonde aan die abdikasie van koningin Wilhelmina van Nederland. Sy is 'n staatsbegrafnis by die Vrouemonument gegee toe sy op 3 Januarie 1955 oorlede is. / History / D. Litt. et Phil. (Geskiedenis)

A carefully constructed set of 16 graphical tasks related to key biochemistry concepts was designed and administered to a group of 82 students in their final year of B.Sc. study. The test mean score of 48,3% ( 12,1) was low and characterised by gender and ethnic differences. There was a moderate linear relationship between biochemistry grades obtained by the students over two years of study and their graphical literacy (r = 0,433). The majority of the students exhibited slope/height confusion and only seven students (8,5%) were able to answer the two items corresponding to Kimura‘s Level F, the most complex and difficult level of graphical literacy. Eye tracking data gave valuable insights into different strategies used by students while interpreting graphs and is a valuable tool for assessing graphical literacy. These findings confirmed other studies where researchers have found a widespread lack of graph comprehension among biological science students. / Institute of Science and Technology Education / M. Sc. (Science Education)