Thesis (D. Tech.) -- Central University of Technology, Free State, 2010 / Branded dairy products have lately become a global trend. As a result of this, the origin of the milk used in the manufacturing of branded cheeses must be declared by the producer, since it is known that these products are highly adulterated with foreign milk. In South Africa, branded Ayrshire Cheddar cheese has become highly popular due to its unique organoleptic properties and in light of claims that it ripens much faster than cheese made from other milk (not including Ayrshire). This study was therefore directed to investigate the unique properties of branded Ayrshire Cheddar cheese versus Cheddar cheese manufactured from a mixture of other breeds’ milk (not including Ayrshire milk) and to establish a catabolite profile for each cheese type. The outlay of the thesis was constructed into six chapters each with its own outcomes. The first chapter focused on the variations between the two Cheddar cheese batches (produced from Ayrshire and other breeds’ milk) with regards to organic acid, selected chemical parameters and starter microbiotia. In the following three chapters mathematical models were developed that would predict organic-; fatty and amino acid fluxtuations respectively in the cheese made from Ayrshire and other milk. In the last chapter two artificial neural networks were designed with the two starter organisms, Lactococcus lactis and Streptococcus thermophilus as variable indicator respectively. Thirty-two cheese samples of each batch (pure Ayrshire (4) / mix breed with no Ayrshire (4)) were ripened and samples were analysed under the same conditions on the following days after production: 2, 10, 22, 36, 50, 64, 78, and 92. In the subsequent chapters, the following analysis were done on each day of analysis: organic acid by means of high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC); fatty acids by means of Gas Chromatography Mass Spectometry (GCMS); amino acids by means of GC-MS; microbial analysis by means of traditional methods, total DNA extraction and polymerase chain reaction (PCR); and standard chemical analysis for moisture, NaCl and pH. In the first research chapter, the minimum and maximum (min/max) values, standard deviations and proposed rel X values of organic acids were evaluated in Ayrshire and the mixed-breed Cheddar cheese, and showed that isovaleric acid is the organic acid with the least variation relative to concentration in both cheeses and it was assumed that this organic acid is the most effective indicator of cheese uniformity. Clear differences in organic acids, chemical variables and starter micro-organisms were also evident in the two cheese batches. Results obtained from the regression models which was defined for each organic -; amino - and fatty acid by means of mathematical equations can be used by the manufacturer to achieve i.e. the selection of cheese for specialist lines, the early exclusion of defective cheeses, and the establishment of brand origin (Ayrshire vs. mixed-breed Cheddar cheeses). The regression graphs also illustrate unique flux patterns in Ayrshire and the mixed-breed in terms of organic -, fatty -, and amino acid content. In the last chapter, the discrimination between the two batches was respectively done via artificial neural network (ANN) modelling of Lactococcus lactis and Streptococcus thermophilus as indicator organisms. The ANN consisted of a multilayered network with supervised training arranged into an ordered hierarchy of layers, in which connections were allowed only between nodes in immediately adjacent layers. The construction thereof allowed for two output nodes, connected to an input layer consisting of two nodes to which the inputs were connected. In both cheeses the results from the ANN showed acceptable classification of the cheeses based on the counts of L. lactis and S. thermophilus.

Thesis (D. Tech. (Clinical Technology)) -- Central University of technology, Free State, 2013 / Objectives: Survival with end stage kidney disease (ESKD) is made possible by dialysis but is in turn associated with increased morbidity, mortality, and decreased quality of life (QOL). Quality of life is a frequently overlooked, yet a critical consideration in evaluating the overall medical care of ESKD patients. This study aimed to evaluate the QOL of chronic haemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients in multiple dialysis units in South Africa. Methods: A comparative descriptive study carried out on 100 haemodialysis (HD) (n=100) and 100 peritoneal dialysis patients (PD) (n=100) patients, evaluating factors such as demographics, duration on dialysis, medical history, clinical indicators and the patient’s understanding thereof, was performed. Quality of life was measured using the medical outcomes study 36 (SF-36). These factors, clinical scores and QOL measures were compared amongst HD and PD patients and thereafter correlated to nephrology professionals’ perspective on QOL. Results: A total of 200 (n=200) patients from 11 dialysis units were evaluated. Mean age for the HD group was 49±15 years compared to 53±14 years for the PD group (p=0.043). The HD patient group had an improved physical composite (PCS) score adjusted for age, urea, creatinine and albumin (p<0.001). The mental composite score (MCS) was improved in the PD group although not significant (p>0.05). A positive correlation was found, as PD patients had an improved symptom control score, adjusted for age (p=0.04), an improved effect of kidney disease score adjusted for albumin (p=0.000), and an improved burden QOL score adjusted for urea, creatinine and albumin (p=0.019). Age was shown to be associated to the physical functioning (p=0.01) and PCS (p=0.040), and diabetes to the emotional role (p=0.04), in QOL. An increase in the years on dialysis showed a reduced emotional well-being (p=0.028) and being on the transplant list an improved MCS (p=0.003). Participation in a pre-end stage kidney disease (PESKD) management programme showed improvement in the general health component (p=0.032), the effect (p=0.01), and the burden of kidney disease (p=0.02). Assessing patients’ knowledge on ESKD revealed the relationship of the PCS to the understanding of managing the complications associated with CKD (p=0.01) and access management (p=0.01). The understanding of diet was found to be significant to the burden of CKD (p=0.01) and the complications associated with CKD was found to be further significant to the effect and symptom QOL (p=0.01). Nephrology professionals rated the difficulty of living with kidney disease a 7.49 out of 10 score and 71% felt QOL is taken into consideration with managing ESKD patients. Conclusion: The study demonstrated differences in the adjusted QOL scores amongst HD and PD dialysis patients in the dialysis units studied. The importance of PESKD was emphasized in relation to improved QOL. Quality of life is a valid marker and important for the ongoing audit of renal services.

Thesis (M. Tech.(Biomedical Technology)) - Central University of Technology, Free State, 2010 / Introduction: Geophagia, generally referred to as earth-eating, occurs in many countries of the world, including African countries such as South Africa. A need was identified to characterize human geophagic habits and the microbiological content of geophagic clayey soil, including the presence of potentially pathogenic nematodes (geohelminths), in South Africa. Materials and methods: Questionnaires were developed to generate data on human geophagia and included demography, socio-economics, indigenous knowledge, business aspects, mining and hygiene practices of vendors/geophagists. A total of 52 soil samples (n = 52) were collected from the district of Thabo Mofutsanyane (Free State, South Africa), which comprised of vendor, topsoil, excavated and control soil sample groups. Nematode content were isolated using the Ammonium bicarbonate protocol, thereafter the nematodes were classified and population sizes determined for each sample. Soil colour classification was completed using the Munsell Soil Color Charts. Results and discussion: The questionnaire revealed that geophagia in this region was practised mainly by women of child-bearing age because of the taste of the soil. Vendors sell geophagic clayey soil (known as mobu) collected from the mountain- and riversides for subsistence, generally costing one to two rand per bag. Hygiene and environmental conditions are considered when mining geophagic clayey soils. Whitish-perceived clayey soils are preferred by most of the geophagists. According to the Munsell Soil Color classification, Thabo Mofutsanyane geophagic soils ranged from brownish, to greyish, to yellowish in colour. Vendor soils were mostly greyish, while topsoils, excavated soils and control soils were mostly brownish. No human pathogenic nematode ova or larvae were isolated from any of the samples, however 34 nonpathogenic nematode taxa representing five trophic levels were identified. These included mainly herbivores, but also fungivores, bacteriovores, omnivores and predators. Taxon richness (number of taxa) greatly varied in the soil sample groups with vendor soil n = 9, topsoil n = 24, excavated soil n = 16 and control soil n = 14. Tylenchus sp., Criconemoides sphaerocephalus and Ditylenchus sp. were the only nematode taxa identified in all the different sample groups, with Tylenchus sp. notably more abundant overall. When the median nematode population sizes were compared between the geophagic soil samples, no significant difference (p ≥ 0.05) could be identified. In contrast, the median nematode population sizes for all samples differed significantly (p < 0.05) from the control soil sample group. Conclusion: This study revealed that geophagia is probably not a vector for geohelminth infection in the district of Thabo Mofutsanyane, South Africa. However, the rich presence of non-pathogenic soil nematode communities in these brownish, greyish and yellowish geophagic soils may be useful as biological indicators of general soil health.

M. Tech. Business Administration / The study assesses the dimensions of service quality within a Jaguar Land Rover dealership in Gauteng. The first objective is to determine the importance of each service quality and the second is to measure the effect of the service quality at the dealerships.

M. Tech. Business Administration / The aim of this research is to explore ways of retaining academic staff at a distance learning university in South Africa. It also looks at how the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998 can be used to retain talent in our distance learning universities.

M. Tech. Education / The study investigated the extent to which Grade 11 learners were able to formulate Mathematics and Mathematical Literacy problems from a given soccer context and to determine the extent to which the problems formulated by learners reflect the given soccer context. Engaging learners in the activity of task formulation within the context of soccer was an attempt to enable the learners to appreciate the mathematics concepts can be extracted from familiar or everyday situations.

M. Tech. Education / The aim of the study is to identify the causes and challenges incurred from late coming in some selected high schools around Soshanguve with a view to providing solution to the problem within the province. Interviews were conducted with all the participants with the use of structured questionnaire and a review of document (class attendance records and late coming records book). The participants were also observed in their natural settings. Participants in the study were leaners from Grades 7 - 12, educators and principals from the selected schools.

M. Tech. Language Practice / This study seeks to investigate intercultural communication between employees at a French-speaking West African embassy in Pretoria. Thirty (30) research participants were selected by means of convenient and voluntary sampling techniques. The study followed a qualitative case study research approach, and used three instruments to collect its data: observation, recording and interviews. It analysed its data through conversational and content analyses. The findings of this study aimed to improve intercultural communication interaction between French and non-French-speaking employees in order to promote a friendlier intercultural environment.

M. Tech. Entrepreneurship / The purpose of this study is to develop a consumer profile of traditional Chinese medicine consumption in South Africa. The research was based upon a nomethetic survey, a total sample size of 321 respondents was selected according to the convenience sampling technique to participate in the research. Descriptive data analysis was performed indicating that behaviour control and social impact norms primarily influencing the purchase of traditional Chinese medicine.

M. Tech. Tourism and hospitality Management / This research presents an analysis of the challenges faced by tourism suppliers in the township of Atteridgeville. Using a quantitative methodology, this descriptive study assesses 57 internal and external variables of 144 tourism suppliers (N=144) and their environment. Suppliers perceptions are analysed through various statistical tests including standard deviation, mean scores, Cronbachs Alpha, Chi-Square, and factor analysis. There were 12 factors that were identified crucial to respondents, of which 7 displayed an unacceptable reliability level. Additionally, relationships were identified between some internal and external variables.