The workplace environment is intrinsically dynamic, yet architecturally it is treated as something that is fixed. Functional layouts specific to the thinking of the time (zeitgeist) are built into the structure leaving little opportunity for adaptation. Frank Lloyd Wright’s Johnson Wax building is one such example; built to function in the Taylorist paradigm with little scope for alteration. The contemporary workplace often lends itself to the adaptive reuse of a range of building typologies or the construction of new structures with Green Star ratings. At the same time, a significant amount of office buildings, constructed prior to the green building movement of the 1990’s, are still in use, despite the typically hermetic and unhealthy spaces they contain. The possibility of adapting an office building from pre-1990 building stock is investigated. Previous workplace layouts inhibited conversation (since interaction in the workplace was frowned upon), but today workplaces are designed with social interaction as its core. The largely unused potential of this aspect within corporate culture and the influence it might have on spatial organisations is investigated. Interior architecture, as mediator between office buildings’ accommodation and their dynamic programs, forms the premise of the study. The hypothesis that an interior architectural intervention can make a positive translation from an unhealthy to a healthy building is tested by designing for the interplay between the character of a space and its design elements. The design process is guided by the Open Building methodology of fixed, semi-fixed and loose-fit. The intervention translates this methodology into a responsive and context conscious proposal with an emphasis on the users and their sense of place. Finally, traditional architectural elements are reinterpreted in terms of their ability to enable or disable interaction between users according to the theory of social friction. Three types of interaction are considered: official meetings, casual meetings and chance encounters. Human interaction, central to the creation of a workplace as opposed to a work space, is a constant theme throughout the study. / Dissertation MInt(Prof)--University of Pretoria, 2013 / Architecture / MInt(Prof) / Unrestricted

The cultural landscape has long been the indigenous language of man and the original inhabitancy of all living things. Humans evolved amongst animals, under the sky, upon the earth and near water resources. We have touched, saw, heard, smelled, tasted, lived in, and shaped the landscape before the spaces had words to describe what it did. Inhabited landscapes were the first human texts, read before the invention of other signs and symbols. This legacy of ‘native identity’ and cultural process makes a connection in each one, physically and mentally. Landscape thus provides the social milieu of our lives and even though we consist of multi-layered knowledge of the ethnographic landscape which is dependent on personal background, traditions, education and character, we should be collectively and individually aware of changes in our cultural landscape and or heritage (Swaffield 2005: 17). The following dissertation attempts to present an approach that might inform landscape design strategies or principles as a basis to the reclamation and/or conservation of redundant cultural heritage places. Along with theory, this paper will also investigate precedential studies to gain knowledge on how to efficiently redevelop a cultural landscape. Key Words: Cultural landscape, heritage, landscape design, reclamation, conservation / Dissertation ML(Prof)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / Architecture / ML(Prof) / Unrestricted

Usability is a critical aspect of the success of any application. It can be the deciding factor for which an application is chosen and can have a dramatic effect on the productivity of users. Eye tracking has been successfully utilised as a usability evaluation tool, because of the strong link between where a person is looking and their cognitive activity. Currently, eye tracking usability evaluation is a time–intensive process, requiring extensive human expert analysis. It is therefore only feasible for small–scale usability testing. This study developed a method to reduce the time expert analysts spend interpreting eye tracking results, by automating part of the analysis process. This was accomplished by comparing the visual strategy of a benchmark user against the visual strategies of the remaining participants. A comparative study demonstrates how the resulting metrics highlight the same tasks with usability issues, as identified by an expert analyst. The method also produces visualisations to assist the expert in identifying problem areas on the user interface. Eye trackers are now available for various mobile devices, providing the opportunity to perform large–scale, remote eye tracking usability studies. The proposed approach makes it feasible to analyse these extensive eye tracking datasets and improve the usability of an application. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2014. / Computer Science / unrestricted

Locus standi is a Latin word for standing. Traditionally, it implies that a litigant must have sufficient interest to apply to the court for the enforcement of the right of another person, challenge the actions of the government, have a court declare a law unconstitutional or even to litigate in the interest of the public otherwise the application will not be successful. The interpretation of locus standi before the courts in most common law jurisdictions is liberal. Nigerian courts, however, interpret the principle of locus standi strictly, in the sense that standing is accorded the person who shows cause of action or sufficient interest. This position denies access to justice to many Nigerians who are poor or have no knowledge of their rights as the courts position on standing prevents NGOs or other individuals from applying to the courts on their behalf or litigating in the interest of the public. Presently, the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules 2009 regulate the practice and procedure for the enforcement of human rights before Nigerian courts. The Rules encourage the courts to ‗welcome public interest litigation in the human rights field‘ and not to dismiss or strike out human right cases for want of locus standi. However, it is doubtful if the courts will accept this invitation. This study looks at the context of the interpretation of the principle of locus standi by Nigerian Courts and its effect on access to justice and public interest litigation by NGOs and individuals. It also examines the impact of the provision for locus standi of the Fundamental Rights (Enforcement Procedure) Rules 2009. Finally, this study provides an analysis of the interpretation of this concept in other common law jurisdictions such as Kenya, India, United Kingdom and South Africa who once interpreted the concept strictly but now interpret it more liberally. This comparison is necessary to show that Nigerian courts are isolated in their position in the interpretation of locus standi and that there is need for the courts to conform to international best practice. / Dissertation (LLM)--University of Pretoria, 2014 / Centre for Human Rights / LLM / Unrestricted

This dissertation is based on the premise that design, no matter how intricate or complex in nature, arises from something as basic and rudimentary as a ‘need’. It is a process of retrospection into how interior design answers the needs of human beings in the environment. The aim of the project is celebrate the act of waiting and the experience of the ‘every-day’ world. Interior design is used to acts as ‘mediator’ between people, their needs and the environment. The project sheds light on the ‘every-day' life world by investigating the activities and interactions of people within the context of a public transport facility. The ‘status-quo’ of such facilities in South Africa is questioned by investigating the extent to which interior design acts as mediator to facilitate the user. The main activities of ‘waiting’ and ‘foodvending’ form the basis of the design project. The proposed site (Spaza Shed) is located in Scheiding Street at the north-western edge of the Pretoria Station precinct in the central business district (CBD) of Pretoria. Originally used as an office building, it underwent radical alteration when it was converted into a bus terminal by Stauch and Vorster Architects in 1993. This typological change rendered the building isolated from the rest of the site context. In addition, following the upgrading of what is today the new bus station building (south of the building) the Spaza Shed was abandoned and used for storage. Today, the building houses several steel kiosks of which only a few are occupied by food-vendors who prepare and sell ‘traditional’ meals. Lack of facilities and systems mean that the building presents a health risk to both tenants and customers. The northern edge of the building consists of a series of small shops and inadequate benches where bus commuters clamour while waiting. The proximity of the Spaza Shed relative to the bus station provides the potential for the Spaza Shed to serve as an active waiting station for bus commuters as well as pedestrians moving past the building. The proposed program rests on the basis of mediation and interaction by connecting the Spaza Shed building with the bus station as well as the CBD. An active waiting area is proposed which will house seating (based on ergonomic principles and postures), public restroomand shower facilities, food kiosks, interior green spaces, free wifi access and interactive information stations. A proposal is made for a a play area and a day care center. / Dissertation MInt(Prof)--University of Pretoria, 2013 / Architecture / MInt(Prof) / Unrestricted

The O’Brien lab has demonstrated that Heat shock protein 27 (HSP27)shows attenuated expression in human coronary arteries as the degree of atherosclerosis progresses. Moreover, over-expression of HSP27 reduces atherogenesis in mice. The precise mechanism(s) for HSP27-mediated "atheroprotection" are incompletely understood. Nuclear Factor-kappaB (NF-κB) is a key signaling modulator in atherogenesis. Hence, this project sought to determine if recombinant HSP27 (rHSP27) alters NF-κB signaling to affect atheroprotection. Treatment of THP1 macrophages with rHSP27 resulted in degradation of IκBα, coincided with nuclear translocation of the p65 subunit and produced transcriptional evidence of activation of NF-κB signaling. When the transcriptional profile of THP1 macrophages treated with rHSP27 was analyzed using NF-κB-pathway-specific qRT-PCR arrays, among the regulated genes, IL-10 and GM-CSF mRNA levels were markedly increased, as were parallel translational effects observed. These data provide new mechanistic insights into the atheroprotective effects of HSP27.

This research project investigates the possibility of a public programme-overlay at the Union Buildings, situated on Meintjieskop on the western edge of the Pretoria inner city. The design of the Buildings was commissioned to Sir Herbert Baker to celebrate the newly formed Union of South Africa in 1910. The buildings were completed in 1913 and this research project attempts to commemorate the centenary of this landmark. The buildings’ current state does not allow for public participation and this seems unfortunate for both the public and the buildings. This dissertation attempts to reintroduce the Union Buildings to South Africans, the Pretoria public as well as international tourists by recording the memory of the buildings. The intervention is an interpretative archive to the life of the Union Buildings. The static, stereotomic nature of the buildings has ironically been shaped and forced into many different symbolic meanings through the ever-changing political and cultural dynamics of South Africa. The life of the buildings has been interpreted into five distinguishing symbolic-eras: Birth, Union, Oppression, Democracy and Power. The new intervention attempts to make these layered eras public. This project will also explore the relationship between architecture and craft. This study understands that architecture is more than ever becoming a two dimensional experience and this is believed to be a direct result of the dimension in which it is explored - between pen and paper. The investigation will contest this current condition in which architecture finds itself. Moreover the focus of this study will be to explore architecture in its final dimension, thus exploring the relationship between architecture and craft. In the true sense this is a study of the tekton. / Dissertation (MArch(Prof))--University of Pretoria 2012. / Architecture / MArch(Prof) / Unrestricted

The ALICE (A Large Ion Collider Experiment) detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC) is dedicated to studying the deconfined medium called the quark-gluon plasma (QGP), which is formed at extreme energy densities in heavy-ion collisions. ALICE can study hadrons, photons, electrons and muons up to the highest multiplicities expected at the LHC and down to very low transverse momentum (p_T ~ 30 MeV/c) by employing excellent particle identification (PID) and tracking over a broad momentum range (p ~ 100 MeV/c – 100 GeV/c). It consists of the central barrel which covers mid-rapidity (|y|< 0.9) and the Muon Spectrometer covering the forward rapidity region (2.5<y<4). The Muon Spectrometer detects dimuons decaying from heavy quarkonia (e.g. J/Ψ) which are hard, penetrating probes as well as high-p_T single muons from W^± bosons which are initial-state observables. These probes are essential tools for determining medium induced effects and studying the initial conditions of the interaction. The W^± boson has a high mass of M_W = 80.385 ± 0.015 GeV and is therefore formed in the early stages of the collision. It decays to single muons (μ^±←W^±) which are detected in the high-p_T region (30 – 80 GeV/c). The high centre-of-mass energies (√s) obtained during proton-proton (pp) and lead-lead (Pb-Pb) collisions at the LHC are sufficient for the formation of the W^± boson. Due to the increase in luminosity for the LHC in 2011 it is now thought possible to perform a data analysis of the W^± boson in ALICE. The results can then be compared to previous performance studies and to results from other LHC experiments (ATLAS, CMS and LHCb). As a first requirement of the analysis, the effect of the alignment of the Muon Spectrometer has to be determined. Misalignment of the Muon Spectrometer could result in a systematic uncertainty in the measurement of the muon track, thereby influencing the efficiency of the detector. By analysing simulations of W^± boson signals generated with PYTHIA in pp collisions at √s = 8 TeV with ideal and residual misalignment configurations of the detector, these alignment effects on the p_T and pseudorapidity (η) distributions, as well as the ratio (μ^+←W^+)/(μ^-←W^- ) (charge asymmetry) were studied using the AliROOT framework. It was found that the misalignment does cause a systematic uncertainty in the p_T distributions and charge asymmetry, especially in the region p_T > 40 GeV/c where the systematic uncertainty grows above 50 %. Analyses of Pb-Pb collisions conducted in 2011 at √(s_NN ) = 2.76 TeV were then performed on data reconstructed with original alignment information and data refitted with improved alignment information. They were compared to establish the effect of alignment on the single muon distributions. The improved alignment has a limited effect in the high-p_T region and therefore also on possible W^± boson studies. Due to lack of statistics at high-p_T the W^± boson signal and the nuclear modification factor (R_AA) could not be extracted, but it is foreseen that the extraction will later be possible with the use of 2012 pp and Pb-Pb data. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / Physics / unrestricted

Cloud computing is gaining acceptance and also increasing in popularity. Organisations often rely on cloud resources as an effective replacement for their `in-house' computer systems. In the cloud, virtual resources are provided from a larger pool of resources, these resources being available to multiple different clients. When something suspicious happens within a digital environment, a digital forensic investigation may be conducted to gather information about the event. When conducting such an investigation digital forensic procedures are followed. These procedures involve the steps to be followed to aid in the successful completion of the investigation. One of the possible steps that may be followed involves isolating possible evidence in order to protect it from contamination and tampering. Clouds may provide a multi-tenancy solution across multiple geographical locations. When conducting an investigation into physical equipment the equipment may be isolated. This may be done, for example, by placing a cell phone in a Faraday bag in order to block signals or unplugging a computer's network cable to stop the computer from either sending or receiving of network traffic. However, in the cloud it may not be applicable to isolate the equipment of the cloud because of the multi-tenancy and geographically separated nature of the cloud. There is currently little research available on how isolation can be accomplished inside the cloud environment. This dissertation aims at addressing the need for isolation on the cloud by creating new methods and techniques that may be incorporated into an investigation in order to isolate cloud resources. Isolation can be achieved by moving the unnecessary evidence to a different location and retaining the required evidence or by moving the required evidence in such a manner that the evidence would not be contaminated. If isolated evidence were to be moved to a digital forensic laboratory, the question arises as to whether it would be possible to create such a laboratory on the cloud utilise the benefits of cloud computing and enable the investigation to be conducted on the cloud without moving the isolated evidence from the cloud. The dissertation will develop various models of isolation. These models are then tested in experimental conditions. The experiments were conducted on Nimbula Director 1.0.3 and VMware vSphere 5.0. The models were successfully applied in the experiments. It was found that investigations could benefit from the use of the proposed models for isolation. However, the experiments also highlighted that some of the models are not applicable or that a combination should be used. The experiments also indicated that the methods to be used would depend on the circumstances of the investigation. A preliminary "cloud laboratory" was designed and described in terms of which a digital forensic laboratory can be created on the cloud resources, thus enabling an investigation to be conducted inside the cloud environment. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / Computer Science / unrestricted

Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) pericarditis is a relatively rare form of tuberculosis which has been on the decline. However, the advent of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) pandemic has brought about the resurgence of tuberculosis pericarditis and an even poorer prognosis for patients with HIV co-infection. Objectives: The aim is to describe the baseline characteristics of tuberculous pericarditis patients and to assess the impact of HIV on the clinical presentation of this disease. Methods: The study describes baseline data from a randomised clinical trial which explored the use of adjunctive corticosteroids in management of TB pericarditis then went on to compare HIV co-infected patients versus those without HIV co-infection using logistic regression. Results: There were 1394 patients enrolled into the study, 64% were HIV positive, 19% were HIV negative and 17% had an unknown HIV status. Forty four percent of the participants were female and age had a positively skewed distribution with median 36 years (IQR: of 29-46). HIV co-infected patients were younger with OR 0.97(95% CI: 0.96-0.98), more likely to have previously had TB with OR 2.15(95% CI: 1.25-3.72), had a more acute illness with OR 0.99(95% CI: 0.99-1.00), had lower hemoglobin with OR 0.72(95% CI: 0.67-0.78), lower White Cell Count, (WCC) with OR 0.90(95% CI: 0.86-0.96) and higher globulin with OR 1.07(95% CI: 1.05-1.09). Conclusion: HIV co-infected participants are younger, more likely to have been previously diagnosed with TB, have a more acute illness, lower haemoglobin, lower WCC and higher globulin. / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2013. / School of Health Systems and Public Health (SHSPH) / unrestricted