Improved Text Language Identification for the South African Languages

Virtual assistants and text chatbots have recently been gaining popularity. Given the short message nature of text-based chat interactions, the language identification systems of these bots might only have 15 or 20 characters to make a prediction. However, accurate text language identification is important, especially in the early stages of many multilingual natural language processing pipelines. This paper investigates the use of a naive Bayes classifier, to accurately predict the language family that a piece of text belongs to, combined with a lexicon based classifier to distinguish the specific South African language that the text is written in. This approach leads to a 31% reduction in the language detection error. In the spirit of reproducible research the training and testing datasets as well as the code are published on github. Hopefully it will be useful to create a text language identification shared task for South African languages.Comment: Accepted to appear in the proceedings of The 28th Annual Symposium of the Pattern Recognition Association of South Africa, 201

The dynamics of a hydrosocial relationship. a case study of the Pinetown/New Germany industrial complex and the Palmiet River.

Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.This study sought to explore the relationship between Industry located in the Pinetown/ New Germany Industrial complex and the Palmiet River. The objective of the study was to explore industry attitudes and perceptions towards water by studying the relationship between businesses located in the New Germany Industrial Complex and the Palmiet River, as well as external actors, processes and practices that regulate and govern this relationship. The hydrosocial cycle was used as the theoretical framework to guide this study as it better provided a space for a critical analysis of water and society; centring water to better understand the production of social power (Wittfogel 1957; Swyngedouw 1999; Linton 2010, Linton and Budds, 2013). Qualitative research methods such as in-depth interviews were utilized to gain insight from various stakeholders mainly; industry, the municipality and civil society. This study revealed the intricate and structural internal connections between water and society. Which challenged the notion of a one-dimensional didactic relationship, rather it highlights how these two entities shape and remake each other continuously. Through this internal connection, they embody influences from various external actors, processes and practices, which change the context as well as the nature of this relationship. In its location at an industrial complex, the Palmiet River has enhanced, altered and fostered new relationships amongst and between stakeholders, with ecological infrastructure and climate change playing a significant role in connecting and facilitating these relationships. Broadly, the findings of the study found that the river can be understood as an integrator; it blurs the line between the formal and informal. It enmeshes the formal public spaces with the informal invisible spaces. True to the cyclical nature of water it connects the dominant socio-economic challenges back to the municipality and the state

Effects of nicotine on content of corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) in rat amygdala, hypothalamus and brain stem

Effects of 1.0 mg/kg and 0.4 mg/kg intraperitoneal nicotine on hypothalamic and extra hypothalamic levels of corticotropin releasing factor (CRF) were examined in 104 rats. CRF, a 41-amino acid peptide involved in responses to stress, fear and anxiety, influences the same neurotransmitter systems as nicotine, a psychoactive component of tobacco. Radioimmunoassays revealed that in macro-dissected hypothalami, 15 minutes treatment with 1.0 mg/kg nicotine significantly increased CRF content compared to no treatment. The 1.0 mg/kg dose did not elicit effects in macro-dissected amygdala and brain stem. With 0.4 mg/kg nicotine, no significant effects were observed in micro-dissected hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus, amygdaloid and brain stem nuclei. As expected, plasma corticosterone levels were significantly increased with both doses of nicotine. Overall, no clear cut effects of nicotine on CRF were observed. Micro-dissection studies on specific nuclei using varying doses and time points would help elucidate interactions of nicotine with CRF systems

School-going teenage mothers and fathers: Gender, challenges and the negotiation of learner-parent roles

¢Voices of teenage mothers and fathers ¢Competing and conflicting learner-parent roles ¢Structural dimensions of teen parenthood ¢Dominant gender discourses and practices on parenthood ¢Negotiation of dual learner parent role

Second order regulator Collier directly controls intercalary-specific segment polarity gene expression

AbstractIn Drosophila, trunk metamerization is established by a cascade of segmentation gene activities: the gap genes, the pair rule genes, and the segment polarity genes. In the anterior head, metamerization requires also gap-like genes and segment polarity genes. However, because the pair rule genes are not active in this part of the embryo, the question on which gene activities are fulfilling the role of the second order regulator genes still remains to be solved. Here we provide first molecular evidence that the Helix–Loop–Helix–COE transcription factor Collier fulfills this role by directly activating the expression of the segment polarity gene hedgehog in the posterior part of the intercalary segment. Collier thereby occupies a newly identified binding site within an intercalary-specific cis-regulatory element. Moreover, we identified a direct physical association between Collier and the basic-leucine-zipper transcription factor Cap‘n'collar B, which seems to restrict the activating input of Collier to the posterior part of the intercalary segment and to lead to the attenuation of hedgehog expression in the intercalary lobes at later stages

School of applied human sciences : understanding the lived experiences of teenage parents in a designated secondary school in a Durban township.

M.A. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 2015.Irrespective of age, parenthood can be a life-changing event, which is filled with mixed feelings of anxiety and excitement for the journey ahead. There is increased anxiety and pressure for school-going teenagers that enter parenthood, as this adds to their major role responsibilities of learner, another major role of mother or father, which represent competing and conflict demands. Managing the conflicting roles can be extremely daunting and impact the day-to-day functioning of learners. Society assumes different roles for men and women, especially around parenthood that are based on presumed age of maturity amongst other factors. While the dominant societal discourse is on the problem of teen pregnancies and teen parents, their underlying structural determinants are often over-looked. The pathology-based approach labels and categories teen parents as problems. They are often described in condescending language, which overlooks the root causes of high rates of teen parenthood. Consistent with dominant stereotypical gender discourses, teenage fathers are often ignored. This study was designed to understand the experiences and narratives of both teenage fathers and mothers in a secondary school environment. The study employed a qualitative paradigm and a descriptive-exploratory design. The participants were identified through the use of convenience and snowball sampling. They were a total of 11 black African participants, seven being females and four being males. The data was collected using a focus group interview and semi-structured individual interviews. Audio-recorded sessions, which were transcribed and field notes were coded and developed into themes. The findings revealed that financial challenges, and disruption in schooling induced by entering parenthood while still being a learner were majors concern. There were also positive experiences that were born out of their challenging circumstances such as personal growth, increased sense of responsibility, and childrearing providing a sense of purpose and hope. But none of them would recommend other learners falling pregnant, and they suggested ways in which teen pregnancies might be prevented. There were some clear gender differences in the experiences of teen mothers and fathers. On the basis of the major findings and existing literature, recommendations are made in respect of policy, practice and further research

Coping with political corporatism: state-international non-governmental organisation relations in post-2000 Zimbabwe.

Doctoral Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.This thesis focuses on the relations between International Non-governmental Organisations (INGOs) and the State in post-2000 Zimbabwe (2000–2009). This was an epoch depicting the democratisation process as posing a threat to the reign of Robert Gabriel Mugabe since 1980. My thesis is that in post-2000 Zimbabwe, INGOs and the State co-existed in a dichotomy where they needed each other. The aim of the study is to describe the nature of INGO-State relations in post-2000 Zimbabwe and construct an explanatory theoretical framework. The study is guided by the main research question: How have INGOs coped with political corporatism in the post-2000 Zimbabwe period? The study focuses on the nature of political repression directed at the INGOs by the post-2000 Zimbabwe and how the INGOs coped with the hostile political environment in fulfilling their mandate. The setting of the study is post-2000, a time when Zimbabwe was characterised by a severe economic meltdown, political contestation and political violence. The study employs two theoretical frameworks, namely Michael Foucault’s theory of governmentality and Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of the State. The study is philosophically grounded in the interpretivist paradigm and adopts a case study design and a qualitative research approach. Purposeful and snowballing sampling techniques were used complementarily to access willing participants. The sample consisted of 21 informants from INGO officials and State officials. From the INGOs, five participants were engaged in humanitarian organisations while five were engaged in developmental INGOs. Eleven participants were evenly spread among five government departments. The semi-structured interview was used as the major instrument of data collection augmented by document analysis of the Private Voluntary Organisations’ Act (2002) and the NGO Bill (2004) and other statutory instruments regulating the operations of INGOs in post-2000 Zimbabwe. The study finds that from 2000 onwards, the State in Zimbabwe used its governmentalities and capital to effect political corporatism or repression against INGOs. The co-existence of INGOs and the State was characterised by antagonism and mistrust although they concomitantly needed each other. Political corporatism became the instrument for controlling INGOs, political ideology and political dissent. Confronted with dilemmas, INGOs had to adopt coping strategies in post-2000 Zimbabwe. The study advances the theory of expedience in explaining the nature of INGO–State relations in post-2000 Zimbabwe as its major contribution to knowledge on INGO–State relations. The theory of expedience posits that both parties to a conflict need each other on one hand and are in bitter rivalry on the other hand. The pendulum of power swings between political power and the power of resources. The study recommends the removal of hindrances to enhance the smooth operations of INGOs such as limiting the powers of the executive directors and ministers as enshrined in the NGO Bill (2004) and PVO Act (2002), repealing repressive laws, and freeing the airwaves and the media as a way of fostering the democratic participation of organisations and citizens. Democratic participation helps to cultivate mutual trust and confidence. The respect for human rights and rule of law cannot be over-emphasised