Teaching And Learning Sepedi Using Blackboard: Challenges And Opportunities In The Age Of Covid-19 And Beyond

The outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic has shifted the system of teaching and learning from traditional face-to-face to online in South African and global institutions of higher learning. This online teaching and learning system seem to have brought some greater challenges and opportunities. This study therefore sought to investigate and bring to the fore those challenges and opportunities with special reference to Sepedi as a previously marginalised module (language) offered at the University of Limpopo, South Africa. This is a qualitative approach study seeking to understand the challenges and opportunities Sepedi students and lecturers encounter using Blackboard during COVID-19 as well as post pandemic. Semi-structured interviews were employed to collect data from both Sepedi students (n=8) and faculties (n=4) at the selected university. The researcher (n=1) also found it fit to give his views as a Sepedi lecturer. Drawing from the responses of participants, it is evident that lack of computational competency is the main challenge in both teaching and learning of Sepedi via Blackboard. Significantly, it is further reported that there are some greater developments (opportunities). The study recommends that students and faculties should appreciate Blackboar

Phytochemical analysis and bioactivity of Garcinia Kola (Heckel) seeds on selected bacterial pathogens

Garcinia kola is one of the plants used in folklore remedies for the treatment of microbial infections. Bacterial resistance to commonly used antibiotics has necessitated the search for newer and alternative compounds for the treatment of drug resistant microbial infections. This study focuses on the bioactivity of G. kola seeds on Streptococcus pyogenes (ATCC 49399), Staphylococcus aureus (NCTC 6571), Plesiomonas Shigelloides (ATCC 51903) and Salmonella typhimurium (ATCC 13311), organisms which can cause illnesses from mild to severe with potentially fatal outcomes. The crude ethyl acetate, ethanol, methanol, acetone and aqueous extracts were screened by agar-well diffusion method and the activities of the extract were further determined by Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) assays. The inhibition zones ranged from 0 - 24 mm, while MIC and MBC of the extract ranged between 0.04 - 1.25 mg/mL and 0.081 - 2.5 mg/mL respectively. Chloroform/ Ethyl Acetate/ Formic acid (CEF) solvent system separated more active compounds followed by Ethyl Acetate/ Methanol/ Water (EMW) and Benzene/ Ethanol/ Ammonium Hydroxide (BEA). The extracts were fractionated by Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC). Bioautography was used to assess the activity of the possible classes of compounds present in the more active extracts. Column chromatography was used to purify the active compounds from the mixture while Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to identify the phyto components of the fractions. The MIC of the fractions ranged between 0.0006 - 2.5 mg/mL. CEF 3 (F3), CEF 11 (F11) and CEF 12 (F12) revealed the presence of high levels fatty acids Linoleic acid, 1, 2-Benzenedicarboxylic acid and 2, 3-Dihydro-3, 5-dihydroxy-6-methyl, respectively. The results obtained from this study justify the use of this plant in traditional medicine and provide leads which could be further exploited for the development of new and potent antimicrobials

Synthesis of antimalarial antifolates

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg In fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science June, 30, 2015The world suffers under a serious threat of malaria with about 584 000 deaths reported each year and most of these fatalities being children under five years of age. Malaria is caused by the protozoan parasite of the genus Plasmodium. Five different malaria species infect humans and cause disease: P. vivax, P. malariae, P. ovale, P. knowlesi and the cause of most malaria deaths, P. falciparum. The main reason for this disturbing situation is the emergence of drug resistance which reduces the effectiveness of most antimalarials. Hence, there is an urgent need for new drugs that will possibly be effective against both wild type and mutant strains of Plasmodium species. Pyrimethamine, a dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) inhibitor, has been used most widely as an antimalarial antifolate drug for the treatment of malaria. However, rapid development of parasite resistance to this drug occurred because of its rigidity. Parasitic resistance to antimalarial antifolates arises from single mutations at various amino acid residues surrounding the PfDHFR active site. In this project, we aimed to design and synthesise a novel series of flexible pyrimidine analogues of a dihydrotriazine hit compound prepared in a previous study. These compounds were designed to target folate metabolism in the malaria parasite. The initial series of compounds prepared in this project were synthesised over 5 steps in an overall yield of 10%. The flexible pyrimidine analogues were screened for antimalarial activity in an in vitro P. falciparum screen on the Gambian FCR-3 strain (chloroquine and cycloguanil resistant strain) with dihydroartemisinin, methotrexate and quinine as controls. 5-(3-(3,5-Dichlorophenoxy)propyl)-6-phenylpyrimidine-2,4-diamine displayed the best antimalarial activity (IC50 = 0.09 μM) of the compounds in this series. Surprisingly; this was the only compound prepared in this series that proved to be as effective as our original hit dihydrotriazine (IC50 ~50 nM). In the second generation of compounds prepared in this study, we used a multicomponent coupling approach to synthesise three flexible pyrimidines bearing a non-aromatic side chain at the 6-position of the pyrimidine ring. For comparison, two analogues bearing a phenyl group at the 6-position of the pyrimidine ring were also prepared. Once again; only one compound of this series [5-((4-chlorophenethylamino)methyl)-6-cyclopropylpyrimidine-2,4-diamine, (IC50 = 0.03 μM)] showed activity comparable with our original hit compound. iv Finally, ten substituted pyrimidines bearing a flexible side chain at the 6-position of the pyrimidine ring, were prepared. These compounds are structurally similar to P65, [6-methyl-5-(3-(2,4,5-trichlorophenoxy)propoxy)pyrimidine-2,4-diamine] an analogue of a potent antifolate, WR99210, found to have good oral bioavailability in rats. Once again, the antimalarial activity of the compounds prepared was assessed in an in vitro P. falciparum screen on the Gambian FCR-3 strain. The most promising compound of this series was 6-(3-(3,4-dichlorophenoxy)propoxy)pyrimidine-2,4-diamine, which exhibited antimalarial activity in the low micromolar range (IC50 = 4.46 μM)

Examining the Relevance and Philosophical Significance of Some Northern Sotho Proverbs in the Context of COVID-19: A Sociocultural Perspective

Proverbs have long been serving as a tool for shaping human being’s life. They serve as a philosophical tool for social cohesion among other socio-cultural significances. Though some critics regard them as ancient, proverbs are still fulfilling the philosophical purpose(s) in the COVID-19 era. Their philosophical nature and meaning remains relevant in many contemporary life occurrences. Observing how people self-conduct themselves and share information about the pandemic, it was imperative for the study of this nature to be documented to ease communication among people during and post the pandemic.  It is against this backdrop that this paper aimed at contextualising the meaning(s) of some Northern Sotho proverbs in the COVID-19 epoch and examine how they are relevant to the pandemic’s situation and happenings. Qualitative research approach undergirded this study in the sense that the relevance of traditional Northern Sotho proverbs is tested against the global status quo (COVID-19 times). The study adopted Vygotsky’s (1978) Sociocultural theory as its lynchpin to enable a critical and thorough examination and assessment of the importance of language (through proverbs) in the COVID-19 context.  Relevant Northern Sotho proverbs were purposively selected due to their significant role in the COVID-19 epoch. The proverbs were synthesised and analysed thematically to reveal their relevance and philosophical purpose during and post the pandemic. The study ultimately argues that language, through proverbs as its fundamental aspects and ideological tools, remains a major philosophical source of communication among living folks.&nbsp

Identification and Antibacterial Evaluation of Bioactive Compounds from Garcinia kola (Heckel) Seeds

We assessed the bioactivity of G. kola seeds on Streptococcus pyogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Plesiomonas shigelloides and Salmonella typhimurium. The crude ethyl acetate, ethanol, methanol, acetone and aqueous extracts were screened by the agar-well diffusion method and their activities were further determined by Minimum Inhibitory Concentration (MIC) and Minimum Bactericidal Concentration (MBC) assays. The extracts were fractionated by Thin Layer Chromatography (TLC). Bioautography was used to assess the activity of the possible classes of compounds present in the more active extracts. Column chromatography was used to purify the active compounds from the mixture, while GC-MS was used to identify the phytocomponents of the fractions. The inhibition zone diameters of the extracts ranged from 0–24 ± 1.1 mm, while MIC and MBC values ranged between 0.04–1.25 mg/mL and 0.081–2.5 mg/mL, respectively. The chloroform/ethyl acetate/formic acid (CEF) solvent system separated more active compounds. The MIC of the fractions ranged between 0.0006–2.5 mg/mL. CEF 3 (F3), CEF 11 (F11) and CEF 12 (F12) revealed the presence of high levels of linoleic acid, 1,2-benzenedicarboxylic acid and 2,3-dihydro-3,5-dihydroxy-6-methyl ester, respectively. The results obtained from this study justify the use of this plant in traditional medicine and provide leads which could be further exploited for the development of new and potent antimicrobials

Liability for offers in the primary market

Mini Dissertation (LLM)--University of Pretoria, 2014.tm2015Mercantile LawLLMUnrestricte

Synthesis of antimalarial antifolates

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg In fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science June, 30, 2015The world suffers under a serious threat of malaria with about 584 000 deaths reported each year and most of these fatalities being children under five years of age. Malaria is caused by the protozoan parasite of the genus Plasmodium. Five different malaria species infect humans and cause disease: P. vivax, P. malariae, P. ovale, P. knowlesi and the cause of most malaria deaths, P. falciparum. The main reason for this disturbing situation is the emergence of drug resistance which reduces the effectiveness of most antimalarials. Hence, there is an urgent need for new drugs that will possibly be effective against both wild type and mutant strains of Plasmodium species. Pyrimethamine, a dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) inhibitor, has been used most widely as an antimalarial antifolate drug for the treatment of malaria. However, rapid development of parasite resistance to this drug occurred because of its rigidity. Parasitic resistance to antimalarial antifolates arises from single mutations at various amino acid residues surrounding the PfDHFR active site. In this project, we aimed to design and synthesise a novel series of flexible pyrimidine analogues of a dihydrotriazine hit compound prepared in a previous study. These compounds were designed to target folate metabolism in the malaria parasite. The initial series of compounds prepared in this project were synthesised over 5 steps in an overall yield of 10%. The flexible pyrimidine analogues were screened for antimalarial activity in an in vitro P. falciparum screen on the Gambian FCR-3 strain (chloroquine and cycloguanil resistant strain) with dihydroartemisinin, methotrexate and quinine as controls. 5-(3-(3,5-Dichlorophenoxy)propyl)-6-phenylpyrimidine-2,4-diamine displayed the best antimalarial activity (IC50 = 0.09 μM) of the compounds in this series. Surprisingly; this was the only compound prepared in this series that proved to be as effective as our original hit dihydrotriazine (IC50 ~50 nM). In the second generation of compounds prepared in this study, we used a multicomponent coupling approach to synthesise three flexible pyrimidines bearing a non-aromatic side chain at the 6-position of the pyrimidine ring. For comparison, two analogues bearing a phenyl group at the 6-position of the pyrimidine ring were also prepared. Once again; only one compound of this series [5-((4-chlorophenethylamino)methyl)-6-cyclopropylpyrimidine-2,4-diamine, (IC50 = 0.03 μM)] showed activity comparable with our original hit compound. iv Finally, ten substituted pyrimidines bearing a flexible side chain at the 6-position of the pyrimidine ring, were prepared. These compounds are structurally similar to P65, [6-methyl-5-(3-(2,4,5-trichlorophenoxy)propoxy)pyrimidine-2,4-diamine] an analogue of a potent antifolate, WR99210, found to have good oral bioavailability in rats. Once again, the antimalarial activity of the compounds prepared was assessed in an in vitro P. falciparum screen on the Gambian FCR-3 strain. The most promising compound of this series was 6-(3-(3,4-dichlorophenoxy)propoxy)pyrimidine-2,4-diamine, which exhibited antimalarial activity in the low micromolar range (IC50 = 4.46 μM)

A comparative analysis between entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial intentions amongst agricultural economics and animal production students at the University of Limpopo

The aim of the study was to analyse and compare the relationship between entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial intentions amongst Agricultural Economics and Animal Production students at the University of Limpopo. The study used primary cross-sectional data which was obtained by means of a structured questionnaire from 25 final year students randomly selected from each class which made the sample size of the study 50. Drawing from the Theory of Planned Behaviour, descriptive statistics was used to process the data obtained from the entrepreneurial intention measurement instrument adopted from (Linan and Chen, 2009). Descriptive statistics revealed that the entrepreneurial intentions of Agricultural students at the University of Limpopo are high; the mean for the entrepreneurial intention scale of the BSc Agric (Agricultural Economics) students was 6.02 and BSc Agric (Animal Production) students was 6.42. The results reveal that agricultural students at the University of Limpopo have high entrepreneurial intentions regardless of the study program they are enrolled in. It is recommended that agricultural students need support in terms of business mentorship, funding and incubation to facilitate the materialization of the business ideas they intend to start. Keywords: Entrepreneurship education, Entrepreneurial intentions, Agricultural Students, University of Limpop

A comparative analysis between entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial intentions amongst agricultural economics and animal production students at the University of Limpopo

The aim of the study was to analyse and compare the relationship between entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial intentions amongst Agricultural Economics and Animal Production students at the University of Limpopo. The study used primary cross-sectional data which was obtained by means of a structured questionnaire from 25 final year students randomly selected from each class which made the sample size of the study 50. Drawing from the Theory of Planned Behaviour, descriptive statistics was used to process the data obtained from the entrepreneurial intention measurement instrument adopted from (Linan and Chen, 2009). Descriptive statistics revealed that the entrepreneurial intentions of Agricultural students at the University of Limpopo are high; the mean for the entrepreneurial intention scale of the BSc Agric (Agricultural Economics) students was 6.02 and BSc Agric (Animal Production) students was 6.42. The results reveal that agricultural students at the University of Limpopo have high entrepreneurial intentions regardless of the study program they are enrolled in. It is recommended that agricultural students need support in terms of business mentorship, funding and incubation to facilitate the materialization of the business ideas they intend to start. Keywords: Entrepreneurship education, Entrepreneurial intentions, Agricultural Students, University of Limpop

Identification and Antibacterial Evaluation of Bioactive Compounds from Garcinia kola (Heckel) Seeds

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