Dual Digestion is a two stage system that combines autotherm·a1 thermophilic aerobic pre-treatment with conventional anaerobic digestion. The practicability of the system using pure oxygen is well proven. Disadvantages are the high cost of the pure oxygen and the absence of a detailed evaluation of anaerobic digester performance. This report discusses the results of a full-scale investigation into the dual digestion system (184m3 aerobic reactor and 1800m3 anaerobic digester), carried out in two phases: In the first using air alone for oxygenating the aerobic reactor and in the second using a combination of air and pure oxygen. During both phases the performance of the anaerobic digester was also monitored, but in greater detail in the second phase as far as the final sludge product is concerned. In phase I, with air, it was possible to maintain thermophilic temperatures in the aerobic reactor throughout the year. However the required retention times were relatively long (3-6 days) in comparison with the pure oxygen reactor (-1 day) due to the high vapour heat losses. At long retention times, the volatile solids (VS) destruction was appreciable (-25%) and the reactor tended towards an autothermal thermophilic digester. Foaming, although unpredictable in its occurrence, significantly improved aerobic reactor performance by doubling the oxygen transfer efficiency. From liquid and gas mass and heat balances it was found that the specific biological heat yield and respiration quotient were approximately constant at 12.8 MJ/kg(02) and 0. 70 mol(C02)/mo1(02) respectively over a wide range of operating conditions and consistent relationships between VS removal, heat generation, and oxygen utilisation could be established. Based on information collected, it was concluded that increased treatment capacity and greater temperature control of the aerobic reactor could be provided by supplementing air oxygenation with pure oxygen. In phase II, using a combination of air and pure oxygen, much higher loading rates on the aerobic reactor were possible. Thermophilic temperatures could be maintained at short retention times (1-2 days). Unfortunately no foaming occurred during this period. Consequently the benefit of improved oxygen transfer efficiency of the air oxygenation system, produced by the foam, could not be exploited. Liquid and gas mass and heat balances confirmed the specific heat yield and respiration quotient values and the relationship between oxygen utilisation, VS destruction and biological heating. During phase II, the anaerobic digester operated at a retention time of -1 O days. The sensible heat content of the hot sludge from the aerobic reactor was sufficient to force the digester into the thermophilic temperature range. The stability of the anaerobic process and final sludge product at this short retention time was monitored with % VS removal and residual specific oxygen utilisation rate tests and found to be similar to that of conventional mesophilic anaerobic digestion at 20 days retention time. Dewaterability as reflected by the specific resistance to filtration (SRF) was found to be poor, but 11ot much worse than for conventional mesophilic digestion. Sufficient information was obtained during phases I and II to allow a mathematical model to be compiled, which could reasonably reliably simulate all the main operating parameters of the dual digestion system. The model provided a means for assessing different system configurations with mesophilic or thermophilic digestion, with and without heat exchange or gas engine external heat sources, allowing technical and economical (capital and operating) feasibility to be evaluated and compared with that for conventional digestion. From both the experimental and modelled results, all the claimed benefits of the dual digestion system were verified with the exception of the claim that aerobic reactor heat pre-treatment of the sludge allows the anaerobic digester to operate at short retention times (-1 O days). However, the digester can be operated at 10 days retention provided its temperature is in the thermophilic range, in which case a sufficiently stable sludge is produced; at mesophilic temperatures, a retention time of 15 days or longer is required to produce a sludge of equivalent stability to that from conventional mesophilic digestion. Consequently it is not the stability of the anaerobic process per se that governs the minimum retention time but the quality required for the final sludge product. The aerobic reactor is an appropriate pre-treatment stage for the thermophilic digester because it provides the necessary temperature and pH buffering to allow stable operation in the thermophilic range. It is concluded that where application of conventional anaerobic digestion is contemplated, whether for new installations or for upgrading existing plants, the dual digestion system should be seriously considered as a possible option. It competes favourably both technically and economically with conventional mesophilic digestion and produces a superior sludge product which can be beneficially utilised in agriculture.

Electronic medical record (EMR) systems are increasingly being adopted in low- and middle-income countries. This provides an opportunity to support task-shifted health workers with guideline-based clinical decision support to improve the quality of healthcare delivery. However, the formalization of clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) into computer-interpretable guidelines (CIGs) for clinical decision support in such a setting is a very challenging task due to the evolving nature of CPGs and limited healthcare budgets. This study proposed that a CIG modelling language that considers CPG change requirements in their representation models could enable semi-automated support of CPG change operations thereby reducing the burden of maintaining CIGs. Characteristics of CPG changes were investigated to elucidate CPG change requirements using CPG documents from Malawi where EMR systems are routinely used. Thereafter, a model-driven engineering approach was taken to design a CIG modelling framework that has a novel domain-specic modelling language called FCIG for the modelling of evolving CIGs. The CIG modelling framework was implemented using the Xtext framework. The national antiretroviral therapy EMR system for Malawi was extended into a prototype with FCIG support for experimentation. Further studies were conducted with CIG modellers. The evaluations were conducted to answer the following research questions: i ) What are the CPG change requirements for modelling an evolving CIG? ii ) Can a model-driven engineering approach adequately support the modelling of an evolving CIG? iii ) What is the eect of modelling an evolving CIG using FCIG in comparison with the Health Level Seven (HL7) standard for modelling CIGs? Data was collected using questionnaires, logs and observations. The results indicated that negrained components of a CPG are aected by CPG changes and that those components are not included explicitly in current executable CIG language models. The results also showed that by including explicit semantics for elements that are aected by CPG changes in a language model, smart-editing features for supporting CPG change operations can be enabled in a language-aware code editor. The results further showed that both experienced and CIG modellers perceived FCIG as highly usable. Furthermore, the results suggested that FCIG performs signicantly better at CIG modelling tasks as compared to the HL7 standard, Arden Syntax. This study provides empirical evidence that a model-driven engineering approach to clinical guideline formalization supports the authoring and maintenance of evolving CIGs to provide up-to-date clinical decision support in low- and middle-income countries.

Assessments of the anthropogenic threats to savanna ecosystems are primarily focussed on land use change, bush encroachment, and biological invasions. There is, however, very little understanding as to the threats from atmospheric pollution. South Africa is the major emitter of CO2 on the African content while the Mpumalanga region bordering the Kruger National Park (KNP) is among the leading regions for nitrous oxide pollution in the world. It is not only increasing atmospheric pollution, but rainfall intensity is also predicted to increase for southern Africa. As savannas are nutrient limited, an increase in nitrogen deposition will have major consequences for vegetation structure and this can only be exacerbated by increased rainfall amounts. Current research suggests that these predicted increases in water and nutrients will result in increasing grass biomass and decreasing herbaceous species richness. The effects of global change drivers on savanna vegetation are also likely to propagate through to multiple trophic levels, with changes in vegetation structure cascading down to invertebrate assemblages. As invertebrates are ubiquitous, form the bulk of metazoan species diversity and biomass on earth, and play a pivotal role in many ecosystems, I discuss in the introductory chapter of this thesis why the influence of global change on these assemblages should not be ignored. In my first data chapter, Chapter 2, I examine the effect that increases in available nutrients and water may have on vegetation structure, and how this may cascade down to grasshopper and ant assemblages. I do this using a fully factorial experiment in KNP with nutrient and water additions where I assessed both herbaceous (forb and grass) and insect (ant and grasshopper) assemblages five years after resource additions began. My results show that there was a substantial increase in grass biomass while plant and insect species richness declined with water addition alone and that a combination of nutrients and water resulted in the greatest increases in grass biomass and concomitant decreases in plant and insect species richness. The effects of nutrient and water additions on the insect community assembly was primarily driven by a decrease in grasshopper species and ant abundance respectively. An analysis of ant functional traits showed that the rare ant species mediated the impact of the resource additions on the ant assemblage. Fire is inherent to savanna systems with profound effects on vegetation structure. There has, however, been relatively little research on the effects of fire on savanna invertebrate fauna. In Chapter 3 I look at the effect that fire may have on the vegetation and insect community assembly at my study site between five and eight months after the site had been burned. These results show an increase in grass biomass and decrease in plant and insect species richness with a combination of nutrients and water. My results also show that grasshopper biomass, abundance, and species richness decreased as herbaceous biomass decreased. While ant species richness decreased, ant abundance increased post-fire, primarily related to an increase in patches of bare ground. With global change, drought frequency is also expected to increase. The insect and grass assemblages, both on and off Macrotermes mounds, at two sites in the southern section of KNP had been sampled in a separate study in 2012. In Chapter 4 I describe a study where I resampled these mounds during the peak of the most severe drought in 30 years. The two sites differed in drought severity, one where the drought severity was very high and the other where severity was much lower. The objective was to determine the effects that drought may have on the grass and associated insect assemblages both on and off termite mounds. My results show that at the high severity site grass cover and biomass and grasshopper abundance decreased both on and off mounds. The overall reduction in habitat structure resulted in an increase in both ant abundance and species richness but the mound and matrix ant assemblages diverged during drought. Where the drought was less severe there was an increase in large mammal herbivores as animals moved out of the more affected areas. This increase in mammal herbivory was more evident on rather than off mounds resulting in grass biomass being lower on rather than off mounds. The cascading effect saw grasshopper abundance decrease on and increase off mounds. The mound and matrix ant assemblages did not respond to the comparatively smaller change in habitat structure. Finally, in the synthesis chapter I discuss my results in the broader context of how global change drivers such as increased nitrogen deposition may cascade down from plant to insect community assembly. At present there is very little understanding of the amounts of nitrogen being deposited in KNP or the effect that this may have. The results of my study would suggest that this increase in nitrogen deposition will have major consequences for vegetation structure and that this will cascade down to the insect assemblage. In mitigating for this, it is therefore essential that management in KNP adapt a monitoring protocol for nitrogen deposition, especially when considering that where N deposition is really high fire may not volatilise everything to allow the system to reset itself back to its original state. It is not only nitrogen deposition, but drought frequency is also likely to increase. In mitigation for this there should also be monitoring programmes to consider the effects of drought as animals may move from areas of high drought severity to areas where severity is lower. Such movement will increase grazing pressure on both low and high nutrient environments with cascading effects on vegetation structure and insect assemblages.

The discovery of new β-haematin inhibitors has become one focus for researches in response to the resistance of P. falciparum malaria parasites that emerged towards well-known antimalarials. While hundreds of new β-haematin inhibitors have been discovered using detergent mediated high-throughput screening methods, a crucial aspect is understanding exactly how these β-haematin inhibitors behave in the malaria parasite and inhibit the formation of haemozoin. What is known, is that well-known β-haematin inhibitors like chloroquine cause increased amounts of exchangeable haem in the parasite digestive vacuole and form a Fe(III)PPIX-inhibitor complex by accumulating at high concentrations which consequently inhibits parasite growth. Another important focus is on understanding the digestion of haemoglobin and its role in haemozoin formation. This research investigates the in vitro modelling of cellular haemozoin and inhibition by various β-haematin inhibitors across different scaffolds and the role of haemoglobin degradation in P. falciparum malaria parasites. The investigated β-haematin inhibitors resulted in micromolar IC50 (NF54) values and decreased parasite growth with increases in concentration. Using a pyridine-based parasite haem fractionation plate method, these β-haematin inhibitors were shown to target haemozoin formation by causing increased amounts of exchangeable haem that corresponded to decreasing amounts of haemozoin in chloroquine-sensitive parasites. The amounts of exchangeable haem were shown to be inversely proportional to the percentage of parasite growth in the presence of these β-haematin inhibitors. It was apparent that there was a tendency for parasite growth inhibition activity to decrease as the amount of exchangeable haem present in chloroquine sensitive parasites increased, although, the trend was not statistically significant. Moreover, it was observed that experimental cellular accumulation ratio values were low in comparison to chloroquine and amodiaquine. Based on the experimental cellular accumulation ratio values, it was deduced that the accumulation of these β-haematin inhibitors was not primarily due to pH trapping and more complex than previously proposed. Further investigations into the exchangeable haem amounts as a function of intracellular test compound amounts at the IC50 values of these β-haematin inhibitors highlighted that there was an apparent 1:1 relationship with the amount of intracellular exchangeable haem, indicative of complex formation. Transmission electron microscopy images were obtained for untreated parasites that showed intact parasites inside red blood cells with clearly visible haemozoin crystals dispersed throughout the parasite digestive vacuole, whilst, treated parasites showed less defined In vitro modelling of cellular haemozoin and inhibition by β-haematin inhibitors and their derivatives Roxanne Openshaw-January 2020 v haemozoin crystals as a result of inhibition. Moreover, electron energy-loss spectroscopy revealed that untreated parasites exhibited a strong iron signal which was associated with haemozoin in the parasite digestive vacuole with a weaker signal attributed to the red blood cell cytoplasm. Similarly, a strong iron signal was shown in the digestive vacuole of treated parasites which was associated with less defined haemozoin crystals. A halo around these haemozoin crystals was observed and was suggested to be indicative of the build-up of exchangeable haem. Additionally, a strong bromine signal attributed to a bromine-containing β-haematin inhibitor, test compound 1, was also observed in the same region as the haemozoin crystals. Overlaid signal distribution maps for iron and bromine showed direct evidence of Fe(III)PPIX and test compound 1, suggesting complexation. High-quality Raman spectra were obtained for the Fe(III)PPIX species in red blood cells, chloroquine sensitive parasites and synthetically prepared samples for the Fe(III)PPIX porphyrin dominated spectral region of 1700-500 cm-1 at an excitation wavelength of 532 nm. From the spectra, a putative Fe(III)PPIX-test compound 1 complex was identified and shown to be similar to the synthetically prepared counterpart, haematin-test compound 1 mixture. It was highlighted that a unique peak at 1080 cm-1 indicated π- π interactions between the pyrrole-imidazole ring and thus confirming that the formation of this putative Fe(III)PPIX-inhibitor complex occurs. The confocal Raman true mapping technique proved to be efficient and reliable for imaging the signal distribution of haemozoin at the Raman peak of 754 cm-1 and 1080 cm-1 for the Fe(III)PPIX-test compound 1 complex which co-localized in the digestive vacuole of chloroquine sensitive parasites. Moreover, oxy- and deoxy-haemoglobin was observed to be localized to the red blood cell, where, deoxy-haemoglobin was located on the outer parts of the parasite. Principle component analysis, based on the Raman peak positions, exhibited significant differences in the spectra for Fe(III)PPIX species in red blood cells, chloroquine sensitive parasites and synthetic samples where clusters were observed to separate mainly along principle component 1. These data proved that the spectra of the Fe(III)PPIX-test compound 1 complex was the same as its synthetically prepared counterpart but different from the remaining Fe(III)PPIX species. In comparison to the Fe(III)PPIX-test compound 1 complex, the cluster separations were observed to be significant, where, no significant separation was observed for the Fe(III)PPIX-test compound 1 complex and the haematin-test compound 1 mixture. Based on this, it was evident that a Fe(III)PPIX-test compound 1 complex existed in the digestive vacuole of treated chloroquine sensitive parasites. To fully understand the inhibition of haemozoin, the development of a haem pathway model is necessary, but, requires certain prerequisites. Bioinformatics data from PAXdb and ExPASy revealed that chloroquine resistance (Dd2) parasites, containing 1337 previously identified proteins with an average abundance-weighted molecular weight of 40,483 ± 77 g/mol. With this, the protein mass per cell for red blood cells, chloroquine-sensitive and - resistant parasites were consistent across three protein quantification methods was measured and revealed that chloroquine resistant parasites had a significantly higher protein mass per cell than chloroquine sensitive parasites and in turn a higher total number of protein molecules per cell. Aspartic proteases are 4-fold higher in concentration than cysteine proteases with histo-aspartic protease having the highest concentration in chloroquine resistant parasites. Along with these data, a time point quantification for chloroquine sensitive parasites throughout the blood-stage showed that the amount of haemoglobin decreased in a sigmoidal manner and corresponded to a linear increase in the amount of haemozoin and relatively constant exchangeable haem amount. This was consistent with Giemsa smears that showed that for early time points, large initial decreases in the amount of haemoglobin were observed between the early trophozoite to late trophozoite stage.

The objective of this Thesis is to explore Poincar´e Gauge theories of gravity and expose some contributions to this field, which are detailed below. Moreover, a novel ultraviolet non-local extension of this theory shall be provided, and it will be shown that it can be ghost- and singularity-free at the linear level. First, we introduce some fundamentals of differential geometry, base of any gravitational theory. We then establish that the affine structure and the metric of the spacetime are not generally related, and that there is no physical reason to impose a certain affine connection to the gravitational theory. We review the importance of gauge symmetries in Physics and construct the quadratic Lagrangian of Poincar´e Gauge gravity by requiring that the gravitational theorymust be invariant under local Poincar´e transformations. We study the stability of the quadratic Poincar´e Gauge Lagrangian, and prove that only the two scalar degrees of freedom (one scalar and one pseudo-scalar) can propagate without introducing pathologies. We provide extensive details on the scalar, pseudo-scalar, and bi-scalar theories. Moreover, we suggest how to extend the quadratic Poincar´e Gauge Lagrangian so that more modes can propagate safely. We then proceed to explore some interesting phenomenology of Poincar´e Gauge theories. Herein, we calculate how fermionic particles move in spacetimes endowed with a nonsymmetric connection at first order in the WKB approximation. Afterwards, we use this result in a particular black-hole solution of Poincar´e Gauge gravity, showing that measurable differences between the trajectories of a fermion and a boson can be observed. Motivated by this fact, we studied the singularity theorems in theories with torsion, to see if this non-geodesical behaviour can lead to the avoidance of singularities. Nevertheless, we prove that this is not possible provided that the conditions for the appearance of black holes of any co-dimension are met. In order to see which kind Black Hole solutions we can expect in Poincar´e Gauge theories, we study Birkhoff and no-hair theorems under physically relevant conditions. Finally, we propose an ultraviolet extension of Poincar´e Gauge theories by introducing non-local (infinite derivatives) terms into the action, which can ameliorate the singular behaviour at large energies. We find solutions of this theory at the linear level, and prove that such solutions are ghost- and singularity-free. We also find new features that are not present in metric Infinite Derivative Gravity.

Wind energy, although mostly a clean and increasingly ecient energy source, is known to aect communities of ying vertebrates. Mortality by collision with turbines is one of the main impacts on birds and bats associated with wind energy. Soaring birds are particularly vulnerable due to their collision prone behaviours, low manoeuvrability, and their slow population recovery rates. The focus of this thesis is on the identication of areas that are intensively used by soaring birds in order to inform wind turbine placement and minimize collision risk. This thesis is particularly concerned with predictions of bird-use intensity that are based on ight trajectories mapped by observers from vantage points. This survey technique is standard practice during the environmental impact assessment of wind energy facilities, although its virtues and limitations are largely untested. Flight trajectories are counted, timed and mapped during these surveys. However, most assessments ignore the spatial information contained in the trajectories, and mappings are often reduced to metrics such as closest distance to a turbine or whether a particular habitat is visited. In this thesis, I use visual mappings of ight trajectories to estimate the long-term distribution of bird activity using: i) a kernel density estimator adapted to calculate the density of ight trajectories, and ii) modelling ights as being driven by a stochastic process under the in uence of a potential eld. Acknowledging the subjectivity introduced in the mapping of trajectories by eld observers, I also study the discrepancy between mapped and true trajectories. Finally, I showcase the application of the various analytical techniques with a case study, in which I compare collision risk predictions with actual observed fatalities at a wind farm in South Africa. Kernel density estimation proved to be a good exploratory technique, and the estimator designed to estimate trajectory density outperformed other methods that ignore the temporal structure in trajectory data. Nevertheless, kernel methods are limited by its inability to predict bird activity outside areas observed from vantage points. Potentialbased models allowed predictions in unobserved areas based on landscape characteristics, and showed promising results identifying areas of high collision risk. I found that the dierence between true and mapped trajectories can be substantial, and it should be accounted for in any spatial analysis of vantage point observations. Although based on a single study case, the results are promising and show that the spatial distribution of collision risk predicted with the suite of methods presented in this thesis correlates well with the distribution of observed fatalities. The framework proposed to predict collision risk improves existing procedures in that it uses movement and spatial information contained in the observed trajectories. In addition, it accounts for all known sources of uncertainty throughout the modelling process.

Nephrolithiasis, or urolithiasis, commonly known as kidney stones, is a common medical problem. Kidney stones are composed of different mineral types. Calcium Oxalate is the most common kind of stone. The principal aim of this research was to establish whether hydroxycitrate (HCA) affects and/or inhibits calcium oxalate crystallisation. A three-pronged approach was adopted, involving the determination of thermodynamic binding constants for Ca, Mg and Zn-HCA complexes, theoretical modelling of HCA-complex formation in artificial urine and in vitro crystallisation experiments. A potentiometric analysis was conducted to determine thermodynamic binding constants. These were included in the database of the JESS computer program to model the effect of HCA on the urinary supersaturation of calcium salts. A 1 mM HCA concentrations successfully decreased the concentration of ionised calcium and hence the urinary supersaturation of calcium salts. The solution structures of H+, Ca 2+, Mg 2+, and Zn 2+-HCA complexes were investigated using 1H-NMR. For protonation, the results showed that the pKa values were too close to resolve and that several microstates were in rapid exchange. Similarly, for the metal complexes, several species were found to be in rapid exchange. Crystallisation experiments were conducted in artificial urine, to determine the effect of HCA on the thermodynamics and kinetics of crystallisation of calcium oxalate, which is the most common component of kidney stones. The effect of HCA on calcium oxalate metastable limit (MSL) and crystallisation kinetics were measured. The results confirmed those predicted by theoretical modelling. The MSL was significantly affected by 1 mMHCA. Also, 1mMHCA increased the rate of CaOx crystallisation. Both these effects are favourable and decrease the risk of in vivo crystal and stone formation. This augurs well for the potential application of HCA as a therapeutic agent in the management of kidney stone disease. Such an outcome needs to be tested in human trials.

In the Mesozoic, dinosaur abundance and diversity steadily increased from the Carnian to the Triassic booming soon after the end Triassic Mass-Extinction event (ETE), marking a key period in archosaur history. In southern Africa, the Triassic–Jurassic Boundary (TJB) is contained in the richly fossiliferous, fluvio-lacustrine-aeolian Upper Triassic to Lower Jurassic strata of the Stormberg Group. More specifically, the middle Norian – Pliensbachian Elliot and Clarens formations (upper Stormberg Group) of main Karoo Basin, host a diverse tetrapod osteological and ichnite record. Due to an absence of high resolution radioisotopic age determinations, the exact stratigraphic placement of the TJB remains unknown. Although diverse ichnofossils attributed to Saurischians and Ornithischians are preserved in the Stormberg Group, the record is dominated by isolated tridactyl tracks that can be assigned to common ichnogenera like Grallator, Eubrontes and Kayentapus. Ideally, these track morphologies would reflect the trackmaker’s autopod morphology, but complex interactions between the trackmaker and tracking substrate may affect the final footprint shape. Tracks with a high morphological preservation grade may be used to infer information (e.g., body length, hip height, weight) about the trackmaker, which is especially useful when skeletal remains are scarce, as is the case with theropod body fossils in the Elliot and Clarens formations. Herein, we present the findings of an extensive southern African field-based study to quantify the morphological variation of Grallator, Eubrontes and Kayentapus tracks across the TJB in the upper Stormberg Group. Furthermore, this study produced the first detrital zircon Uranium–Lead (U-Pb) LA-ICPMS ages of the major ichnosites from this region, and confirmed that the TJB is within the Elliot Formation, near the boundary of the lower and upper Elliot Formation (i.e., near the contact of the informal lEF and uEF). Across this contact, the considered tridactyl tracks become more abundant, larger and have a less pronounced medial digit projection. These morphological changes are gradational, with tracks from the Clarens Formation being distinct to tracks from the lEF, while the uEF tracks being intermediate between the lEF and Clarens Formation. A decrease in the mesaxony (Dp/TS ratio) and a decrease in medial digit projection relative to track length can be detected in both small and large tridactyl tracks. These apparent trends in the upper Stormberg Group are consistent with global tridactyl trends, which suggest an overall increase in theropod abundance and body size across the Jurassic. Moreover, the reason for the less prominent medial pedal digit is linked to a better weight distribution across the autopod in the increasingly larger theropods. Last but not least, Grallator, Eubrontes and Kayentapus ichnogenera which may be attributed to at least three different groups of theropod-like trackmakers, suggest a higher palaeo-diversity and abundance of tridactyl dinosaurs in southern Africa than is known from the osteological record.

Using a socio-legal framework, this thesis addresses the present dearth of research on gender and judging in Africa, by examining the judicial appointment processes in Zambia and South Africa. This study is grounded in the argument that judges, and those who appoint them, are operating in environments where multiple factors can and do have an impact on whether a country is able to successfully create a gender-diverse judiciary. Using a feminist lens, this thesis describes women in terms of gender and explores various facets of the appointment system, in order to respond to the research question. How do aspects of the judicial appointment process inform equal representation of women and men on the bench? Drawing from existing literature on gender and judging, this thesis interrogates particular formal and informal aspects of the appointment process. It highlights the various subtleties that exist within or around these aspects and how they affect women candidates, while appreciating the difficult balance that is involved in selecting judges. In doing so, this thesis affirms the importance of context when studying judicial appointments and seeking solutions for judicial diversity. This thesis additionally reveals various elements of the process affected by bias, discrimination, exclusion, and a traditional definition of merit, that invariably devalues women’s contributions and attributes. This study makes the case for gender diversity not just in the courts but on the judicial appointment bodies that appoint judges. While arguing that one benefit of this diversity would be the presence of more representative perspectives, it acknowledges that a feminist perspective can and should also be held by male judicial appointers. This study makes suggestions for improving the appointment systems in both jurisdictions and emphasises the need for a multi-sector response.

The ‘four resources model’ in South Africa: An analysis of an inservice teacher training intervention for literacy at foundation phase level and its uptake by teachers at a Cape Flats school. Despite a wide range of teacher training literacy interventions in South Africa at foundation phase level, literacy results have declined according to local and international tests. This research outlines the basis of these interventions and then compares them with a new teacher training intervention based on what has been called “the four resources model” (Luke and Freebody, 1990). This intervention, designed by a specialised teacher trainer and offered by a Western Cape based NGO, is currently taking place in some schools that have achieved poor literacy results at foundation phase and is sponsored by the Western Cape Education Department. The research outlines what an intervention based on the four resources model involves, where the approach is compatible with the CAPS specifications for literacy teaching and where it diverges from the CAPS, and explores how foundation phase teachers at one school respond to the intervention in their teaching. This programme has not yet been researched and is the only teacher intervention programme in South Africa that is based on the four resources model. It differs from other interventions because it emphasises the importance of meaning making and of writing (particularly shared writing) in literacy development, as well as the role of higher order thinking, as opposed to decoding and comprehension which are emphasised in the literacy curriculum and pedagogy and in other teacher intervention programmes. Data was collected through observations of teacher workshops and classroom visits of the teacher trainer, teacher trainer interviews, classroom observations and teacher interviews. Refracted through the reflections of the teacher trainer on her decades of experience in literacy training and on the current programme design, the analysis probes the value of experimenting with an enlarged understanding of literacy as outlined in the four resources model. It charts the ways in which teachers’ understanding of literacy pedagogies slowly changes and adapts, revealing how teachers start to see the possibilities of creative engagement with text types, critical thinking, engagement with children’s prior knowledge and linguistic resources. While the hope is that the intervention will improve tests scores, the research was not able to verify this since the timing of the intervention does not correlate with the systemic testing schedule and release of results, nor the next international benchmark tests. The research reveals that the four resources model intervention does emphasise higher order thinking skills, in contrast to other interventions, and that this could have a positive effect on the PIRLS tests results, in the schools where it is offered. It also shows that there are limitations to the four resources model, in that it does not address the inclusion of multimodal pedagogies nor does it consider the realities of multilingual classes in South Africa.