Faculty of Natural Science
Browse by
The Faculty of Natural Sciences is developing a reputation as an important centre of research in South Africa. It equips graduates with solid academic and research skills and gives them the ability to succeed in the market place.
For assistance with writing your thesis you can find help here.
Additional resources are available from the Division For Postgraduate Studies (DPGS).
Research publications are accessible in the Research Repository.
Sub-communities within this community
Collections in this community
Recent Submissions
-
Properties of electrospun biodegradable and synthetic waste polymers and their functionalization for Cu2+ adsorption
(University of the Western Cape, 2021)Plastic waste products have become a concern in the environment and especially in the marine environment. The chemical, physical persistence and mechanical fragmentation of plastics down to micro plastics have caused ... -
Metagenome sequencing and in silico gene discovery: From genetic potential to function
(University of the Western Cape, 2012)In a previous study, metagenomic DNA extracted from Antarctic Dry Valley soils was used to construct a large contig bacterial shotgun fosmid library (Anderson, 2008). In the current study, clones were selected based on ... -
The evaluation of markers for quality control studies of flavonoid-containing medicinal preparations
(University of the Western Cape, 2004)In spite of the high utilization of South African traditional medicine, the therapeutic potential and the chemical components of many plant preparations are unknown. For the safe and effective use of these medicinal ... -
Synergistic effects of mixtures of fungicides and medicinal plant extracts against botrytis cinerea
(University of the Western Cape, 2008)We hypothesize that South African medicinal plants contain compounds that can act in synergism with synthetic antifungal compounds. Four fungicides - Sporekill™, Rovral™, Terminator™ and Teldor™ at doses 0.1, 0.2, 0.4 and ... -
Pharmacist educational outreach for improved primary care of asthma in children
(University of the Western Cape, 2001)Underdiagnosis and undertreatment of asthma in children are barriers to optimal health care delivery and health, incurring substantial costs to both the families and health services. A tailored multifaceted educational ... -
Electrochemical responses of novel preferentially oriented platinum (100) nanoalloys for ammonia and hydrazine catalysis
(University of the Western Cape, 2013)Ammonia has attracted attention as a possible fuel for direct fuel cells since it is easy to handle under low pressure, costs only slightly higher than methanol and can easily be cracked down into hydrogen and nitrogen. ... -
How do teachers and learners navigate the terrain of ecology and what are the associated conceptual understandings?
(University of the Western Cape, 2011)This thesis relates the teaching of ecology in schools to the requirements of the National Curriculum Statements, Grades R-9 and Grades 10-12, for Natural and Life Sciences. It examines the conceptual understanding of the ... -
Genomic and proteornic analysis of drought tolerance in sorghum
(University of the Western Cape, 2014)Drought is the most complex phenomenon that remained to be a potential and historic challenge to human welfare. It affects plant productivity by eliciting perturbations related to a pathway that controls a normal, functionally ... -
An assessment of current practice patterns of TBI/HIV at primary healthcare clinics in the Western Cape and a needs assessment for clinic-based training among final year pharmacy students
(University of the Western Cape, 2010)Tuberculosis (TB) is a major contributor to the disease burden in developing countries resulting in deaths of approximately 2 million people a year. South Africa (SA) has one ( of the highest annual TB incidences with an ... -
Cloning, expression and characterization of novel lipase and esterases from burkholderia multivorans UWCIO
(University of the Western Cape, 2005)An esterase and lipase producing Burkholderia multivorans strain was isolated by culture enrichment strategies. A shotgun library of Burkholderia multivorans genomic DNA (prepared in E. coli/pUC18) was screened for lipase ... -
Engineering robust yeast strains for the conversion of xylose derived from lignocellulosic biomass to xylitol
(University of the Western Cape, 2023)To achieve a sustainable and economically viable 2G biofuels industry, biorefineries must co-produce high-value, low-volume bioproducts alongside high-volume, low-value cellulosic ethanol. This can be realised with the ... -
A study of the pollination biology of the (gyno) dioecious fig, Ficus capreifolia Del. (Moraceae)
(University of the Western Cape, 1994)Ficus capreifolia is a (gyno)dioecious species with separate male and female plants bearing male and female syconia respectively. Male syconia had staminate flowers near the ostiolar region of their syconia and numerous ... -
The use of gaming software and hive technology in the construction of virtual field education of the tanqua karoo
(University of the Western Cape, 2023)Geology is a field-based profession where it is mandatory for students to travel to distant locations for field-based training. However, in times such as the COVID-19 global pandemic, tight budget constraints, and large ... -
Semantic data access for relational databases using an ontology
(University of the Western Cape, 2024)Data analysis-based decision-making is performed daily by domain experts. As data grows in size and heterogeneity, accessing relevant data becomes challenging. In an Ontology-based data access (OBDA) approach, ontologies ... -
Aspects of moulting of the South African West Coast rock lobster, Jasus lalandii
(University of the Western Cape, 1998)Background: The wet coast of southern Africa is subject to coastal upwelling and is characterized by often dense kelp beds that can extend as far as 3 km offshore. Kelp forests create a unique ecosystem. Not only are they ... -
Environmental and socio-economic feasibility of solar powered groundwater pumps in drought affected areas of giyani Limpopo.
(University of the Western Cape, 2023)In the South African context, large portions of rural population do not have access to water supply. Shallow groundwater in alluvial aquifers of ephemeral (or dry sand bed) rivers can potentially be an alternative sustainable ... -
Computation of the character tables of certain group extensions
(University of the Western Cape, 1997)The work done in this mini thesis deals mainly with different methods of calculating character tables of split extensions of finite groups. Three of the six character tables that are calculated are done with the use of ... -
Engineering antimicrobial strains of saccharomyces cerevisiae as industrial platform for non-sterile bioprocesses
(University of the Western Cape, 2023)Microbial contamination is a major challenge in fuel ethanol facilities, especially during the fermentation stage. Bacterial contaminants compete with yeast for fermentable sugars and nutrients, which obstructs starch to ... -
The present-day frost action environment and its geomorphological significance in the Western Cape Mountains, South Africa
(University of the Western Cape, 1995)Studies on periglacial features in the Western Cape mountains provide a fragmented picture on the existence of both active and relict frost action in the region. As anywhere else in the country quantitative analysis and ... -
The synthesis and characterisation of iron and tungsten organometallic polymers with metal-carbon sigma bonds
(University of the Western Cape, 1997)A variety of olefinic organometallic monomers have been synthesised and polymerised under free-radical conditions. These monomers all contain a vinyl moiety as part of an organic fragment which is bonded via a metal-carbon ...
RSS 1.0