College of Agriculture, Engineering and Science: Recent submissions
Now showing items 1-20 of 5349
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Body mass index, body image and possible factors related to weight loss practices of female undergraduate students on the Pietermaritzburg campus, University of Kwazulu-Natal.
(2019)South Africa is undergoing epidemiological transition, characterized by an increasing prevalence of obesity, especially among women. Among those 15 to 24 years of age, the prevalence of overweight and obesity at 40.9% is ... -
Low level task execution, programming and control for jigs, fixtures and equipment.
(2019)Abstract available in PDF. -
Structural characterisation and response modelling of paraffin-based hybrid rocket motor fuel grains.
(2020)Abstract available in PDF. -
The water balance of vermiculite covers on mining wastes in a semi-arid environment.
(2019)Deposition of large quantities of mining waste is an activity that can have a negative impact on surface and ground water resources. These impacts necessitate reclamation and amelioration of the wastes through various ... -
Design and development of a low-cost high-performance vehicle mounted UHF RFID system for tracking goods and inventory.
(2019)Abstract available in the PDF. -
Research and development of a reconfigurable robotic end-effector for machining and part handling.
(2020)Abstract available in PDF. -
Voice interfaces in mobile human-robot collaboration for advanced manufacturing systems.
(2019)Abstract available in PDF. -
The design and analysis of a novel 5 degree of freedom parallel kinematic manipulator.
(2019)Abstract available in PDF. -
Coupled heat and mass transfer in solar-powered liquid desiccant adiabatic dehumidifier and regenerator for air conditioning applications.
(2020)Abstract available in PDF. -
Testing and evaluation of a newly installed Agrometeorology Instrumentation Mast (AIM) web-based system in a rural school in Swayimana, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
(2019)Rural communities in South Africa are the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change and adverse weather due to their heavy reliance on natural resources. Agricultural adaptation is therefore essential. However, there ... -
Farmer perceptions and the agronomic potential of provitamin A-biofortified maize on small holder farming systems of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
(2019)Pro-vitamin A biofortified maize (PVABM) has the potential to reduce Vitamin A deficiency (VAD) for the vulnerable groups of Sub Saharan Africa (SSA). It is therefore important to understand the willingness of farmers to ... -
Inheritance of post-harvest pest resistance and genetic analysis of combining drought, maize lethal necrosis and maize weevil resistance in tropical maize germplasm.
(2020)Drought stress, maize lethal necrosis (MLN) and storage pests, mainly maize weevil (Sitophilus zeamais Motschulsky) and larger grain borer (Prostephanus truncatus Horn), are among the most important maize production ... -
Numerical and experimental investigations of optimal fatty acid methyl ester hybrid for enhanced engine performance and emission mitigation in the conventional compression ignition strategy.
(2020)The utilization of petroleum-based diesel fuel to power compression ignition (CI) engines has been hampered by inefficient combustion process resulting in unsatisfactory engine performance and emission of hazardous gases. ... -
Contributions into holistic human action recognition.
(2020)In this thesis we holistically investigate the interpretation of human actions in both still images and videos. Human action recognition is currently a research problem of great interest both in academia and industry due ... -
Utilisation of line surge arrestors to improve overhead HVAC and EHVDC line performance under lightning conditions.
(2020)In high lightning areas, lightning strokes play an important role in the performance of overhead EHV AC and DC lines. A single lightning stroke, that terminate on the earth wire and/or tower can lead to back flashovers. ... -
Performance analysis of biological resource allocation algorithms for next generation networks.
(2020)Abstract available in PDF. -
Optimal placement of statcom controllers with metaheuristic algorithms for network power loss reduction and voltage profile deviation minimization.
(2020)Transmission system is a series of interconnected lines that enable the bulk movement of electrical power from a generating station to an electrical substation. This system suffers from unavoidable power losses and ... -
A comparison of the design approach recommended in the South African national standard for a reinforced soil wall with a finite element design to identify an opportunity to optimise the design.
(2019)Reinforced soil structures are used extensively for retaining wall applications in South Africa, with the design methodology recommended within the civil engineering fraternity as specified in the design code SANS 8006-1:2018, ... -
Effect of rainfall on function service quality deterioration of dark roadways and its implication for stopping sight distance.
(2019)Driving in the rain at night is challenging and more so if the roadway has no light. This study aims to ascertain whether rainy dark roadways would have significant influence on functional service quality reduction, and ...