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- ItemOpen AccessTowards estimating the dynamics of cheetahs in the wild(2026) Parkar, Zuhayr; Nicolls, Frederick; Patel, AmirGaining insight into animal biomechanics is critical for understanding legged manoeuvrability. However, studying animals in the wild remains challenging due to the lack of accurate and non-invasive measurement techniques. This thesis proposes a novel approach for studying cheetah motion in its natural environments for the purpose of investigating the biomechanics of the cheetah. Previous attempts at 3D reconstruction and motion capture of cheetahs in the wild have been limited by the inaccuracies in conventional markerless motion capture techniques. These challenges are addressed by the use of a photogrammetry system to reinterpret the marker less motion capture problem posed for studying animals in the wild. Videos of cheetahs performing running and walking motions were recorded using a multi-camera photogrammetry setup, enabling 3D reconstructions of the cheetah's outer surface. The unique fur pattern of the cheetah allowed for the placement of “virtual markers”, that provided a non-invasive alternative to traditional physical markers. To further aid in kinematic estimation, a skeletal model based on anatomical data of a cheetah was developed to track internal joint positions. This approach achieved root-mean-square marker tracking errors below 4 cm. Furthermore, a kinetic model of the cheetah was developed. This model, combined with trajectory optimisation techniques, was used to estimate ground reaction forces and joint moments from the motion capture data. The optimisation process refined the captured gaits by enforcing physical constraints, ensuring physically plausible motion reconstructions. The methods presented in this thesis establish a new framework for studying cheetah biomechanics, combining non-invasive virtual markers with skeletal modelling to achieve centimetre-scale accuracy in joint tracking. This approach enables detailed analysis of cheetah locomotion in natural environments without the limitations of traditional marker-based systems.
- ItemOpen AccessShining a light on rooftop solar adoption: investigating key drivers in the City of Cape Town using agent-based modelling(2026) Pande, Puja; Britz, Stefan; Trisos, Christopher; Rakotonirainy, Georgina; Niamir, LeilaAs global electricity markets evolve in response to rising energy demands and environmental concerns, renewable energy technologies, including rooftop solar, are becoming better integrated into national and local systems. While transitions in the Global North are environmentally motivated, those in the Global South, particularly in rural areas, are focused on improving supply security. In South Africa, ongoing load-shedding (which are scheduled blackouts) has accelerated the shift to renewable energy, with rooftop solar emerging as a viable and increasingly adopted solution. This study addresses a critical gap in the literature by examining rooftop solar adoption in the South African context, a topic that remains under-explored both locally and more broadly within the Global South. The research adapts and extends the Behavioural change in ENergy Consumption of Households (BENCH) agent-based model, tailoring it to the City of Cape Town's socio-economic context and behavioural dynamics. Similarly to the BENCH agent-based model, this model uniquely integrates non-economic variables, such as socio-demographic factors, household perceptions, and environmental attitudes alongside economic factors into a behavioural simulation of household decision-making. The model is calibrated using data from Statistics South Africa's General Household Survey and the Afrobarometer dataset, yielding a localised and nuanced representation of potential adopters. The model is applied to three empirical scenarios (i.e., base case, no trust in utility reliability, and reduced utility threshold) and one proof-of-concept policy scenario i.e., a rooftop solar rebate), each simulated under five learning scenarios that vary the degree and nature of social interaction. Results reveal no consistently superior learning strategy, with the no-learning configuration often performing comparably or better than socially informed ones, suggesting that social learning can at times inhibit adoption. Adoption levels were particularly sensitive to the utility threshold parameter, and the inclusion of a trust-in-utility attribute reduced uptake, underscoring the behavioural complexity of energy decisions. Among predictor variables, economic comfort emerged as the strongest correlate of adoption, suggesting targeted financial incentives may enhance adoption if combined with other enabling conditions. Despite its insights, the model is limited by data constraints, especially the absence of fine-grained, context-specific information on household-level behavioural and socio-environmental factors for the City of Cape Town. As such, the results—particularly from the policy scenarios—should be interpreted as illustrative rather than predictive. Nevertheless, the model provides a robust proof-of-concept that demonstrates the potential of agent-based approaches to inform decentralised energy transitions. These constraints highlight the need for improved data availability in the South African energy context to refine models and support evidence-based energy policy decisions.
- ItemOpen AccessTowards the development of retrospective molecular autopsies in unexplained sudden unexpected death cases(2026) Swart, Micaela Louise; Heathfield, Laura Jane; Vandayar, YuvikaSudden unexpected death (SUD) is characterised by the rapid, natural, and unanticipated fatality of a seemingly healthy individual, with up to 10% of SUD cases in South Africa remaining undetermined at autopsy. A molecular autopsy, conducted retrospectively, may be valuable in resolving the cause of death in these cases. However, the samples generally available for retrospective molecular autopsies are those retained at the original autopsy, i.e., formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue taken for histology and/or blood in white/grey/red top tubes taken for toxicology. Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) extraction protocols for these sample types have been developed in-house, however, it was unknown whether the DNA sequencing assays developed for prospective molecular autopsies using high quality DNA samples would be suitable for these alternative sample types. This study aimed to assess and optimise DNA workflows on retrospective unexplained SUD cases, to contribute towards the development of molecular autopsies for medico-legal investigations in South Africa. Unresolved SUD cases (n = 22) were identified for the study, with 17 having only FFPE tissue, and 5 having both sample types. The laboratory's baseline DNA workflow was adequate for blood samples, but the FFPE tissue workflow required further optimisation. Four different DNA extraction methods were applied to FFPE tissue blocks and systematic adjustments were made to optimise the amplification of a target region in a candidate gene, potassium voltage-gated channel subfamily Q member 1 (KCNQ1). Sanger sequencing was successful on all blood-derived DNA samples (5/5; 100.00%), and on 12/22 (54.55%) cases with FFPE tissue-derived DNA, resulting in 13/22 (59.09%) successfully sequenced cases - with no case exhibiting the variant of interest. This study has contributed towards the optimisation of a DNA workflow for archived biological samples enabling retrospective molecular autopsies for the hundreds of unresolved SUD cases in Cape Town and beyond.
- ItemOpen AccessPerceived stress and coping mechanisms among university students(2026) Ntamo, Mzwandile Maxwell; Luckett, KathleenStudents are particularly vulnerable to mental health issues due to their university experiences and related factors. Every day, they encounter a variety of influences that affect their ability to manage stress. These daily experiences contributing to stress are referred to as stressors. The aim of this study is to contribute to the student development literature on mental health in higher education. To this end, the researcher sought to answer the following questions: What are the perceived stressors among students at a South African university? What coping mechanisms do students at this university employ? This study applies the transactional model of stress developed by Lazarus and Folkman (1984). The model conceptualizes the complexity of stress by incorporating the relationship between the individual and the environment through the continual interaction of internal and external factors. The researcher designed a mixed methods study to investigate the stress phenomenon among university students enrolled in the Science Faculty of a research-intensive university in South Africa. Data was collected through an online questionnaire distributed to the students via the university's intranet site. Subsequently, the researcher conducted semi-structured interviews with six students from the Science Faculty. To ensure triangulation, the researcher also conducted semi-structured interviews with two professional psychologists working in student counselling services. The data was analysed using descriptive quantitative analysis for the secondary data (administered through a questionnaire) and using qualitative thematic narrative analysis for the interviews both for the students interviews and interviews with the psychologists. The results identified four types of stressors among the students: an overloaded curriculum, time management stressors, relationship stressors, and financial stressors. Additionally, the results showed that out of the 368 respondents to the questionnaire, 30.2% (111 students) felt that they were competent at managing stress, and 33.2% (122 students) felt reasonably competent at managing stress, while 20.1% (74 students) felt they were not very competent at managing stress, and 7.1% (26 students) felt not at all competent at managing stress. Moreover, 40.5% (149 students) felt competent at managing time, 34.5% (127 students) felt reasonably competent at managing time, 15.2% (56 students) felt not very competent at managing time, and 1.5% felt not at all competent at managing time. Lastly, 55.3% (179 students) indicated that readily available professional assistance would be most helpful for them. Finally, the results identified two types of coping mechanisms in this cohort of students: emotion-focused coping and problem-focused coping. The study showed that some students used positive coping mechanisms, such as physical exercise, while others used negative coping mechanisms, such as smoking marijuana. This study demonstrates that stress among students in this faculty can be described as a complex interplay of an overloaded curriculum affecting their time management capabilities, further intensified by relationships and financial challenges. If left unaddressed, these factors may combine to cause serious mental health issues. Consequently, students employ either emotion-focused coping or problem-focused coping to mitigate stress. Therefore, the study recommends that the university make additional resources available to expand counselling services and that the faculty board employ a faculty coordinator. This coordinator would play a central role in organizing academic activities and connecting academics, support services, and other faculty stakeholders to better support students and identify problems early in their university experience. This approach would help view a student's journey holistically throughout their studies, rather than as a series of pass or fail marks. However, given the small sample size of this study, the results are not easily generalizable.
- ItemOpen Access(Un)seeing Salome: the transformative alchemy of embodiment. Adapting Damon Galgut's The Promise for the stage(2026) Strike-Nakar, Sylvaine; Mtshali, MbongeniIn this practice-based research study, I critically engage with my process of adapting and directing Damon Galgut's novel, The Promise (2021), for the stage. I document and analyse my process of adaptation in order to lift out key methodological insights discovered through the creation and rehearsal process, as well as from the play's reception by South African audiences. I approach the process of adapting prose for live performance as a knowledge-producing paradigm in which performance practitioners do more than simply transpose the written text into performed images that attempt to slavishly imitate or mirror the ‘original' text. Instead, I work to show that adaptation is an act of critical transformation, through which new and potentially transformative meaning can be made in the encounter between written words and the living body. Accordingly, I attend to the sensuousness of the live body in particular as a means of critically extending and complicating the written text. Both my practice as a director and my analysis of this adaptation process draw on the methods and thinking developed during my career as a theatre practitioner, influenced by my own transformative experience as a student at the École Internationale de Théâtre Jacques Lecoq. I focus on the red nose in particular as a powerful tool for accessing the transformative potential of the embodied image.