DUT Open Scholar:: Home

Open Scholar is the institutional repository of Durban University of Technology. As far as possible, it provides open access to the academic output of the University.

item types	authors	articles	theses

Some publishers do not permit the archiving of your article in institutional repositories if they have published it:

BASE is one of the world's most voluminous search engines especially for academic web resources:

https://www.base-search.net/

Communities in Open Scholar

Select a community to browse its collections.

Now showing 1 - 5 of 12

Recent Submissions

Resilience during crisis: COVID-19 and the new age of remote work in higher education - A systematic literature review
(EuroJournals, 2025-3-9) Okeke-Uzodike, Obianuju Ebele; Henha, Edwige Pauline Ngo
The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic took a sledgehammer to the education sector, shattering the established structured systems, norms and rituals of practices and procedures. To ensure continuity whilst adhering to the pandemic-induced containment measures, higher education institutions adopted a remote work model to address the needs of a dispersed workforce. Amidst the uncertainty and continuous changes posed by the pandemic, remote working arrangements gradually dominated the higher education workspace, thereby increasing demands on institutions and employees. Consequently, the notion of resilience as a crucial constituent of Crisis Management has never been more salient. Yet surprisingly, there has been a paucity of literature in this domain. Whilst research on resilience is gaining interest, there is a need for a comprehensive overview of whattheconcept meansforacademics during anemergencyanditsapplication in the Crisis Management framework. This article addresses this research gap using a systematic Litera ture Review method to unearth the current state of scientific research regarding resilience in Crisis Management in the context of remote work during COVID-19. The findings of the study provide a research agenda that centers on understanding how resilience in Crisis Management and its strategic use in remote work can advance the research streams
Modelling radium equivalent activity from 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K series of recycled waste materials : analytical and artificial intelligence approaches
(Springer Science and Business Media LLC, 2025-1) Oyebisi, Solomon; Shammas, Mahaad Issa; Jagadesh, P; Owamah, Hilary; Oyewola, Miracle Olanrewaju
Primordial radionuclides in the decay sequence beginning with 238U, 232Th, and 40K, as well as cosmic radiation, account for most of the natural radiation in environments and humans. Construction and building materials contain primordial radionuclides. This research predicts the radium equivalent activity (Raeq) from the 226Ra, 232Th, and 40K concentrations of recycled waste materials using the deep neural networks of artificial intelligence. The Levenberg-Marquardt backpropagation technique was used to train the network, which had a three-hidden layer structure and 5–30 neurons in each layer. Predicting the Raeq of recycled waste materials was achieved with high precision using all network architectures. The best performance metrics for training, validation, and testing were demonstrated by a 3-15-15-15-1 network architecture. Furthermore, using untrained data, a robust correlation of 0.9996 R2 was obtained from the model’s confirmation.
LogicHouse-v1: a digital game-based learning tool for enhanced teaching of digital electronics in higher education institutions
(Informa UK Limited, 2024-12-31) Ajayi, Joy; Adetiba, Emmanuel; Ifijeh, Ayodele H; Abayomi, Abdultaofeek; Wejin, John; Thakur, Surendra; Moyo, Sibusiso
A drastic decline in the number of students that are enrolled for Engineering is now being experienced in developed as well as developing countries. Learning is becoming boring as a generation brought up on technology is losing the ability to pay attention in traditional classes for a long stretch of time. This has led to the idea that other teaching methods do exist and can be applied in teaching/learning. This work leveraged the use of Digital Game-Based Learning (DGBL) in Engineering classrooms to develop a serious game named LogicHouse Version 1 (LogicHouse-V1 or LogicHouse for short). The game, is a web-based serious game prototype that targets selected topics in Digital Electronics course. This course is a core component of undergraduate curriculum in Electrical & Electronics Engineering, Computer Engineering, Information Technology, Communication Engineering, Computer Science and other related Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) courses. LogicHouse involves a virtual broken house where the player has to play the various levels to fix the house and gain points along the way. This game was designed based on the Learning Mechanics-Game Mechanics (LM-GM) model and the Unified Modeling Language (UML). Furthermore, the design was implemented using Adobe Illustrator, Procreate, Unity Engine, C#, Microsoft Azure Playfab and deployed on itch.io. Preliminary evaluation results indicate that students are interested in the game and its application. Based on this, there is a prospect of improved performance in any course in which the game is implemented.
The relationship between physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness among people living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus throughout the life span
(Ovid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health), 2019) Webel, Allison R.; Perazzo, Joseph; Phillips, J. Craig; Nokes, Kathleen M.; Rentrope, Cynthia; Schnall, Rebecca; Musanti, Rita; Adams Tufts, Kimberly; Sefcik, Elizabeth; Hamilton, Mary Jane; Portillo, Carmen; Chaiphibalsarisdi, Puangtip; Orton, Penelope; Davis, Liana; Rose, Carol Dawson
Background - People living with human immunodeficiency virus (PLHIV) are at an increased risk for developing cardiovascular disease (CVD). Physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness in PLHIV are poorly understood.<h4>Objective</h4>The aims of this study were to describe physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness by sex and age and to examine the association between physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness in PLHIV, controlling for covariates. Methods Seven hundred two PLHIV participated in a cross-sectional study and completed validated measures of self-reported physical activity (7-day Physical Activity Recall) and cardiorespiratory fitness (6-minute walk test). Participants were recruited from 7 diverse sites in the United States and Thailand, and data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression to examine the relationship between physical activity and cardiorespiratory fitness. Results On average, participants self-reported engaging in 115 minutes of, mostly light (75%), physical activity. Men reported twice the amount of physical activity as women (155 vs 73 minutes, P = .01). Participants' ability to achieve their predicted 6-minute walk test distances was similar between men (68%) and women (69%) (P > .01). For women, vigorous physical activity was associated with a 6.6% increase in cardiorespiratory fitness and being temporarily unemployed was associated with an 18% decline in cardiorespiratory fitness. Cardiorespiratory fitness increased with age (P < .01). Conclusion Weekly physical activity of people living with human immunodeficiency virus averaged 85 minutes of mostly light activity, well below the recommended 150 minutes of moderate activity. Vigorous physical activity was associated with improved cardiorespiratory fitness in women, but not men. Although PLHIV would benefit from interventions to increase physical activity, our data suggest a need to develop sex-specific physical activity strategies.
Investigation of path loss in a complex building environment using USRP and GNU radio
(Engineering and Technology Publishing, 2024-1-1) Itamakinde, Akinyele A; Ejidokun, Temitayo O; Adejumobi, Babatunde S; Shongwe, Thokozani; Adetiba, Emmanuel; Owolabi, Israel Esan
This paper presents the description, measurements, and analysis of an investigation into the path loss channel characteristics of a complex building environment using the College of Engineering building of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria as a case study. The study is conducted on the first floor of the building, which is compartmentalized into five scenarios. The measurements are performed in the distinctive line-of-sight and non-line-ofsight paths. Over 90% of the measurements taken are in the non-line-of-sight environment of the complex building. The wideband sliding correlator channel sounder measurement technique of 1.2 GHz centre frequency was performed using the National Instrument Universal Software Radio Peripheral (NI USRP) 2920/GNU (GNU’s Not Unix) radio testbed. Key statistical considerations associated with path loss are calculated and the path loss equation model for the non-line-of-sight and line-of-sight of the entire first floor of the complex building is obtained. The results of the investigation show that an increase in path loss is a function of distance. The calculated path loss exponents were used to rate the performance of the wireless communication channel. The values obtained were found to be in tandem with the existing path loss metrics. Also, the radio propagation along the enclosed passages and indoor environments experienced low path loss, while the radio propagation along the ornamental trees encountered large path loss. Consequently, the results of the linear regression model and the log-normal model equation of Nonline of Sight (NLOS) and Line of Sight (LOS) results are somehow correlated. These results are useful in predicting the path loss of the radio signal at any specific distance from the transmitter to the receiver in any environment similar to the one under investigation. Also, as a planning and coverage optimization tool for wireless communication designers.