Central University of Technology

About: Central University of Technology is a education organization based out in Bloemfontein, South Africa. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Higher education & Population. The organization has 852 authors who have published 1478 publications receiving 13171 citations. The organization is also known as: Technikon Free State & Central University of Technology Free State.

Cost-effective solar water heater monitoring system using the internet of things

Abstract: Monitoring of solar water heater systems can be a daunting task for residential home owners. The effective management of solar water heaters is dependent on accurate data regarding the usage and measurable parameters of the specific installed system. This research aimed to develop a non-complex and cost effective solar water heater monitoring system that is connected to the internet of things for data collection. Data collected by the system includes the power consumed by the system, the outside and inside temperatures, as well as the time of occurrence. The designed system is non-complex in the sense that it can easily be installed by the home owner without disturbing the existing electrical wiring of the residential house. Furthermore, data is collected via an internet server, called ThingSpeak, using an existing WiFi connection at the residence. The system is cost-effective regarding affordable hardware and free software that is used in the operation of the system. With data that is obtained from the system regarding warm water usage and power consumption, the home owner can make informed decisions to optimize the solar water installation.

Wireless SMART Product Tracking using Radio Frequency Identification

Abstract: In the Global market, consumers are faced with expired and damaged products being packed on shelves with insufficient knowledge on the products quality and state. The 4th Industrial Revolution opens up a new range of possibilities allowing corporate executives, factory workers and consumers the ability to access valuable information of their products during and after the production process. Currently, factory workers and local producers run the risk of having damaged or expired goods due to a lengthy Time to Market in the production line and lack of quality control checks. The length of the Time to Market process is largely due to the overseeing of manufacturing in a production line where effective bottlenecks and quality of services are not being monitored. Local producers are also unable to effectively monitor information of their products with financial incurrence of modern systems. Moreover, factory workers cannot relay production information from the factory floor to managers for every product. This paper proposes a solution which will allow for the tracking of products through a packaging and monitoring system using SMART Radio Frequency Identification tags. A case study comprising of a three station water bottling plant is used using the tagging system which will allow consumers to scan SMART Radio Frequency Identification tags attached to a bottle of water, using an electronic device. These SMART tags will remove the need for a local database, as information is stored onto the physical tag. Information about each product can be read with an app from the product's individual tag, without communicating to a local database, displaying information about the products quality and expiry date. Factory workers will also be able to monitor and gain access to production information, through a similar app and larger set of restricted data stored directly on the tag.

Neonatal chest image quality addressed through training to enhance radiographer awareness

Abstract: Background: Diagnostic radiographers working in the neonatal intensive care unit primarily aim to produce an image of optimal quality using optimal exposure techniques without repeating exposures, to keep neonatal radiation dose to a minimum. Objectives: The aim of the study was to determine whether radiographers were producing optimal quality chest images and, if not, whether additional training could contribute to reaching this goal in the Free State Province of South Africa. Methods: Neonatal chest image quality was determined in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit by using a checklist based on and compiled from published guidelines to evaluate the quality of 450 randomly-selected images. Thereafter, a training programme was designed, based on the evaluation criteria of the checklist and image quality areas identified. The training also referred to positioning techniques that should be applied to ensure optimal image quality. After presentation of the training, 450 newly-produced neonatal chest images were evaluated. These images were selected through purposive sampling as this evaluation only included images of participating radiographers who completed the training. Results: Image quality that showed significant improvement included a reduction in electrocardiogram lines superimposed on chest anatomy, a tendency to centre closer to thoracic vertebra four, and visible four-sided collimation on images. Image quality areas with no significant enhancement were the absence of lead markers and radiation shielding. Conclusion: The study has shown that a training programme has the potential to improve neonatal chest image quality.

Factors that affect the provision of visually impaired learners in higher education

Abstract: It has been widely reported that 80% of potential students with disabilities are not attending a tertiary institution. Figures indicate that when provision of physically or mentally challenged students are taken into consideration, the visually impaired learners are affected the most The fact is that most tertiary institutions in South Africa do not have the required resources for facilitating the entry of visually impaired learners into their engineering programmes. The primary objective of this study is to identify the barriers that visually impaired learners in South Africa face at higher education institutions. A systematic review of current literature in this field forms the methodology for this paper. Studies related to the provision of visually impaired learners in engineering specifically IT courses, were carefully studied during this process. Negative attitude of fellow non-disabled learners, educators and institutions, lack of awareness of the staff, students and management about disability issues, minimal autonomy of disability units, lack of infrastructure, lack of financial support or funding, lack of access support services, lack of trained staff, lack of assistive resources, usage of ICTs and teaching methodologies are some of the factors that are identified as the barriers for the provision of visually impaired learners in IT courses.

Design and implementation of a microcontroller based printed circuit scrolling message notification board

Abstract: The noticeboard is an essential thing in any establishment or association to convey data among the partners. In the occupied and quick-moving present reality, the traditional paper notice framework is tedious and not reasonable for brisk sharing of data. This exploration work aimed at designing an electronic scrolling display board on a specially designed Printed Circuit Board (PCB). The thought behind this undertaking is to furnish its clients with a basic, quick what's more, dependable approach to set up a significant notification in a LED where the client can display messages to be shown directly on the LED unit from a computer to the microcontroller and also to give notification about anything at a particular moment to the targeted group or audience. This will significantly provide improved measures to the limitations and restrictions of conventional notice boards. The system is created with an ATmega 328P microcontroller from Atmel. The microcontroller showed all the usefulness of the showcase notifications required. The Display is acquired on a 2X (16X72) dot matrix display board, orchestrated on a cascaded specialized PCB designed with a Ki-cad schematic/design software suite for a wider view. An ideal instant message from a computer is sent utilizing Arduino IDE and HT1632 driver IC to drive these tremendous LEDs. The framework was tried to work as per the test message. This brilliant notification board can make the notification arrangement of an association much basic, quick and financially savvy and provide a limitation to an accident that can occur when sticking paper-based notification sheets.