Loan Portfolio Structure and Performance of Government Owned Banks in Indonesia: Does Size Matter?

Government-owned banks represent the smallest number of banks in Indonesia (25% of all banks) but have a dominant market share of almost 50% in the loan market. Studies previous to this one do not address the effect of size differences on the loan portfolio structures and performance of such banks. The objective of this study is to add to the literature in this area by determining whether small and large Indonesian government-owned banks differ in terms of their loan portfolio structures and performance. The study covers the 2003 to 2011 period. Descriptive statistics, univariate statistics and generalized least squares estimation are applied. The findings show that the loan portfolio structures and returns of small and large government-owned banks differ significantly

A novel nature-inspired picogrid for flexible PV application in rural electrification systems

Abstract: The Picogrid is a response to the need for electrification in off-grid rural areas in Sub-Saharan Africa. The concept lends itself to the inclusion of renewable energy technologies such as solar photovoltaics and allows for a robust, resilient solution for rural applications. The biomimetic or nature-inspired design allows for uncomplicated scaling of the operational core system. Additionally, the system is fault tolerant and exhibits self-healing properties

Performance analysis for a photovoltaic system with solar tracking

Abstract: Solar tracking is used on photovoltaic systems to minimize the incident angle between the panels and incoming sunlight. This offers the advantage of improved harvesting of solar energy. However, there are no extensive qualitative and quantitative data from studies to elucidate the extent of this improvement. This paper presents the performance analysis for a 11.52 kW PV system with solar tracking installed as a pilot project in Limpopo, South Africa. The data collected from the site are analysed in this paper and results for the energy yield and system efficiency are presented. These results indicate that solar tracking improves the daily energy yield of the PV system by 18% on average, over a 10-month period and over 30% during summer

Colorectal cancer in South Africa: A heritable cause suspected in many young black patients

Background. Colorectal carcinoma (CRC) has a low incidence among the black African population. Largely unrecognised in the scientific literature is the fact that a disproportionately large number of young black patients

Investigation of thermal instability testing on synchronous generator rotors using an experimental direct mapping method

Abstract: Utilities employ Thermal instability testing (TIT) for final acceptance testing after the construction and refurbishment of turbogenerator rotors. This type of testing is performed through two methodologies namely current injection and friction/windage in order to assess the thermal sensitivity of the machine’s rotor. Although there are distinct differences between the two methods, no apparent preference is shown by service providers/OEMS globally. There is also no definitive evidence or standards that offer a comparison of the two methods and suitability assessment thereof. The presented research investigates these two methods of TIT for a synchronous generator rotor. An experimental setup with infrared thermography is employed to investigate the thermal behaviour of the machine’s rotor for each of the test methods. Experimental results show that the thermal behavior of the generator rotor is significantly different for each methodology. It is also shown in this paper that contemporary TIT practice requires an augmented test methodology

Thermal instability analysis of a synchronous generator rotor using direct mapping

Abstract: Abstract: This paper presents a direct and practical method for mapping the thermal behaviour of a synchronous generator. Since temperature variations can lead to rotor thermal instability which adversely affects the operation of the generating unit, a better understanding of this phenomenon is required. The two main methods of performing thermal instability testing - direct current injection and friction/windage - are found to be practiced internationally without preference. Infrared thermography is used here as a means of determining the thermal performance of the rotor under different testing scenarios. The experimental testing is conducted using a scaled setup of a balancing facility and a 600 MW generator rotor. The results obtained are presented in the form of surface temperature maps. The thermal distribution of the two different methods were found to differ substantially with the friction method exhibiting a uniform surface distribution while the current method exhibited areas of higher temperature concentration around the rotor pole faces

Management of anterior vaginal prolapse in South Africa : national survey

LetterThe original publication is available at http://www.samj.org.zaTo the Editor: A national survey was done on the management of anterior vaginal prolapse (AVP) by registered gynaecologists and urologists in South Africa. Of 822 questionnaires posted, 30.2% were returned completed (23.2% from gynaecologists and 7.0% from urologists). The information supplied was anonymous and is probably a true reflection of current practice. Of concern were the 36.3% of respondents who did not use a recognised staging system, a low rate of pre-operative urodynamic investigation by gynaecologists (8.4%) and a high rate of synthetic mesh use by urologists (75.9%), even for primary procedures. This first survey among South African prolapse surgeons provides valuable insight into clinical practice.Publishers’ versio

Prediction of ‘Nules Clementine’ mandarin susceptibility to rind breakdown disorder using Vis/NIR spectroscopy

The use of diffuse reflectance visible and near infrared (Vis/NIR) spectroscopy was explored as a non-destructive technique to predict ‘Nules Clementine’ mandarin fruit susceptibility to rind breakdown (RBD) disorder by detecting rind physico-chemical properties of 80 intact fruit harvested from different canopy positions. Vis/NIR spectra were obtained using a LabSpec® spectrophotometer. Reference physico-chemical data of the fruit were obtained after 8 weeks of storage at 8 °C using conventional methods and included RBD, hue angle, colour index, mass loss, rind dry matter, as well as carbohydrates (sucrose, glucose, fructose, total carbohydrates), and total phenolic acid concentrations. Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to analyse spectral data to identify clusters in the PCA score plots and outliers. Partial least squares (PLS) regression was applied to spectral data after PCA to develop prediction models for each quality attribute. The spectra were subjected to a test set validation by dividing the data into calibration (n = 48) and test validation (n = 32) sets. An extra set of 40 fruit harvested from a different part of the orchard was used for external validation. PLS-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) models were developed to sort fruit based on canopy position and RBD susceptibility. Fruit position within the canopy had a significant influence on rind biochemical properties. Outside fruit had higher rind carbohydrates, phenolic acids and dry matter content and lower RBD index than inside fruit. The data distribution in the PCA and PLS-DA models displayed four clusters that could easily be identified. These clusters allowed distinction between fruit from different preharvest treatments. NIR calibration and validation results demonstrated that colour index, dry matter, total carbohydrates and mass loss were predicted with significant accuracy, with residual predictive deviation (RPD) for prediction of 3.83, 3.58, 3.15 and 2.61, respectively. The good correlation between spectral information and carbohydrate content demonstrated the potential of Vis/NIR as a non-destructive tool to predict fruit susceptibility to RBD

Identifying flies used for maggot debridement therapy

To the Editor: The use of maggots to clean necrotic wounds, known as maggot debridement therapy (MDT), has long been known to the scientific world. Its use has been recorded since the 1500s when soldiers’ wounds were often infested with maggots. Napoleon’s surgeon, Baron Dominic Larrey, reported that wounds that were infested with maggots appeared to heal faster than those without maggots.1 William Baer is considered to be the founder of modern MDT. While treating soldiers in World War I, he noted the good condition of wounds that had been infested with maggots, and was the first doctor on record to experiment with the use of maggots in treating infections.1 MDT even featured in the recent version of the film ‘Spartacus’. Various species of flies have been used for MDT,1 the most commonly used being Lucilia sericata, a greenbottle blowfly (Figs 1 and 2). This fly is closely related to another greenbottle, L. cuprina, but L. cuprina feeds on live as well as necrotic tissue, which is undesirable in MDT. L. cuprina is commonly named the ‘sheep blowfly’ because it is responsible for fly-strike in sheep, a form of massive, usually rectal myiasis that can kill sheep. A recent article2 suggested that L. cuprina was being used successfully for MDT at the Eugene Marais Hospital Wound Care Centre (EMHWCC). As this would be inconsistent with international experience in MDT and at odds with the usual biology of L. cuprina, it was decided to check the identity of these flies