Exports, capital formation and economic growth in South Africa

In South Africa the export sector is frequently accorded a special role in encouraging faster economic growth. Nonetheless, a question that remains unresolved is whether higher export growth indeed leads to higher economic growth and what particular role exports may play within the overall economic growth process of the country. This study applies Johansen’s cointegration procedure, impulse response functions, variance decomposition analysis and Granger causality tests to shed light on the channels through which export growth may impact South Africa’s economic growth rate. Quarterly time series data ranging from 1975q1 to 2012q4 is employed in the study’s empirical tests. The results support the notion that the role of exports lies in their ability to encourage investment and capital formation. While export growth directly supports higher economic growth in the short-run, the long-term effect was found to lie in supporting faster capital formation, and in turn, significantly increasing economic growth. Overall, a strategy of export-led growth that does not explicitly emphasize the export-capital-growth connection is likely to fall short of reflecting the dynamics contained within the exports-growth relationship in South Africa.Keywords: Exports; Economic growth; South Africa

Effective Mentoring to Improve Job Satisfaction among Beginner Teachers at South African Primary Schools

Teachers leaving the profession before age of retirement is an ongoing problem in schools worldwide. While fewer teachers enter the profession each year, the number of teachers leaving the profession has increased. Many teachers listed lack of job satisfaction as a reason for leaving the education profession, while citing the lack of mentoring as a main cause of job dissatisfaction. This study explores the impact of an effective mentoring program at primary schools in the province of Mpumalanga, South Africa to support and improve job satisfaction among beginner teachers entering the profession. This study follows a quantitative approach, consisting of a Likert-scale questionnaire. The sample of the study was a number of 550 teachers (principals, deputy principals, heads of department, teachers and student teachers) from different races and cultures from 50 randomly selected state and private primary schools in Mpumalanga. After comparing the literature with the respondents' data, the researchers found that the development and implementation of a mentoring program in the province of Mpumalanga would positively impacts beginner teachers' job satisfaction, thus indicating a definite need for such a mentoring program

Evidence that residues of tebuthiuron arboricide present in soil of Mokala National Park can be phytotoxic to woody and grass species

Mokala National Park (MoNP) has a history of arboricide use through South African National Parks (SANPs) having bought commercial game farmland for its establishment in 2007. Tebuthiuron arboricide is known to have been applied for controlling bush densification during the period 1996 to 2004. Persistent negative impacts on MoNP vegetation, which are ascribed to the historical arboricide use, have prompted this investigation from 2016 to 2017. Bioassay experiments employing as test plants the tree species Vachellia erioloba and Vachellia tortilis, the shrub species Senegalia mellifera and the grass Tragus berteronianus were conducted in a glasshouse. Growth responses of these species were assessed upon their exposure to a tebuthiuron concentration range that simulated expected levels in MoNP soil soon and long after application. Chemical analysis as well as bioassay with the test species Lycopersicon esculentum (tomato) were performed on soil samples collected from three depths (0−30, 30−60 and 60−90 cm) of the soil profile at two sites in MoNP where tebuthiuron was applied in the past. The three woody test species showed differential, negative growth response to tebuthiuron, and even growth of the grass species (T. berteronianus) was affected at the higher concentrations. Evidence provided by the tomato bioassay and analysis performed on soil samples collected in situ points to the putative presence of tebuthiuron, more than a decade after the last use of arboricides for controlling bush densification. CONSERVATION IMPLICATIONS : If the reported evidence of the presence of phytotoxic residue of tebuthiuron in soil of MoNP would be substantiated through further research, such findings could at least partly explain the failure of natural recruitment of vegetation in those areas where the woody component was degraded because of arboricide application more than a decade ago.Villa Crop Protection (Pty) Ltd provided partial financial support.http://www.koedoe.co.zaam2023Plant Production and Soil Scienc

Intra-uterine foetal blood transfusion

No Abstract

Risk of re-identification for shared clinical speech recordings

Large, curated datasets are required to leverage speech-based tools in healthcare. These are costly to produce, resulting in increased interest in data sharing. As speech can potentially identify speakers (i.e., voiceprints), sharing recordings raises privacy concerns. We examine the re-identification risk for speech recordings, without reference to demographic or metadata, using a state-of-the-art speaker recognition system. We demonstrate that the risk is inversely related to the number of comparisons an adversary must consider, i.e., the search space. Risk is high for a small search space but drops as the search space grows ($precision >0.85$ for $<1*10^{6}$ comparisons, $precision 3*10^{6}$ comparisons). Next, we show that the nature of a speech recording influences re-identification risk, with non-connected speech (e.g., vowel prolongation) being harder to identify. Our findings suggest that speaker recognition systems can be used to re-identify participants in specific circumstances, but in practice, the re-identification risk appears low.Comment: 24 pages, 6 figure

The demography and disease burden of the homeless shelter population of Tshwane during COVID-19

BACKGROUND : Homeless people are a vulnerable population susceptible to physical and mental health care problems. There are, however, limited studies and information regarding the health of the homeless population. AIM : To describe and understand the burden of disease among the homeless population in Tshwane District, Gauteng, South Africa. SETTING : Data were collected from 15 different homeless shelters created during the South African 2020 coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown in the Tshwane District, from April to July 2020. METHODS : A cross-sectional survey was conducted among the homeless people in the shelters to provide information of self-reported conditions that the homeless populations at the shelters had during the lockdown period. The participants were also screened for medical conditions like, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hypertension (HPT) and diabetes mellites (DM). RESULTS : Results showed a total of 2066 homeless population out of which 1391 took part in the survey. Most of the participants consisted of African males 93.83%, with substance use prevalence in 52.77%. The study showed that the population was very reluctant to share information and had less chronic conditions than originally thought. CONCLUSION : Efforts should be made to improve education and research around the homeless population, by government and non-government facilities by building relationships with homeless shelters in their areas. CONTRIBUTION : This study provides awareness of the homeless population's health and challenges, with the intention to attempt a better understanding of the population that may present themselves to primary healthcare (PHC) facilities and encourage future investigation into how to improve care.http://www.phcfm.orgam2023Family Medicin

Stellenbosch Media Forum 2008

Stellenbosch Media Forum is an annual publication written and produced by the BPhil (Journalism) class of that specific year in the Department of Journalism, Stellenbosch University.Earlier this year Koos Bekker, owner of Media24, said he would not buy the New York Times even though his company could afford it. According to Moneyweb.co.za Bekker said the days of print media are numbered and the New York Times is old news. Die afgelope klompie jare het die media 'n transformasie ondergaan. In Suid-Afrika spesifiek is talle beperkinge op die media in die post-94-era opgehef. Die media funksioneer in 'n vryemark-stelsel en die algemene persepsie is dat dit meer fokus op die kommersiele as tevore. Met die ekonomiese afplatting is daar boonop gerugte van personeelverminderings en word selfs meer verwag van die Gideonsbende wat in die nuuskantore oorbly. Exposure to a variety of TV channels and internet websites is increasing the visual stimulation of media audiences. Media products are being redesigned to satisfy specific needs, in specific niches. One big change in terms of design is that more - and bigger - visuals and less text are being used. Vanjaar het e.tv die eerste 24-uur-nuuskanaal in Suid-Afrika geloods en al hoe meer drukmediaprodukte fokus op hul aanlyn-teenwoordigheid. Die Mail & Guardian het in Junie sy webtuiste herontwerp en sy groepblog, Thoughtleader, het die prys vir die Beste Suid-Afrikaanse Blog in die 2008 Suid-Afrikaanse Blogtoekennnings gekry. The Times, die Sunday Times se interaktiewe dagblad, het vanjaar sy eerste verjaarsdag gevier en bewys (sover) dat die konsep van 'n koerant wat met 'n webblad geintegreer is, wel werk. We are living in exciting times as far as development in the media is concerned. And that is why this year's edition of SMF has as its theme "Change in the media". Die veranderende media is hoofsaaklik te danke aan die ontwikkeling van tegnologie, soos dat jy jou nuus op jou selfoon kan kry. Nuttig, veral in Suid-Afrika waar die toegang tot breebandinternet gebrekkig is. Die koms van blogs noop koerante nou om onmiddellikheid en interaksie na te volg. These developments also influence journalists, sources and their audiences. With the advent of democracy in South Africa, changes in the consumer demographics of certain media products have occurred. And, oh yes, women have also advanced in the media since 1994, both as producers of media, and how they are represented. And then there is the youth, who "owns" new media technologies. And the disabled, who can get access to a new world through media technology. But, there are still many people in South Africa who do not have access to media, because of socio-economic circumstances: too poor to own the latest technology; illiterate and forgotten by the media elites. Die rol van die media, om debat te stimuleer, as waghond op te tree en die stem van die stemloses te wees, word deur al hierdie veranderings uitgedaag. Toenemende kommersialisering kan mediavryheid van binne erodeer. En dan is daar steeds die moontlikheid van politieke inmenging, al is mediavryheid grondwetlik verskans. Tradisionele kunsvorme in die media, soos kortverhale, radiodramas en boekresensies word gemarginaliseer, maar tog is daar die moontlikheid dat hulle kan aanpas en bly voortbestaan. Another challenge is the media's coverage of environmental issues, which has to be in sync with the phenomenon of global warming. Sport reporting also has to adapt to new developments, with sport writers now needing to have a knowledge of economics and politics as well. Een ding is seker: maatskappye, mense, produkte en onderwerpe wat by die media betrokke is, sal soos 'n verkleurmannetjie moet aanpas om te kan oorleef

Reliability and Diagnostic Performance of CT Imaging Criteria in the Diagnosis of Tuberculous Meningitis

The original publication is available at http:// www.plosone.orgPublication of this article was funded by the Stellenbosch University Open Access Fund.Introduction: Abnormalities on CT imaging may contribute to the diagnosis of tuberculous meningitis (TBM). Recently, an expert consensus case definition (CCD) and set of imaging criteria for diagnosing basal meningeal enhancement (BME) have been proposed. This study aimed to evaluate the sensitivity, specificity and reliability of these in a prospective cohort of adult meningitis patients. Methods: Initial diagnoses were based on the CCD, classifying patients into: ‘Definite TBM’ (microbiological confirmation), ‘Probable TBM’ (diagnostic score $10), ‘Possible TBM’ (diagnostic score 6–9), ‘Not TBM’ (confirmation of an alternative diagnosis) or ‘Uncertain’ (diagnostic score of ,6). CT images were evaluated independently on two occasions by four experienced reviewers. Intra-rater and inter-rater agreement were calculated using the kappa statistic. Sensitivities and specificities were calculated using both ‘Definite TBM’ and either ‘Definite TBM’ or ‘Probable TBM’ as gold standards. Results: CT scan criteria for BME had good intra-rater agreement (k range 0.35–0.78) and fair to moderate inter-rater agreement (k range 0.20–0.52). Intra- and inter-rater agreement on the CCD components were good to fair (k = ranges 0.47–0.81 and 0.21–0.63). Using ‘Definite TBM’ as a gold standard, the criteria for BME were very specific (61.5%–100%), but insensitive (5.9%–29.4%). Similarly, the imaging components of the CCD were highly specific (69.2–100%) but lacked sensitivity (0–56.7%). Similar values were found when using ‘Definite TBM’ or ‘Probable TBM’ as a gold standard. Discussion: The fair to moderate inter-rater agreement and poor sensitivities of the criteria for BME suggest that little reliance should be placed in these features in isolation. While the presence of the CCD criteria of acute infarction or tuberculoma(s) appears useful as rule-in criteria, their absence is of little help in excluding TBM. The CCD and criteria for BME, as well as any new criteria, need to be standardized and validated in prospective cohort studies.Funding: KB received funding from the Discovery Foundation (Academic Fellowship Award; http://www.discovery.co.za/portal/loggedout-individual/discoverycommunity- about), College of Neurology of South Africa (K.M. Browse Award; http://www.collegemedsa.ac.za/Default.aspx ) and the University of Stellenbosch. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.Publisher's versio

Revival of the magnetar PSR J1622-4950: observations with MeerKAT, Parkes, XMM-Newton, Swift, Chandra, and NuSTAR

New radio (MeerKAT and Parkes) and X-ray (XMM-Newton, Swift, Chandra, and NuSTAR) observations of PSR J1622-4950 indicate that the magnetar, in a quiescent state since at least early 2015, reactivated between 2017 March 19 and April 5. The radio flux density, while variable, is approximately 100x larger than during its dormant state. The X-ray flux one month after reactivation was at least 800x larger than during quiescence, and has been decaying exponentially on a 111+/-19 day timescale. This high-flux state, together with a radio-derived rotational ephemeris, enabled for the first time the detection of X-ray pulsations for this magnetar. At 5%, the 0.3-6 keV pulsed fraction is comparable to the smallest observed for magnetars. The overall pulsar geometry inferred from polarized radio emission appears to be broadly consistent with that determined 6-8 years earlier. However, rotating vector model fits suggest that we are now seeing radio emission from a different location in the magnetosphere than previously. This indicates a novel way in which radio emission from magnetars can differ from that of ordinary pulsars. The torque on the neutron star is varying rapidly and unsteadily, as is common for magnetars following outburst, having changed by a factor of 7 within six months of reactivation.Comment: Published in ApJ (2018 April 5); 13 pages, 4 figure