The social and economic context of African politics in Natal, 1907-1920: A preliminary research report

African Studies Seminar series. Paper presented September, 1974In the aftermath of the Bambatha Rebellion Africans in Natal were faced with a still greater disaster, an epidemic of East Coast fever which swept Natal between 1905 and 1910 killing virtually all their cattle, with profound effects on African society.(1) In view of the important place of cattle to Natal Africans the loss was a severe blow altering in a number of ways the economic opportunities open to them in the years after the Rebellion. In this paper I will use the East Coast fever as a starting point from which to view a number of processes in which Africans were involved in this area

A Stochastic Budgeting Analysis of Three Alternative Scenarios to Convert from Beef-Cattle Farming to Game Ranching

The main objective of this paper is to evaluate the profitability and financial feasibility of three alternative scenarios to convert from beef-cattle farming to game ranching. The analyses acknowledge the importance of quantifying the probability of failure or success when making investment decisions. Risk is incorporated into a standard net present value analysis using risk simulation. De-trended historical auction prices of live game and on-the-hoof prices of weaner cattle were used to quantify price variability. The stochastic net present value analyses indicate that game ranching is more profitable than cattle farming. Although an investment in a limited number of common game species is financially feasible, the cash flow analysis indicates a decreasing probability of making more money with game when annual cash flows are compared to those generated by means of cattle farming. Both the high-value game species scenarios are financially unfeasible during the first five years. These infeasibilities stem from a high probability of not covering instalments to finance game purchases, the extent to which these instalments are not covered, and the high probability of shortfalls in consecutive years.Game ranching, profitability, financial feasibility, risk simulation, Agricultural Finance, Farm Management, Livestock Production/Industries,

Influence of buoyancy and vertical distribution of sardine Sardinops sagax eggs and larvae on their transport in the northern Benguela ecosystem

In recent years, sardine Sardinops sagax spawning has been recorded inshore off central Namibia. Field observations on eggs and laboratory measurements show that spawning, demonstrated by the distribution of newly spawned eggs, takes place just below the upper mixed layer. The high positive buoyancy of the eggs causes them to ascend rapidly to the surface layer, where they are moved offshore by upwelling-induced offshore transport. However, increased wind-induced mixing also influences the vertical distribution of eggs, causing them to be partly mixed down below the layer moving offshore and into the layer moving inshore. This mechanism acts to retard the transport and offshore loss of eggs from the spawning areas. The vertical distribution of sardine larvae, with highest concentrations deeper than 20 m, indicates active movement out of the layer moving offshore, and this tendency seems to be more pronounced for older larvae. Hence, vertical migration of larvae is an additional factor mitigating their loss from nearshore. Taken together, these features seem to minimize the offshore loss of offspring, particularly in periods of low stock biomass when spawning close to the shore seems to be common.Keywords: buoyancy, northern Benguela, sardine, vertical distributionAfrican Journal of Marine Science 2001, 23: 85–9

Onstoflike sake in die nuwe Suid-Afrikaanse sakereg

Text in AfrikaansIn this thesis, the place and role of incorporeal things in the new South African law of things are examined. In the Roman law and Germanic customary law not only physical but also incorporeal objects, including rights, were regarded as things. In the early South African law of property (the period until 1950) a wide interpretation was given to the concept "thing". Consequently, things were said to denote either corporeal or incorporeal objects, as was the position in Roman and Roman-Dutch law. The recognition of incorporeal things suffered a setback during the fifties with the reception of the theories of the Pandectists in the South African law of things. The reception of the Pandectists theories can in all probability be attributed to writers such as WA Joubert and CG Van der Merwe. These writers gives preference to a narrow thing concept which only includes corporeal things and can be related to a certain interpretation of the doctrine of private law (subjective) rights which they adhere to. Incorporeal things are merely considered as exceptions. However, this narrow interpretation of things, are not generally accepted as correct. Several academics and the South African legal practice acknowledge a wider and more pragmatic concept of things which includes incorporeal things. Even before South Africa's new constitutional dispensation, pressure were exercised to extend the private law concept of things, despite the resistance of Joubert and Van der Merwe against the acknowledgement of incorporeal things. Creative legislation were introduced in 1971 which extended the concept of things by creating new land use rights. Within the context of the protection of land rights, a functional division of ownership is required in order to overcome the conflict between individual rights and public interests. The fragmentation of land rights provide the greatest possible number of people with the widest possible chance of access to land, and where necessary ad hoc legislation should be introduced to provide suitable security of tenure. Needs and problems regarding land reform were also addressed through legislation by recognizing different rights in land. By doing so, further pressure was placed on the narrow thing concept. Against this background, the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa 108 of 1996 started a new era for the South African private law. It is within this context that the relationship between private and public law comes to the fore. The Constitution offers the possibility of a wide interpretation of the public law concept of things. Our courts has already confirmed that the constitutional meaning of property is wider than the private law concept of property and that constitutional property is not limited to corporeal things. The application of the new constitutional dispensation on specific areas such as new property, labour related rights and intellectual property must be considered in light of the fact that the thing concept differs in the private law and public law. These constitutional developments can only sometimes be seen as an extension of the narrow thing concept. The implication is that incorporeal objects and rights can therefore be accommodated either within the existing private law paradigm, or within the wider constitutional paradigm. It is also argued that in certain circumstances ad hoc legislation should be introduced to provide the required security and protection. An analysis of the literature indicates that this is the preferable approach, rather than the dogmatic view that incorporeal things, in the form of other rights, are not considered as things. The new public law thing concept will have no influence on the further development of the private law in certain cases, but in combination with the existing theoretical and practical pressures to adopt a wider thing concept, the narrow private law approach could be given the final death-blow.In hierdie verhandeling word die plek en rol van onstoflike sake binne die nuwe Suid-Afrikaanse sakereg ondersoek. In die Romeinse reg en Germaanse gemenereg is nie net stoflike nie maar ook onstoflike objekte, insluitende regte, as sake beskou. In die vroee Suid-Afrikaanse eiendomsreg (die tydperk tot 1950) is daar 'n wye interpretasie aan die begrip "saak" geheg. Daar is gevolglik verklaar dat sowel stoflike as onstoflike objekte sake is, soortgelyk aan die posisie in die Romeinse en Romeinse-Hollandse reg. Die erkenning van onstoflike sake het 'n terugslag beleef gedurende die vyftiger jare met die resepsie van die Pandektiste se teoriee in die Suid-Afrikaanse sakereg. Die resepsie van die Pandektisme kan waarskynlik toegeskryf word aan skrywers soos WA Joubert en CG Van der Merwe. Hierdie skrywers verkies 'n enger omskrywing van die saakbegrip wat slegs stoflike sake insluit, in navolging van 'n bepaalde interpretasie van die leerstuk van subjektiewe regte. Onstoflike sake word bloot as uitsonderings verklaar. Hierdie eng interpretasie wat aan die saakbegrip geheg word, word egter nie algemeen as korrek aanvaar nie. Verskeie akademici en die Suid-Afrikaanse regspraktyk erken 'n wyer en meer pragmatiese saakbegrip wat onstoflike sake insluit. Desondanks Joubert en Van der Merwe se weerstand teen die erkenning van onstoflike sake, is daar reeds voor Suid-Afrika se nuwe konstitusionele bedeling druk uitgeoefen om die privaatregtelike saakbegrip uit te brei. Kreatiewe wetgewing het in 1971 die lig gesien wat die privaatregtelik saakbegrip uitgebrei het deur die skepping van nuwe grondgebruiksregte. In die konteks van die beskerming van grondregte word 'n funksionele verdeling van eiendomsreg vereis ten einde die konflik tussen individuele regte en die openbare belang te oorkom. Die fragmentasie van grondregte bied aan die grootste moontlike aantal mense die wydste moontlike geleentheid om toegang tot grand te verkry. Behoeftes en probleme ten aansien van grondhervorming is oak by wyse van wetgewing aangespreek deur die erkenning van verskillende regte in grand. Sodoende is verdere druk op die eng saakbegrip geplaas. Teen hierdie agtergrond het die Grondwet van die Republiek van Suid-Afrika 108 van 1996 'n nuwe era in die Suid-Afrikaanse privaatregtelike sakereg ingelui. Binne hierdie konteks staan die verhouding tussen die privaat- en publiekregtelike saakbegrip op die voorgrond. Die Grondwet skep die moontlikheid om 'n wyer interpretasie aan die publiekregtelike saakbegrip te heg. Ons howe het reeds bevestig dat die konstitusionele betekenis van eiendom wyer is as die privaatregtelike eiendomskonsep en dat eiendom as 'n konstitusionele reg nie beperk word tot stoflike sake nie. Die nuwe konstitusionele bedeling se toepassing op spesifieke velde soos new property, arbeidsverwante regte en intellektuele goedereregte moet beoordeel word met inagneming van die feit dat die saakbegrip in die privaat- en publiekreg van mekaar verskil. Hierdie konstitusionele ontwikkelings kan soms as uitbreidings van die eng saakbegrip gesien word en soms nie. Die implikasie hiervan is dat onstoflike sake en regte of binne die bestaande privaatregparadigma of binne 'n wyer konstitusionele paradigma verklaar kan word. Daarword ook geargumenteer dat ad hoc wetgewing in sekere gevalle uitgevaardig moet word ten einde die nodige sekerheid en beskerming te verleen. 'n Analise van die literatuur dui daarop dat hierdie 'n lofwaardige benadering is, wat verkies moet word bo die dogmatiese siening dat onstoflike sake, in die gedaante van ander regte, nie as sake beskou kan word nie. In sommige gevalle sal die nuwe publiekregtelike saakbegrip geen invloed op die verdere ontwikkeling van die privaatreg uitoefen nie, maar in kombinasie met die reeds bestaande teoretiese en praktiese druk om 'n wyer saakbegrip te aanvaar kan dit die eng privaatregtelike benadering 'n finale nekslag toedien.Private LawLL.D

Proteomics analysis of the p.G849D variant in neurexin 2 alpha may reveal insight into Parkinson’s disease pathobiology

Parkinson’s disease (PD), the fastest-growing neurological disorder globally, has a complex etiology. A previous study by our group identified the p.G849D variant in neurexin 2 (NRXN2), encoding the synaptic protein, NRXN2α, as a possible causal variant of PD. Therefore, we aimed to perform functional studies using proteomics in an attempt to understand the biological pathways affected by the variant. We hypothesized that this may reveal insight into the pathobiology of PD. Wild-type and mutant NRXN2α plasmids were transfected into SH-SY5Y cells. Thereafter, total protein was extracted and prepared for mass spectrometry using a Thermo Scientific Fusion mass spectrometer equipped with a Nanospray Flex ionization source. The data were then interrogated against the UniProt H. sapiens database and afterward, pathway and enrichment analyses were performed using in silico tools. Overexpression of the wild-type protein led to the enrichment of proteins involved in neurodegenerative diseases, while overexpression of the mutant protein led to the decline of proteins involved in ribosomal functionin

The clinical utility and cost effectiveness of routine thyroid screening in adult psychiatric patients presenting at Stikland Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa

Objective: The use of thyroid tests to assess psychiatric patients remains debatable. Therefore, this study was conducted to examine the utility and cost effectiveness of the current protocol used in thyroid testing in adult psychiatric patients presenting at Stikland Hospital, Cape Town, South Africa. Method: This was a retrospective chart review conducted at Stikland Hospital between 1 January 2000 and 31 December 2005. The following data was recorded: demographic variables, clinical diagnoses at admission and discharge, number of days from admission to a thyroid test request, the reason for thyroid screening, number of thyroid tests, their yield and costs involved, as well as the action taken following an abnormal thyroid test result. Results: The mean age of patients (n = 1080: n = 364 male, n = 716 female) was 42.8 years (SD ±16.6). Pre-existing thyroid disease was documented in 70 (6%) of patients. Normal Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) test results significantly (p = 0.0001) increased, whilst abnormal TSH test results significantly (p = 0.0001) decreased from baseline to follow-up. Except for gender, the outcome of TSH screening was independent of demographic and clinical diagnoses. Only 16% of TSH tests yielded clinically significant results. Conclusion: The findings of this study do not support the early, routine screening for thyroid dysfunction in psychiatric patients at this facility. It is possible that thyroid screening may present with transient abnormalities of no particular clinical significance, and would therefore not be a cost effective practice.Keywords: Psychiatry; Screening; Thyroid abnormality; Thyroid stimulating hormon

Laboratoriumstandaardisasie en kwaliteitskontrole in antistolterapie

The original publication is available at http://www.samj.org.za[No abstract available]Publishers' versio

Biological control of Microcystis dominated harmful algal blooms

Freshwater resources are now threatened by the presence and increase of harmful algal blooms (HAB) all over the world. The HABs are sometimes a direct result of anthropogenic pollution entering water bodies, such as partially treated nutrient-rich effluents and the leaching of fertilisers and animal wastes. The impact of HABs on aquatic ecosystems and water resources, as well as their human health implications are well documented. Countermeasures have been proposed and implemented to manage HABs with varying levels of success. The use of copper algicides, though effective in managing HABs, often results in negative impacts such as copper toxicity and release of microcystins into surrounding water after cyanobacterial lysis. Biological control of HABs presents a possible solution. Predatory bacteria that have been isolated as potential biological control agents include members of the Bacteroides-Cytophaga-Flavobacterium, ranging from Bacillus spp. to Flexibacter spp., Cytophaga and Myxobacteria. Various mechanisms of predation have been proposed, including; physical contact between prey and predator, release of extracellular substances, entrapment of prey by the predator followed by antibiosis and endoparasitism or ectoparasitism of the host by the predator. Despite an increasing amount of work being done in this field, research is usually limited to laboratory cultures; assessment of microbial control agents is seldom extrapolated to field conditions