Hell of a Life

This paper reflects on the work completed for the Storytelling and the Life of Faith Colloquium. It reflects on the author\u27s time in college, time abroad, life, and the course itself. It includes not only introspections on the course readings but also the larger course themes including the use of memory, and universal truths — be there any. It’s about struggle, the internal and the external, it’s an overview of a lot of realizations the author had during her college career. It’s about learning to be ok with the fluctuation called life

K3-surfaces with special symmetry

In this dissertation classification problems for K3-surfaces with finite group actions are considered. Special emphasis is put on K3-surfaces with antisymplectic involutions and compatible actions of symplectic transformations. Given a finite group $G$ it is investigated if it can act in a compatible fashion on a K3-surfaces $X$ with antisymplectic involution and to what extend the action of $G$ determines the geometry of $X$. If $G$ has large order or rich structure a precise description of $X$ as a branched double cover of a Del Pezzo surface is obtained. In particular, this leads to classification results for the complete list of eleven maximal finite groups of symplectic automorphisms of K3-surfaces. The remaining part of the thesis deals with generalizations to non-maximal groups and K3-surfaces with non-symplectic automorphisms of higher order. The classification relies on an equivariant minimal model program for surfaces, the study of finite group actions on Del Pezzo surfaces, and the combinatorial intersection geometry of naturally associated exceptional and fixed point curves.Comment: 106 pages, Dissertation (Ph.D. thesis

The powers and authority of directors to act on behalf of a company under South African law

As a company is a juristic person it can only act through human agency. A question that arises because of this fact is under what circumstances a company can be held to a contract by a third party where its representative was unauthorised to enter into such contract. There should be a careful weighing and balancing of the interests of the shareholders and the company on the one hand and the contracting third party on the other. It is further important to have legal certainty on the validity and enforceability of contracts concluded by and with companies as the absence of certainty can hamper business dealings with companies which would have an impact on the economy. The common-law principles of agency form the foundation upon which representation within the context of company law takes place. The law of agency has been adapted in the context of company law to satisfy the unique needs that have originated in this regard. One such adaptation is the creation of the Turquand rule by the English courts which rule was taken over by the South African courts. One of the primary reasons for creating the Turquand rule was due to the harsh effect that the common-law doctrine of constructive notice had on third parties dealing with a company. In this study an examination of the current legal position regarding representation of a company in South Africa was undertaken. The history and development of the common-law principles of agency and doctrines that are unique to representation in a company law context are analysed and the relevant sections of the Companies Act 71 of 2008 are discussed. The integration of the common-law principles with the relevant provisions of the Companies Act 71 of 2008 is considered and recommendations are made in respect thereof. In support of the analysis, a comparative study was undertaken of the history and development of this subject matter in England. It was concluded that South African company law, with all its shortcomings and uncertainties is still to be preferred above the position in England.Aangesien ‘n maatskappy ‘n regspersoon is, kan dit slegs deur middel van natuurlike persone as agente optree. ‘n Vraag wat as gevolg van hierdie feit ontstaan is onder watter omstandighede ‘n maatskappy deur ‘n derde party gebonde gehou kan word aan ‘n kontrak waar die maatskappy se verteenwoordiger nie gemagtig was om die kontrak aan te gaan nie. Daar behoort ‘n versigtige afweging te wees tussen die belange van die maatskappy en sy aandeelhouers aan die een kant en ‘n derde party wat met die maatskappy kontrakteer aan die ander kant. Dit is verder belangrik om regsekerheid te hê oor die geldigheid en afdwingbaarheid van kontrakte wat met maatskappye aangegaan word aangesien die afwesigheid daarvan besigheidsverkeer met maatskappye kan kortwiek wat ‘n impak op die ekonomie tot gevolg sal hê. Die gemeenregtelike beginsels van verteenwoordiging vorm die basis waarop verteenwoordiging binne die konteks van maatskappyereg plaasvind. Verteenwoordigingsreg is aangepas binne die konteks van maatskappye om voorsiening te maak vir die unieke behoeftes wat in hierdie verband ontstaan het. Een sodanige aanpassing is die skepping van die Turquand reël deur die Engelse howe, welke reël deur die Suid-Afrikaanse howe oorgeneem is. Een van die hoofredes vir die skepping van die Turquand reël is die onregverdige uitwerking wat die gemeenregtelike leerstuk van toegerekende kennis op derde partye gehad het wat met ‘n maatskappy onderhandel. ‘n Studie van die huidige regsposisie rakende verteenwoordiging van ‘n maatskappy in Suid-Afrika is hierin gedoen. Die geskiedenis en ontwikkeling van die gemeenregtelike beginsels van verteenwoordiging en leerstukke eie aan verteenwoordiging in die konteks van maatskappyereg is geanaliseer. Die betrokke artikels van die Maatskappywet 71 van 2008 word bespreek. Die integrasie van hierdie gemeenregtelike beginsels met die betrokke bepalings van die Maatskappywet 71 van 2008 is oorweeg en aanbevelings in verband daarmee gemaak. Ter ondersteuning van die analise is ‘n vergelykende studie van die gekiedenis en ontwikkeling van hierdie onderwerp in Engeland onderneem. Daar is tot die slotsom gekom dat die Suid-Afrikaanse maatskappyereg, met al sy tekortkominge en onsekerhede nogsteeds bo die posisie in Engeland te verkies is.Mercantile LawLL. M

Preventing Atmospheric Icing in Aviation: Passive Repulsion of Super Cooled Water Droplets through Hydrophobic Nanocomposites

The aviation industry already consists of a complex system of strict regulations related to operation and maintenance, where severe weather conditions further challenge flight operations. Recent research has shown that most aircraft accidents are caused by icing externally, where severe icing conditions lead to the critical degradation of the aerodynamic effectiveness – increasing the stall speed. If only a thin film of ice accumulates on the airframe, it will rapidly increase the risk for a fatal accident to occur. The following thesis addresses critical icing conditions that might substantially affect the aerodynamic performance and propose an accessible method of a hydrophobic coating to mitigate the risk of ice accretion on planes. The results show that the most exposed phase within in-flight icing occurs at cruising altitude, with glaze ice accretions. A risk assessment of components suggests that the wing part has the most significant effect on aerodynamic sustainability. A further CFD analysis of the wing section of an Airbus A320neo, at cruising altitude, was simulated and compared with and without glaze ice conditions. The ice formation led to a mass of 2.3 kg after 100 seconds, while measurements determined that the drag capacity was increased significantly. The lifting capacity was virtually unaffected. Furthermore, a feasibility study has been conducted with the underlying goal of identifying the most promising of anti-icing coatings for aircraft. To date, there are no coat-ings capable of independently functioning as a passive anti-icing system. However, findings reveal two promising methods that were further carried out for testing. The preparation of a highly hydrophobic and ice phobic coating based on Zinc Stearate (ZnSt) and a curable Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) was carried out. Indicatively, the coating showed high water repellent and ice repellent properties by measuring the ice adhesion, which reduced the interaction between the aluminum surface and freezing water droplets by over 50%

R&D and manufacturing production specialisation in developed economies

A study of the relation between technology and manufacturing production specialisation in a series of developed economies is performed by means of models relating indicators of revealed symmetric comparative advantage of value added and exports to similar measures of comparative performance of R&D expenditure, capital intensity, total factor productivity and wage costs. The production and R&D specialisation are shown to be substantial and sticky. This contrasts with the evidence of a substantial degree of convergence in the patterns of the other variables. Regression estimates show that, although all variables play their part, the impact of comparative R&D efforts on production specialisation is by far the strongest. This impact is found to be stronger in the smaller economies and it is especially important in research intensive industries. The influence of comparative wages is, moreover, found to be positive here, suggesting the dominance of a labour skill and efficiency wage effect over a wage cost competitiveness effect. These findings are shown to conform quite well with the predictions of Schumpeterian theory and of certain contributions to ‘new trade theory’ that have stressed the importance of dynamic economies of scale