The Survival of Female-owned Micro Enterprises in the UMkhanyakude District

The purpose of this research report is to determine factors that increase the probability of rural female entrepreneurs remaining in business for at least two years or longer. Contemporary development theory asserts that women play a prominent role in uplifting their families and developing their communities. The promotion of entrepreneurship among women in rural communities has been shown to be a formidably successful approach to development. Owing to the paucity of local studies in this vein, this project investigated the causal factors behind female entrepreneurs of the uMkhanyakude district staying in business for two years or more. Primary data were collected from entrepreneurs operating their businesses in the locality, using snowball sampling method, a sample of 273 entrepreneurs were interviewed by means of questionnaires. Logistic regression was used to estimate factors that increased the probability of women staying in business. The study revealed that the higher the levels of business experience, education, business success and hours spent on business the greater the chances of women staying in business. Financial and input constraints were major restrictions on women staying in business. Marital status, age, competition and marketing constraints were found to be insignificant. As most of the entrepreneurs in the uMkhanyakude district depend on stokvels and their saving for financing their businesses, the study suggest that such groups be harnessed by the DTI in the Grameen-bank type programmes manner which offer poor rural women low-cost loans for entrepreneurial purposes

Prerequisites for National Health Insurance in South Africa: Results of a national household survey

Background. National Health Insurance (NHI) is currently highon the health policy agenda. The intention of this financing system is to promote efficiency and the equitable distribution of financial and human resources, improving health outcomes for the majority. However, there are some key prerequisites that need to be in place before an NHI can achieve these goals.Objectives. To explore public perceptions on what changes inthe public health system are necessary to ensure acceptabilityand sustainability of an NHI, and whether South Africans areready for a change in the health system.Methods. A cross-sectional nationally representative surveyof 4 800 households was undertaken, using a structured questionnaire. Data were analysed in STATA IC10.Results and conclusions. There is dissatisfaction with bothpublic and private sectors, suggesting South Africans are ready for health system change. Concerns about the quality of public sector services relate primarily to patient-provider engagements (empathic staff attitudes, communication and confidentiality issues), cleanliness of facilities and drug availability. There are concerns about the affordability of medical schemes and how the profit motive affects private providers’ behaviour. South Africans do not appear to bewell acquainted or generally supportive of the notion of risk cross-subsidies. However, there is strong support for income cross-subsidies. Public engagement is essential to improve understanding of the core principles of universal pre-payment mechanisms and the rationale for the development of NHI. Importantly, public support for pre-payment is unlikely to be forthcoming unless there is confidence in the availability of quality health services

Synthesis and characterization of carbon nanotube membranes for water treatment

This work presents the synthesis and characterization of carbon nanotube (CNT) incorporated polyethersulfone (PES) membranes. Firstly, CNTs were prepared via a nebulized spray pyrolysis of toluene (carbon source) and ferrocene (catalyst) mixture at a temperature of 850 0C. The CNTs produced were then purified and functionalized by acid treatment to aid their interaction with the solvent and polymer during membrane preparation. Characterization techniques used for CNTs include scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis, Raman spectroscopy analysis, thermogravimetric analysis and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis. The outer diameters of CNTs measured from SEM micrographs using Image J software were in the range of 10 – 14 nm. TGA analysis revealed that the CNTs undergo complete thermal degradation after acid treatment; i.e. no catalyst particle residues were detected after 600 0C. Please click Additional Files below to see the full abstract

A review of shaped carbon nanomaterials

Materials made of carbon that can be synthesised and characterised at the nano level have become a mainstay in the nanotechnology arena. These carbon materials can have a remarkable range of morphologies. They can have structures that are either hollow or filled and can take many shapes, as evidenced by the well-documented families of fullerenes and carbon nanotubes. However, these are but two of the shapes that carbon can form at the nano level. In this review we outline the types of shaped carbons that can be produced by simple synthetic procedures, focusing on spheres, tubes or fibres, and helices. Their mechanisms of formation and uses are also described

Water as the Pore Former in the Synthesis of Hydrophobic PVDF Flat Sheet Membranes for Use in Membrane Distillation

Although PVDF flat sheet membranes have been widely tested in MD, their synthesis and modifications currently require increased use of green and inexpensive materials. In this study, flat sheet PVDF membranes were synthesized using phase inversion and water as the pore former. Remarkably, the water added in the casting solution improved the membrane pore sizes; where the maximum pore size was 0.58 µm. Also, the incorporation of f-SiO2NPs in the membrane matrix considerably enhanced the membrane hydrophobicity. Specifically, the membrane contact angles increased from 96° to 153°. Additionally, other parameters investigated were mechanical strength and liquid entry pressure (LEP). The maximum recorded values were 2.26 MPa and 239 kPa, respectively. The modified membranes (i.e., using water as the pore former and f-SiO2NPs) were the most efficient, showing maximum salt rejection of 99.9% and water flux of 11.6 LMH; thus, indicating their capability to be used as efficient materials for the recovery of high purity water in MD

Cyclodextrin-Based Nanofibers and Membranes: Fabrication, Properties and Applications

Cyclodextrin (CD)-based electrospun nanofibers have become critical role players in the water treatment arena due to their high porosities, small diameters, high surface area-to-volume ratio and other unique properties they exhibit. Investigations demonstrate that nanofibers containing CD molecules can be facially blended with other polymeric species and/or photocatalytic and magnetic nanoparticles to enhance their rates of adsorption, inclusion complexation and selective photodegradation. These properties make them excellent candidates for the removal of water pollutants. On the other hand, the electrospinning process has become the method of choice in the fabrication of various types of CD nanofibrous mats due to its versatility, cost-effectiveness and its potential for the mass production of uniform nanofibers. CDs and CD-derivatives have also found application in membrane technologies, particularly in mixed matrix and thin film composite membranes. CD-blended membranes display improved performances in terms of selectivity, rejection, permeation and flux with reduced fouling propensities and can be used for drinking water purification and removal of emerging micropollutants. This chapter critically reviews CD-based electrospun nanofibers looking at their production, characterization methods and various applications. The use of CDs as membrane materials and how they can be fully explored in water treatment are also investigated

Gene-set enrichment analysis of selective sweeps reveals phenotypic traits in Nguni cattle

Adaptation of animals to different environments is typically associated with structural and functional genomic variations. High throughput SNP genotyping and next-generation sequencing (NGS) have made it possible to study positive selection footprints and adaptation traits. Nguni is a small frame-size breed, mostly horned, and well known for being adapted to diverse South African environmental conditions. This study used previously identified selective sweeps to perform functional analysis of genes related to phenotypic characteristics in Nguni. Two hundred and sixty-four candidate selective sweeps were used for gene-set enrichment analysis in molecular functional categories (KEGG pathways) using the database for annotation, visualization, and integrated discovery (DAVID). In total, 107 genes were identified across all the chromosomes with 74 genes associated with eight phenotype queries, including fat content, milk production, walking ability, heat tolerance, meat production, reproduction, and bone and muscle development. Gene CRHR2 was associated with meat quality (juiciness and flavour). The IRAK3 gene was associated with decreased body size, feed intake and fatness in cattle, and CARD15 with disease resistance. Gene annotation using phenotype queries identified four genes (SPI, YWHAZ, RGS4, and RGS5) that were associated with myometrial relaxation in cattle. Genes such as NOD2 and IL21R were associated with inflammatory bowel diseases in cattle, whereas CPLS gene was associated with fat content. These genes are important to the phenotypic and adaptive characteristics present in South African Nguni cattle and hold potential for selection for traits of economic importance.The Red Meat Research and Development of South Africa (RMRDSA) and the National Research Foundation (NRF).http://www.sasas.co.zaam2022Animal and Wildlife Science

The Capaciousness of No: Affective Refusals as Literacy Practices

© 2020 The Authors. Reading Research Quarterly published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Literacy Association The authors considered the capacious feeling that emerges from saying no to literacy practices, and the affective potential of saying no as a literacy practice. The authors highlight the affective possibilities of saying no to normative understandings of literacy, thinking with a series of vignettes in which children, young people, and teachers refused literacy practices in different ways. The authors use the term capacious to signal possibilities that are as yet unthought: a sense of broadening and opening out through enacting no. The authors examined how attention to affect ruptures humanist logics that inform normative approaches to literacy. Through attention to nonconscious, noncognitive, and transindividual bodily forces and capacities, affect deprivileges the human as the sole agent in an interaction, thus disrupting measurements of who counts as a literate subject and what counts as a literacy event. No is an affective moment. It can signal a pushback, an absence, or a silence. As a theoretical and methodological way of thinking/feeling with literacy, affect proposes problems rather than solutions, countering solution-focused research in which the resistance is to be overcome, co-opted, or solved. Affect operates as a crack or a chink, a tiny ripple, a barely perceivable gesture, that can persist and, in doing so, hold open the possibility for alternative futures

A correlational study of systemic blood pressure and intraocular pressure in a young South African adult population*

Increased blood pressure (BP) and raised intraocular pressure (IOP) are probably both common oc-currences among the South African population. If left untreated both conditions have detrimental complications. Previous cross-sectional studies suggested BP was positively related to IOP. This study therefore sets out to determine in a young South African adult population the correlation between systemic BP and IOP.  Systemic BP was measured using an electronic sphygmomanometer and IOP using a Goldman applanation tonometer. For all subjects, two averages were obtained fromthree measurements each of BP and IOP. Other clinical procedures such as uncompensated visual acuity (VA), pinhole and direct ophthalmoscopy were done to exclude underlying factors possiblyaffecting either BP or IOP before the commencement of the investigation. Two hundred (N = 200) subjects were included in the study and their ages ranged from 18 to 30 years with a mean of 21 ± 3.9 years. The correlation coefficients between average IOP and average systolic or diastolic BP respectively were 0.67 and 0.55. These weak positive correlations suggested that with an increase in BP there is a corresponding increase in IOP. Also, similar correlation between IOP and BP was found toexist amongst both males and females with systolic BP having a greater effect. This study validates the importance of evaluating either systemic BP or IOP amongst all patients seen by primary eye-care practitioners, and that such evaluations should form part of daily routine patient examination