Enkele prinsipiële fasette: die wiskunde en paradigmas in die ekonomiese wetenskap

It is argued in this paper that the development of mathematics has had a profound effect upon the research paradigms of economics. Economists ’ early attempts to imitate the natural sciences have led them to an increasing quantification of their own science, with the consequence that recent developments in mathematics, such as the Theory of Chaos and the Theory of ('atastrophe, together with the implications from quantum physics, are causing a paradigm shift in economics. This paradigm shift has been turning away from a positivistic view of economic science towards a normative one a view where there seems to he greater acceptance of the principle that science cannot be free from value judgements. Tor the Christian economist these developments are to be welcomed. In the light of this, the paper concludes with a Scriptural perspective on the rote of mathematics in economics

An industry analysis of pharmaceutical production in South Africa

The purpose of this research is to investigate the shifting structure of pharmaceutical production in South Africa and examine the global and local factors that have contributed to this change. Generally, these factors have resulted in a decline in the number of pharmaceutical manufacturers in South Africa and in particular manufacturing operations owned by multinational companies. Simultaneously the global demand for generic medicines has increased due to their ability to improve access to affordable medicines. As a result, the supply of medicines in South Africa is being increasingly met by imported generic medicines and to a lesser extent locally manufactured generic medicines. These changes, together with a turbulent and sometimes uncertain regulatory environment, have led to interesting dynamics and changes within the structure of the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry in South Africa

Die rol van taalvaardigheid in die verband tussen matrieken universiteitsprestasie van swart eerstejaarstudente

This article highlights some of the factors that play a role in the academic success of black first year students who receive non mother-tongue education in English. Students in the Faculties of Economic and Management Sciences, Natural and Agricultural Sciences, as well as the Humanities/Law at the University of the Free State were involved in the study. It was evident that both matric performance and language ability have predictive value. It was also found that the predictive value of these variables differed between the various faculties (which implies that students’ field of study should be taken into account when decisions regarding access with success is made).Key words: language proficiency, matric performance, academic achievement, non mother-tongue education, black first year students.Hierdie artikel werp lig op sommige faktore wat ’n rol speel in die akademiese prestasie van swart eerstejaarstudente wat nie-moedertaalonderrig in Engels ontvang. Studente in die Fakulteite Ekonomiese en Bestuurswetenskappe, Natuur- en Landbouwetenskappe, asook Geesteswetenskappe/Regte aan die Universiteit van die Vrystaat is by die studie betrek. Dit het geblyk dat beide matriekprestasie en taalvaardigheid voorspellingswaarde het. Verder is ook bevind dat die voorspellingswaarde van hierdie veranderlikes verskil tussen verskillende fakulteite (wat impliseer dat studente se studieveld in ag geneem moet word wanneer besluite rakende toelating met sukses geneem word).Sleutelwoorde: taalvaardigheid; matriekprestasie; akademiese prestasie; niemoedertaalonderrig, swart eerstejaarstudente.The article is in Afrikaans

Iron chelators inhibit amyloid-beta-induced production of lipocalin 2 in cultured astrocytes

Lipocalin 2 (Lcn2) has been implicated to play a role in various neurodegenerative diseases, and normalizing its overexpression may be of therapeutic potential. Iron chelators were found to reduce Lcn2 levels in certain animal models of CNS injury. Focusing on Alzheimer's disease (AD), we found that the iron chelators deferoxamine and deferiprone inhibited amyloid-β (Aβ)-induced Lcn2 production in cultured primary astrocytes. Accordingly, Aβ-exposure increased astrocytic ferritin production, indicating the possibility that Aβ induces iron accumulation in astrocytes. This effect was not significantly modulated by Lcn2. Known neuroprotective effects of iron chelators may rely in part on normalization of Lcn2 levels

Migration, entrepreneurship and development : a critical review

We provide an assessment of the state of scholarly and policy debates on migrant entrepreneurs in development. They are often described as super-entrepreneurs who contribute to development through (i) being more entrepreneurial than natives; (ii) providing remittances that fund start-ups in their countries of origin and (iii) returning entrepreneurial skills to their home countries when they re-migrate. We evaluate these three views and conclude that the empirical evidence to support the notion of the migrant as a super-entrepreneur is weak. We further argue that the evidence is less ambiguous on the general development contribution of migration over and above its contribution through entrepreneurship. The implication is that removal of discriminatory barriers against migrants and against migrant entrepreneurs in labour, consumer and financial markets will promote development in both sending and receiving countries, not least through reducing the shares of migrants that are reluctant entrepreneurs

An industry analysis of pharmaceutical production in South Africa

The purpose of this research is to investigate the shifting structure of pharmaceutical production in South Africa and examine the global and local factors that have contributed to this change. Generally, these factors have resulted in a decline in the number of pharmaceutical manufacturers in South Africa and in particular manufacturing operations owned by multinational companies. Simultaneously the global demand for generic medicines has increased due to their ability to improve access to affordable medicines. As a result, the supply of medicines in South Africa is being increasingly met by imported generic medicines and to a lesser extent locally manufactured generic medicines. These changes, together with a turbulent and sometimes uncertain regulatory environment, have led to interesting dynamics and changes within the structure of the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry in South Africa

Immune Dysregulation Is Associated with Neurodevelopment and Neurocognitive Performance in HIV Pediatric Populations—A Scoping Review

HIV-1 is known for its complex interaction with the dysregulated immune system and is responsible for the development of neurocognitive deficits and neurodevelopmental delays in pediatric HIV populations. Considering that HIV-1-induced immune dysregulation and its association with neurodevelopmental and neurocognitive impairments in pediatric populations are not well understood, we conducted a scoping review on this topic. The study aimed to systematically review the association of blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) immune markers with neurocognitive deficits and neurodevelopmental delays in pediatric HIV populations. PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases were searched using a search protocol designed specifically for this study. Studies were selected based on a set eligibility criterion. Titles, abstracts, and full texts were assessed by two independent reviewers. Data from the selected studies were extracted and analyzed by two independent reviewers. Seven studies were considered eligible for use in this context, which included four cross-sectional and three longitudinal studies. An average of 130 (±70.61) children living with HIV, 138 (±65.37) children exposed to HIV but uninfected and 90 (±86.66) HIV-negative participants were included across the seven studies. Results indicate that blood and CSF immune markers are associated with neurocognitive development/performance in pediatric HIV populations. Only seven studies met the inclusion criteria, therefore, these limited the number of significant conclusions which could have been made by using such an approach. All considered, the evidence suggests that immune dysregulation, as in the case of adult HIV populations, also has a significant association with neurocognitive performance in pediatric HIV populations

Lipocalin 2 as a link between ageing, risk factor conditions and age-related brain diseases

Chronic (neuro)inflammation plays an important role in many age-related central nervous system (CNS) diseases, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and vascular dementia. Inflammation also characterizes many conditions that form a risk factor for these CNS disorders, such as physical inactivity, obesity and cardiovascular disease. Lipocalin 2 (Lcn2) is an inflammatory protein shown to be involved in different age-related CNS diseases, as well as risk factor conditions thereof. Lcn2 expression is increased in the periphery and the brain in different age-related CNS diseases and also their risk factor conditions. Experimental studies indicate that Lcn2 contributes to various neuropathophysiological processes of age-related CNS diseases, including exacerbated neuroinflammation, cell death and iron dysregulation, which may negatively impact cognitive function. We hypothesize that increased Lcn2 levels as a result of age-related risk factor conditions may sensitize the brain and increase the risk to develop age-related CNS diseases. In this review we first provide a comprehensive overview of the known functions of Lcn2, and its effects in the CNS. Subsequently, this review explores Lcn2 as a potential (neuro)inflammatory link between different risk factor conditions and the development of age-related CNS disorders. Altogether, evidence convincingly indicates Lcn2 as a key constituent in ageing and age-related brain diseases