Unravelling the legal knots around inter-country adoptions in de Gree v webb

With reference to the case of De Gree v Webb 2007 SCA 87 (RSA) and developments in the field of international and South African child law, this contribution examines some challenges posed to the judiciary in particular with regard to inter-country adoptions and the application of the best interests of the child principle in this context. In traversing the area of inter-country adoption law against the background of provisions from related international treaties, the author alludes to some key aspects that may require attention in South Africa in years to come. Pending the promulgation of regulations in terms of the Children’s Act the author furthermore comments on the role that co-operative governance and implementation of the 2006 Guidelines for Inter-Country Adoption may play

Iron nanoparticulate planar model systems : synthesis and applications

It is well known that at the nanoscale, materials exhibit fascinating optical, electronic and magnetic properties that differ drastically from their bulk counterparts. The novel properties of nanostructured materials enable them to find potential applications in fields such as nanofabrication, nanodevices, nanobiology and nanocatalysis. The synthesis of diameter controlled nanoparticles is important in the field of catalysis for the formulation of a catalyst which meets the activity, stability and selectivity requirements of a particular catalytic process. A fundamental understanding of the catalyst particle behavior can be achieved by supporting these nanoparticles on model supports. Planar supports with the catalyst particles on the top, offer full access to surface spectroscopies. The synthesis of diameter controlled nanoparticles can be quite challenging with the classical approaches of precipitation and impregnation. This thesis involves the synthesis of diameter controlled iron nanoparticles and its applications in carbon nanotube (CNT) and Fischer-Tropsch (FT) studies. Our initial attempt to control iron particle size was to employ the technique of spincoating. This involved varying the concentration of the iron precursor in the spincoating solution. The direct spincoating of various concentrations of FeCl3.H2Oisopropanol solutions did not produce any particles but gave rise to an iron-hydroxychloro layer instead. A calcination treatment produced needle-like goethite structures as confirmed by spectroscopy studies and a subsequent reduction treatment produced isolated particles with a metallic iron core component and an iron oxide shell. There was no distinct change in particle diameter as a function of iron precursor concentration. The inability to synthesize monodisperse iron oxide nanoparticles via the spincoating and pretreatment (in-situ) route, prompted an investigation into an alternate route for nanoparticle synthesis. The thermal decomposition of iron carboxylate compounds like iron oleate and iron acetylacetonate lead to the synthesis of monodisperse iron oxide nanoparticles, the diameters of which could be varied over a narrow increment range. The influence of reaction temperature, iron to surfactant ratio and the technique of seed mediated growth were investigated to give rise to 4.5, 9.5, 16, 12.6, and 27 nm iron oxide nanoparticles. When supported on silica transmission electron microscope (TEM) substrates, these model systems can be imaged by TEM, then taken into a reactor, treated, and then imaged again to feature the exact set of particles measured prior to the reactor treatment. CNTs have attracted much interest recently owing to their novel properties that have led to realistic possibilities of using them in a host of commercial nanoelectronic applications. Based on their technological importance, it is essential to understand the synthesis mechanism of these materials. Thus an attempt to study the growth mode of CNTs was attempted. The monodisperse iron oxide nanoparticles were used to gain some insight into the CNT growth mode. Using microscopy techniques, it was confirmed that the particles were involved in a series of re-arrangements during the pretreatment and initial CNT growth. Thus contrary to what has been expressed by some researchers, the initial monodisperse iron oxide particles do not nucleate and grow the final CNTs. It was also shown that CNT growth occurred in two stages; an initial disordered growth, followed by a more aligned growth underneath. This was one of the reasons why we observe the lack of correlation between the initial deposited iron nanoparticle and the final CNT diameter. The availability and "know how" to synthesize an iron nanoparticle model system prompted a FT study. Due to the uncertainty surrounding the nature of the active phase of the working iron FT catalyst, some work was attempted to observe the chemical and morphological changes of the iron nanoparticle model catalyst, when subjected to various FT pretreatment conditions. With the H2 pretreatment a core shell morphology was observed, with the core being metallic iron and the shell, iron oxide. The CO reduction seemed to result in magnetite being the dominant species. Synthesis gas (CO + H2) exposure resulted in a mixture of metallic iron, magnetite and iron carbide

Open spaces: The new frontier for academic writers

In the face of the ‘fees must fall’ campaign and severe budgetary constraints for South African universities, funding has become a challenge. To this end, institutional management bodies look to academics to fill the gaping void of reduced budgets through increased research output. This has sparked the need for institutions to provide support in the form of writing retreats for academics. The current study offers a critical examination of the experiences of academics on writing retreats, as well as the barriers they encountered once the retreat was over. Data was collected via qualitative in-depth interviews (n=3). Content analysis was carried out on the data which revealed barriers to publication such as the need for additional support and time constraints. On this basis, this study recommends a model for Publication Improvement which is proposed to address the barriers academics encountered

Inter-dimensional Degeneracies in van der Waals Clusters and Quantum Monte Carlo Computation of Rovibrational States

Quantum Monte Carlo estimates of the spectrum of rotationally invariant states of noble gas clusters suggest inter-dimensional degeneracy in $N-1$ and $N+1$ spacial dimensions. We derive this property by mapping the Schr\"odinger eigenvalue problem onto an eigenvalue equation in which $D$ appears as a continuous variable. We discuss implications for quantum Monte Carlo and dimensional scaling methods

ClassTR: Classifying Within-Host Heterogeneity Based on Tandem Repeats with Application to Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infections.

Genomic tools have revealed genetically diverse pathogens within some hosts. Within-host pathogen diversity, which we refer to as "complex infection", is increasingly recognized as a determinant of treatment outcome for infections like tuberculosis. Complex infection arises through two mechanisms: within-host mutation (which results in clonal heterogeneity) and reinfection (which results in mixed infections). Estimates of the frequency of within-host mutation and reinfection in populations are critical for understanding the natural history of disease. These estimates influence projections of disease trends and effects of interventions. The genotyping technique MLVA (multiple loci variable-number tandem repeats analysis) can identify complex infections, but the current method to distinguish clonal heterogeneity from mixed infections is based on a rather simple rule. Here we describe ClassTR, a method which leverages MLVA information from isolates collected in a population to distinguish mixed infections from clonal heterogeneity. We formulate the resolution of complex infections into their constituent strains as an optimization problem, and show its NP-completeness. We solve it efficiently by using mixed integer linear programming and graph decomposition. Once the complex infections are resolved into their constituent strains, ClassTR probabilistically classifies isolates as clonally heterogeneous or mixed by using a model of tandem repeat evolution. We first compare ClassTR with the standard rule-based classification on 100 simulated datasets. ClassTR outperforms the standard method, improving classification accuracy from 48% to 80%. We then apply ClassTR to a sample of 436 strains collected from tuberculosis patients in a South African community, of which 92 had complex infections. We find that ClassTR assigns an alternate classification to 18 of the 92 complex infections, suggesting important differences in practice. By explicitly modeling tandem repeat evolution, ClassTR helps to improve our understanding of the mechanisms driving within-host diversity of pathogens like Mycobacterium tuberculosis

Comparison of educational facilitation approaches for Grade R English Additional Language learning in rural Mpumalanga

The Early Childhood Development Manager in Mpumalanga is faced with the problem of providing evidence-based guidance of the best facilitation approach in the Grade R context. An investigation on the effect of   facilitation, i.e. play-based or formal instruction, on Grade R performance scores in English Additional Language (EAL) learning was conducted.  Literature findings attest to formal learning contributing to better   performance scores than play-based learning, yet most rural schools in Mpumalanga use the play-based approach. The English Language Proficiency (ELP) standards assessment tool is reported to have no cultural bias and was used to collect the data. The tool assessed learners’ listening and speaking skills in EAL. A quantitative methodology was followed, using a static two-group comparison design. Participants in the two groups were matched according to age and all had a similar exposure period to EAL learning, a rural upbringing, poverty level, and all were mainstream  learners. Inter-rater reliability was obtained since two raters assessed learners’ proficiency in EAL skills. A one-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to analyse the data. It was found that the formal based approach contributed to better EAL scores when compared to the play-based  approach. Implications for practice are discussed.Keywords: EAL learning; ELP standards assessment tool; formal  instruction;Grade R facilitation; learners’ first language; play-based approach

Rules of engagement: perspectives on stakeholder engagement for genomic biobanking research in South Africa

Background: Genomic biobanking research is undergoing exponential growth in Africa raising a host of legal, ethical and social issues. Given the scientific complexity associated with genomics, there is a growing recognition globally of the importance of science translation and community engagement (CE) for this type of research, as it creates the potential to build relationships, increase trust, improve consent processes and empower local communities. Despite this level of recognition, there is a lack of empirical evidence of the practise and processes for effective CE in genomic biobanking in Africa. Methods: To begin to address this vacuum, 17 in-depth face to face interviews were conducted with South African experts in genomic biobanking research and CE to provide insight into the process, benefits and challenges of CE in South Africa. Emerging themes were analysed using a contextualised thematic approach. Results: Several themes emerged concerning the conduct of CE in genomic biobanking research in Africa. Although the literature tends to focus on the local community in CE, respondents in this study described three different layers of stakeholder engagement: community level, peer level and high level. Community level engagement includes potential participants, community advisory boards (CAB) and field workers; peer level engagement includes researchers, biobankers and scientists, while high level engagement includes government officials, funders and policy makers. Although education of each stakeholder layer is important, education of the community layer can be most challenging, due to the complexity of the research and educational levels of stakeholders in this layer. Conclusion: CE is time-consuming and often requires an interdisciplinary research team approach. However careful planning of the engagement strategy, including an understanding of the differing layers of stakeholder engagement, and the specific educational needs at each layer, can help in the development of a relationship based on trust between the research team and various stakeholder groups. Since the community layer often comprises vulnerable populations in low and middle income countries (LMICs), co-development of innovative educational tools on genomic biobanking is essential. CE is clearly a component of a broader process best described as stakeholder engagement

Misoprostol for cervical ripening at and near term - a comparative study

Objective. To compare the safety and efficacy of misoprostol with that of dinoprostone for the induction of labour at term, or near term.Design. Three hundred and ninety-six women with term pregnancies were randomised to receive either oral or vaginal misoprostol, or dinoprostone. Women who had had a previous caesarean section (CS) or those with a malpresentation or who were parity ≥ 5, were excluded. The control group received dinoprostone 1 mg inserted in the posterior fornix and repeated 6-hourly to a maximum of three doses. The study group received either oral misoprostol 20 pμ 2-hourly to a maximum of four doses (80 μg), or vaginal misoprostol 25 μg in the posterior fornix with a switch to the oral misoprostol regimen if there was no change in the Bishop's score or no palpable uterine contractions.Results. There was no significant difference in vaginal delivery rate within 24 hours between the groups (58.1% v. 58%, p = 0.633). There were no significant differences in CS rates between the groups; however, more CSs were performed for fetal distress in the misoprostol group than in the dinoprostone group (28% v. 25%). There was a significantly higher incidence of hyperstimulation in the vaginal misoprostol group (21.4%) than in the other two groups (oral misoprostol 16.5%, dinoprostone 8.9%) (p = 0.004). The incidence of meconium staining of liquor was comparable between the groups.Conclusions. In selected women, the efficacy of misoprostol for the induction of labour at term is similar to that of dinoprostone but misoprostol is associated with a higher incidence of hyperstimulation

The initial conditions of the universe: how much isocurvature is allowed?

We investigate the constraints imposed by the current data on correlated mixtures of adiabatic and non-adiabatic primordial perturbations. We discover subtle flat directions in parameter space that tolerate large (~60%) contributions of non-adiabatic fluctuations. In particular, larger values of the baryon density and a spectral tilt are allowed. The cancellations in the degenerate directions are explored and the role of priors elucidated.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures. Submitted to PR