505 research outputs found
Public sector procurement : South African ethical and legislative aspects
One of the noblest functions of government is securing for its citizens their
individual and collective well-being. This can be achieved through honouring and
safeguarding human dignity and the constructive mediation between individual
freedoms and collective action. When government succeeds this assures the social
and ecological integrity of the community.
In every vocation, there is both the need and call for the people within that
vocation to conform their behaviour to certain ethical standards. Ethics is the code
of conduct these professionals have adopted in order to regulate the practice of
their profession. However, ethics also reaches a level of unstated moral principles
and a sense of what is right and wrong.
A need exists for ethical and transparent public sector procurement management
on all spheres of government in contemporary South Africa. Evidence hereof is
found in official documents, court cases and in the popular press.
Prescriptions governing ethical behaviour in public sector procurement peculiar
to South Africa and the basic normative criteria are, interalia, aspects reviewed
and proposed in this article to strengthen the need for the determination and
implementation of an ethical basis to ensure effective and efficient public sector
procurement.
Firstly, this article will focus on describing and explaining the nature and meaning
of public sector ethics. Secondly, prescriptionsâ governing ethical behaviour in
public sector procurement management in South Africa since democracy, 1994
with special reference to the local sphere of government is provided. Thirdly, a brief
overview of existing general public procurement guidelines as established by the
South African Revenue Service is discussed. Fourthly, basic normative criteria are
proposed to establish effective, efficient and economical public sector procurement
followed by a conclusive summary
The Kinematics of HH 34 from HST Images with a Nine-year Time Baseline
We study archival HST [S II] 6716+30 and Hα images of the HH 34 outflow, taken in 1998.71 and in 2007.83. The ~9 yr time baseline and the high angular resolution of these observations allow us to carry out a detailed proper-motion study. We determine the proper motions of the substructure of the HH 34S bow shock (from the [S II] and Hα frames) and of the aligned knots within ~30'' from the outflow source (only from the [S II] frames). We find that the present-day motions of the knots along the HH 34 jet are approximately ballistic, and that these motions directly imply the formation of a major mass concentration in ~900 yr, at a position similar to the one of the present-day HH 34S bow shock. In other words, we find that the knots along the HH 34 jet will merge to form a more massive structure, possibly resembling HH 34S
Magnetic Field Effects on the Structure and Evolution of Overdense Radiatively Cooling Jets
We investigate the effect of magnetic fields on the propagation dynamics and
morphology of overdense, radiatively cooling, supermagnetosonic jets, with the
help of fully three-dimensional SPMHD simulations. Evaluated for a set of
parameters which are mainly suitable for protostellar jets (with density ratios
between the jet and the ambient medium 3-10, and ambient Mach number ~ 24),
these simulations are also compared with baseline non-magnetic and adiabatic
calculations. We find that, after amplification by compression and
re-orientation in nonparallel shocks at the working surface, the magnetic field
that is carried backward with the shocked gas into the cocoon improves the jet
collimation relative to the purely hydrodynamic (HD) systems. Low-amplitude,
approximately equally spaced internal shocks (which are absent in the HD
systems) are produced by MHD K-H reflection pinch modes. The longitudinal field
geometry also excites non-axisymmetric helical modes which cause some beam
wiggling. The strength and amount of these modes are, however, reduced (by ~
twice) in the presence of radiative cooling relative to the adiabatic cases.
Besides, a large density ratio between the jet and the ambient medium also
reduces, in general, the number of the internal shocks. As a consequence, the
weakness of the induced internal shocks makes it doubtful that the magnetic
pinches could produce by themselves the bright knots observed in the overdense,
radiatively cooling protostellar jets.Comment: To appear in ApJ; 36 pages + 16 (gif) figures. PostScript files of
figures are available at http://www.iagusp.usp.br/preprints/preprint.htm
The Enigmatic HH 255
To gain insight into the nature of the peculiar Herbig-Haro object HH 255
(also called Burnham's nebula), we use previously published observations to
derive information about the emission line fluxes as a function of position
within HH 255 and compare them with the well-studied, and relatively
well-behaved bow shock HH 1. There are some qualitative similarities in the
H and [O III] 5007 lines in both objects. However, in contrast to the
expectation of the standard bow shock model, the fluxes of the [O I] 6300, [S
II] 6731, and [N II] 6583 lines are essentially constant along the axis of the
flow, while the electron density decreases, over a large distance within HH
255.
We also explore the possibility that HH 255 represents the emission behind a
standing or quasi-stationary shock. The shock faces upwind, and we suggest,
using theoretical arguments, that it may be associated with the collimation of
the southern outflow from T Tauri. Using a simplified magnetohydrodynamic
simulation to illustrate the basic concept, we demonstrate that the existence
of such a shock at the north edge of HH 255 could indeed explain its unusual
kinematic and ionization properties. Whether or not such a shock can explain
the detailed emission line stratification remains an open question.Comment: Accepted by PASP, 12 pages including 8 figure
Optical and Near Infrared Study of the Cepheus E outflow, a very low excitation object
We present images and spectra of the Cepheus E (Cep E) region at both optical
and infrared wavelengths. Only the brightest region of the southern lobe of the
Cep E outflow reveals optical emission, suggesting that the extinction close to
the outflow source plays an important r\^ole in the observed difference between
the optical and IR morphologies. Cep E is a unique object since it provides a
link between the spectroscopic properties of the optical Herbig-Haro (HH)
objects and those of deeply embedded outflows.Comment: Accepted Astron. J., 8 files: paper, tables plus 6 figure
Aerosol particles in the Mexican East Pacific <BR> Part I: processing and vertical redistribution by clouds
International audienceAirborne measurements of aerosol particle size distributions were made in the Mexican Intertropical Convergence Zone. The volume concentrations of submicron and super micron particles at cloud base were compared with those in near-cloud regions over a range of altitudes. Of 78 near-cloud regions analyzed, 68% and 45% had enhanced volumes of submicron particles and supermicron particles, respectively. In addition, 35% of these regions had supermicron particles removed, presumably by precipitation. In 61% of the cases the enhancement in volume occurred over the size range from 0.1 to 50 ?m whereas only submicron volumes were enhanced in 35% of the cases. In regions near clouds that were formed in air of maritime origin the frequency of volume enhancement decreased with increasing altitude and was twice as frequent on the dissipating side of clouds compared to the growing side. No such differences were found in the regions near clouds formed in air originating from the land. The frequency and average magnitude of volume enhancement are in qualitative and quantitative agreement with previous observational and theoretical studies that relate enhancements in particle mass to the uptake by cloud droplets of SO2 accompanied by additional growth by droplet coalescence
Decentralisation and service delivery : human resource issues in Wakiso and Nakaseke districts of Uganda
This article investigates human resource issues in the decentralised districts of
Nakaseke and Wakiso in Uganda and the manner in which they pose a challenge to
service delivery in local government. The article argues that human resource issues
have implications for the empowerment of citizens and for service delivery in local
communities in Uganda. While the decentralisation policy has been integral to
the democratic government system that has taken root in Uganda since the 1990s,
the link between decentralisation and empowering communities through service
delivery is not automatic. The decentralisation policy has encountered a number of
challenges relating to the legal and institutional framework, the political, financial
and administrative issues. Some of the bottlenecks in service delivery are related
to human resource issues because they determine the efficiency and the quality of
services offered by local government structures.
The article encompasses both primary and secondary data in analysing the
relationship between decentralisation (specifically human resource aspects) and
service delivery in Wakiso and Nakaseke. Data was collected through interviews, questionnaires and focus group discussions, as well as through a literature survey of
relevant documents such as reports, minutes, legislation, journals, newspapers and
textbooks.
The findings reveal that districts are constrained by human resource challenges
that entail inadequate staff, lack of competence among elected leaders, ambiguous
legislation to guide district officials in their work and inappropriate training policies.
The article recommends mitigation measures to address the human resource
challenges in order to enhance efficiency in service delivery
Legislative and administrative directives governing procurement procedures : a local government perspective
To enact a comprehensive body of rules to regulate public procurement is only one
element in fostering compliance with the norms and objectives of a sound public
procurement programme. The development of a sound legal framework is a core
element in the modernisation and improvement of public procurement systems.
The task of government institutions is to achieve the policy objectives which have been
set by the government for societal life. As public policy-maker, the government strives to
establish a generally preferred future for society. Any deliberations by the policy-maker on
the establishment and realisation of such a preferred future should, of necessity, include,
interalia, the setting of standards and respect for the administrative legal framework to
guide functionaries in government institutions on how to execute policy.
The essence of public procurement legislation is to define and enforce those procedures
that will deliver a productive and efficient result, while respecting the public nature of the
process and the duty of fairness to the suppliers. Government institutions are not usually
established with a view to profit-making, with the consequence, the objectives of their
procurement function will differ considerably from the objectives of an establishment
in the private sector.
In this article, the legislative and administrative directives which impact and govern
the procurement system in South Africa will be discussed. The article will conclude with
recommendations based on an empirical survey to establish attitudes towards public
procurement policies with specific reference to the local sphere of government
Millimeter- and Submillimeter-Wave Observations of the OMC-2/3 Region. II. Observational Evidence for Outflow-Triggered Star Formation in the OMC-2 FIR 3/4 Region
We have carried out the observations of the OMC-2 FIR 3/4 region with the NMA
and ASTE in the HCO (1--0), CO (3--2, 1--0), SiO (=0,
=2--1), CS (2--1), and CHOH (=7--6) lines and in the 3.3 mm
continuum emission. Our NMA observations in the HCO emission have
revealed 0.07 pc-scale dense gas associated with FIR 4. The CO
(3--2,1--0) emission shows high-velocity blue and red shifted components at the
both north-east and south-west of FIR 3, suggesting a molecular outflow nearly
along the plane of the sky driven by FIR 3. The SiO and the CHOH emission
are detected around the interface between the outflow and the dense gas.
Furthermore, the CO (1--0) emission shows an L-shaped structure in the
P-V diagram. These results imply presence of the shock due to the interaction
between the molecular outflow driven by FIR 3 and the dense gas associated with
FIR 4. Moreover, our high angular-resolution observations of FIR 4 in the 3.3
mm continuum emission have first found that FIR 4 consists of eleven dusty
cores. The separation among these cores is on the same order of the Jeans
length, suggesting that the fragmentation into these cores has been caused by
the gravitational instability. The time scale of the fragmentation is similar
to the time scale of the interaction between the molecular outflow and the
dense gas. We suggest that the interaction between the molecular outflow from
FIR 3 and the dense gas associated with FIR 4 triggered the fragmentation into
these dusty cores, and hence the next generation the cluster formation.Comment: 13 pages, 9 figures. Accepted by Ap
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