THE IMPACT OF MACROECONOMIC POLICIES ON AGRICULTURE IN SWAZILAND: AN EMPIRICAL ANALYSIS (1980-2012)

Policymakers in Swaziland view agriculture as an engine to foster economic growth, reduce poverty and eradicate inequality among the populace when the right policies are formulated and implemented within their rightful institutional framework. This study is an empirical investigation of the effect of macroeconomic policies on the agricultural sector in Swaziland using annual time-series data for the period 1980 to 2012. The study used the bound test approach to cointegration to analyse the data. The cointegration results revealed that there was long run relationship amongst the variables of agriculture GDP and export. The results also revealed that real money supply, real exchange rate, real GDP, and real government expenditure had a significant long run impact on agriculture GDP with elasticity coefficients of 0.07, 0.24, 0.88 and -0.3 respectively, while short run coefficients were -0.002,0.23,-0,94 and -0.4 respectively.  In the case of agriculture exports, the results further revealed that real money supply, real government expenditure, discount rate, real exchange rate and real GDP had a significant impact on the sector`s exports with long run elasticity coefficients of 0.13,-0.32,-0.01,0.5 and 2.53 respectively, while short run elasticities were 0.06,0.35,0.01,0.46 and -1.34 respectively.The Central Bank of Swaziland needs to adopt policies aimed at providing affordable credit to agriculture. In terms of the low response of the agricultural sector to macro-policy variables the study recommends that policymakers should intensify the promotion of finished or processed agriculture exports and create a disincentive to imports. Keywords: Agriculture, exports, prices, macroeconomic policy, cointegration, autoregressive distributed lag model (ARDL), Swaziland

How universal is the Wigner distribution?

We consider Gaussian ensembles of m N x N complex matrices. We identify an enhanced symmetry in the system and the resultant closed subsector, which is naturally associated with the radial sector of the theory. The density of radial eigenvalues is obtained in the large N limit. It is of the Wigner form only for m=1. For m \ge 2, the new form of the density is obtained.Comment: 16 pages; references adde

Analysis of a period of elevated ozone concentration reported over the Vaal Triangle on 2 June 2013

A peak in the ambient ozone concentration was observed at three of the six ambient air quality monitoring stations in the Vaal Triangle Airshed Priority Area on the second of June 2013. The ozone peak was associated with elevated concentrations of particulate matter, including PM10, PM2.5 and black carbon, but not sulphur dioxide, oxides of nitrogen, carbon monoxide nor benzene. Back trajectory analysis using Hysplit showed that the air masses containing the high levels of ozone passed over areas influenced by coal fired power stations in the Waterberg, metal processing in the Bojanala region and high intensity fires 30km to 50km upwind of the stations

The Performance of a Spark Ignition Engine using 92 RON Gasoline with Varying Blends of Bioethanol (E40, E50, E60) Measured using a Dynamometer Test

Indonesia’s increasing energy dependence on fossil fuels amid the country’s declining petroleum reserves requires the development of an effective solution in the form of renewable fuels such as fuel-grade bioethanol. This study investigated a potential way of reducing dependence on fossil fuels for motorcycle engines by using fuel-grade bioethanol blended with gasoline to produce a novel marketable fuel type. The present paper focuses on the effect of various fuel blends >40% ethanol on the performance of a spark ignition (SI) engine. This study used a standard, off-the-shelf, 150cc SI engine as the test engine, running on RON 92 gasoline with varying mixtures of bioethanol (40% (E40); 50% (E50); and 60% (E60)), connected to a dynamometer to obtain performance data (torque, power, and specific fuel consumption) and emission data (hydrocarbon, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide). The results showed that E60 represented the optimum mixture as it produced the highest torque, power and specific fuel consumption optimum used E50

Evaluation of letsoku and related Southern African clayey soils

The nature of letsoku and related clayey soils, traditionally used by indigenous Southern African communities for a wide range of purposes, was explored. Thirty nine samples were collected from Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, South Africa and Zimbabwe. They were analyzed to determine their composition and physical properties. Analyses involved BET surface area determinations, pH measurements, X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy (XRF), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Structured interviews were used to establish the purpose of use and the location of sourcing sites. Most of the samples were in powder form and some were supplied as dry clay balls. Cosmetic applications were almost universally indicated. However, other functions, related to artwork, medicinal use, cultural symbolism and traditional beliefs were also mentioned. The letsoku samples covered a wide range of colors ranging from bright red to yellow but also from off-white to black with some having a light grey color. It was therefore not surprising that the mineral composition of the letsoku samples also varied widely. A black sample, and the yellow and reddish pastel colored samples, contained significant quantities of the corresponding, color imparting, iron oxides. As expected, clay minerals featured prominently although kaolinite was more often encountered than smectites as the dominant minerals. All samples contained silica and in some instances the content exceeded 90% m/m SiO2. The presence of high contents (40% m/m) of gibbsite in samples from Venda represents a new finding for clayey soils in traditional usage.Supplementary Material 1a. Acquired XRD patterns.Supplementary Material 1b. XRD Mineral composition.Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) in the form of a sabbatical stay; TUT DHET RDG funding travel and chemical expenses. Financial support from the Institute of Material Science, University of Pretoria.http://www.elsevier.com/locate/catena2019-12-01hj2018Chemical EngineeringGeologySchool of Health Systems and Public Health (SHSPH

Laboratory-acquired infections and pathogen escapes worldwide between 2000 and 2021: a scoping review

Laboratory-acquired infections (LAIs) and accidental pathogen escape from laboratory settings (APELS) are major concerns for the community. A risk-based approach for pathogen research management within a standard biosafety management framework is recommended but is challenging due to reasons such as inconsistency in risk tolerance and perception. Here, we performed a scoping review using publicly available, peer-reviewed journal and media reports of LAIs and instances of APELS between 2000 and 2021. We identified LAIs in 309 individuals in 94 reports for 51 pathogens. Eight fatalities (2·6% of all LAIs) were caused by infection with Neisseria meningitidis (n=3, 37·5%), Yersinia pestis (n=2, 25%), Salmonella enterica serotype Typhimurium (S Typhimurium; n=1, 12·5%), or Ebola virus (n=1, 12·5%) or were due to bovine spongiform encephalopathy (n=1, 12·5%). The top five LAI pathogens were S Typhimurium (n=154, 49·8%), Salmonella enteritidis (n=21, 6·8%), vaccinia virus (n=13, 4·2%), Brucella spp (n=12, 3·9%), and Brucella melitensis (n=11, 3·6%). 16 APELS were reported, including those for Bacillus anthracis, SARS-CoV, and poliovirus (n=3 each, 18·8%); Brucella spp and foot and mouth disease virus (n=2 each, 12·5%); and variola virus, Burkholderia pseudomallei, and influenza virus H5N1 (n=1 each, 6·3%). Continual improvement in LAI and APELS management via their root cause analysis and thorough investigation of such incidents is essential to prevent future occurrences. The results are biased due to the reliance on publicly available information, which emphasises the need for formalised global LAIs and APELS reporting to better understand the frequency of and circumstances surrounding these incidents

Nonlinear Supersymmetry as a Hidden Symmetry

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Oral cholera vaccine in cholera prevention and control, Malawi

Problem With limited global supplies of oral cholera vaccine, countries need to identify priority areas for vaccination while longer-term solutions, such as water and sanitation infrastructure, are being developed. Approach In 2017, Malawi integrated oral cholera vaccine into its national cholera control plan. The process started with a desk review and analysis of previous surveillance and risk factor data. At a consultative meeting, researchers, national health and water officials and representatives from nongovernmental and international organizations reviewed the data and local epidemiological knowledge to determine priority districts for oral cholera vaccination. The final stage was preparation of an application to the global oral cholera vaccine stockpile for non-emergency use. Local setting Malawi collects annual data on cholera and most districts have reported cases at least once since the 1970s. Relevant changes The government’s application for 3.2 million doses of vaccine to be provided over 20 months in 12 districts was accepted in April 2017. By April 2018, over 1 million doses had been administered in five districts. Continuing surveillance in districts showed that cholera outbreaks were notably absent in vaccinated high-risk areas, despite a national outbreak in 2017–2018. Lessons learnt Augmenting advanced mapping techniques with local information helped us extend priority areas beyond those identified as high-risk based on cholera incidence reported at the district level. Involvement of the water, sanitation and hygiene sectors is key to ensuring that short-term gains from cholera vaccine are backed by longer-term progress in reducing cholera transmission

Unspoken inequality: How COVID-19 has exacerbated existing vulnerabilities of asylum-seekers, refugees, and undocumented migrants in South Africa

An estimated 2 million foreign-born migrants of working age (15-64) were living in South Africa (SA) in 2017. Structural and practical xenophobia has driven asylum-seekers, refugees, and undocumented migrants in SA to abject poverty and misery. The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) containment measures adopted by the SA government through the lockdown of the nation have tremendously deepened the unequal treatment of asylum-seekers and refugees in SA. This can be seen through the South African government's lack of consideration of this marginalized population in economic, poverty, and hunger alleviation schemes. Leaving this category of our society out of the national response safety nets may lead to negative coping strategies causing mental health issues and secondary health concerns. An effective response to the socioeconomic challenges imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic should consider the economic and health impact of the pandemic on asylum-seekers, refugees, and undocumented migrants