Giant Superelastic Piezoelectricity in Flexible Ferroelectric BaTiO3BaTiO_3 Membranes

Mechanical displacement in commonly used piezoelectric materials is typically restricted to linear or biaxial in nature and to a few percent of the material dimensions. Here, we show that free-standing BaTiO$_3$ membranes exhibit non-conventional electromechanical coupling. Under an external electric field, these superelastic membranes undergo controllable and reversible 'sushi-rolling-like' 180$^\circ$ folding-unfolding cycles. This crease-free folding is mediated by charged ferroelectric domains, leading to a giant > 3.8 and 4.6 $\mu$m displacements for a 30-nm thick membrane at room temperature and 60$^\circ$C, respectively. Further increasing the electric field above the coercive value changes the fold curvature, hence augmenting the effective piezoresponse. Finally, it is found that the membranes fold with increasing temperature followed by complete immobility of the membrane above the Curie temperature, allowing us to model the ferroelectric-domain origin of the effect

Retail in Johannesburg South: Perceived Impacts of Large Retail Establishments on the Business Performance of Spaza Shop Retailers and Street Traders in Orlando West

Planning Honours Report 2016, Wits UniversityContemporary second and third space economies are continually experiencing significant growth patterns in economic developments. Initiatives of reconfiguring and rejuvenating previously marginalised and economically deprived communities are deemed as ‘supposed responses’ to the states failure of redressing and addressing the relenting heirlooms of apartheid. Understanding the nature and impacts of such transformative economic developments on economic, social, and spatial conditions has not been heavily necessitated in urban planning literature. This is in reference to the nature of their competitive dominance within township economies and their effects on the growth and sustainability of informal economic activities. To advance this wanting knowledge, Orlando West was selected as a sample area to represent all the townships in Johannesburg South. The report contributed to this understudied topic through capturing local street traders and spaza shop retailer’s perspectives on this issue. Qualitative methods and techniques were used as approaches to exploring and gaining knowledge on this growing economic conundrum in townships. This research study presents results involving eleven (N=11) key respondents who operate local small and micro retail businesses. Conclusions were drawn based on the eminent narratives provided by these selected key sources to help answer the main research question. To halt this continual propagation of monopoly domination, masked cannibalism, cryonic capitalism and the culture of consumerism the report recommends future directions based on related secondary-data and findings outlined in the study.JJ201

Birth preparedness and complication readiness among pregnant women in a rural community in southern Nigeria

Background: Birth preparedness and complication readiness (BPACR) has been advocated as a strategy to overcome costly delays in decision making to seek skilled attendance at delivery, which in turn contribute significantly to maternal mortality from obstetric causes.Objective: This study assessed the determinants of BPACR among pregnant women in a rural community in Edo State, Nigeria.Method: A descriptive cross-sectional study was done in Anegbette, a rural community in Etsako Central Local Government Area of Edo State. A house-to-house survey was carried out to identify pregnant women and all eligible women in the study area were included in the study.  Results: A total of 277 pregnant women participated in the study. The mean age of respondents was 28.7±5.8 years. Less than half, 134 (48.4%) of the respondents were well prepared while 143 (51.6%) were poorly prepared. After adjustment for the effect of confounding using binary logistic regression analysis, educational level (OR = 0.653, 95% CI = 0.330 – 0.956), occupation (OR = 0.384, 95% CI = 0,148 – 0.990) and utilization of antenatal care (OR = 3.407, 95% CI = 1.830 – 5.074) were significant predictors of BPACR.Conclusion: Birth preparedness and complication readiness was poor among women in the rural community. In order to improve maternal health among rural women in Nigeria, government and donor agency funding for safe motherhood programmes should focus on female empowerment and encourage community participation towards promotion of maternal health

Beyond inputs and outputs: Process‐oriented explanation of institutional change in climate adaptation governance

Climate adaptation is a growing imperative across all scales and sectors of governance. This often requires changes in institutions, which can be difficult to realize. Explicitly process‐oriented approaches explaining how and why institutional change occurs are lacking. Overcoming this gap is vital to move beyond either input‐oriented (e.g., capacity) or output‐oriented (e.g., assessment) approaches, to understand how changes actually occur for addressing complex and contested governance issues. This paper analyses causal conditions and mechanisms by which institutions develop in climate adaptation governance. It focuses on urban climate governance through an in‐depth case study of Santiago, Chile, over a 12‐year period (2005–2017), drawing on primary and secondary data, including 26 semistructured interviews with policy, academic, and civil society actors. It identifies and explains a variety of institutional developments across multiple levels (i.e., programmatic, legislative, and constitutional), through a theory‐centric process tracing methodology. This reveals a multiple‐response pattern, involving several causal mechanisms and coexisting institutional logics. Findings suggest that although adaptation may be inherently protracted, institutions can nevertheless develop in both related and novel directions. Overall, the paper argues for a new research agenda on process‐oriented theorizing and analysis in climate and environmental governance