The statutory remedy for unfair prejudice in South African company law

The convergence of world economies as a result of globalisation calls for jurisprudential review relating to shareholder rights in various jurisdictions. Most countries, including South Africa, base the protection of minority shareholders on common law as well as “home-grown” legislation. Among its shareholder remedies, South African law provides the statutory remedy for unfair prejudice, also known as the “oppression remedy”. The remedy enables shareholders to seek judicial intervention when their corporate interests are jeopardized often by their majority counterparts. In the past, dissatisfied minority shareholders have utilised this remedy. This article considers whether the development of the remedy from its initial introduction in South African company law has been beneficial to shareholders. The author traces the history of the remedy to the Companies Act 46 of 1926 and its subsequent amendment in the Companies Act 61 of 1973 and Companies Act 71 of 2008, respectively. Recommendations on how the remedy can be further improved from its current form are also made

Chlorination and oxidation of heparin and hyaluronan by hypochlorous acid and hypochlorite anions: effect of sulfate groups on reaction pathways and kinetics.

Hypochlorous acid (HOCl), produced in inflammatory conditions by the enzyme myeloperoxidase, and its anion hypochlorite (OCl(-)) exist in vivo at almost equal concentrations. Their reactions with hyaluronan and heparin (as a model for sulfated glycosaminoglycans in the extracellular matrix) have been studied as a function of pH. The major product in these reactions is the chloramide derivative of the glycosaminoglycans. Spectral, chloramide yield, and kinetic measurements show sharply contrasting behavior of heparin and hyaluronan and the data allow the calculation of second-order rate constants for the reactions of both HOCl and OCl(-) for all reaction pathways leading to the formation of chloramides and also oxidation products. By comparison with hyaluronan, it can be demonstrated that both N-sulfate and O-sulfate groups in heparin influence the proportions of these pathways in this glycosaminoglycan. Evidence is also given for further oxidation pathways involving a reaction of HOCl with the chloramide product of hyaluronan but not with heparin. The significance of these results for the mechanisms of inflammation, particularly for fragmentation of extracellular matrix glycosaminoglycans, is discussed

Evaluating the IRI topside model for the South African region: An overview of the modelling techniques

The representation of the topside ionosphere (the region above the F2 peak) is critical because of the limited experimental data available. Over the years, a wide range of models have been developed in an effort to represent the behaviour and the shape of the electron density (Ne) profile of the topside ionosphere. Various studies have been centred around calculating the vertical scale height (VSH) and have included (a) obtaining VSH from Global Positioning System (GPS) derived total electron content (TEC), (b) calculating the VSH from ground-based ionosonde measurements, (c) using topside sounder vertical Ne profiles to obtain the VSH. One or a combination of the topside profilers (Chapman function, exponential function, sech-squared (Epstein) function, and/or parabolic function) is then used to reconstruct the topside Ne profile. The different approaches and the modelling techniques are discussed with a view to identifying the most adequate approach to apply to the South African region’s topside modelling efforts. The IRI-2001 topside model is evaluated based on how well it reproduces measured topside profiles over the South African region. This study is a first step in the process of developing a South African topside ionosphere model

EVALUATING THE RELATIVE CONTRIBUTION OF CHANGING FARMING METHODS TO HABITAT LOSS IN THE MID-ZAMBEZI VALLEY, ZIMBABWE

Agriculture expansion is a major contributor to wildlife habitat loss in the ecological frontier areas. However, little is known about the contribution of different crops to wildlife habitat loss. In this study we evaluated the relative contribution of changes in farming practices, particularly the introduction of cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L) to the loss of wildlife habitat with specific focus on the African elephant (Loxodonta africana) in the mid- Zambezi Valley, Zimbabwe. First, we developed a remote sensing method based on normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) derived from 16 day multi-temporal Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) remotely sensed data for the 2007 growing period, to test whether cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L) fields can significantly (p < 0.05) be distinguished from maize (Zea mays L) fields, as well as sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) fields. Second, we tested whether woodland fragmentation in the study area was best explained by the areal extent of cotton fields than the areal extent of cereal fields. Finally, we tested whether woodland fragmentation resulting from cotton fields explains elephant distribution better than woodland fragmentation resulting from the extent of cereal fields. Results show that multi-temporal remotely sensed data can be used to distinguish and map cotton and cereal fields. Cotton fields contributed more to woodland fragmentation than cereal fields. Also, we found out that woodland fragmentation from cotton fields significantly explained elephant distribution in the mid- Zambezi Valley. These results indicate that the areal extent of cotton fields explains elephant habitat fragmentation more than the areal extent of cereal fields. Thus, we conclude that the expansion of cotton fields contributes most to elephant habitat loss in the Mid-Zambezi Valley. These results imply that elephant conservation policy needs to address the reduction of the negative impact of cash crops such as cotton on the habitat particularly their threat to wildlife habitat which may eventually lead to loss these wild animals. Thus it is important to strike a balance between wildlife habitat conservation and agricultural production as advocated through the Communal Areas Management Programme For Indigenous Resources (CAMPFIRE) polic

Infant feeding practices of teenage mothers attending a well-baby clinic in a public hospital in Umlazi, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

Objective: This study aimed to determine the breastfeeding practices of urban, predominantly isiZulu speaking, South African teenage mothers, and to examine factors associated with breastfeeding.Study Design and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 73 mothers (aged 15 to 19 years) who were attending a well-baby clinic for their infant’s scheduled 14-week immunisation visit. A face-to-face interview was conducted with each mother in isiZulu (n = 66) or English (n = 7) by a trained research assistant. Close ended questions included; socio-demographic characteristics; obstetric history; and, breastfeeding practices while open-ended questions explored reasons for early cessation of breastfeeding, and perceptions of how the family, health care workers, and the school could support teenage mothers with breastfeeding.Results: All 73 mothers had initiated breastfeeding; however, by the time of the interview, 31.5% had stopped breastfeeding. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to predict the likelihood of early breastfeeding cessation. The odds ratio of early breastfeeding cessation for teenage mothers below the age of ≤ 17 years was 17.3% higher compared to teenage mothers older than 17 years (OR 1.17, 95% CI:0.617–2.269); 8.6% higher for teenage mothers who completed their grade 11 and above compared those who did not complete grade 11 and above (OR 1.17, 95% CI:0.617–2.269); and, 79.5% (OR 1.795, 95% CI:0.565– 5.739) higher for teenage mothers who experienced breastfeeding problems compared to mothers without breastfeeding problems. However, since the 95% CI for these odds ratios spanned the null value (1.0), the increased odds were not statistically significant.Conclusion: The elevated odds of early breastfeeding cessation were associated with a young maternal age (≤ 17 years) and experiencing breastfeeding problems. This highlights the importance of targeting adolescent mothers for support and promotion of breastfeeding, noting the influence of society and peer pressure. It is also clear that the healthcare workers, schools and communities have an important role to play in supporting breastfeeding teenage mothers, especially in providing accurate information and support for the prevention of breastfeeding problems.Keywords: infant feeding practices, teenage mothers, well-baby clini

Integrated impedance-matching coupler for smart building and other power-line communications applications

Abstract: Power-line communications is a promising technology to help automate buildings, as it utilizes the in-situ power cabling as a communications channel. However, couplers are required to inject and extract the communication signal from the power grid. Most power-line communications couplers make use of a small transformer to adapt impedance levels while also providing galvanic isolation. The cost and size of these transformers have been hindrances in the quest for compact, economic couplers. Previous attempts to eliminate this coupling transformer, while maintaining impedance adaptation, have not been successful in reducing component cost nor physical size. In this paper, a novel approach is followed: (1) a suitable dualfunction band-pass matching circuit is designed as for ordinary electronics, whereafter (2) the specifications of this band-pass matching circuit is upgraded to function safely in the power-grid environment as a coupler. Therefore a matching circuit is transformed into a compact power-line coupler, which further exhibits band-pass filtering and excellent impedance-adapting performance. Simulations as well as laboratory measurements are shown which confirm the accuracy of the design. Finally, practical 220-V measurements in an office block are presented, which prove the versatility of this novel coupler when power-grid conditions fluctuate

Quantifying the azimuthal plasmaspheric density structure and dynamics inferred from IMAGE EUV

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/95221/1/jgra22185.pd

The nature of family reunification services in the Gauteng province

Placement of children in alternative care is supposed to be a temporary and not a permanent arrangement. In the absence of a family reunification model in South Africa, most children stay for longer periods in alternative care than necessary. This article concludes that family reunification services should be holistic in order to be effective, which is possible in the framework of a developmental approach.https://socialwork.journals.ac.za/pubam2023Social Work and Criminolog

Market food diversity mitigates the effect of environment on women's dietary diversity in the Agriculture to Nutrition (ATONU) study, Ethiopia.

OBJECTIVE: In Ethiopia, women's dietary diversity is low, primarily due to poor food availability and access, both at home and market level. The present study aimed to describe market access using a new definition called market food diversity (MFD) and estimate the impact of MFD, crop and livestock diversity on dietary diversity among women enrolled in the Agriculture to Nutrition (ATONU) trial. DESIGN: Baseline cross-sectional data collected from November 2016 to January 2017 were used for the analysis. Availability of foods in markets was assessed at the village level and categorized into nine food groups similar to the dietary diversity index for women. Bivariate and multivariate mixed-effects regression analyses were conducted, adjusted for clustering at the village level. SETTING: Chicken-producing farmers in rural Ethiopia.ParticipantsWomen (n 2117) aged 15-49 years. RESULTS: Overall, less than 6 % of women met the minimum dietary diversity (≥5 food groups) and the most commonly consumed food groups were staples and legumes. Median MFD was 4 food groups (interquartile range: 2-8). Multivariate models indicated that women's dietary diversity differed by livestock diversity, food crop diversity and agroecology, with significant interaction effects between agroecology and MFD. CONCLUSIONS: Women's dietary diversity is poor in Ethiopia. Local markets are variable in food availability across seasons and agroecological zones. The MFD indicator captures this variability, and women who have access to higher MFD in the highland agroecological zone have better dietary diversity. Thus, MFD has the potential to mitigate the effects of environment on women's dietary diversity