ECONOMIC ASPECTS OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN FLOWER INDUSTRY

In this paper some interesting findings from recent studies regarding the economic aspects of the South African flower industry are highlighted. By looking at South Africa’s competitiveness and doing a comparative advantage study, an international perspective is firstly developed. The contribution of the flower industry in the South African economy is then discussed. This includes a case study on flower growers in the Gauteng Province. The final section notes some challenges for this industry. This network of studies provide a basis from which a conclusion can be drawn that it would be important to structure government initiatives to assist the private sector to expand this industry. A strategic planning exercise where the South African flower industry is positioned within an international perspective as well as to take note of the current transformation stage of the economy will be required.Agribusiness, Crop Production/Industries,

The suitability of linear body measurements for the prediction of pelvis area in Dorper sheep

Published ArticleBirth stress is associated amongst other things with a small pelvic surface area in ewes. It is a factor which has far-reaching consequences for the producer. The use of pelvic area size as a selection criterion appears to be promising as pelvic area size is 50-60% heritable. The objective of this study was to develop an instrument that can measure the pelvic area of sheep and to be able to quantify the relationship between pelvic measurements and a number of easy-to-measure body measurements. A pelvis meter was developed and used to measure 322 Dorper ewes (± 12 months old, ± 48kg) and 272 Dorper rams rectally, and to take various body measurements on the same animals. No significant relationship was observed between pelvis measurements and linear body measurements in Dorper ewes or rams. The pelvis meter and measuring technique developed in the study are viewed as usable and accurate aid in measuring the pelvic area

Evaluation of waist-to-height ratio to predict 5 year cardiometabolic risk in sub-Saharan African adults

Simple, low-cost central obesity measures may help identify individuals with increased cardiometabolic disease risk, although it is unclear which measures perform best in African adults. We aimed to: 1) cross-sectionally compare the accuracy of existing waist-to-height ratio (WHtR) and waist circumference (WC) thresholds to identify individuals with hypertension, pre-diabetes, or dyslipidaemia; 2) identify optimal WC and WHtR thresholds to detect CVD risk in this African population; and 3) assess which measure best predicts 5-year CVD riskPeer reviewedFinal Accepted Versio

ECONOMIC ASPECTS OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN FLOWER INDUSTRY

In this paper some interesting findings from recent studies regarding the economic aspects of the South African flower industry are highlighted. By looking at South Africa’s competitiveness and doing a comparative advantage study, an international perspective is firstly developed. The contribution of the flower industry in the South African economy is then discussed. This includes a case study on flower growers in the Gauteng Province. The final section notes some challenges for this industry. This network of studies provide a basis from which a conclusion can be drawn that it would be important to structure government initiatives to assist the private sector to expand this industry. A strategic planning exercise where the South African flower industry is positioned within an international perspective as well as to take note of the current transformation stage of the economy will be required

THE COMPETITIVENESS OF THE SOUTH AFRICAN AND AUSTRALIAN FLOWER INDUSTRIES: An application of three methodologies.

Competitiveness is defined to include both comparative and competitive advantage. Three different methodologies are applied in the analysis of the flower industries of South Africa and Australia: "Determinants of competitive advantage" methodology of Michael Porter (1990) describes the factors influencing competitive advantage; "Revealed comparative advantage" states the relative importance of flower trade in each country; and the "Policy Analyses Matrix" calculates the comparative advantage of specific flower groups. Each method highlights different viewpoints and conclusions on international competitiveness. Based on the results of the three methodologies it is concluded that the South African flower industry is more competitive but also has a greater comparative advantage in the production of flowers than the Australian flower industry

Cardiac troponin T as early marker of subclinical cardiovascular deterioration in black hypertensive women

Background Hypertensive heart disease is a rising concern, especially among black South African women. As high sensitivity cardiac troponin T (cTnT) is a marker of cardiomyocyte damage, we determined the potential link of (i) systemic endothelial dysfunction (reflected by urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio), (ii) large artery stiffness, (iii) cardiac volume load (estimated by the N-terminal prohormone B-type natriuretic peptide (Nt-proBNP)), and (iv) ECG left ventricular hypertrophy in post-menopausal black women. Methods In 121 (50 normotensive and 71 hypertensive) black women (mean age: 60.6 years), basic cardiovascular assessments including blood pressure and ECG were performed, along with plasma and urinary biomarkers including cTnT. Results The cTnT levels (p=0.049) along with Nt-proBNP (p=0.003), pulse pressure (p<0.0001) and the Cornell product (p=0.030) were higher in hypertensive than normotensive women. Only in hypertensive women, was cTnT independently associated with urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio (β=0.25; p=0.019), pulse pressure (β=0.31; p=0.019), Nt-proBNP (β=0.47; p<0.0001) and Cornell product (β=0.31; p=0.018). An independent association between albumin-to-creatinine ratio and cTnT was also evident in normotensive women (β=0.34; p=0.037). Conclusion We found cTnT to be a useful marker in an elderly black population relating to several measures of cardiovascular deterioration – from subclinical endothelial dysfunction to left ventricular hypertroph

The association of 25(OH)D with blood pressure, pulse pressure and carotid-radial pulse wave velocity in African women.

High susceptibility of the African population to develop cardiovascular disease obliges us to investigate possible contributing risk factors. Our aim was to determine whether low 25(OH)D status is associated with increased blood pressure and carotid-radial pulse wave velocity in black South African women. We studied 291 urban women (mean age: 57.56±9.00 yrs.). 25(OH)D status was determined by serum 25(OH)D levels. Women were stratified into sufficient (>30 ng/ml), and insufficient/deficient (<30 ng/ml) groups. Cardiovascular variables were compared between groups. Women with low 25(OH)D levels had significantly higher SBP (150.8±27.1 vs. 137.6±21.0), DBP (94.7±14.5 vs. 89.3±12.3) and PP (53.15(50.7;55.7) vs. 46.3(29.4;84.6)) compared to women with sufficient levels. No significant difference was observed with regards to c-rPWV. ANCOVA analyses still revealed significant differences between the two groups with regards to SBP, DBP as well as PP. Partial correlations revealed significant inverse association between SBP and 25(OH)D (p =. 04;r = -.12). Women with low 25(OH)D levels were ~2 times more likely to have high SBP (95% CI: 3.23;1.05). To conclude, women with deficient/insufficient 25(OH)D had significantly higher SBP compared to women with a sufficient 25(OH) status. © 2013 Kruger et al