Respiratie bij vogels: een functioneel-anatomische benadering

The mechanism of avian respiration is still controversial. It is fundamentally different from respiration in mammals. Although during in-and expiration a continuous caudocranial airflow is present within the tertiary bronchi and the air capillaries of the avian lung, the air flow within the entire respiratory system is still equivocal. Several patterns explaining the air flow during in-and expiration have been proposed during the past century. Moreover, various anatomical structures and aerodynamic mechanisms have recently been described in an attempt to explain the proposed mechanisms of respiration. This manuscript gives an overview of the anatomy of the avian respiratory system and the hypotheses concerning the physiology of avian respiration

Sourdough fermentation of wheat flour does not prevent the interaction of transglutaminase 2 with α2-gliadin or gluten.

The enzyme transglutaminase 2 (TG2) plays a crucial role in the initiation of celiac disease by catalyzing the deamidation of gluten peptides. In susceptible individuals, the deamidated peptides initiate an immune response leading to celiac disease. Several studies have addressed lactic fermentation plus addition of enzymes as a means to degrade gluten in order to prevent adverse response in celiacs. Processing for complete gluten degradation is often harsh and is not likely to yield products that are of comparable characteristics as their gluten-containing counterparts. We are concerned that incomplete degradation of gluten may have adverse effects because it leads to more available TG2-binding sites on gluten peptides. Therefore, we have investigated how lactic acid fermentation affects the potential binding of TG2 to gluten protein in wheat flour by means of estimating TG2-mediated transamidation in addition to measuring the available TG2-binding motif QLP, in α2-gliadin. We show that lactic fermentation of wheat flour, as slurry or as part of sourdough bread, did not decrease the TG2-mediated transamidation, in the presence of a primary amine, to an efficient level (73%–102% of unfermented flour). Nor did the lactic fermentation decrease the available TG2 binding motif QLP in α2-gliadin to a sufficient extent in sourdough bread (73%–122% of unfermented control) to be useful for celiac safe food

Profiling Small and Medium Family Retailers in the Tshwane Area of Gauteng, South Africa

The aim of this article was to profile the small and medium family retailers (SMEs) in the Tshwane area of Gauteng.  The questionnaire targeting small business entities was designed to capture detailed profiles of small and medium family retailers.  The final draft questionnaire (developed by BMR) was pilot tested amongst a five small businesses by a senior staff member colleague in the marketing department, which process resulted in a few adjustments. The final questionnaire focused on business location and profile. The conducted research revealed the following concerning the small and medium family retailers (SMEs) in the Tshwane area of Gauteng: •     35.1% of them have matric as their highest qualification.  •     The majority (68.6%) of these businesses are located within residential areas and operate from home, either from the house or garage. •     More than two thirds (68.6%) of respondents indicated that they own the property. Overall, over 60.0% indicated that they rent their business premises, compared to 39.6% who owned the premises. •     There is an enormous need for conceptual skills, especially in the area of marketing and sales (36.2%), financial management (23.4%) and business management (21.3%). •     21.5% of the respondents indicated that they had received financial support in the past. •     Lack of financial support was rated as the most serious constraint facing respondents. This item received an average rating score of 4.94, compared to an average rating of only 2.22 accruing to lack of water. With an average of 4.64, the problem of high transport costs, occupies second position on the rankings with high input costs (ranking of 4.51) in third position. In conclusion the article revealed that owners and managers of small businesses are predominantly technically skilled and less skilled in the area of business management, and have limited academic qualifications

Determine Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Internet Marketing Usage in the Tshwane Area, South Africa

The research is aimed to determine SME Internet marketing usage in the Tshwane area.  The benefits of Internet marketing seem to be ignored by most SMEs.  Social media is one of Internet marketing’s tools and it seems that challenges prevent SME owners from using this tool effectively. A survey study method of research design has been selected for the research. The sample for the study comprised 200 SME owners who currently manage small businesses in the Tshwane area.  To assess the internal consistency of the instrument, Cronbach’s alpha was run and a reliability coefficient of 0.836 resulted. The instrument was validated through content validity.  The instrument was structured and multi-chotomous in design covering demographic and research variable questions.   Descriptive statistical analysis was employed to determine the SME Internet marketing usage in the Tshwane area.   In general the SMEs in this area have a positive attitudes regarding Internet use.  The capabilities of the Internet allow SMEs to use it as communication tool and marketing channel.  The conducted research recommends that Internet marketing can be cost effective if the SMEs make use of their own social networks and use best practises that enable them to get their adverts or posts shared across social networks.  The conducted research also recommends that SMEs with limited resources should start with using social media to enhance Internet marketing.  YouTube as a marketing tool for Internet marketing is effective as well because the learning curve is low and cost involved is almost nil.  Tshwane SMEs should use Internet marketing rather than traditional marketing to promote their businesses because these methods are cost effective

Which marketing communication methods are Namibian SMEs using?

The study aimed to determine the marketing communication methods used by Namibian SMEs operating from the Katutura and Khomasdal Incubation Centres. Marketing communication methods are advertising, sales promotion, personal selling, direct marketing and public relations, which are introduced later in this dissertation.  A quantitative methodological approach was followed in this study. The total population of 45 SMEs which operates from Katutura and Khomasdal Incubation Centres completed the questionnaire.   The conducted research indicated that the top five most regularly used marketing communication methods are direct sales, ‘word-of-mouth’, point of sale materials; networking and newspaper advertisement. The least regularly used marketing communication methods are YouTube, television, direct mail, press releases and coupons/ vouchers. Networking was the second most important and effective marketing communication method. Trade shows was the third most-preferred marketing communication method and the reasons advanced were ‘it gives me the opportunity to talk to and interact with my customers’.  The conducted research shows that lack of manpower and being understaffed are major challenges when SMEs consider a marketing communication method as well as that the cost of marketing communication methods are very high and most Namibian SMEs cannot afford it

Detailed study of the GRB 030329 radio afterglow deep into the non-relativistic phase

We explore the physics behind one of the brightest radio afterglows ever, GRB 030329, at late times when the jet is non-relativistic. We determine the physical parameters of the blast wave and its surroundings, in particular the index of the electron energy distribution, the energy of the blast wave, and the density (structure) of the circumburst medium. We then compare our results with those from image size measurements. We observed the GRB 030329 radio afterglow with the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope and the Giant Metrewave Radio Telescope at frequencies from 325 MHz to 8.4 GHz, spanning a time range of 268-1128 days after the burst. We modeled all the available radio data and derived the physical parameters. The index of the electron energy distribution is p=2.1, the circumburst medium is homogeneous, and the transition to the non-relativistic phase happens at t_NR ~ 80 days. The energy of the blast wave and density of the surrounding medium are comparable to previous findings. Our findings indicate that the blast wave is roughly spherical at t_NR, and they agree with the implications from the VLBI studies of image size evolution. It is not clear from the presented dataset whether we have seen emission from the counter jet or not. We predict that the Low Frequency Array will be able to observe the afterglow of GRB 030329 and many other radio afterglows, constraining the physics of the blast wave during its non-relativistic phase even further.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figures; accepted for publication in Astronomy & Astrophysics after minor revisions; small changes in GMRT fluxes at 1280 MH

Surviving the business life cycle : a theoretical framework for independent financial advisers

Independent financial advisers play a vital role in assisting clients to meet their financial goals. However, it appears that additional guidance is needed for these advisers to survive in their complex business environment, governed by strict legislation. To date, only a small amount of research has been conducted in this area and no formal research study in South Africa has provided a course of direction for these advisers. Consequently, this study aimed to expand the body of knowledge by investigating the potential problems posing a threat to the businesses of independent financial advisers in their business life cycle, as well as possible strategies that can be implemented to counter those obstacles. Based on the findings a theoretical framework was proposed, suggesting key areas independent financial advisers would need to focus on in their business life cycle to conquer the challenges they might encounter and survive. The study concluded with a number of hypotheses to set the direction for future empirical research regarding the survival and growth of independent financial advisers in South Africa