The choice of technique in the brick making industry in the Western Cape: Opportunities for establishing worker controlled enterprises in this sector.

Magister Philosophiae - MPhilThe thesis focuses on the choice of technique as a key component in creating viable enterprises, including those controlled by their worker-members. A theoretical model of the choice of technique is presented, with its roots in the works of Pasinetti and others. Then a picture of the technological opportunities in the brick making industry is constructed through analyzing the actual technical choices made by a sample of firms in the industry. Implications for worker controlled enterprises are drawn throughout. The choice of technique function is shown to be more complex than is usually assumed. In the presence of uncertainty an enterprise has to search for a viable operating space rather than an optimum position.. The decision making criteria are firm specific decision rules built up over time. As such the enterprise can be viewed as 'embodied learning', with the power relations which characterise all social organisations. When making a choice, the enterprise has to reconcile the conflicting requirements of the technological system, the effective demand criteria and the the context in which the technique will operate. A key component of this context is the nature of the enterprise, the learning embodied in it, and the resources it possesses. The specific conditions within a worker controlled enterprise require changes to the institutional framework in which they can be successful. These are directly related to the distribution of income and the nature of the organisation of production. The former affects the capacity of a worker controlled enterprise to acquire human and physical resources required to invest in new techniques. The latter relates to the establishment of efficient management structures. The choice of technique in a sample of firms in the brick making industry in the Western Cape is investigated, and the technological opportunities and constraints analyzed. It is shown that smaller mechanised concrete masonry techniques seem to hold the most potential for a worker controlled enterprise under certain conditions. These conditions include particular state policies to foster the housing delivery systems geared towards small building contracts and squatter upgrading. These have to be supplemented with appropriate financing strategies and the provision of serviced land. The ability of worker controlled enterprises to attract efficient management skills will most probably depend on their capacity to integrate horizontally, and in so doing create economies of scale in the provision of managerial resources. The viability of an enterprise will ultimately depend on whether it is able to adopt a technique which can deliver the products wi th appropriate char act.erLst i cs , to a market segment which requires products of that nature at the cost required. In the Western Cape that growing market seems only to be possible in the sectors where housing is currently not affordable. Therefore, lack of effective demand places a limit on the viability of new enterprises until such time as state policies and the institutional context of land use and availability have been addressed

A case study of a training programme for educators and trainers within a non-profit organisation: participant and organisational experiences.

Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg.This qualitative single case study explored an international Non-Profit Organisation’s (NPO) planning, design and implementation of a Training Programme for Educators and Trainers (TPET) during the period 2009 – 2011. Across three cohorts of the TPET only nine of the thirty-two instructors completed it successfully which resulted in the programme being discontinued and stimulated the need for this research. The objective of this study was to explore the programme implementation process, review the implemented curriculum and explore the candidates’ experiences of learning and the barriers they faced in the process. A historical case study approach was used with an interpretivist paradigm. The case and the unit of analysis was the TPET and the focus was the participant’s experiences in the programme. It was framed by the theories of adult learning, curriculum design and instruction and barriers to learning. Using purposive sampling four candidates were selected, including two successful and two unsuccessful candidates. Data was also collected through semi-structured interviews and a document analysis. The findings from the semi-structured interviews was presented under the following themes: programme implementation and selection of candidates; participants experiences of the programme content; barriers to learning; implementation of learning in the classroom; changes in how participants feel about themselves. Key findings from the documents reviewed was presented under the headings of the compliance requirements of the Department of Labour, Non-Profit Organisation Instructor Certification Programme, Occupationally Directed Education and Training Development Programme at NQF level 5, The Training programme for Educators and Trainers with a profile of the interviewed participants. The study concluded that the initial plan of the NPO to build compliance capacity utilizing the TPET had merit. There however seemed to be a lack of understanding amongst the staff of the NPO regarding the compliance requirements as an accredited training service provider within the South African National Qualifications Framework. There also seemed to be a lack of organisational support for historical disadvantaged individuals participating in the TPET. The study allowed for several recommendations to be made to enable NPOs to improve such curriculum processes

So What Did We Learn About Pumps During The Past 20 Years?

TutorialThe paper discusses and highlights the most prominent critical pump related challenges and experiences Eskom has been faced with during the past 20 years. The challenges include the following: The effects of Pump System resistance on pump operating point including NPSH requirements and cavitation problems; The effect of the boiler feed water quality on Boiler Feed Pump Mechanical Seal face life and the required changes made to seal face materials in order to be compatible with the required boiler feed water chemistry utilized; The advantages and disadvantages of gear type mechanical couplings compared to flexible membrane couplings as used on critical pumps; Experiences and lessons learnt through retrofitting Boiler Feed Pumps designed in the 1960’s utilizing modern design tools and technology; The selection of coating applications for different pump components; The pros and cons of having a long term contract / partnering agreement with a partner or a pump supplier; BWCP’s (Boiler Water Circulating Pumps) experiences and progress made in refurbishment in South Africa utilizing OEM and Non-OEM repairers; The effects of, and the resultant costs incurred, as a result of the unavailability and unreliability of the Feed Pump Driver (Steam Turbine)

The effect of magnesium hydroxide, hydromagnesite and layered double hydroxide on the heat stability and fire performance of plasticized poly(vinyl chloride)

Emulsion grade PVC was plasticised with 100 phr diisononyl phthalate and filled with 30 phr of different hydrated filler-type flame retardant additives. Static heat stabilities were determined at 200 oC by following the time dependence of hydrogen chloride evolution. Fire retardant performance was studied with a cone calorimeter at a radiant flux of 35 kW m2. The layered double hydroxide outperformed the other fillers with regard to improving static heat stability and also with respect to most fire retardant performance indices.Grants (P2010072800070 and TP13080124921 ‘‘Beneficiation of hydrotalcite’’) from the THRIP programme of the Department of Trade and Industry and the National Research Foundation as well as Greenfield Innovation and Blue Sky Venture Partners.http://jfs.sagepub.comhb201

Covalent allosteric inhibitors of Akt generated using a click fragment approach

Akt is a protein kinase that has been implicated in the progression of cancerous tumours. A number of covalent allosteric Akt inhibitors are known, and based on these scaffolds, a small library of novel potential covalent allosteric imidazopyridine-based inhibitors was designed. The envisaged compounds were synthesised, with click chemistry enabling a modular approach to a number of the target compounds. The binding modes, potencies and antiproliferative activities of these synthesised compounds were explored, thereby furthering the structure activity relationship knowledge of this class of Akt inhibitors. Three novel covalent inhibitors were identified, exhibiting moderate activity against Akt1 and various cancer cell lines, potentially paving the way for future covalent allosteric inhibitors with improved properties

Heat stabilising flexible PVC with layered double hydroxide derivatives

Please read abstract in the article.The THRIP programme of the Department of Trade and Industry (Grant No. P2010072800070) and the National Research Foundation as well as Greenfield Innovation.http://www.elsevier.com/locate/polydegstabhj201

In order to lower the antinutritional activity of serine protease inhibitors, we need to understand their role in seed development

DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT : The original contributions presented in the study are included in the article/supplementary material. Further inquiries can be directed to the corresponding author.Proteases, including serine proteases, are involved in the entire life cycle of plants. Proteases are controlled by protease inhibitors (PI) to limit any uncontrolled or harmful protease activity. The role of PIs in biotic and abiotic stress tolerance is well documented, however their role in various other plant processes has not been fully elucidated. Seed development is one such area that lack detailed work on the function of PIs despite the fact that this is a key process in the life cycle of the plant. Serine protease inhibitors (SPI) such as the Bowman- Birk inhibitors and Kunitz-type inhibitors, are abundant in legume seeds and act as antinutrients in humans and animals. Their role in seed development is not fully understood and present an interesting research target. Whether lowering the levels and activity of PIs, in order to lower the anti-nutrient levels in seed will affect the development of viable seed, remains an important question. Studies on the function of SPI in seed development are therefore required. In this Perspective paper, we provide an overview on the current knowledge of seed storage proteins, their degradation as well as on the serine protease-SPI system in seeds and what is known about the consequences when this system is modified. We discuss areas that require investigation. This includes the identification of seed specific SPIs; screening of germplasms, to identify plants with low seed inhibitor content, establishing serine protease-SPI ratios and lastly a focus on molecular techniques that can be used to modify seed SPI activity.NRF, South Africa incentive funding, was also partially supported by the ERA-NET co-funding on Food Systems and Climate (FOSC) BIO-BELIEF project.http://www.frontiersin.org/Plant_Scienceam2024Plant Production and Soil ScienceSDG-15:Life on lan

The Impact of Labour Unions on the South African Mining Industry

The mining industry has played a significant role in the development of South Africa by being a top employer and foreign exchange earner. With the large workforce, labour unions have also emerged as an important factor that moderates how people, companies, and the government interact. In recent years, union-led mass actions have been on the limelight due to their violent nature that endangers human life, the reputation of the stakeholders, and compromises the economic contributions of the mining sector. The intent of this research was to investigate the impact of the labour unions on the mining industry in South Africa

A Techno-economic evaluation of integrating first and second generation bioethanol production from sugarcane in Sub-Saharan Africa

Thesis (MScEng)-- Stellenbosch University, 2013.ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Climate change that results from greenhouse gases (GHG’s) released from the burning of fossil fuels, together with the rising price of oil, have sparked interest in renewable biofuels. The production of biofuels also presents potential socio-economic benefits. There are two types of technologies for bioethanol production: · First generation bioethanol is produced from food feedstocks such as juice of sugarcane. · Second generation bioethanol is produced from non-food feedstocks (lignocellulosic materials). This project is concerned with 1st and 2nd generation bioethanol production from sugarcane juice and bagasse and the integration of these technologies. This project comprises a combination of experimental and process modelling work to assess energy efficiencies and the economic viability of integrated and stand-alone processes in the sub-Saharan African context. First generation fermentation experiments were conducted and high ethanol concentrations of up to 113.7 g/L were obtained. It was concluded that a recombinant yeast strain may be able to replace a natural hexose fermenting yeast for 1st generation fermentations to reduce costs. 2nd generation fermentation experiments were performed and ethanol concentrations of close to 40 g/L were obtained. Combinations of 1st and 2nd generation fermentation experiments were performed to improve the 2nd generation fermentation. In one of the experiments it was concluded that the combination of 1st and 2nd generation fermentations significantly improved the 2nd generation fermentation with an overall ethanol concentration of 57.6 g/L in a shorter time than for the pure 2nd generation experiments. It was determined from washing and pressing experiments that pressing the pre-hydrolysate liquor out of the pre-treated bagasse will sufficiently lower the levels of inhibitors in a 2nd generation fermentation when using a hardened yeast. Some of the data from the 1st generation experiments were used along with literature data to model a first generation process in Aspen Plus® which processes 493 tons of cane per hour (tc/hr). Pinch heat integration was used to reduce the utility requirements. The process used the bagasse that was generated to co-produce steam and electricity. The excess electricity was sold for additional revenue. In one scenario the excess bagasse was determined at 57.5%. This bagasse was sold to a stand-alone 2nd generation plant. The first generation process produced 85.5 litres of ethanol per ton of cane (L/tc), the integrated process produced 128 L/tc while the stand-alone 2nd generation process produced 185 litres of ethanol per ton of bagasse (50% moisture) or 25.5 L/tc. The amount of excess electricity that was produced ranged from 14.3 to 70.2 kWh/tc. Economic analyses were performed using South African economic parameters to resemble the sub- Saharan African context. Data from the 1st generation process model and literature data for integrated 1st and 2nd generation and stand-alone 2nd generation processes were used for the analyses. It was found that the integrated plant is the most economically viable (IRR = 11.66%) while the 1st generation process basically broke even (IRR = 1.62%) and the 2nd generation process is unviable. This was as a result of high sugarcane prices and too few incentives for 2nd generation ethanol.AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Klimaatsverandering wat veroorsaak word deur kweekhuisgasse wat vrygestel word deur die verbranding van fossielbrandstowwe en die stygenede olieprys het belangstelling in hernubare biobrandstowwe laat opvlam. Die produksie van biobrandstowwe hou ook potensiële sosioekonomiese voordele in. Daar is twee tegnologieë vir bioetanol produksie: · Eerste generasie bioetanol word vanaf voedsel bronne soos suikersap geproduseer. · Tweede generasie bioetanol word van nie-voedsel bronne (lignosellulose materiaal) geproduseer. Hierdie projek handel oor 1ste en 2de generasie bioetanol produksie van suikersap en suikerriet bagasse en die integrasie van hierdie tegnologieë. Hierdie projek bestaan uit ‘n kombinasie van eksperimentele- en prosesmodellering werk om die energiedoeltreffendheid en ekonomise vatbaarheid van geïntegreerde en alleenstaande prosesse in die sub-Sahara konteks te ondersoek. Eerste generasie fermentasie eksperimente is uitgevoer en hoë etanol konsentrasies van tot 113.7 g/L is gekry. Dit was bepaal dat ‘n rekombinante gisras ‘n natuurilke heksose fermenterende gisras kan vervang vir 1ste generasie fermentasies om kostes te bespaar. 2de generasie fermentasie eksperimente is gedoen en etanol konsentrasies van amper 40 g/L is behaal. Kombinasies van 1ste en 2de generasie fermentasie-eksperimente was uitgevoer om die 2de generasie fermentasie te verbeter. In een van die eksperimente is dit bepaal dat die kombinasie van 1ste en 2de generasie fermentasie die 2de generasie fermentasie beduidend verbeter het met ‘n etanol konsentrasie van 57.6 g/L en dít in ‘n korter tyd as vir die suiwer 2de generasie eksperimente. Dit was bepaal vanuit pers- en was eksperimente dat om die pre-hidrolisaat vloeistof uit die stoombehandelde bagasse te pers, die vlak van inhibitore in ‘n 2de generasie fermentasie voldoende verlaag vir die gebruik van ‘n verharde gis. Van die data van die 1ste generasie eksperimente was saam met literatuurdata gebruik om ‘n 1ste generasie proses in Aspen Plus® te modelleer wat 493 ton suikerriet per uur prosesseer (tc/hr). Pinch hitte integrasie was gebruik om die dienste vereistes te verminder. In die proses word die bagasse gebruik om stoom en elektrisiteit te genereer. In een geval was die oortillge bagasse bepaal as 57.5%. Hierdie bagasse was verkoop aan ‘n alleenstaande 2de generasie aanleg. Die eerste generasie proses het 85.5 liter etanol per ton suikerriet geproduseer (L/tc), die geïntegreerde proses het 128 L/tc geproduseer terwyl die 2de generasie proses 185 liter etanol etanol per ton bagasse (50% vog) of 25.5 L/tc geproduseer het. Die hoeveelhede oortillige elektrisiteit wat geproduseer is wissel van 14.3 tot 70.2 kWh/tc. Ekonomiese analieses is gedoen met Suid-Afrikaanse ekonomiese parameters om die sub-Sahara Afrika-konteks uit te beeld. Data van die 1ste generasie prosesmodel en literatuurdata van geïntegreerde 1ste en 2de generasie en alleenstaande 2de generasie prosesse was vir die analieses gebruik. Dit is bepaal dat die geïntegreerde model die mees ekonomies vatbare model is (IRR = 11.66%) terwyl die 1ste generasie proses basies gelyk gebreek het (IRR = 1.62%) en die 2de generasie proses is ekonomies onvatbaar. Hierdie bevindinge is as gevolg van hoë suikerrietpryse en te min aansporings vir 2de generasie etanol