Institutional strengthening in Egyptian development aid projects

In recent years Dutch aid projects have focused more on institutional strengthening. The overall impact of this type of aid has been limited. This paper explores possible reasons for this. In Egypt, it appeared to be difficult to make significant changes in the institutional setting. Main constraints were the low salaries, recruitment and personnel policies and the organisational culture within the government. Another factor that may have played a role is inadequate recognition of cultural backgrounds of the international consultants advising in Egypt. This is explored using Hofstede¿s and Trompenaar¿s typologies of culture and their effects on management. Maslow¿s Hierarchy of Needs, as applied to the environment of institutional strengthening, is also considered. Adjusting an organisational culture to improve efficiency and sustainability of the organisation is a long and difficult process and should not be seen as an extension of tradition technical assistance aid projects, but rather it should be implemented as a dedicated long-term project. A major finding is that short-term consultancies may only be effective for idea generation, and not as instruments for implementing change management. Managerial capacity building should be a long-term activity with gradual change, particularly in government settings. Recognition of organisation culture in light of trans-national cultural typologies by Hofstede and Trompenaars, as well as, acceptance of the most pressing needs of the target group as the responsibility of one and the same financing agency are found lacking in traditional Development Aid

Technological Advances in Winery Wastewater Treatment: A Comprehensive Review

The commercial production of wine is directly linked to the use of large amounts of fresh water coupledwith the generation of copious amounts of wastewater containing significant amounts of organic andinorganic substances. The impact of this waste stream on the environment has required the wine industryto implement certain protocols in wastewater management to comply with respective effluent dischargeregulations as set out by local authorities. Reduced accessibility to good quality water resources in recentyears has forced wineries to consider more efficient wastewater management strategies to improve waterrecovery and re-use, thereby promoting more sustainable wine production and minimizing the impact onstressed water resources. This review presents a comprehensive overview of established and emerging,physicochemical, biological, advanced oxidation and hybrid wastewater treatment technologies specificallyapplicable to the wine producing industry. Herein, winery wastewater composition and treatmenttechniques, environmental implications, knowledge gaps, technological operational challenges, alternativedisposal and recycling options of treated winery wastewater are critically evaluated

Common active comorbid medical conditions among mental health users treated by the assertive community treatment team at Valkenberg Psychiatric hospital

Introduction People with severe mental illness have co-morbid medical conditions which are often undiagnosed and untreated leading to morbidity and mortality. Aims and Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate the documented rate of comorbid medical conditions in the Valkenberg Hospital Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) service population. The objectives were to determine the rate and type of comorbid medical conditions documented at the community clinic and to compare these findings with data recorded in the ACT services files. Analysis was undertaken to determine whether there was an association between the clinical measures and socio-demographic findings. Methods A descriptive, analytical, retrospective folder review was conducted on the ACT population of Valkenberg hospital. All clients treated by the ACT team between the 1st of January 2015 and the 31st of December 2015 were included in the study. The data was collected using a questionnaire. Results The ACT team treated 104 patients during the time of the study period. The age range was 21 to 63 years old (median 46). Thirty six of the patients were female (34.6%), sixty-eight (65.4%) were male. Substance use was documented in ninety-one (n=91) (87.5%) of all cases. Smoking was documented in sixty five (62.5%) of patients. Of the entire study sample, fifty-three patients (50.9%) had at least one medical condition. The most common active medical conditions documented at the patients’ combined treatment facilities were medication side-effects (22.3%), hypercholesterolemia (18.1%) and hypertension (10.6%). Significantly more medical conditions were recorded at Valkenberg hospital compared to the community clinics. There was an increase in metabolic illnesses in the middle age (44-53 years) group. Hypertension, diabetes mellitus and HIV appear to be slightly more common in females compared to males in this population. Discussion The study found comparatively low rates of medical conditions among the patients managed by the ACT team of Valkenberg hospital and the community clinics. These findings are not consistent with reviewed literature that found high rates of chronic medical conditions among people with severe mental illness. The rate of comorbid medical conditions is likely to be underestimated as they were not routinely screened for at both Valkenberg hospital and the community health centres. Conclusion The study highlights a gap between the management of mental illness and medical conditions in the ACT population. This has implication for the service provision of these clients in future

The constitutionality and justification of the National Register for Sex Offenders

It behooves any legislator confronted with a society plagued by continuous and increasingly violent crimes, to promulgate legislation which strives to deter potential offenders by inter alia limiting the access they have to potential victims. It is in this vain that the South African legislator promulgated legislation which established a National Register for Sex Offenders whereby convicted (or in certain circumstances alleged) offenders' access to potential victims are limited by restricting the opportunities these offenders might have to commit another sexual offence. The aim of this dissertation is to closely examine this newly established National Register for Sex Offenders. This examination is performed within a constitutional framework from whence a comparative analysis of an analogous register in the United Kingdom is conducted. This dissertation seeks to pre-empt potential shortcomings of the National Register for Sex Offenders by providing recommendations based on findings from the aforementioned comparative study. This dissertation begins by setting out the scope and parameters of the National Register for Sex Offenders wherein it is also discussed whether or not this register acts as an extenuation of an offender's punishment and if so, whether or not it is justifiable. After this investigation, various possible infringements of the offender's constitutional rights are identified, discussed and justified. This dissertation, subsequently, studies an analogous register also recently established in the United Kingdom which helps to identify certain shortcomings in the National Register for Sex Offenders, whereafter certain recommendations are made. Most importantly, it is recommended that an independent authority should be established to regulate and administer the National Register for Sex Offenders. Furthermore, it is recommended that the National Register for Sex Offenders and the National Child Protection Register should be amalgamated into one register which will not only save taxpayers' money, but will also avoid any confusion. Another crucially important recommendation is that the scope of the National Register for Sex Offenders should be widened to include all vulnerable adults and not only those that are mentally disabled.Dissertation (LLM)--University of Pretoria, 2011.Public Lawunrestricte

Controlled drainage for integrated water management

Controlled drainage is an essential component of Integrated Water Resource Management (IWRM) and Water Demand Management (WDM). Controlled drainage can play an important role to save water and nutrients and to improve and optimise downstream water availability and quality. Examples of controlled drainage practices in the Netherlands, USA, Egypt and brief references to work in other countries are given. Shifts in priorities of different aspects of water management take place. These shifts in paradigms to ¿do not drain unless absolutely necessary¿, controlled drainage, and ¿give room to flood waters¿ (controlled flooding) are described. In the Netherlands, the new water management tool Waternood emphasises the relation between land functions and water management and aims at managing conflicting objectives. The impact of agricultural water management on nature and the use of Best Management Principles (BMP) to control downstream impacts are described. In the USA, sub-irrigation is also a component of BMP and controlled drainage. The options, advantages and constraints of controlled drainage are given, while on-going activities in the field are presented