Hervorming van die Suid-Afrikaanse huweliksgoederereg*

Dit word vandag allcrwec aanvaar dat die lyd aangebreek hel vir ’n indringende ondorsoek na en ingrypende hervorming van die Suid-Afrikaanse huweliksgoederereg. Die grondslag vir hierdie hervormingsgedagte 16 opgesluit in die byna skouspelagtige om wenteling in die posisie van die vrou oor die afgelope aantal dekades. Die belangrikste faktor in hierdie „emansipasieproses” was ongetwyfeld die geweldige ekonomiese en tegnologiese vooruitgang wat die twintigste eeu kenmerk. R. Leo van den Heever, in ’n insiggewende voordrag voor die Suid-Afrikaanse Regskonferen- sie gehou te Kaapstad in April 1975, het die situasie soos volg saamgevat

The Determination of 11B/10B and 87Sr/86Sr Isotope Ratios by Quadrupole-Based ICP-MS for the Fingerprinting of South African Wine

The 11B/10B and 87Sr/86Sr isotope ratios in wines and soils of four major South African wine-producing regions have been determined by quadrupole-based ICP-MSin order to establish a fingerprint for origin verification of the wines. The 11B/10B isotope ratio was found to be a useful tool to distinguish among the wines of the selected wine regions. In addition, the use of B isotope ratios together with elemental concentrations of selected indicator elements as independent variables in a linear discriminant analysis procedure was shown to be a highly successful method to classify wine according to geographical origin. A good correlation between the B and Sr isotope ratios in wine and its provenance soil was found. Both wine and soil samples were prepared using microwave-assisted digestion followed by the isolation of boron and strontium from the sample matrix through element-specific ion exchange. Isotope ratio measurements with good precision, ~0.1 % RSD, for both boron and strontium have been obtained. The 87Sr/86Sr ratio showed limited potential as an indicator of provenance in the wine-producing regions included in this study, since the wines of only one region could be distinguished from the others.Keywords: Boron Isotope Ratio, Strontium Isotope Ratio, ICP-MS, Wine Analysis, Fingerprinting, Provenance Determinatio

Brokering intercultural relations in the rainbow nation: introducing intercultural marketing

This paper considers the role of marketing in building intercultural relations in superdiverse, post-colonial societies, using post-apartheid South Africa as a case study. Drawing on neo-institutional theory, we analyze South African advertising campaigns to determine how marketing brokers intercultural relations by legitimizing social meanings conveyed through nation-building ideologies and consumers’ lived experiences. We examine whether marketing outputs align with stages of Rainbow Nation-building strategies and types of consumers’ lived experiences of South Africa’s superdiversity. We then derive a conceptualization of intercultural marketing, which we characterize as an approach focused on brokering meanings of convivial intercultural engagement and collective development of societal welfare goals. We contribute to macromarketing theory, directing attention to the important brokering role marketing has, in bridging conceptions of reconciliatory social development held by public policy makers and by societies’ populations. By conceptualizing intercultural marketing, its goals and tools, we contribute to multiculturally-sensitive marketing research and practice advancement

Why a contextual approach to professional development?

One of the peculiarities of the literature on academic professional development with regard to teaching is its a-political nature. It pays insufficient attention to issues of equity, and to how privilege, geographical location, class and ethnicity influence the way that staff in higher education learn to teach. This is surprising, or paradoxical, given the strong world-wide concern for widening participation and student success in higher education. The approaches towards professional academic development have been dominated by literature from the global North, which does not take into account conditions in resource-constrained environments. We contend that literature from these Southern environments enrich the international body of literature. Thus there is a need for scholarly writing on learning to teach in higher education, which takes a specifically social, contextual and relational approach and which considers these within resource-rich as well as resource-constrained environments

Identification and characterisation of performance limiting defects and cell mismatch in photovoltaic modules

The performance and longevity of photovoltaic (PV) modules can be severely limited by cell mismatch occurring when a solar cell in a series-connected string produces a lower current than the other cells in that string. The current output of the entire string is limited by the weakest cell in the string so shading or damage to a single cell in a module can affect the entire module’s current output. Electrolumin-escence (EL) occurs when a positive current and voltage are applied to a solar cell and is used to identify damage and defects in the cell. In this study, the cell mismatch in three single crystalline silicon modules was investigated using EL and current-voltage (I-V) characterisation techniques. Two modules have a white discolouration that affects the majority of the cells in the module and also have signs of mechanical damage, while the third module acts as a reference as it has no discolouration and appears undamaged. The EL signal intensity is related to cell performance and identifies material defects, bad contacts and broken cells. Cell mismatch in a module results in a decrease in the performance parameters obtained from the I-V characteristic curve of the module. The I-V curves indicate the presence of current mismatch in the degraded modules, which is supported by the EL images of these modules. The use of EL images, in conjunction with the I-V curves, allows the degradation in the modules to be characterised

Institutionalizing diversity and inclusion engaged marketing (DIEM) for multicultural marketplace wellbeing

Within an institutional theory framework, this paper identifies three interconnected fields of the marketing institution – research, education, and practice – that contribute to advancing the diversity and inclusion discourse in promoting multicultural marketplace wellbeing. Conducting three studies, one in each field and across contexts in three continents, we identify barriers that inhibit effective implementation of diversity and inclusion initiatives in today’s multicultural marketplaces. These barriers exist within and across fields and pertain to cultural-cognitive (shared meanings), normative (normative factors), and regulatory (rules and systems) pillars supporting the existence or transformation of institutions. From our research findings, we provide specific guidance for institutional work within marketing’s fields and policy developments needed to advance diversity and inclusion engaged marketing (DIEM) for enhancing multicultural marketplace wellbeing

Screening for Sclerotinia sclerotiorum resistance using detached leaf assays and simple sequence repeat markers in soybean cultivars

Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) de Barry, causal agent of Sclerotinia stem rot of soybeans, is one of the pathogens that could have a potentially devastating impact on the growth of the soybean industry in South Africa. Several quantitative trait loci (QTLs) that play a role in soybean resistance to Sclerotinia stem rot have been identified and mapped on the soybean integrated genetic linkage map. No cultivars planted in South Africa have been screened for the presence of these QTLs and their underlying markers, and limited current information on the resistance of these cultivars is available. A detached leaf assay was used to assess resistance of 29 soybean cultivars that are commercially grown in South Africa at temperatures of 20 °C and 25 °C as well as under low and high relative humidity. These cultivars were further screened for resistance to Sclerotinia stem rot using simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers, that are linked to resistance traits associated with Sclerotinia stem rot in soybean. Detached leaf assays revealed a significant difference (P < 0.001) in disease response across tested cultivars, while SSR markers revealed 10 cultivars that potentially have genetic-based resistance against Sclerotinia stem rot. Cultivars that showed a level of resistance to infection during the detached leaf assay were also more closely related to the Sclerotinia stem rot resistant cultivar Maple Arrow than to highly susceptible cultivar Williams 82; indicating the possible genetic resistance of these cultivars to Sclerotinia stem rot.Supplementary material : Multimedia component 1.Supplementary data : Data from detached leaf assaysPartially supported by the Sasol Agriculture Trust and the National Research Foundation (grant UID: 112114). The NRF is also acknowledged for purchasing the DNA sequencing instrument (grant UID: 78566) used at the University of Pretoria.http://www.elsevier.com/locate/cropro2020-11-01hj2019Plant Production and Soil Scienc

Clinical implications of imprecise sampling time for 10- and 30-min thyrotropin-releasing hormone stimulation tests in horses

Background: The thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) stimulation test is used to diagnose pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) using 10- or 30-min protocols. Imprecise sampling time for the 10-min protocol can lead to misdiagnoses. Objectives: To determine the effect of imprecise sampling time for the 30-min protocol of the TRH stimulation test. Study design: In vivo experiment. Methods: Plasma immunoreactive adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) concentrations were measured 9, 10, 11, 29, 30 and 31 min after intravenous administration of 1 mg of TRH in 15 control and 12 PPID horses. Differences in ACTH concentrations between sampling times, variability in ACTH concentrations between protocols, and diagnostic classification of PPID were assessed using Friedman's test, Bland–Altman plots, and Fisher's exact test, respectively, with 95% confidence intervals reported and significance set at p < 0.05. Results: Imprecise sampling time resulted in variable ACTH concentrations, but significant differences in absolute ACTH concentrations were not detected for imprecise sampling within each protocol or between protocols. Imprecise sampling changed PPID diagnostic classification for 3/27 (11 [4–28] %) horses for both protocols. Using the 30-min protocol as a reference, 1/12 (8 [1–35] %) horses returned a negative test result and 5/12 (42 [19–68] %) horses returned equivocal test results that would be considered positive in practice due to the presence of supportive clinical signs. Main limitations: Limited sample size and inter-horse variability reduced the ability to detect small but potentially relevant differences. Conclusions: Overall, the impact of imprecise sampling was not significantly different between the 10- and 30-min TRH stimulation test protocols. However, diagnostic classification for PPID would have varied between the 10- and 30-min protocols in this population, if clinical signs had been ignored. Precise timing during TRH stimulation tests and contextual interpretation of ACTH concentrations remain fundamental for the diagnosis of PPID