The sustainable development goals as criteria for the global ranking of universities

The aim of this article is to survey and interrogate the university sector of the world ranked by international rankings critically as to the sector’s pursuit of the sustainable development goals. Universities have a unique and indispensable role to play in the pursuit of the lofty objective of the sustainable development goals. However, when dealing with the global impact rankings, three provisos should be kept in mind, namely that academic autonomy is a prerequisite for a university and cannot be sacrificed, the sustainable development goals do not capture the entire round of challenges facing humanity and social metrics should be treated with circumspection, as these too have their shortcomings. Most universities, with the possible exception of a few very top-tier universities, seem not to be geared to make their contribution to the realisation of the sustainable development goals. However, pockets of excellence exist, also in the Global South, and in terms of internationalisation and comparative international studies, these should be capitalised on

Weaknesses of South African education in the mirror image of international educational development

The aim of this article is to present a systematic, holistic evaluation of the South African education system, using international benchmarks as the yardstick. A theoretical model for the evaluation of a national education project is constructed. This consists of three dimensions, namely: a quantitative dimension, a qualitative dimension, and an equality    dimension. International databases and the existing international  taxonomies of national education systems are then used to evaluate the South African education system, along the three dimensions of the model. It is found that the weakest links are the facts that primary and secondary education enrolment ratios are not followed through to the higher  education level; that input, particularly financial input, does not render a commensurate return in terms of the quality of teaching and learning, and learning outcomes; that the administrative component of the system and teacher input appear to be the two weak links in the system in this regard; and that stark inequalities exist in the education system. In conclusion, some recommendations for the improvement of practice and for further research are made.Keywords: educational quality; equal educational opportunities; International Association of Educational Achievement (IEA) studies; international classifications of national education systems; Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) studies; Second InformationTechnology in Education Study (SITES) study; South African education system; Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) studie

Functional characterisation of pre S1/pre S2 deletion mutants of hepatitis B virus isolated from Southern Africans

Degree of Master in Science of Medicine A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master in Science of Medicine Johannesburg, 2016Both HBV and HIV are hyperendemic in sub-Saharan Africa, and there is a correspondingly high incidence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in this region, contributing to a high burden of disease. In regions where HBV genotypes B and C prevail, a strong relationship exists between the rapid and more likely development of HCC and infection with HBV containing deletions in the preS region. Similar preS deletion mutants have been detected in southern African and Indian HCC patients infected with subgenotype A1. Disturbingly in a cohort study conducted in Mpumalanga, South Africa by our team, equivalent deletion-mutants were detected in 5 treatmentnaïve HBV-HIV coinfected patients. Thus, the aim of this study was to characterize the quasispecies of HBV in these patients and to construct plasmids containing preS deletion-mutants in a subgenotype A1 backbone, in order to functionally characterize them in vitro. Such studies may determine how these preS deletions contribute to the working model of hepatocarcinogenesis and explain the high hepatocarcinogenic potential of subgenotype A1. The quasispecies populations of HBV deletion mutants isolated from four HIV-positive patients were analysed phylogenetically, using both Neighbor-Joining and Bayesian methods. It was found that the preS deletion mutants represented the majority population, as 70% or more of clones in each of the four patients were sequentially highly similar to the respective parental strains. In addition to the major populations in each patient, minor populations were identified in the quasispecies. The overlength subgenotype A1 wild-type replication competent plasmid, was successfully altered to remove an unwanted XbaI site. This altered construct served as a positive control to test whether the removal of this restriction site would affect replication and viral protein expression of this construct compared to the original plasmid. This plasmid was then successfully used as the backbone to construct three overlength deletion mutant constructs. Using a new strategy a 784 bp fragment flanking preS deletions from each of 4 patients, was inserted into the subgenotype A1 backbone. Three fragments were derived from isolates with preS deletion mutants and one fragment, without the deletion, was isolated from a patient with occult HBV infection. The resulting plasmids together with the appropriate control plasmids were used to transfect Huh7 cells in culture. Viral replication was followed at days 1, 3 and 5 using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and Hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg). All deletion mutants were shown to express HBsAg and HBeAg at levels comparable to the controls, with the highest levels on day 3. There were no significant differences in the expression of HBeAg in Huh7 transfected cells between the deletion-mutant constructs and the positive controls. The HBV viral loads (VL) were measured at the same time points, using real-time quantitative PCR (qPCR). Both the extracellular (supernatant) and intracellular (lysate) compartment of the Huh7 cells were tested. Furthermore, to clarify whether encapsidated virus was being secreted, an immunocapture technique on the supernatant was employed prior to DNA extraction and qPCR. In a similar manner to the ELISA experiments, qPCR measurement of VL showed that despite the replacement of the 784 bp fragment with a fragment containing deletion mutations, all constructs were producing detectable amounts of HBV DNA suggesting that viral replication was occurring. Analogous to the HBsAg results, the highest VL was seen in all constructs on day 3 post transfection in both the supernatant and lysate experiments. Cell-associated (lysate compartment) VL was not particularly increased when compared to the VL measured in the supernatant, which does not indicate an inability to secrete the mature virions, nor an accumulation of viral DNA within the cell. Negligible HBsAg expression was observed on days 1, 3 and 5 following transfection with the overlength construct that contained the 784 bp fragment derived from a patient with occult HBV infection. The VL following transfection with this construct was higher than both positive controls at all three time points, in both the supernatant and lysate compartment. This is again consistent with the clinical characteristics of the patient, which also had high viral loads. This finding is novel, since the in vitro experiments mimicked the phenotype of occult infection seen in the patient in vivo. As far as we are aware, we are the first group to have constructed plasmids with deletion mutants and an occult mutant in a subgenotype A1 backbone and to show that they express viral proteins and viral DNA following transfection into HuH7 cells. These constructs will be important resource for further research into the high hepatocarcinogenic potential of subgenotype A1.MT201

The international impact of Education research done and published in South Africa

The aim of this article was to determine the international impact of Education research in South Africa, through a citation analysis of articles published in the South African Journal of Education from 2000 to 2010 The citation impact (nationally as well as internationally) was found to be low. The international impact has been particularly poor, both quantitatively (in terms of the number of citations) and qualitatively (in terms of the standing of the publications in which this research does get cited, seen in the context of the hierarchy of scholarly publications). The article shows that certain topics of research in South Africa fail to break through to the international arena at all, such as research on the current restructuring of education in South Africa. Research that was cited most often in international journals dealt with research methodology, creativity and entrepreneurship education, beliefs and perception studies, and language-in-education in South Africa. In conclusion, a number of recommendations are made for raising the international profile of Education research that is done in South Africa and for further research in pursuance of that objective.Keywords: Education research; impact; internationalisation; South African Journal of Educatio

A socio-cultural and comparative analysis of the doctrine of mistake in crimes requiring intention

Academics have often been criticised for their preoccupation with theoretical abstraction and logical deduction and their concomitant failure to address issues of practical importance or exigency. It must therefore be stated at the outset that the recommendations contained in this paper are not confined to a theoretical analysis of the doctrine of mistake. Per contrast, they are motivated by a genuine concern on the part of the writer to alleviate the present discord between South African criminal legal theory and socio-cultural reality. These recommendations are premised upon the advantages of the reception of the normative approach to criminal liability in South Africa, and they have been iterated elsewhere l by the writer in the context of, inter alia, the defence of necessity. The submissions that constitute the core of this paper must, however, be regarded as subject to the following qualification. A successful reception of the normative approach necessitates a change in the existing power relations that are operative in South African courts. To leave its application to the presiding judge and assessors would be to give them the freedom to inflect their decisions with their personal values and prejudices. It has been argued elsewhere2 by the writer that this problem may possibly be solved by the reintroduction of the jury system, suitably loaded to cater for the interests operative in the case. Sustained reflection and exposure to the exigencies of practice has, however, yielded the conclusion that the difficulties that accompanied the jury system and the suspicion with which it was viewed, outweigh any advantages that its re-introduction may have. A possible alternative, and one which, it is submitted, would work well in practice, is the increased use of expert witnesses at the stage prior to conviction, provided that they are suitably qualified (either formally or informally) to adduce evidence on the socio-cultural matrix of relations in which the accused in question lives and moves. In the context of mistake of law, for example, evidence concerning, inter alia, the level of legal knowledge and general education in a particular community could be adduced by persons who are either long-standing members or active participants in the socio-cultural life. of such community. The theoretical views and preferences expressed in this paper should thus be read with the above-mentioned practico-social problems in mind

Países emergentes como taxón en Educación Comparada e Internacional

Scholars of the theoretical and methodological bases of the field of Comparative and International Education have for some time argued for the stronger use of supra-national levels of analysis in the field, and also for the consideration of new supra-national taxa rather than many of the problematic supra-national groupings freely used by scholars in the field.  This article argues the case for the emerging countries to be used as taxon in the field.  The article reviews the arguments for supra-national level of anlalyses as presented by theoreticians in the field, the present state of supra-national analyses and the taxa that are employed by scholars in the field.  The merits of developing a taxon of emerging countries is then argued.  The concept “emerging countries” as introduced by World Bank economist Antoine van Agtmael in 1981 is clarified, and since then has been elaborated a few times from different constituencies where the term had founded a favourable reception.  The authors then presents a tentative grouping, and outlining the societal contexts and education projects in these countries, and argue that these countries collectively present a particularly poignant education laboratory in the current world, worthy of being employed as taxon in the scholarly field of Comparative and International Education. Recommendations for sub-categories are also made.Estudiosos de las bases teóricas y metodológicas del campo de la Educación Comparada y la Educación internacional lleva algún tiempo abogando por un mayor uso de los niveles de análisis supranacionales y también por la consideración de nuevos taxones supranacionales, en lugar de muchas de las agrupaciones supranacionales problemáticas utilizadas libremente por los académicos en esta disciplina. Este artículo argumenta el caso de hacer uso de los países emergentes como taxón en ella. El artículo revisa los argumentos a favor del nivel supranacional de análisis tal como presentan teóricos especializados, el estado actual de los análisis supranacionales y los taxones que son empleados por académicos en el campo. Después, los méritos de desarrollar un taxón de países emergentes son discutidos. El concepto de «países emergentes» fue introducido por el economista del Banco Mundial Antoine van Agtmael en 1981 y, desde entonces, ha sido elaborado en pocas ocasiones en diferentes circunscripciones donde el término ha tenido una recepción favorable (Ver Van Agtmael, 2013). A continuación, el autor presenta una agrupación tentativa y describe los contextos sociales y los proyectos educativos en estos países, y argumenta que estos países se presentan colectivamente como un laboratorio educativo particularmente dinámico en el mundo actual, digno de ser empleado como taxón en el campo académico de los estudios comparativos e internacionales de la Educación. También se hacen recomendaciones para las subcategorías

The scholarly impact of doctoral research conducted in the field of education in South Africa

The aim of this study is to investigate the scholarly impact of knowledge generated as part of doctoral studies in the field of education in South Africa. The transition rate of the 97 doctoral theses completed in the various fields of education in South Africa in 2008 into peer-reviewed articles and chapters in scholarly books, as well as the citation impact of these theses, were studied. It was found that the transition rates of these theses to journal articles and book chapters were low, as was their citation impact. Eighty three of the 97 theses did not transfer into any kind of publication, 70 out of the 97 made no citation impact, and 65 theses neither transferred to an article/a book chapter, nor did they receive any citation. The low scholarly impact of doctoral research in education in South Africa is related to a number of contextual and field-specific factors, identified in the survey of literature. The main recommendation made is the mapping of fields of education scholarship, making possible the identification of lacuna for research with high impact potential.Keywords: citation impact; doctoral education; doctoral education in South Africa; educational research; educational research in South Africa; mapping of fields of education scholarship; quality of doctoral educatio

Can the Pandemic Build a Bridge Spanning the Theory-Practice Divide in Comparative and International Education?

Humanity has come to look up to education to take on any challenge encountered on its way. Consequently, a massive education expansion project commenced some seventy years ago. By 2020, however, this project had still been far from complete and far from being perfect. Deficiencies and shortcomings are salient on all three fronts of access to education, equality of education, and quality education. The ravages caused by the Covid-19 pandemic have also aggravated deficiencies in education worldwide and made it urgent to address shortcomings in education. The task’s urgency to rebuild education to its rightful place in the post-pandemic world means there is no room for experimentation. Nations should be learning from one another regarding their experience with education. The thesis of this study is that the scholarly field of comparative and international education is ideally suited to guide this exercise, but in order to live up to its potential, one major challenge that has beset the field for most of its history, namely the theoretical-practical divide, needs to be overcome. If the pandemic can succeed in effecting such a change, it will be to the benefit of both the field and education. In using comparative and international education to guide the post-pandemic education project, education in the BRICS countries has a pivotal role. If the articles in this volume can assist in developing a vision for a post-pandemic global education project, it will be, also as a starting point to get comparativists to enter the realm of education praxis, worth the endeavour

Can COVID-19 bring about 20/20 acuity in education scholarship in South Africa?

This leading article to this special issue on “COVID-19: Opportunity to rethink and to restructure education in the world” is an overarching position paper, drawing on contributions made in papers in this issue, to argue the case that there is a compelling need to overhaul education research, in South Africa in particular, and that the COVID-19 pandemic has created an opportunity to do so. The South African education scene is surveyed and the survey reveals enormous challenges along all three dimensions of education supply: quantitative, qualitative and equality. The education sector in South Africa is clearly in need of guidance from the education research community. Education research activity, globally and in South Africa in particular, is surveyed and found to be seriously wanting in terms of the lack of theory, autochthonous and a unified, coherent theory, the small scale and fragmented nature of many research projects, the lack of practical impact, education scholars eschewing subscription to and building a normative superstructure in their research and the concrete problems of the education faculty regarding heavy teaching loads and difficulty in attracting funding for education research. The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ravages it has brought to education have created the need and the opportunity to urgently and enthusiastically attend to these desiderata in Education scholarship

Design and development of a satellite based water resources monitoring system

Please cite as follows:Mafukidze, H. & Wolhuter, R. 2014. Design and development of a satellite based water resources monitoring system, in Proceedings of the First International Conference on the use of Mobile Informations and Communication Technology (ICT) in Africa UMICTA 2014, 9-10 December 2014, STIAS Conference Centre, Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University, Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering, South Africa, ISBN: 978-0-7972-1533-7.The conference is available at http://mtn.sun.ac.za/conference2014/See also the record http://hdl.handle.net/10019.1/95703ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The Faculty of Forestry and Woodscience at Stellenbosch University has a requirement to monitor and record water resources and environmental data at remote sites, not within reach of any mobile services. The current solution consists of a standalone data logger based monitoring system. This system, however, is not ideal as it does not provide data in real time and has high costs and other problems servicing the particular sites. This paper presents an alternative satellite based WSN (Wireless Sensor Network) solution to this problem. The system described in this paper comprises a WSN with a three-part framework. The first part consists of sensor nodes monitoring rainfall, air temperature, air humidity, ambient light, wind speed, wind direction, soil temperature and soil moisture. Communication from these nodes to the central gateway is based in the wireless ISM band. The second part contains an Iridium satellite communications module, a gateway with a Linux based SBC (Single Board Computer) for collecting, storing and sending data from sensor nodes and forwarding such data via the SBD (Short Burst Data) satellite messaging service. The third part consists of the MS (Master Station), which is used for displaying sensory and site information. The system is solar powered and measurements indicate that the system meets an overall standby time of at least three days, as stated in the project requirements. It has been tested continuously in an actual deployment situation and is performing well. This new satellite based monitoring system is certainly an improvement and a reliable alternative to the one used up to now.AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Geen opsomming beskikbaa