General Equilibrium Effects in the South African Maize Market: International Trade Simulations

Following deregulation in the 1990's the South African maize producing industry has been suffering a gradual decline. Current low prices suggest that this trend may continue or worsen. This paper discusses the results from a static general equilibrium model for the South African economy to evaluate the effects on the economy. The analysis covers summer cereals producing agricultural regions, production in other sectors in the economy, commodity markets and the economy at large. Additionally, the effects on factors, households and the government are analysed. The first set of experiments is aimed to evaluate the effects of an increase in import tariffs on summer cereals. The results indicate that under normal conditions South Africa will experience little effect for even relatively large increases in the tariff rate, which follows from the fact that South Africa does not currently import sizeable quantities of maize. The second set of experiments evaluate the effects of a change in world prices of summer cereals, under the presumption that a reduction in levels of producer support in developed countries may lead to increased world prices. The results indicate that this terms-of-trade improvement does not necessarily lead to benefits to all in the economy. Benefits to summer cereals producers are largely offset by losses in other sectors of the economy, for example producers of livestock, though the overall effect is still positive.International Relations/Trade,

Led induced chlorophyll fluorescence transient imager for measurements of health and stress status of whole plants

We have developed LED (light emitting diode) induced fluorescence transient imaging instrumentation to image the plant health/stress status by calculation of two images: Fv/Fm (variable fluorescence over saturation level of fluorescence) and the time response, tTR, of the fluorescence time curve. Within a short time interval (˜580 ms) multiple images (typically 20) are captured using the LEDs in the pulsed mode. For each pixel of the fluorescence image Fv/Fm and tTR are calculated and presented as images that correlate with the quantum yield of PSII photochemistry and the time response of this process, respectively. The advantage of the technology lies in the imaging of photosynthetic parameters within a short time interval, remotely and under light conditions. This was accomplished by the development of a high intensity pulsed LED light source (total 5 kW electrical power) and using the LEDs in the pulsed mode with a pulse width of 15 ms and time between sequential pulses of 14 ms. Using this instrumentation we investigated the effect of herbicide treatment, Sencor, on black nightshade (Solanum nigrum L.) plants. Effects of the herbicide on the first fluorescence images could be detected. At the saturation level of the fluorescence this effect disappeared. The effect of the herbicide was visualized on the Fv/Fm image and the time response tTR image. Healthy and herbicide treated parts of the plant yielded average values of Fv/Fm=0.81±0.03 and 0.06±0.02, respectively. Furthermore, the effect of drought stress was investigated on saintpaulia (Saintpaulia ionantha) plants. Under dark conditions no differences in the image of Fv/Fm and tTR could be detected between the control and the plant with drought stress. Under actinic light of 90 µmol m-2 s-1 differences were observed in images of (Fm’-F’)/Fm’ and tTR’. We conclude that for the first time images of a time response of the photosynthesis of leaves are presented. Furthermore, the proposed instrumentation can be used for high throughput screening, as a sensor in sorting machines and has potential greenhouse applications

A Computable General Equilibrium (CGE) Analysis of the Impact of an Oil Price Increase in South Africa

Following recent international oil price increases, there has been considerable interest in how this external factor can affect the South African economy. This paper reports results from a computable general equilibrium (CGE) analysis of an increase (up to 30 per cent) in international oil prices. Background information is provided, which puts the magnitude of the price variations in historical context. We describe the procedure used to adjust the social accounting matrix (SAM), which is used to calibrate the model, to account explicitly for crude oil. Then, the effects of the crude oil price increase are traced through the economy, from markets, industries through to factors, households and the government. Predictably, the shock hurts the economy: a 20 per cent increase results in a drop in GDP of 1 per cent. It is found that the major impact is to be found in the petroleum industry itself, whereas the effects on liquid fuel dependent industries such as transport is not as large as may be supposed. In agriculture, it is found that the depreciating currency has a positive effect, offsetting most of the negative effects of higher petroleum prices, particularly in export-oriented areas. In a long-term scenario, capital and skilled labour becomes mobile, and the results suggest that such reallocation may not be to the overall advantage of the economy.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

The Impact of a Higher Fuel Levy on the Western Cape

The Western Cape Provincial Government's proposal to introduce a provincial fuel levy within a band of 10 and 50 cents per litre raises concerns on the impact this may have on the economy, especially at a time of high international oil prices. This study reports the results of a computable general equilibrium (CGE) analysis of the impact of higher tax rates on petroleum products on the economy, with specific focus on prices, employment and household expenditure. The results show that increasing the tax rate on petroleum products results in higher petroleum prices, which again put upward pressure on intermediate input costs. Households in the Western Cape will experience a decrease in per capita expenditure, as unemployment increases and returns to factors employed decrease. The impact is however very small. The impacts on agricultural activities differ among regions, but the net effect is a contraction in agricultural output.Resource /Energy Economics and Policy,

Investigation of a 1-D Fluid Probe Model for Mach Probe Measurements

In this paper we show how a two dimensional fluid model can be used to interpret data obtained from an inclined Mach-probe or a Gundestrup probe. We use an analytical approximation of the solution of the differential equations describing the relation between the plasma flow and the measured ion saturation currents at the probe's surface. The parameters of this analytical solution are determined by comparison with the exact numerical solution of the equations. In this way we are able to measure the parallel as well as the perpendicular Mach numbers over the whole parameter range with a minimum accuracy of 90%.Comment: 12th International Congress on Plasma Physics, 25-29 October 2004, Nice (France

PARTLY FOLKSY, SOMETIMES SMIRKING: A NEW TRANSLATION OF AUGUSTINE’S CONFESSIONS

The translator and poet Sarah Ruden published her new and in someways quite original translation of Augustine’s Confessions in 2017.In a fighting introductory essay she explains her position which shecharacterises as maverick. She contrasts her own work against othertranslations, which she regards as more traditional. Ruden makesprovocative claims about the allegedly conventional interpretations,which, relative to hers she argues, can work to obscure rather thanconvey what the Bishop of Hippo intended his contemporaryaudience to understand. This essay forms a reflection on her claimsand sets some of her passages against the original Latin and those ofother modern English translators. While Ruden’s is a welcomecontribution to a well populated field of translations into modernlanguages, her claims and strategies are not found to be alwaysentirely judicious

South African teenagers reading about themselves in fiction : their response within the cultural practice of reading in South Africa

Bibliography: leaves 126-134.The Young Africa Awards Series (YAA) was commissioned as a competition challenging South African writers to produce novels for teenagers that were relevant to their lived reality in South African society today. All the novels examined in this dissertation can be defined as realism. In this study the text is examined as a written locus of meanings around which are constellated oral and written discourses that frame the text. I discuss the ideology operating through the competition's publishers and judges. I also examine the meaning produced through the YAA competition through an analysis of reader responses to different YAA novels

Colds, flu and coughing: Over-the-counter products for pharyngitis and tonsillitis

Pharyngotonsillitis is an inflammatory condition of the pharyngeal wall. Respiratory viruses are the major causes of pharyngitis, while bacteria account for 5-30% of cases. Once treatment of the underlying aetiology is considered and addressed, management of pharyngotonsillitis focuses on providing symptomatic relief. A variety of systemic and topical therapies are available. This brief review discusses over-the-counter medicines that may be  considered for both adults and children

Colds, flu and coughing: a review of over-the-counter nasal therapies in general practice

Nasal congestion due to the common cold occurs because of dilation of the blood vessels, leading to swelling of the nasal mucosal epithelium. This narrows nasal passages, which are further blocked by increased mucus production. Nasal sprays and drops are often recommended for the treatment of rhinorrhoea and nasal congestion associated with the common cold. This brief review discusses over-the-counter nasal therapies that are used to relieve rhinorrhoea and nasal congestion in adults and children.Keywords: colds, flu, coughing, nasal therapie

SeeResults: A Spreadsheet Application for the Analysis of CGE Model Results

CGE models tend to produce large amounts of result data, and it can be difficult and timeconsuming to view, import, process and keep track of these. SeeResults is an Excel-based spreadsheet application that has been developed within the PROVIDE project to facilitate viewing results and producing presentation output, such as charts. It effectively functions as a GDX (a binary format used for output from GAMS) file viewer, and has been designed to be flexible, user-friendly and immediately usable with minimal configuration. This paper describes the rationale for the application, its main features, a number of screen captures and implementation notes.Research and Development/Tech Change/Emerging Technologies,