The use of information and communications technology (ICT) in e-service delivery and effective governance in South Africa

Published ArticleThe current debate within the ASGISA and NEPAD policy structures of the South African Government is to enhance E-service delivery via Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for all citizens. This paper deals with the problem how ICT in governance may be constructed to facilitate greater accountability, transparency and reducing corruption through better financial, public information management, procurement and administrative systems. South Africans especially in rural areas have a limited access to ICT. The main barriers to ICT access relate to high cost of Internet access, connectivity problems, lack of technical skills to support maintenance and low number of computers with Internet connectivity at schools, libraries and other public places

A Stochastic Dynamics Approach for Seismic Response Spectrum-Based Analysis of Hysteretic MDOF Structures

An efficient nonlinear stochastic dynamics methodology has been developed for estimating the peak inelastic response of hysteretic multi-degree-offreedom (MDOF) structural systems subject to seismic excitations specified via a given uniform hazard spectrum (UHS), without the need of undertaking computationally demanding non-linear response time-history analysis (NRHA). The proposed methodology initiates by solving a series of inverse stochastic dynamics problems for the determination of input power spectra compatible in a stochastic sense with a given elastic response UHS of specified damping ratio. Relying on statistical linearization and utilizing an efficient decoupling approach the nonlinear N-degree-of-freedom system is decoupled and cast into (N) effective linear singledegree-of-freedom (SDOF) oscillators with effective linear properties (ELPs): natural frequency and damping ratio. Subsequently, each DOF is subject to a stochastic process compatible with the UHS adjusted to the oscillator effective damping ratio. Next, an efficient iterative scheme is devised achieving convergence of the damping coefficients of all the N effective linear SDOF oscillators and the UHS corresponding to each DOF. Finally, peak inelastic responses for all N DOFs are estimated through the updated UHS for the N different sets of SDOF oscillators ELPs. The proposed approach is numerically illustrated using a yielding 3-storey building exposed to the Eurocode 8 (EC8) UHS following the Bouc-Wen hysteretic model. NRHA involving an ensemble of EC8 compatible accelerograms is conducted to assess the accuracy of the proposed approach in a Monte Carlo-based context

Beyond persons: extending the personal / subpersonal distinction to non-rational animals and artificial agents

The distinction between personal level explanations and subpersonal ones has been subject to much debate in philosophy. We understand it as one between explanations that focus on an agent’s interaction with its environment, and explanations that focus on the physical or computational enabling conditions of such an interaction. The distinction, understood this way, is necessary for a complete account of any agent, rational or not, biological or artificial. In particular, we review some recent research in Artificial Life that pretends to do completely without the distinction, while using agent-centered concepts all the way. It is argued that the rejection of agent level explanations in favour of mechanistic ones is due to an unmotivated need to choose among representationalism and eliminativism. The dilemma is a false one if the possibility of a radical form of externalism is considered

Metabolic changes in the lungs after ischaemia

CITATION: Engelbrecht, F. M., Edwards, I. J. & De Beer, D. P. 1980. Metabolic changes in the lungs after ischaemia. South African Medical Journal, 58:409-413.The original publication is available at http://www.samj.org.zaThe effects of variable periods of ischaemia on the isolated lungs of rats and rabbits, stored for up to 6 hours at 4°C, 21°C and 37°C under standardized conditions, were investigated in vitro in terms of oxygen consumption, the rate of 1-14C-leucine incorporation into soluble proteins, and 1-14C-palmitate incorporation into total phospholipids and lipid fractions. The endogenous oxygen uptake of rat lung slices in an air phase, from tissues stored at 4°C and 21°C under ischaemic conditions for 6 hours and at 37°C for 4 hours, was significantly different from the control values. The oxygen uptake of lungs from animals anaesthetized with pentobarbitone prior to exsanguination and stored for only 2 hours at 37°C differed significantly from control values. Judged by the rate of incorporation of radiolabelled leucine into soluble proteins and that of palmitate into total lipids and phospholipids of lungs after storage for increasing periods at 4°C and 37°C, significant differences were already found after 1 1/2 hours. From this observation it would appear that these parameters are very sensitive indicators for assessing irreversible lung damage due to ischaemia.Publisher’s versio