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The use of highly cited papers (HCPs) to assess research excellence (RE) is widespread but the emergence of alternative metrics for assessing research impact has ignited debates on their role in measuring RE. This paper undertakes an altmetrics analysis of South Africa's highly cited papers with a view to assessing the extent of online attention to these papers; the correlation between citation and altmetrics data and nuances in research fields, using conventional and altmetrics data. The Web of Science's (WoS) Incites Essential Science Indicator (ESI) database was used to extract the metrics of HCPs while the online portal altmetric.com was used to obtain the altmetrics data for each HCP. The Pearson correlation analysis was used to determine the relationship between citation data and altmetrics of the HCPs. The results indicate that clinical medicine posted the highest number of HCPs but was behind Space Science and Molecular Biology & Genetics in terms of citations per paper. Only six fields recorded more than 100 HCPs. Overall, South Africa's HCPs have the highest altmetrics presence in Dimensions followed by Mendeley, Twitter, Facebook, News Outlets and Blogs. However, each research field exhibited different patterns as far as online attention of their papers is concerned. The implications of the plausibility of using altmetrics in assessing RE in South Africa are offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Administering patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) by text message may improve response rate in hard-to-reach populations. This study explored cultural acceptability of PROMs and compared measurement equivalence of the EQ-5D-3L administered on paper and by text message in a rural South African setting.Materials and Methods: Participants with upper or lower limb orthopaedic pathology were recruited. The EQ-5D was administered first on paper and then by text message after 24 h and 7 days. Differences in mean scores for paper and text message versions of the EQ-5D were evaluated. Test-retest reliability between text message versions was evaluated using Intraclass Correlation Coefficients (ICCs).Results: 147 participants completed a paper EQ-5D. Response rates were 67% at 24 h and 58% at 7 days. There were no differences in means between paper and text message responses for the EQ-5D Index (p = 0.95) or EQ-5D VAS (p = 0.26). There was acceptable agreement between the paper and 24-h text message EQ-5D Index (0.84; 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 0.78-0.89) and EQ-5D VAS (0.73; 95% CI 0.64-0.82) and acceptable agreement between the 24-h and 7-day text message EQ-Index (0.72; CI 0.62-0.82) and EQ-VAS (0.72; CI 0.62-0.82). Non-responder traits were increasing age, Xhosa as first language and lower educational levels.Conclusions: Text messaging is equivalent to paper-based measurement of EQ-5D in this setting and is thus a viable tool for responders. Non-responders had similar socioeconomic characteristics and attrition rates to traditional modes of administration. The EQ-5D by text message offers potential clinical and research uses in hard-to-reach populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Path-dependency theory says that complex systems, such as health systems, are shaped by prior conditions and decisions, and are resistant to change. As a result, major policy changes, such as health system reform, are often only possible in policy windows—moments of transition or contextual crisis that re-balance social power dynamics and enable the consideration of new policy ideas. However, even in policy windows there can be resistance to change. In this paper, we consider the role of ideas in constraining change. We draw on political science theory on the dynamic relationship between foreground ideas (policy programmes and frames) and background ideas (deeply held collective cognitive and normative beliefs) to better understand how ideas exert influence independently of the contextual conditions that give rise to them or the actors that espouse them. To do so, we examine two apparent policy windows in the South African National Health Insurance policy process. The analysis reveals how ideas can become institutionalised in organisations and procedures (such as policy instruments or provider networks), and in intangible cultural norms—becoming hegemonic and uncontested ideas that shape the attitudes and perspectives of policy actors. In this way, ideas operate as independent variables, constraining change across policy windows. While health policy analysts increasingly recognise the influence of ideational variables in policy processes, they tend to conceptualise ideas as tools actors wield to drive change. This analysis reveals the importance of considering ideas (values, norms, and beliefs) as persistent features of the policy-making context that constrain actors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally, food and nutritional state are marked by an acute prevalence of undernourishment, leading to malnutrition, starvation, and poverty. This state has remained vital for the past years, making attaining zero hunger for the anticipated period (2030) in Africa less possible. To alleviate this challenge, more sustainable food production systems, policy frameworks, mindset changes, and diversification of the food production systems must include some highly nutritious underutilized orphan crops. Acknowledging the potential of untapped, versatile, and climate resilience, Amaranthus significantly promotes sustainable and nutrient-rich food systems. Amaranth grain is a pseudocereal with 4 g of protein and 19 g of carbohydrates per 100 g of cooked amaranth. It is a nutrient powerhouse constituting valuable nutraceuticals, protein, and carbohydrates. Grain amaranth yield ranges from 1500 to 7200 kg/ha. Yield variableness of grain amaranth, lays openings for scientists and researchers to study crop improvement and access a rich pool of genetic materials. These attributes make Amaranthus (amaranth) the most suitable crop candidate in these climate change scenarios. The Amaranthus spp. are popularly known as weedy species and largely undomesticated crops with good adaptability to various geographical locations. Despite its good adaptability, it is less known, under-exploited, and less popular as human food, and its production is very scanty, especially in southern Africa. Efforts are needed to promote its adoption and commercialization. The authors searched pieces of literature in books, journals, and conference papers to establish the potential usage of Amaranthus, its nutritional composition, and its production practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The significance of absolute income has consistently been highlighted in the literature as an important factor shaping individuals' propensity to engage in political participation. However, considerably less research has been done on the relationship between relative income and individuals' propensity to engage in both conventional and unconventional forms of political participation. Using relative income to quantify relative standing, this paper explores the relationship between relative standing and political participation in South Africa. Results show that individuals' relative standing had a divergent relationship with their propensity to engage in voting and protest. More specifically, the results showed that South Africans with a higher relative standing, i.e., those who experienced relative privilege were more likely to engage in voting, while those with a lower relative standing, i.e., those who experienced relative deprivation, were more likely to engage in protest participation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South Africa is undergoing a rapid decline in social and political cohesion at various scales. This paper explores Cape Town's experience of socio-territorial messages and identities deployed by the City administration and the leading party, the Democratic Alliance. I focus on relational constructions of the subjectivity of the 'ratepayer' and the deserving Capetownian as constructed in the City and the DA's discourse and policy measures in juxtaposition to 'street people' and other supposedly deviant urban subjects and how, as such, the wilful ignorance of the first remains both unchallenged and in service of an exclusionary and unjust spatial order. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The sub-Saharan cities are growing and changing due to immigration and modernization. One of the consequences of the current urbanization is that an increasing number of families residing in peri-urban areas of small rural towns lack access to basic municipal and ecosystem services. The purpose of the paper is to demonstrate the impacts of peri-urban expansion on municipal services provided by the governments and on ecosystems services through a case study of a small rural town called Makhado Biaba in Limpopo Province of South Africa. Makhado Biaba has been experiencing incessant rapid physical expansion over the years. Such spatial expansion into the peri-urban zone impacts the provision of municipal services such as water, electricity, sewerage, and refuse collection. In 2020, an exploratory mixed-methods study of some anthropocentric and ecosystem changes in Makhado Biaba Local Municipality in northeast South Africa was executed. Land use was mapped for the time period of 1990–2020, data were gathered through a household questionnaire in six villages, and interviews were held with municipal officials. Among others, the study showed that several municipal services are available in the peri-urban villages of Makhado Biaba Town despite the distant locations outside the urban core. However, services are not uniformly distributed due to that new peri-urban developments that are leapfrogging into vacant land without supporting infrastructure. The pace of the municipality in providing the necessary municipal services such as water and energy supply, as well as sanitation and refuse removal, is lagging behind the development of new and unplanned housing areas. The findings bring about information about the suburban livelihoods and how the administration of the peri-urban areas can respond to the needs of the inhabitants as well as to future challenges. For instance, to facilitate local development, recurrent and well-structured citizen dialogs with local groups to identify delivery failures are strongly recommended. In addition, the impact on ecosystem services by the city development and land use change stresses the need for guided urban development and expansion and also settlement upgrading programs in peri-urban zones to limit the bad effect on ecosystem services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a percentage of the total global energy supply, wind energy facilities could provide 10% of the total global energy supply by 2050 as reported in IEA World Energy Outlook (2022). Considering this, a just transition to renewable and sustainable energy in South Africa is a genuine possibility if steps are taken immediately to achieve this. The Eastern Cape Province exhibits a strong wind resource which can be exploited towards expediting such a just energy transition. No research and related modelling have, to date, been undertaken in quantifying and relating the detailed P50 energy yield analyses of representative wind energy facilities in temporal and spatial dimensions to the occurrence of specific synoptic types in South Africa. To quantify this energy meteorology climatology for a suitably sized geospatial area in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa (spatial focus area, latitude −30 to −35, longitude 20 to 30), the approach of using self-organising maps is proposed. These maps are used to identify the most common synoptic circulation types occurring in the Eastern Cape and can subsequently be mapped onto an equivalent time resolution wind energy production timeseries calculated based on probable wind energy facility sites. This paper describes comprehensive methodologies used to model the wind energy facilities, calculate with high confidence the P50 energy production, and then identify the predominant synoptic weather types responsible for the wind energy production in this spatial focus area. After quantifying the energy production, running a self-organising map software generates a purposely selected 35 node map that characterises archetypal synoptic patterns over the 10-year period. The synoptic types can be ranked by the highest energy production. It is shown that in this spatial area, monthly wind energy production is higher during the winter months. When the well-established high-pressure cells move northward, synoptic types associated with higher energy production are frequent and include tropical and temperate disturbances across South Africa, patterns resembling a ridging anticyclone off the west coast of South Africa and low-pressure cells occurring to the north and south. Low energy producing patterns show characteristics of the high-pressure cells moving southwards producing fine weather and mildly disturbed conditions. The purpose of this methodology is that it provides the foundation required to derive long-term frequency changes of these synoptic weather systems using global climate model ensembles and thus changes in wind energy production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper takes the form of a deeply personal narrative, relating the story of how early community activism prompted a career of over two decades in urban planning in a post-apartheid metropolitan Council in South Africa. It shows how a sense of frustration with a system that was unable to facilitate the spatial restructuring of an unequal urban form, prompted the transition towards becoming a critical researcher within the local state apparatus. It reveals how attempts to speak truth to power through research that could uncover unexplored complexities, contestations and dubious local state practices, whilst still in the employ of the institution was at best, challenging. Through the use of real examples from planning practice, the paper unpacks and carefully documents four key considerations that make such embedded research difficult. In sharing the lessons learned from the aborted research project, it then suggests what type of research is possible by picking up the story of a second attempt at "safer research". It wraps up the story with new insights, this time from a perspective as a recent-outsider — not as a stranger though, but as one of the local state's own. Whilst appreciating the value of distance in undertaking research, it speaks to the power of familiarity and trusted ties, and the legitimacy that comes with being a credible outsider. At the same time, it also reflects on the possible challenges associated with being such an outsider. Through critical reflection on the process of doing research inside and outside of the local state, the paper suggests that differential positioning can significantly affect the depth of insights around state practices in urban governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2021/2022, galls formed by a nematode, Anguina woodi, were found on the stems, leaves and leaf sheaths of dune grass, Ehrharta villosa var. villosa on Milnerton Beach, Blouberg Beach and Langebaan, Western Cape Province, South Africa. These galls were spongy in texture, deep purple to blackish in colour and non-pedunculate. They were found in clusters, but also as single entities. Larger, harder galls varying from beige to dark brown in colour, apparently caused by insects, were also found on the stems of dune grass at Blouberg Beach and Langebaan Nature Reserve. Some nematode galls were found immediately next to or on top of the insect galls. Those found on top of insect galls seemed to be harder and drier than those found on stems not infected by insect galls. The co-infection of insects and anguinid nematodes has not been reported from the current study areas and was thus included in the present study. Both molecular and morphological studies were conducted on the nematodes and wasps leading to the identification of a host specific, gall-forming nematode from all three localities. The wasps were identified morphologically and molecularly to the family Eurytomidae (Hymenoptera). No insect galls were found on dune grass from Milnerton Beach. The paper includes speculations on a probable association between nematodes and insects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Faced with extraordinarily high unemployment, the long-term unemployed in South Africa increasingly have been securing livelihoods outside of standard waged work. Many are establishing unregistered, micro-enterprises that provide low-cost goods and services to low-income households. This paper presents the results of an exploratory study of unregistered (informal) second-hand tyre dealers in three South African cities to better assess their role in urban economies. Interviews with informal tyre dealers were conducted to understand how their businesses are positioned along the waste tyre value chain, their prospects for generating employment, and their potential to contribute to product reuse and repurposing. By extending the useful lives of tyres, informal dealerships can be analysed through a circular economy framework that acknowledges their varied environmental, economic, and social benefits. Concerns, however, are raised about the unregulated sale of second-hand tyres, some of which are unsafe and pose risks for road users. This in turn gives rise to difficult trade-offs between on the one hand the economic and environmental benefits of informal tyre sales and road safety on the other. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigated the use of a limit equilibrium model to simulate the time-dependent scaling of hard rock pillars. In the manganese bord and pillar mines in South Africa, extensive scaling is observed for pillars characterised by a high joint density. It appears that the scaling occurs in a time-dependent fashion. Evidence for this is the ongoing deterioration of pillars in old areas, even after the pillars are reinforced with thin spray-on liners. Monitoring of selected pillars were conducted in an attempt to quantify the rate of time-dependent scaling. Contrary to expectations, almost no additional scaling was recorded for the pillars during a 3-month monitoring period. The scaling distance for pillars of different ages could be measured and it seems as if most of the scaling occurred soon after the pillars are formed. Only a limited amount of additional time-dependent scaling seems to occur after this. Numerical simulations of the time-dependent scaling were conducted using a displacement discontinuity code and a limit equilibrium constitutive model. The postulated exponential decay of the failed rock mass strength at the edges of the pillars resulted in simulated behaviour that is qualitatively similar to the underground observations. The results from this study are encouraging and the method can be used to investigate the long-term stability of bord and pillar excavations. Further work is required to improve on the calibration of the model and to better quantify the rate of scaling of the underground pillars. Highlights: Time-dependent scaling gradually reduces the strength of pillars. This paper presents a study of this behaviour in a hard rock bord and pillar mine. A numerical modelling approach to simulate time-dependent pillar failure, on a mine-wide scale, is described in the paper. It consists of a displacement discontinuity boundary element method with a time-dependent limit equilibrium model. The behaviour of the hard rock pillars in the manganese mines in South Africa is used to test the proposed model. It provides valuable data for researchers interested in case studies of time-dependent pillar strength. The proposed modelling methodology seems valuable to design layouts where long-term stability is a requirement. Although the focus in this paper is on hard rock mines, it can also be used for coal pillars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper aimed to analyse the potato cultivar's response to physiological, biochemical performance, yield parameters and soil physiochemical properties when subjected to quicklime (un)treated acid mine drainage (AMD) irrigation. A randomized design experiment was conducted with five water treatment levels: TW1; TW2; TW3; TW4 to TW5 replicated four times. The results showed that the quicklime treatment increased the pH of the AMD water, reduced the concentration of EC, NO3−, SO42− and ameliorated heavy metals. However, unsafe levels of heavy metals above the maximum permissible (WHO/FAO) levels were found in Pb, Mg and Mo for water (TW4 and TW5), while As, Cd and Cr for soils (ST4 and ST5) respectively. For potato tubers (TT4 and TT5) concentrations of As, Cd, Cr, and Pb were above the maximum levels. Stomatal conductance, chlorophyll content and yield parameters responded positively by increasing significantly on TW4 and TW5 treatments, but negatively (reduced) towards TW2 and TW3 treatments. A higher bioaccumulation factor was obtained for Zn ˃ Cu ˃ Mg ˃ Pb ˃ Mn, which was an indication of the contamination status of soil, with Zn being more concentrated than other metals. The findings indicate that quicklime-treated AMD is usable for potato irrigation with regular monitoring of heavy metal levels and strict observation of water reuse protocols. The use of this large source of ameliorated (AMD) water will go a long way in improving food security in South Africa and/or in countries where agriculture production is around mining areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy sources are seen as a sustainable solution to the problem of global energy security. Among the renewable energy sources, wave energy has great prospects for development in a few countries, including South Africa. However, South Africa's wave energy projects are still underinvested in practice compared to wind energy and solar PV. This paper investigates several questions related to the influence of both quantitative and qualitative factors on the effectiveness of wave energy projects (WEPs) and the appropriate placement for WEP in South Africa. For this purpose, a novel two-phase framework novel two-phase data envelopment analysis (DEA) supporting integrated multiple criteria decision-making (MCDM) framework is proposed. The first phase aims to identify potential locations for WEPs and calculate the technical advantage of these locations using the DEA model. In the second phase, other qualitative criteria, which affect the sustainable development of WEPs, are identified. Based on expert surveys, potential locations are analyzed and ranked by a novel integrated MCDM approach called OPA-EDAS. In the proposed approach, the advantages of the Ordinal Priority Approach (OPA) are utilized to simultaneously determine the weight of the criteria and prioritize the alternatives. However, the results of OPA depend on the priorities of the experts participating in the assessment. Therefore, this study attempted to overcome that by integrating the EDAS technique to assess the expertise. Furthermore, the DEA model is applied to increase the objectivity of the results. In addition, the robustness of the study's findings is validated by comparing the location with upcoming WEPs in South Africa. The result shows that the coast of Cape Nature Walker Bay has the most effectiveness for South Africa's WEPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

University social responsibility is an intrinsic discourse in South Africa. Universities grapple with their identities relating to learning, teaching, research and community engagement. This paper explores how the drive for transformation particularly at universities of technology has promoted a culture of social responsibility among student and staff agents. Two universities were considered in the analysis of existing norms and understanding how institutions integrate the culture of social responsibility while adhering to mandates of creating knowledge societies. This study provides recommendations that could be endorsed as policy to develop innovative developmental strategies and enact new social responsibility partnerships within university spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an ethnographic exploration of working-class commuter cyclists on Rudolf Greyling (RG) Street in Bloemfontein, Free State, South Africa. The historical significance of this street/road is that it traversed a 'buffer zone'. In apartheid town planning, buffer zones were areas that, in the absence of physical or man-made boundaries, separated mono-racial areas designated as such under the Group Areas Act (Davies 1981). Today, these old buffer zones continue to map the distances that working people, living in low-income residential locations, cover to reach economic opportunities. For 3 weeks in the month of September 2018, we spent our mornings and evenings, walking, observing, and speaking, to the cyclists who rode along RG Street. Engaging with the stories cyclists of RG Street shared with us, we discuss how physical and metaphorical buffer zones of the past shape the experiences and concerns of working-class cyclists in the present. As much as the use of a bicycle to commute helped save money, riding along the roads decidedly not designed for cyclists exposed conditions of adversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Across the Jewish world religious polarization is gaining momentum. At the secular end of the spectrum people are switching away from religion while at the religious pole fertility levels are high. This trend is evident among South African Jewry; data from the 2019 Jewish Community Survey of South Africa (N = 4193) show that the community is becoming polarized, and the traditional center ground is collapsing. However, unlike many other Jewish communities today, switching toward more religious subgroups than the one in which one was raised is more common in South Africa than switching away from them. This tendency is most pronounced among people born in the 1960s and 1970s. A similar trend characterizes South African non-Jews. We argue that coming of age in a period of profound political and social instability explains the increased likelihood of switching toward religion. The effect is more marked among Jews due to distinct communal characteristics and history that provided the optimal conditions for switching towards a more religious lifestyle. This paper highlights the necessity of examining internal processes that are unique to the Jewish community alongside broader developments to improve our understanding of religious polarization among Jews. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South Africa shared with the world the warning of a new strain of SARS-CoV2, Omicron, in November 2021. As a result, many high-income countries (HICs) instituted complete travel bans on persons leaving South Africa and other neighbouring countries. These bans were unnecessary from a scientific standpoint, and they ran counter to the International Health Regulations. In short, South Africa was penalized for sharing data. Data sharing during pandemics is commonly justified by appeals to solidarity. In this paper, we argue that solidarity is, at best, an aspirational ideal to work toward but that it cannot ground an obligation to share data. Instead, low-and-middle income countries (LIMCs) should be guided by the principle of reciprocity, which states that we ought to return good for good received. Reciprocity is necessarily a conditional principle. LMICs, we argue, should only share data during future pandemics on the condition that HICs provide enforceable assurances that the benefits of data sharing will be equitably distributed and that LMICs won't be penalized for sharing information. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Documented skeletal collections are valuable resources for anthropological studies aimed at reconstruction of the biological profile and examination of osteological trauma and pathology. The Free State Collection for Anthropological Research is a new, contemporary skeletal collection, based in central South Africa that has become available for such studies. This paper aims to provide an overview of the collection to encourage its future use in national and international research. The collection currently contains 64 female and 122 male skeletons of individuals that have died in the Free State province since the year 2000. Black individuals constitute 94.6% of the collection. Age-at-death ranges between 19 and 86 years, with an overall mean of 40 years. Year-of-birth ranges from 1927 to 1991. Tuberculosis (22.6%) and influenza/pneumonia (20.4%) are the most common cause of death for these individuals. Although the current demographic profile of the collection is skewed, new individuals are continuously being added. The collection offers several opportunities for anthropological research. The relatively young age-at-death and contemporary nature of the collection make it a useful tool for validation of existing methods for estimations of components of the biological profile. It can also be used in conjunction with other collections for the development of new methods for age and sex estimation and studies of trauma and disease manifestation of the skeleton. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper applies the rule of law test to emergency regulations adopted to combat a national disaster in South Africa. A declaration of a national state of disaster, such as a pandemic, triggers emergency powers which enable the executive to mitigate the disaster, assist and protect the public, provide relief, and protect property. However, emergency powers provide a pretext for the executive to limit constitutional rights and to curtail the enjoyment of freedoms. These unprecedented powers also pose a risk of arbitrary exercise of public power, which can only be prevented if the promulgation, administration and enforcement of emergency regulations conform to the principles of legality, rationality and proportionality. These principles are understood as tenets of the rule of law in South Africa. They require a strong commitment to respect, protect and promote human rights at a time when they are most vulnerable to violation by the State. Given the role of the judiciary in the maintenance of the rule of law, and the litigation against the emergency regulations adopted in response to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, this paper also discusses the ensuing case law to illustrate the practical application of the rule of law test to a national disaster. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evacuated tube collectors can achieve a much high efficiency and temperature for a much longer period compared to conventional single flat plate collector systems. However, they can be a lot more expensive compared to flat panel collectors. Hence, the building of a suitable model would make the analysis of the configuration of the systems more insightful to achieve higher efficiencies. In this paper, a thermal resistance network model of an evacuated tube heat pipe was developed. An analysis of its performance was done to understand the effect of adding an I-section geometry insert on the total thermal resistance, the heat transfer and the efficiency considering several working fluids such as water, ethanol, methanol, acetone and toluene. The proposed model was validated using data collected on a cloudy day from the SAURAN STATION located in UMLAZI, SOUTH AFRICA. This study reveals that the addition of an insert decreases the total thermal resistance, which results in improved efficiencies. Water exhibited higher efficiency compared to other working fluids with the efficiency of 62.24% and 54.27% corresponding to the configuration with and without a geometry insert. An improvement in the rate of heat transfer from 530 to 605 KW when introducing an insert into the heat pipe was observed. Interestingly, the solar collector exhibited better results, even on a cloudy day. The thermal resistance network model proposed in this paper was deemed appropriate to be used for the performance prediction of the heat pipe with an insert. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large parts of southern Africa are influenced by extra-tropical weather systems for most of the year. During late summer (December–March), the circulation over the area becomes distinctly tropical. This paper introduces the Africáne, a synoptic scale tropical low-pressure system which has been shown to cause widespread and heavy rainfall over the southern sub-continent of Africa. The frequency of occurrence of Africánes, their contribution to rainfall and interannual variability are discussed in this paper. Africánes occur most frequently at the longitude of the Caprivi area with a second peak in frequency at around 32.5° E. They mostly occur over Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe and only infrequently infiltrate as far south as the borders of South Africa. However, when they do occur over South Africa, they cause widespread heavy rainfall and floods. Rainfall is mostly confined to the eastern flank of Africánes and between 20 and 35% of the annual rainfall over southern Africa in late summer can be attributed to these systems. There are two main synoptic regimes associated with Africánes: a westerly wave or tropical-temperature trough combines with the Africáne to pull rainfall southwards into South Africa. The second, is a mid-level subtropical high pressure, located south of the Africáne, which causes the rainfall to be confined to the north. The interannual variability of Africánes are closely linked to rainfall over southern Africa, such that an above normal number of Africánes in a season causes above normal rainfall over southern Africa. The number of Africánes that form per year is linked to El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO). It is recommended that the predictability of Africánes on different time scales should be investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is a case study of a large-scale pillar collapse at the Everest Platinum Mine. A major contributing factor to the collapse was the presence of weak alteration layers in the pillars. These alteration layers are found in the Bushveld Complex in South Africa where the pyroxenite layers have been exposed to hydrothermal fluid flow, serpentinisation and layer-parallel shearing. The resulting clay-like material and the weak partings substantially reduce the pillar strength. From the literature survey, it is clear that weak seams in pillars reduce their strength and conventional pillar strength formulas overestimate the strength in these cases. As an alternative, a novel numerical modelling approach is proposed to study the pillar failure and to conduct a back analysis of the mine collapse. This consists of a limit equilibrium constitutive model implemented in a displacement discontinuity code. Two areas of the mine were simulated, namely part of the collapsed area and a second area, with larger pillars that is still stable. This allowed for a preliminary calibration of the limit equilibrium model. The model illustrated that a reduction in friction angle on the partings, owing to the presence of water in the collapse area, seems to be a factor that contributed to the collapse. Although encouraging results are obtained, calibration of the limit equilibrium model remains a challenge. Laboratory testing is required in future to determine the strengths of the weak partings and in particular, the difference in strength of the wet and dry alteration zone material. Highlights: Geological alterations substantially reduce the strength of hard rock pillars and the classical approach of using empirical pillar strength formulae for layout design does not work in these cases. A novel approach to simulate the pillar failure on a mine-wide scale is presented in this paper and this consists of a displacement discontinuity boundary element method using a limit equilibrium model to represent the pillar failure. The collapse of the Everest Platinum Mine in South Africa is described in the paper, it is used to test the proposed methodology, and it provides valuable data for researchers interested in case studies where pillar strength is reduced by weak layers. The proposed modelling methodology seems valuable to simulate the pillar failure and to design layouts for these types of ground conditions. Calibration of the limit equilibrium model remains a challenge, however. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge co-production has become part of an evolution of participatory and transdisciplinary research approaches that are increasingly important for achieving sustainability. To effectively involve the most appropriate stakeholders there is a need for engagement and increasing prominence of stakeholders in environmental management and governance processes. The paper aims at developing and testing a methodology for stratifying stakeholders by (i) classifying organisations involved in coastal and ocean governance by their agency, and (ii) grouping them into organisational archetypes for representation and selection in research processes. Agency was measured by the three dimensions of scale, resources, and power. Each dimension was further elaborated as a set of indicators. The methodology is applied in the context of a research project set in Algoa Bay, South Africa. The stratification of organisations enabled the research team to gain a better understanding of the stakeholder landscape of organisational agency, and thus identify the most relevant stakeholder with which to engage. The use of a hierarchical cluster analysis identified five organisational archetypes in relation to ocean and coastal governance in Algoa Bay. The methodology used in this study proposes an informed and intentional approach to create the conditions under which the co-production of and participation in research processes can take place. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It has been found that people with disabilities remain at the margin as far as the different aspects of their lives are concerned. This paper tests the hypothesis that disability leads to lower quality of life among older adults in low and middle-income countries. The data from the Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health (SAGE) was used in this study which was conducted in Ghana, China, India, Russia, South Africa and Mexico. The disability scores have been made utilising Item Response Theory, Partial Credit Model and are centered on eight functioning and health areas. Bivariate analysis, binary logistic regression and pooled regression analysis have been used to fulfil the objectives of the paper. The findings reveal that disability acts as a hindrance in attaining a high quality of life (HQOL) amongst the older adults in the above mentioned low and middle-income countries. The older adults with disability are as much as 60% less likely to enjoy an HQOL with respect to the older adults without disability. Better socio-economic development like improved health care for disabled older adults with disability enhanced living standards for both abled and disabled, efficient pension schemes for older adults with disability and effective social service schemes would be very much essential to improve overall QOL among older adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South Africa's basic education system is dysfunctional. It scores last or close to last in a myriad of metrics and delivers learners with some of the worst literacy and numeracy competencies worldwide. A bimodal distribution in the results exists when learners from the richest socioeconomic quintile are performing adequately well, while learners from the poorest quintiles are failing. This paper presents a system dynamics simulation model to describe the causal linkages between improved early childhood and pre-school learning practices on the education system as a whole. The paper investigates the difference in performance between rich and poor communities. Three interventions explore the research question of whether it is the number of enrolments into early childhood development programs that increases a cohort's school readiness, or rather the quality of the early childhood development programs into which they were enrolled. The results answer the research question for the Western Cape province by showing that increasing the quality of the formal ECD programs leads to a greater percentage of school-ready five year olds than increasing the percentage of enrolled children, but that decreasing community poverty leads to better results than either intervention. The results show the simulation model to be a powerful tool to assist with policy setting and intervention testing for any other province or country by simply changing the input data and calibration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

South Africa's basic education system is dysfunctional. It scores last or close to last in a myriad of metrics and delivers learners with some of the worst literacy and numeracy competencies worldwide. A bimodal distribution in the results exists when learners from the richest socioeconomic quintile are performing adequately well, while learners from the poorest quintiles are failing. This paper presents a system dynamics simulation model to describe the causal linkages between improved early childhood and pre-school learning practices on the education system as a whole. The paper investigates the difference in performance between rich and poor communities. Three interventions explore the research question of whether it is the number of enrolments into early childhood development programs that increases a cohort's school readiness, or rather the quality of the early childhood development programs into which they were enrolled. The results answer the research question for the Western Cape province by showing that increasing the quality of the formal ECD programs leads to a greater percentage of school-ready five year olds than increasing the percentage of enrolled children, but that decreasing community poverty leads to better results than either intervention. The results show the simulation model to be a powerful tool to assist with policy setting and intervention testing for any other province or country by simply changing the input data and calibration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A quarter of a century after South Africa's transition to democracy, the rhetoric of 'transformation' remains firmly ingrained in its higher education policy and discourse. In many of the reviews, reports, proposals, and frameworks on the transformation of the South African university system, one thing stands out: an oversupply of rhetoric and a dearth of empirical data. This article is a direct response to how infrequently data has been used and seeks to reveal the actual quantum of change, albeit with a focus on an admittedly singular element on the transformation spectrum but one which nevertheless preoccupies South Africans: equity (or race). The evidence presented in the paper shows that the absence of a clear articulation of transformation, accompanied by a lack of indicators and targets to track progress over time, hinders the progression of the discourse to equally important dimensions of performance such as efficiency, success and productivity—all of which are critical in determining the university's role in national development. The paper goes on to show that based on the data available, the public university system in South Africa is transforming given the increases over time in the number of black students and staff. However, without a clearly articulated idea of what constitutes change, one cannot claim a transformed system, and the political narrative of no transformation is likely to prevail. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A frequent challenge encountered with ecological data is how to interpret, analyze, or model data having a high proportion of zeros. Much attention has been given to zero-inflated count data, whereas models for non-negative continuous data with an abundance of 0s are much fewer. We consider zero-inflated data on the unit interval and provide modeling to capture two types of 0s in the context of a Beta regression model. We model 0s due to missing by chance through left-censoring of a latent regression and 0s due to unsuitability using an independent Bernoulli specification. We extend the model by introducing spatial random effects. We specify models hierarchically, employing latent variables, and fit them within a Bayesian framework. Our motivating dataset consists of percent cover abundance of two plant families at a collection of sites in the Cape Floristic Region of South Africa. We find that environmental features enable learning about both types of 0s as well as positive percent cover. We also show that the spatial random effects model improves predictive performance. The proposed modeling enables ecologists to extract a better understanding of an organism's absence due to unsuitability vs. missingness by chance, as well as abundance behavior when present. Supplementary materials accompanying this paper appear online. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the increased use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in wildlife conservation, issues around whether AI-based monitoring tools in wildlife conservation comply with standards regarding AI Ethics are on the rise. This review aims to summarise current debates and identify gaps as well as suggest future research by investigating (1) current AI Ethics and AI Ethics issues in wildlife conservation, (2) Initiatives Stakeholders in AI for wildlife conservation should consider integrating AI Ethics in wildlife conservation. We find that the existing literature weakly focuses on AI Ethics and AI Ethics in wildlife conservation while at the same time ignores AI Ethics integration in AI systems for wildlife conservation. This paper formulates an ethically aligned AI system framework and discusses pre-eminent on-demand AI systems in wildlife conservation. The proposed framework uses agile software life cycle methodology to implement guidelines towards the ethical upgrade of any existing AI system or the development of any new ethically aligned AI system. The guidelines enforce, among others, the minimisation of intentional harm and bias, diversity in data collection, design compliance, auditing of all activities in the framework and ease of code inspection. This framework will inform AI developers, users, conservationists, and policymakers on what to consider when integrating AI Ethics into AI-based systems for wildlife conservation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Hip arthroplasty and revision surgery are growing exponentially in OECD countries. In developing countries, it is an infrequent intervention and its practice is limited. It is exposed to a higher rate of infectious and mechanical failures than in developed countries. The aim of the actual study is to provide a review of the literature on total hip arthroplasty series in sub-Saharan Africa followed by an overview of the interest and perspectives of the use of dual mobility (DM) cups. Materials and methods: Scopus, EMBASE, Medline, PubMed, and Safoonline databases were searched including papers published at any date. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines were followed. All papers from South Africa were excluded. Results: We identified 22 series of total hip arthroplasty in 14 SSA countries. The practice of total hip arthroplasty is not very widespread. The cups used are mostly conventional implants, and complications (mechanical and infectious) are frequent. Discussion: The interest for the use of dual mobility cups in sub-Saharan Africa can be summarized in two points: mechanical and socio-economical. Dual mobility cups provide more mechanical stability and a reduction in the overall cost of treatment by reducing the rate of complications. These prospects will make it possible to evaluate this medical device in the long term in a hostile environment conductive to complications. Conclusion: The use of dual mobility deserves to be developed in African settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Nelson Mandela Bridge is one of South Africa's monuments at the centre of the drive to foster urban transformation in the city of Johannesburg. It stands out as one of the monumental emblems of transformation after the disappearance of administrative and occupational apartheid. On the one hand, the bridge is used consciously and unconsciously, to rehearse the ideals of democracy by harping on the towering image of Nelson Mandela as a struggle hero. On the other hand, the bridge is 'one of the prestigious projects at the centre of city-marketing and branding'. This article explores three dimensions of representation of the bridge in terms of what Stuart Hall refers to as reflective, intentional and constructivist meaning. The paper does this by examining how these meanings are produced and ordered, as well as, the knowledge, norms and practices that structure the new system of meaning in South Africa. The main argument of the paper is that the South African post-apartheid development ideology of reconstruction embedded in the struggle memory has become a platform on which the sign value of the NMB has become a rhetorical device for the appropriation of commercial interests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While existing literature has amply demonstrated how states may "see" their populations, we know less about which residents are legible to the state as populations. Drawing on extended ethnographic fieldwork and interviews conducted between 2011 and 2019 in Cape Town, South Africa, this paper compares the fate of two large land occupations, one of which was evicted, one of which was not. In doing so, this paper demonstrates how rather than taking "populations" as a given, this status should be understood as an outcome. It suggests that participants in each respective occupation began with different views of the state. In other words, the way residents saw the state impacted each respective organizational outcome, which in turn affected how they were seen by the state. In one occupation, participants saw the state as a partner in obtaining housing, and so they organized themselves as atomized recipients. In the other, they viewed the state as an obstacle, and so they organized themselves collectively. Only in the latter case were residents viewed as a population; in the former, they were all evicted. Ultimately, this paper argues that, by bringing tools from political sociology to bear upon urban ethnography, we can gain insight into a process otherwise overlooked in the literature, allowing us to make sense of a question that is central to understanding urban politics in the global South: how do municipal governments decide which occupations to evict and which to tolerate? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increased immigration to post-apartheid South Africa of Black African migrants has given rise to widespread xenophobic sentiments and recurrent violence against them. Over the past three decades, migration scholars have extensively studied the phenomenon of xenophobia as a major problem in citizen–migrant relations. However, most migration scholars' predominant focus on xenophobia in South Africa appears to have overlooked positive migrant–citizen relations in some places, though a few scholars have noted the presence of xenophilia in certain communities. Drawing on an auto-ethnographic qualitative approach, this paper reports on my own lived experiences, as a Black African refugee, with xenophilia in my everyday interactions in a multi-cultural urban suburb of Sunnyside, Pretoria. This paper attempts to add nuance to existing scholarship on citizen–non-citizen relations in post-apartheid South Africa. I argue that multi-cultural urban neighborhoods in South Africa, where there are everyday inter-ethnic interactions, friendships, amenities, services, and shared spaces, tend to function as drivers of social cohesion and inter-group conviviality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to global climate change, droughts are likely to become more frequent and more severe in many regions such as in South Africa. In Limpopo, observed high climate variability and projected future climate change will likely increase future maize production risks. This paper evaluates drought patterns in Limpopo at two representative sites. We studied how drought patterns are projected to change under future climatic conditions as an important step in identifying adaptation measures (e.g., breeding maize ideotypes resilient to future conditions). Thirty-year time horizons were analyzed, considering three emission scenarios and five global climate models. We applied the WOFOST crop model to simulate maize crop growth and yield formation over South Africa's summer season. We considered three different crop emergence dates. Drought indices indicated that mainly in the scenario SSP5-8.5 (2051–2080), Univen and Syferkuil will experience worsened drought conditions (DC) in the future. Maize yield tends to decline and future changes in the emergence date seem to impact yield significantly. A possible alternative is to delay sowing date to November or December to reduce the potential yield losses. The grain filling period tends to decrease in the future, and a decrease in the duration of the growth cycle is very likely. Combinations of changed sowing time with more drought tolerant maize cultivars having a longer post-anthesis phase will likely reduce the potential negative impact of climate change on maize. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and related policy measures on livelihoods in urban South Africa. Using qualitative research methods, we analyse two rounds of semi-structured phone interviews, conducted between June and September 2020 in the township of Khayelitsha, Cape Town. We contextualise these by presenting a snapshot of the nationwide dynamics using quantitative panel data. Our findings describe how the shock of the COVID-19 pandemic has deepened the economic vulnerability which preceded the crisis. Survivalist livelihood strategies were undermined by the economic disruption to the informal sector, while the co-variate nature of the shock rendered social networks and informal insurance mechanisms ineffective, causing households to liquidate savings, default on insurance payments, and deepen their reliance on government grants. In addition, the impact of the pandemic on schooling may deepen existing inequalities and constrain future upward mobility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article probes the complexity of dealing with two interrelated wicked problems, namely informal, self-employed street vendors, and their experiences of littering. This paper describes the themes that emerged from 92 qualitative interviews to determine the perceptions of street vendors regarding reasons for littering on the streets where they operate as well as their experiences of working in these littered environments. By drawing on the themes emerging from semi-structured interviews with vendors, we suggest how stakeholders could engage with the concerns around street vending and littering by means of the use of adaptive management or co-management, engaging, and integrating diverse perspectives, the facilitation of self-organisation, and establishing safe boundaries to evade system thresholds. In this way, complexity-based strategies can promote people-centred urban governance that empowers and includes citizens in attempts to manage the wicked problems of growing cities inclusively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper demonstrates a simple methodological sequence for the statistical calculation of a context-sensitive quality of life index especially suitable for use in the Global South, i.e. lower and middle income countries. We draw on the large (n = 24,889), area-sampled, survey dataset of the fifth Quality of Life Survey (QoL V, 2017/18) of South Africa's Gauteng province, conducted by the Gauteng City-Region Observatory. Using overtly exploratory analysis, and a fully reflective conception of indicators, we apply exploratory factor analysis (EFA) in two stages to generate our model, while defending our approach methodologically and empirically and indicating its philosophical foundations. We contrast this approach to previous analyses using the QoL I (2010) data, which defined their dimensions and assign their indicators in advance, drawing on literature and indexes largely from the Global North. We ran series of EFAs on 60 longitudinally available variables from the QoL V data set. This allowed us to determine the optimal number of factors/dimensions, guided by established criteria and the interpretability of the grouped indicators. Each dimension score is calculated arithmetically, using the indicators' factor loadings as weights. Then the dimensions, weighted by their eigenvalues, are aggregated into the composite index, scaled to run from 0 to 100. The resulting seven-dimension, 33-indicator model was validated through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on the QoL V data; and its configural invariance, i.e. whether the pattern of indicators amongst the factors holds over time, was checked against the two previous QoL datasets and confirmed. This validates the ability of the approach outlined to generate a stable index. Analysis of the resulting quality of life index by race and municipality reveals trends consistent with the South African context. Overall, the White population group has the highest measured quality of life index, followed in turn by the Indian/Asian, Coloured and Black African population groups. Changes in the quality-of-life ranking of the nine municipalities comprising Gauteng province may be observed over time, using the validated previous models. The value of the exploratory approach in enabling context to influence the index construction is highlighted by the emergence of a distinct dimension of bottom-up political voice, which is relevant for democratic governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Long portrayed as a virtuous profession, teaching has always been embedded in notions of trust and trustworthiness. Alongside expectations of epistemic cultivation and development, is an implicit handing over of discretionary powers to ‘the trusted teacher’. At the height of #blacklivesmatter protests in 2020, however, high school learners all over South Africa took to social media—@yousilenceweamplify—to express their hurt and anger at their dehumanising experiences at some of the country’s leading schools. Their accounts not only exposed some schools as intense sites of racial, religious, cultural, ethnic, and linguistic tension and conflict, but shattered presumptions about ‘the trusted teacher’. Following a consideration of what trust infers, and the potential harms that arise from epistemic mistrust, the paper considers what might be gained from philosophical engagements in the espousal of teaching as a relationship of epistemic trust, and which ensures the flourishing of both learner and teacher? How might philosophy of education assist teacher education programmes in attuning students to an understanding that being trustworthy as teachers resides in self-knowledge as well as knowledge of the differences of, and among others? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Archaeological explorations of the meaning of 'trade objects', such as glass beads and cowrie shells, remain hampered by theoretical and methodological limitations in both their analyses and interpretations. In this paper, we develop a methodology for critically engaging in multi-scalar questions of the circulation, exchange, and value of cowrie shells in African archaeological contexts. Species, size, dorsal modifications, and depositional contexts were compared across five sites from South Africa dating between 750 and 1350 CE. These results were positioned within a review of cowries from archaeological sites in the region and compared to the documented distribution of cowries from wider African archaeological contexts. Monetaria annulus were the prevalent cowrie species in southern African archaeological contexts over the last 2000 years, with a notable absence of Monetaria moneta, prevalent at contemporaneous sites in West Africa, as well as a variety of endemic southern African species. Breakage patterns on the dorsal surface correspond to different modification techniques, such as chipping and grinding. Combined analyses of modification, use-wear, and depositional patterns show variation, revealing a diversity in the biographies of individual cowries. While a comparison of the distribution of cowries across the continent confirms the circulation of cowries through known trade routes, such as the trans-Saharan trade network and the European mercantile network, they also reveal new pathways for exchange that highlight the need for further exploration of intra African networks. Finally, the breadth of the results of this study demonstrates the value of a focus on a specific artefact to address a wide range of themes, from exchange to the archaeology of everyday life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a foresight perspective of nanotechnology in South Africa based on a 20-year period scientometric analysis of the country's nanotechnology publications on the Web of Science (WoS) Core Collection. Firstly, publication trends are reported; then, possible socio-economic relevant sectors arising from this information are determined. Lastly, indicators that can be used in foresight exercises to evaluate the potential nanotechnology research areas in South Africa are examined. The 20-year review is also compared with the recent past year, 2019, to identify any changing trends. South Africa's nanotechnology publications per year grew exponentially from 68 papers in 2000 to 1672 in 2019, an increase of 2459%. The total share of nanotech publications increased from 1.4% in 2000 to 6.6% in 2019, thus a 0.52% increase per year. Compared with Brazil, Russia, India and China, the BRICS countries, South Africa has the lowest nanotechnology productivity with an activity index of 0.68. Over the last 5 years, South Africa nanotech publications had a Hirsch-index of 94 and an average citations rate of 12.76 per paper. Universities are the most prominent publishers, and there are very few publications from the private sector, which can negatively impact the commercialisation of nanotechnology research. The top 10 most prolific researchers, author or co-author over 20% of the nanotechnology papers are reported. A mixture of old and new top researchers' names suggests succession planning in the system as the years progress. The emergence of computer science as one of the top 20 subjects publishing in nanotech in 2019 and a high level of researcher collaboration suggests possible convergence of nanotech, information technology and artificial intelligence in South Africa. The strategic socio-economic-focused nanotechnology research areas identified for South Africa include material science, photoluminance and optics, medicine, catalysis, electronics, energy, biotech, magnetism, sensors, water and communicable diseases. The top collaborating countries, top researchers, top institutions and nanotechnology economic hubs are reported for each strategic research area. The level of innovation was evaluated using the nanotechnology value chain, and there is a meagre 3.5% of papers reporting on nano-enabled products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many urban settings around the world the severity of water scarcity has induced changes in household behavior, leading to reduction in the volume of water demanded. One of the most widely used strategies is the adoption of water-saving equipment that collects, stores and eventually treats wastewater from various sources within the household. This paper investigates the factors that drive adoption of water-saving equipment in Cape Town, South Africa, following the catastrophic "Day Zero" water crisis in 2018. First, the paper develops a disaggregated technology diffusion model. Second, we make use of choice experiments to determine the attribute levels and socioeconomic characteristics that influence adoption of water-saving equipment in urban communities in South Africa. Data collected from a sample of 465 representative households in Cape Town are used in a choice modelling framework. Latent class analysis (LCA) is compared with both multinomial logit and conditional logit models to estimate marginal willingness to pay (MWTP) for adoption of water-saving equipment. The LCA identified three household classes with distinct preferences, suggesting divergence in adoption of water-saving equipment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wind energy production depends not only on wind speed but also on wind direction. Thus, predicting and estimating the wind direction for sites accurately will enhance measuring the wind energy potential. The uncertain nature of wind direction can be presented through probability distributions and Bayesian analysis can improve the modeling of the wind direction using the contribution of the prior knowledge to update the empirical shreds of evidence. This must align with the nature of the empirical evidence as to whether the data are skew or multimodal or not. So far mixtures of von Mises within the directional statistics domain, are used for modeling wind direction to capture the multimodality nature present in the data. In this paper, due to the skewed and multimodal patterns of wind direction on different sites of the locations understudy, a mixture of multimodal skewed von Mises is proposed for wind direction. Furthermore, a Bayesian analysis is presented to take into account the uncertainty inherent in the proposed wind direction model. A simulation study is conducted to evaluate the performance of the proposed Bayesian model. This proposed model is fitted to datasets of wind direction of Marion island and two wind farms in South Africa and show the superiority of the approach. The posterior predictive distribution is applied to forecast the wind direction on a wind farm. It is concluded that the proposed model offers an accurate prediction by means of credible intervals. The mean wind direction of Marion island in 2017 obtained from 1079 observations was 5.0242 (in radian) while using our proposed method the predicted mean wind direction and its corresponding 95 % credible interval based on 100 generated samples from the posterior predictive distribution are obtained 5.0171 and (4.7442, 5.2900). Therefore, our results open a new approach for accurate prediction of wind direction implementing a Bayesian approach via mixture of skew circular distributions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Though a continued increase in life expectancy is a significant public health achievement, keeping older adults active and maintaining their well-being is challenging. Active aging requires physical health, mental health, functional independence, economic stability, social participation, and spiritual identification. Among all these factors, social cohesion has significant importance, but there is a dearth of studies focusing on older adults' social cohesion. Thus, the present study focuses on the level of social cohesion among older adults and its variation among the different economic classes. This article uses data from the Study on Global AGEing and Adult Health (SAGE) conducted in China, Ghana, India, Mexico, Russia, and South Africa during 2007–10. Social cohesion scores have been constructed using Item Response Theory Partial Credit Model. Also, bivariate analysis, concentration curves, concentration indices, and multivariate regressions have been used for the analysis presented in this paper. This study confirms the strong predictive power of age, wealth, education, and working status of older adults on their social cohesion across the countries. Higher social non-cohesion is found among the economically poor older adults in Mexico, Russia, India, and China. In contrast, it is just opposite in the case of older adults in South Africa. Governments should develop policies to foster a society with a high level of social inclusion, social capital, and social diversity, to achieve further advancement in social cohesion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pavements across Free State in South Africa often experience seasonal moisture variations that trigger, volumetric movement of the subgrade soil. The interaction of moisture-suction relationship and associated cyclic loads also contribute to pavement failure across this region. The current study investigated the failure cause of existing pavement structures constructed on expansive subgrades in the Free State province of South Africa. Material samples were collected from three representative sites by core drilling. Series of consolidated undrained triaxial tests (CU), free swell index (FSI) tests, zero swelling tests (ZST), filter paper tests, and unsaturated California bearing ratio (CBR u) tests were performed to investigate causes of pavement failure through the principles of unsaturated soil mechanics. The results revealed that the investigated pavements deteriorate by swelling of the subgrades. The findings also evaluated that traffic loads significantly affected pavement structure as resistance failure to moisture were triggered from the asphalt layer. The asphalt thickness layer failed to provide sufficient surcharge pressure to confine swelling stress from the subgrades. The result further revealed that the CBR u and matric suction decreased by 52.33% on average, with an increase in swelling stress as moisture content increases. The study suggested that seasonal moisture variations associated with excessive traffic load could be the main cause of pavement failure, as its pavement was designed for low to medium volume road users. In comparison, swelling stress values from the dry side were 8.63% higher than that of the swelling stress values obtained from the wet-side. The result further revealed that swelling stress was the major cause of the pavements' failure. Thus, as swelling stress increased with an increase in moisture; this consequently led to a considerable decrease in shear resistance and bearing strength capacity of the subgrades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is based on a study conducted to establish if academic practice in a university designated as Azania is aligning or diverting from the expectations of the rising knowledge society in South Africa. The paper is motivated by the emerging national needs specific to the production, dissemination and application of knowledge as the country takes steps towards knowledge led development. The general assumption is that academic practice in universities is spontaneously responding to the needs of its changing environment. Thus, to establish the position of academic practice in Azania, institutional and national documents were examined from a neo-institutional perspective through qualitative discourse analysis. The results showed that research, teaching and outreach at the University was responding to national needs. Thus, academic practice in Azania is aligning more than diverting from the expectations of the rising knowledge society. However, considering that the study based on only document analysis a focus on other data sources is recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is considerable policy interest in supporting township economies at present. This is important considering their history of marginalization and the extent of unemployment and poverty. However, the short-term injection of additional resources could simply leak out unless more conducive conditions are created for enterprises to grow and develop locally. The paper examines the framework of government laws, regulations and administrative procedures that inhibit township economic development. Inappropriate standards and onerous approval systems make it difficult for firms with growth aspirations and potential to formalize their operations and expand. The current situation oscillates between laissez-faire neglect and enforcement of punitive regulations, which creates uncertainty and opportunities for abuse. The paper concludes with some recommendations to create a more enabling environment, emphasizing the need for local experimentation and learning from reforms to different elements of the regulatory framework. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the trends and determinants in happiness and happiness inequality in South Africa at the individual and aggregate district municipality level using the four waves of National Income Dynamics data. The findings indicate that while both happiness as well as income levels show increasing trends in recent years, the inequality trends differ substantially between income and happiness measures. Despite increase in income inequality, South Africa has been registering decreased happiness inequality. The paper identifies the significant determinants of happiness and happiness inequality and finds that income determines happiness level as well as happiness inequality at both individual and aggregate level. The similarity of findings at the individual and aggregate levels indicate that the happiness–income paradox noted in literature does not seem to exist within the South African context. At the aggregate level, income inequality has significant negative and positive impact on happiness levels and happiness inequality respectively. Our finding of increasing happiness levels and decreasing happiness inequality in the backdrop of increasing income inequality, is indicative that absolute effect rather than relative effect of income dominates happiness and happiness inequality at the country level in South Africa. The paper's findings reinforce the argument that happiness inequality may be a useful supplementary measure of inequality in society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses some of the impediments to the realization of refugee-specific conventions and the international bill of human rights content, i.e., the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the UDHR. The discrepancy highlights a broader failure in the diffusion of the global refugee regime and underscores the disparity between the intentions of global policy and its real-world impact. Challenges to global social policy diffusion (and the resultant  implementation gaps in Africa) are examined through the use of secondary data on refugees in South Africa and the region. Also examined is the content of human rights conventions and their adoption. The challenges noted include (i) compulsory forms of power within the global governance system and constraints on the global refugee regime; (ii) protracted social conflict situations, funding gaps, geopolitical reordering and an ensuing lack of cohesion amongst stakeholders in the transference of global social policy and (iii) limitations in the content of refugee rights and a poor alignment of the said content at the national and local contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The principles of diversity and inclusion are valued across the higher education sector, but the ways in which these principles are translated into pedagogic practice are not always evident. Students who are first in their family to attend university continue to report barriers to full participation in university life. They are more likely to leave their studies early, and to achieve lower grades in their final qualifications, than students whose families have previous experience of higher education. The purpose of this study was to explore whether a mismatch between staff perceptions and students' experiences might be a possible contributor to these disparities. The study explored and compared staff discourses about the experiences of first generation students at two universities, one in the United Kingdom (UK), and the other in South Africa (SA). One-to-one interviews were carried out with 40 staff members (20 at each institution) to explore their views about first generation students. The results showed that staff were well aware of challenges faced by first generation students; however, they were unsure of their roles in relation to shaping an inclusive environment, and tended not to consider how to use the assets that they believed first generation students bring with them to higher education. This paper explores these staff discourses; and considers proposals for challenging commonly-voiced assumptions about students and university life in a broader context of diversity and inclusive teaching practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]