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This case study aims to provide key considerations that traditional residential universities should consider when deciding to offer a distance tuition programme alongside an existing contact tuition programme. The University of the Free State is the only residential university to offer the Bachelor of Laws through both contact and distance modes of tuition. Therefore, an evaluation of this programme serves as an ideal case study to extract specific and essential considerations that other institutions, faculties or departments may use when deciding to offer a distance tuition programme in addition to its contact programme. The case study suggests that it is not feasible to merely duplicate an existing contact tuition programme and present it as a distance programme. A distinct pedagogical approach must be followed. It entails training, redesign of material, and rethinking assessment policies. Faculties should weigh the potential benefits of presenting a distance LLB against the labour-intensive nature of distance tuition and its probable limited success in realising broader access and student success. The funding model for distance tuition remains problematic and is financially unfeasible and unsustainable for many higher education institutions. Rethinking the funding model will be one step closer to achieving the objectives set out in the distance tuition policy framework.

South Africa is the third most biodiverse country in the world and insects represent a large part of its faunal diversity, as is seen globally. With more than 65,000 described animal species in South Africa, insects represent 44,088 species. While there are still a lot of species yet to be identified, progress may be hindered by the few insect taxonomists available in South Africa and subsequently, the time-consuming nature and costs of the methods used during species identification. DNA barcoding, on the other hand, has become a valuable tool for documenting biodiversity with the use of a small DNA fragment such as cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI). This paper aims to assess South Africa’s contribution to the Barcode of Life Database (BOLD) as well as highlight the regions that are under-represented on BOLD. From the 4,984,215 Insecta records on BOLD, South Africa contributed 56,392 insect records, with only 16.85% of that total identified to species level. The Gauteng Province had the most represented insect samples submitted to BOLD with 63.57% followed by Kwazulu-Natal (15.74%), and Mpumalanga (5.73%). However, the Free State, Limpopo, and the Northern Cape provinces are all under-represented on BOLD. This is evident as both the Northern Cape and Limpopo provinces contain one or more biodiversity hotspots which in turn displays the high levels of biodiversity that could still be recorded on BOLD. Improving our understanding with regards to DNA barcoding data linked to geographical regions, as well as specific insect groups, can highlight the areas in need of more research.

Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia L.) is a globally widespread tree of North American origin, considered as a tree of economic importance in some countries and regarded as disruptive invader in others. In South Africa, the species is categorised as a category1b invasive species which dictates the species as undesirable warranting management. We conducted a survey on how the tree has been integrated into livelihoods of peri-urban inhabitants in the eastern Free State Province of South Africa. Results showed that while the tree is currently being utilised by peri-urban dwellers, it is not the species of choice. Moreover, its contribution to household incomes is insignificant while several negative impacts were noted. Given its adverse impacts on grassland ecosystems and the limited community dependency on the tree species, Black locust in the Free State may be safe to target for sustainable control in order to preserve key grassland ecosystem services.

Reassessing methods within a business is important as it can prove certain concepts could indeed work, improve current methods and reinforces knowledge to the assessors. The utility’s (Eskom) recloser placement methodology mainly focuses on improving their performance figures and reaching their performance targets and does not focus on the financial aspect of their methods. The purpose of this paper is to present a method that will optimize the placement of reclosers on medium voltage distribution networks. Eskom can by focusing on the financial aspects of the recloser placements, benefit by improving performance as well as saving money at the same time, especially during fault conditions. A cost-benefit analyses methodology is applied where data is derived from a medium voltage distribution network in the Free State that serves more than 2000 customers. The number of reclosers and the placement of them will be determined by using matrix tables and formulas. Data was extracted from the utility record systems. The findings suggested that a recloser can pay itself back within one year using this method. In order to make an informed decision as to the placing of a recloser on a medium voltage distribution network, it is recommended to use the proposed method. The proposed method will assist in the decision as to the viability of placing a recloser on a specific pole location. Future studies may be done by combining recloser placement methods with other protection sensing equipment like fault path indicators and current-voltage monitoring systems to isolate and find faults.

PurposeThis study was aimed to examine emerging knowledge commons in the public libraries in the Thabo Mofutsanyane District in Free State, South Africa.Design/methodology/approachA triangulated sample survey was adopted to collect data from the users of the commons using a questionnaire, and data of community member and the library officers were collected using an interview schedule. The study was guided by Hess and Ostrom's Institutional Analysis and Development framework.FindingsThe librarians and the commons users recognise the changing nature, roles and services of the libraries without necessarily attributing the changes to the emergence of knowledge commons. Users viewed the commons by the learning opportunities offered by information and communication technologies. They were, however, willing to contribute their resources to boost and enrich the commons; their contributions presently take the forms of volunteering of their knowledge and skill through offering of training sessions to users of the commons. A critical aspect of the commons, namely, participation in the governance and management of the commons resources appears not to be occurring.Practical implicationsTo adequately build knowledge commons in the libraries will require formally introducing knowledge commons in the libraries, doing a systems analysis, deciding on the content and their sources, drawing up a programme for nurturing the system including training of relevant staff and then providing basic infrastructures.Originality/valueThis study used quantitative approach to deploy the institutional analysis development Institutional Analysis and Development framework in the study of public library institution. Studies on knowledge commons in public libraries have not been found.

The paper assesses the questions if and, if yes, how the republican conception of free statehood can and should inform a compelling understanding of a legitimate post-Westphalian political order. To answer these questions, it, first, reconstructs the foundational arguments of republican internationalists in favour of free states and, second, assesses the points of contention republican cosmopolitans raise. Third, it develops an alternative approach, a republicanism of plural polities: Based on a relational and multi-dimensional understanding of citizenship, the paper questions the strong internationalist reliance on the citizenship-state-nexus and on statehood in general, but also takes issue with cosmopolitans’ neglect of the boundedness of democratic self-determination. A republicanism of plural polities as a multi-perspectival approach to democratic institution-building in and beyond the state is open to constellations of plural polities of different forms and on different political levels while simultaneously recognising the particularity of each ‘free polity’. It thereby adds a new dimension to debates on the political forms legitimate institutions can assume under post-Westphalian conditions and opens avenues for research on inter-polity relations, on more complex constellations of self-rule and shared rule as well as of multilateral decision-making, on sovereignty and independence. The latter are exemplified by reference to the European context.

Figure 1. Gold with galena and quartz, 6.5 × 5 × 4 cm, St. Helena mine, Welkom, Free State Province, South Africa. Jim and Gail Spann specimen, Mark Mauthner photo(Rock Currier Trust).Reproduced wi...

The literature produced at global level by dispersed community that has common ancestral homeland is known as the literature of Indian diaspora. Indian communities are spread all over the major countries of the world. The total population of Indian diaspora in the world is near about twenty million. People from India settle abroad and maintain a strong bond with motherland. The diaspora literature have certain important features, that separate their writing from the mainstream of contemporary writers. The Indian writer have brought diaspora literature at world wide recognition. Nobel laureate V.S. Naipaul was famous writer of Indian origin had he has great contribution in diaspora literature. KEYWORDS: Diaspora, Homeland, Dispersed, Indentured, Expatriate, Exile, Migration.

The formal mining industry has marginalised women and created masculine and patriarchal societies. But research on the industry's effect on women is minimal and mostly atheoretical. The finite nature of mining and its volatility makes mining societies vulnerable. The gender issue is under-recognised, particularly the way mine closure affects women. Most of the mine closure research focuses on the mines’ environmental liabilities. This paper assesses African women's experience of mine decline and closure in South Africa's Free State Goldfields. The transition to democracy brought equal economic and political rights (formal equality) to African women in 1994, but mine decline has reinforced gender inequalities since the early 1990s. Substantive equality remains elusive. Women were historically excluded from work in the mining industry and very few were employed in the formal mining sector. Closure of a mine makes it even more difficult for them to participate. It reinforces masculine dominance and women's household roles while also placing pressure on them to support their households financially.

As part of the first year Academic Literacy course at the UFS, students are required to study graded readers. The booklets are abridged versions of Western fiction, therefore these narratives reinforce the colonial presence in our curriculum. But South African students need to read local narratives in order to learn about each other – from each other. By taking part in the Initiative for Creative African Narratives (iCAN) students improve our curriculum by writing their own short stories so that they become contributors of material that will be graded and tested to form part of the UFS Academic Literacy curriculum. Thereby, students contribute to larger bodies of knowledge through their lived experiences. This paper reflects on the challenges and opportunities within the iCAN process.

William Selinger’s Parliamentarism: from Burke to Weber aims to redefine our understanding of what it means to live in a free state. It displaces the concept of “democracy” as a (supposedly) central concern for a range of canonical nineteenth-century authors, and demonstrates that another concept, that of “parliamentarism”, stood at the core of many European liberal writers’ quest for liberty. Selinger shows that Montesquieu’s description of a “balanced” English constitution protected by a system of checks and balances was challenged by a number of contemporary observers of British politics (including Jean-Louis de Lolme and Edmund Burke), who elaborated rival accounts emphasizing instead the dominant position of a powerful representative assembly which mirrored the nation it represented. The resulting doctrine of “parliamentarism”, the book demonstrates through a series of case studies that include Tocqueville, Mill and Weber, subsequently became the “dominant paradigm of a free state across Europe” (p. 9) in the nineteenth century.

This paper reflects on experienced challenges by registered University Access Programme (UAP) students in South Africa. South African learners continue to face challenges in accessing institutions of higher education due to school performance. Therefore, to address this issue, the University of the Free State (UFS) in South Africa introduced UAP in 1993 to assist deserving students who did not meet university admission requirements due to underperformance at the school level. The UAP seemed to address the issue of access to higher education institution(s). However, once students gained access, they have faced several challenges. A Free-Attitude Interview (FAI) technique was used to identify the challenges that students experienced in UAP. Students indicated the need to improve academic support.

In this work, some structural properties were studied using the X-ray diffraction (XRD) device under the influence of different of temperature and pressure of the pure poly vinyl alcohol (PVA) nanopolymer (German origin). where 30 samples were prepared for the purpose of conducting the research. Which studied by using an X-ray diffraction device. These characteristics include the degree of crystallinity (Xc), the grain size (D), inter chain distance (r), and d-spacing (d) at different temperatures (25, 40, 80, 120, 160) °C. And with different pressures within the range (0, 7.5, 8, 8.5, 9, 9.5) MPa. Where five of those samples are in a free state when thermally treated. This means the pressure was zero. The results showed that the degree of crystallinity (Xc) decreases gradually with increasing temperature for each pressure separately, the grain size (D) decreases with increasing temperature for different pressures and decreases with increasing pressure the inverse is correct. It was also found that the average values of the inter chain distance (r) for the different pressures decrease with increasing temperatures separately until it reaches a temperature of 120 °C, after which it increases with increasing temperature.

Dark tourism involves tourists visiting sites of death, disaster and depravity. Well known dark tourism sites include Chernobyl in the Ukraine, the 9/11 Memorial in New York, and the Auschwitz conc...

Studies of the visual culture of the Congo Free State (CFS) have focused overwhelmingly yet narrowly on the “atrocity” photograph used to criticize Leopold II’s colonial misrule. This article presents a new picture of the visual culture of Leopold II’s Congo Free State by examining a broader, more heterogeneous range of fin de siècle images of varied provenance that comprised the visual culture of the CFS. These include architecture, paintings, African artwork, and public monuments, many of which were positive, pro-Leopoldian images emphasizing a favorable view of colonialism. The visual culture of the CFS was imbued with recurring themes of violence, European heroism, and anti-Arab sentiment, and emerged from a unique, transnational, back-and-forth process whereby Leopold and his critics instrumentalized images to counter each other and achieve their goals.

This article examines W.B. Yeats's role in the design of the Irish Free State coinage that was introduced in 1928. From 1926–28, Yeats served as chairman of the committee charged with soliciting and selecting designs for the first Irish coins produced since 1822. The article documents unpublished correspondence from Yeats and archival material that elucidates the deliberations of the coinage committee as well as the poet's wider ideas about the visual and material culture of the new Irish state. The unsuccessful designs by international artists provide insights into the aesthetic debates and intentions behind the coins, connecting Yeats's A Vision (1925) to his account of the deliberations, printed in the government's Coinage of Saorstát Éireann (1928). The final section turns to Yeats's poems about coins where he conceives of the coin as a visual arts medium of portraiture or as a durable talisman, recording and transmitting ancient myths to modern times.

The onomastic team at the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein, South Africa, has made important contributions over the years to the study of names, primarily the place names of southern Af...

Re-swelling capacity is a key factor influencing the self-sealing efficiency of superabsorbent polymers (SAPs) in concrete. In this paper, a new parameter (re-swelling ratio, η), the volume ratio of the crack which was filled with the expansive SAPs and the dry SAPs, was given to quantify the re-swelling capacity of a single SAPs particle. An innovative immersion test was used to study the η value of SAPs in the hardened cement paste with an artificial crack. Moreover, the influence of the crack width and particle size on the sealing efficiency of SAPs in the cracked paste was investigated by a water permeability test. The results showed that the mass ratios of the expansive SAPs in an artificial crack were less than those in a free state. The η value of SAPs in the hardened paste with an artificial crack increased with the increase of the crack width due to the restricting effects of the crack. The expansive SAPs in the cracked paste could totally seal or partly seal the crack within the original void. Moreover, the sealing efficiency of SAPs slightly increased with the rise of the crack width (0.25 to 0.5 mm) and the reduction of the particle size. This research demonstrates that the crack width in concrete and the particle size of SAPs are the key factors influencing the re-swelling behavior of SAPs which should be taken into consideration when designing the self-sealing concrete containing SAPs.

The Congo Free State (CFS) propaganda war was an international campaign waged between two distinct groups. On the one side, there were Leopold II, King of the Belgians, his representatives, and his...

The current study identifies challenges confronting teachers in the teaching of Euclidean geometry in schools. This qualitative case study purposefully selected ten schools situated in the Motheo District of Education, Free State, South Africa. Data was generated using classroom observations and focus group interviews. The findings revealed that the majority of the teachers lacked mathematical subject content knowledge as well as pedagogical content knowledge to teach geometry effectively. In many cases, redeployment of teachers led to teachers being ill-equipped to teach specific subjects, such as mathematics. Recommendations have been made to enhance effective teaching and learning of mathematics (geometry in this case) in schools. https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.19.8.16

Aims: Maize is of great significance in the national food security of South Africa. Maize production levels in South Africa continue to decline, further deteriorating the situation of increased food insecurity, unemployment and increased poverty levels in the face of increasing population. This paper investigated fundamental variables influencing maize yield in the South African major maize producing regions. Study Design: A multi-stage stratified sampling method was employed to select maize producing farmers in the major maize producing provinces, namely Mpumalanga, Free State and North West provinces of South Africa. Furthermore, three districts were selected from which maize farmers were then selected. Methodology: Using linear multiple regression for a sample of 202 maize farmers, maize yield as a dependent variable was regressed against land size, fertilizer usage, labour, herbicides and seeds as independent variables. The paper employed the Cobb-Douglas production function to estimate parameters. The data obtained from the field were subjected to analysis using inferential statistics using SPSS v20. Results: The study showed that fertilizer, labour, and herbicides used in the production of maize in the study area were positively and statistically significant at a 5% confidence interval (P

The zebrafish (Danio rerio) is a well-known model organism used in an array of scientific research fields. Many microbiome studies conducted on fishes have focused on gut microbiome diversity. To our knowledge, no investigations into the skin microbiome diversity of pet shop zebrafish have been performed. In this pilot study we aimed to assess the microbiome diversity composition of different groups of zebrafish housed at the Department of Genetics, University of the Free State, South Africa. These fish originated from pet shops located in Bloemfontein, South Africa. We investigated the skin microbiome diversity between wild-type zebrafish and the well-known leopard colour morph. The microbiome compositions between zebrafish sexes were also assessed. No significant differences were observed between colour morphs. A core microbiome was identified for the zebrafish housed at our laboratories. Cetobacterium was significantly more abundant in females compared to males, with Limnobacter more abundant in males. Both these genera are known components of fish microbiomes, including zebrafish. The precise reason for this link should be further investigated. This research adds to the growing knowledge base linked to aquatic microbiome structure in different habitats.

The objective of this paper was to establish a food identity for one of South Africa’s least visited provinces, the Free State Province. Twenty-nine qualitative responses were obtained via structured interviews from tourism government and tourism association employees, local restaurateurs, local food and drink producers, local residents and a local historian. Key findings indicate that the Free State’s food identity can be described as hearty, comfort food cooked from ingredients typically found in the Free State, using recipes and preparation techniques passed on from generation to generation in Basotho and Afrikaner families. Meat and beer emerged as fundamental local items to be focussed on and promoted. Implications of the study include local tourism stakeholders gaining knowledge of which food items to promote as Free State food. The study shows that food tourism can assist in growing the tourism sector in the Free State, the development of a food tourism route and lead to the creation of a new tourism brand focussing on typical Free State food. Key literature contributions of this study include closing a literature gap by further studying food tourism in South Africa and establishing a determination process of authentic food identities for any destination.

The CaMK subfamily of Ser/Thr kinases are regulated by calmodulin interactions with their C-terminal regions. They are exemplified by Ca2+/calmodulin dependent protein kinase 1δ which is known as CaMK1D, CaMKIδ or CKLiK. CaMK1D mediates intracellular signalling downstream of Ca2+ influx and thereby exhibits amplifications of Ca2+signals and polymorphisms that have been implicated in breast cancer and diabetes. Here we report the backbone 1H, 13C, 15N assignments of the 38 kDa human CaMK1D protein in its free state, including both the canonical bi-lobed kinase fold as well as the autoinhibitory and calmodulin binding domains.

Our quantum chemical calculations predicted high stability of a palladium complex with 1,2,3,4,5-pentaphenylphosphole (ppp). The ligand, ppp, is unstable in free state and readily oxidized in air when in solution. The complex Pd(ppp) was synthesized and detected by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. A Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry study revealed the presence of the complex in a solution after six months storage of the solution in air, thus demonstrating the possibility to stabilize the phosphorus ligand by complexation with transition metal.

SurA is the major chaperone of outer membrane proteins (OMPs) in the periplasm. The molecular mechanism when SurA performs its chaperoning function is still unclear. Here, a purification-after-crosslinking (PAC) procedure was combined with single-molecule fluorescence resonance energy transfer (smFRET) to probe the conformations of SurA and OmpC in their complex. We found that SurA in the free state rearranges itself based on the crystal structure, except that the P2 domain moves towards the core domain with two major positions, forming a clamp-like conformation to accommodate OmpC. The obvious rearrangement of the P2 domain of SurA helps SurA to hold OmpC. OmpC attaches to SurA randomly and has the propensity to be near the middle part of the crevice. The noncollapsed and disordered conformations of OMPs provided by the OMPs·SurA complex are important to the subsequent delivery and folding process.

This work is concerned with state space Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) Wiener systems which consist of a linear dynamic block connected in series with a nonlinear steady-state (static) one. Model Predictive Control (MPC) algorithms with successive on-line model or trajectory linearisation for dynamic processes described by such Wiener systems are discussed. Advantages of the presented MPC algorithms are: (a) computational efficiency since quadratic optimisation problems are only solved on-line, nonlinear optimisation is not necessary, (b) very good quality of control, (c) offset-free control (no steady-state error in presence of disturbances) assured by a novel approach to disturbance modelling and state estimation, resulting in a simple design and a simple control structure. All features of the discussed algorithms are demonstrated and their performance is compared with that of the MPC algorithm with nonlinear optimisation as well as with the traditional offset-free state-space MPC approach.

This paper traces the history of the ‘Butleng’ commonage in the Free State, South Africa. Commonage is municipally owned land available for public use. The post-apartheid government provided grants...

Free and fixed plate blade root states were simulated with finite element analysis to reveal the crack effect on the natural vibration frequency of the blade. Natural vibration frequencies are obtained for blades with different crack locations and lengths. The crack is found to reduce the blade stiffness and to affect its natural vibration frequency. The longer the crack, the greater the change of the stiffness, and the more the natural vibration frequency decreases. In the free state, the effect of the cracks of the same length on the natural vibration frequency is basically identical when it lies between the two nodal lines of first-order bending vibrations. The crack effect at a height of one-half the blade in the free state on natural frequencies is very close to that of the cracks of the same length at a height of one-eighth the blade in the fixed state. Practical guidelines for the detection of fracture cracks are given and the crack length and location were evaluated by frequency variations.

Elucidating the organometallic interactions in Baijiu will promote a deeper understanding of the flavour formation mechanism during Baijiu aging. However, the organometallic interactions during aging are difficult to explore because the concentration and status of metals in Baijiu samples are affected by other substances (such as organic acids), and the concentrations of these substances also change dynamically. Hence, the flavour formation mechanism of aged Baijiu was investigated based on a multi-method analysis (i.e. electrochemistry, ICP-MS/OES, and UPLC-Q-Orbitrap-MS/MS), which enabled us to solve the difficulty above. The key finding is that, in the aging period, the organic acids induce the transformation of the metal ion state from the complex state to the free state. As a result, the flavour compound (i.e. the esters) contents in aged Baijiu are regulated by the free metal ion-catalyzed reactions.

Invasive alien plants can use animal-plant interactions to increase their invasiveness. This study investigated the role of frugivorous birds in seed dispersal and germination of the alien plant Pyracantha angustifolia (Rosaceae) in South African high elevation grasslands. We monitored which bird species fed on the fruit of the invasive P. angustifolia in some farms in the Eastern Free State Province using camera-traps and direct surveillance. Nine bird species visited P. angustifolia shrubs to perch or feed on fruits, but only one bird (Speckled Mousebird) fed on the fruits during timed observations. To assess the effect of ingestion by avian frugivores on P. angustifolia germination, P. angustifolia fruits were fed to captive Cape White-eyes (Zosterops virens), Dark-capped Bulbuls (Pycnonotus tricolor), Purple-crested Turacos (Gallirex porphyreolophus), Red-winged Starlings (Onychognathus morio) and Speckled Mousebirds (Colius striatus). Seeds collected from bird excreta, whole fruits, and depulped fruits were grown under greenhouse conditions and germination rates recorded. All captive bird species, except for Cape White-eyes, ingested the seeds; Cape White-eyes only fed on fruit pulp that they had manually removed. Bird species with relatively larger body mass had longer seed retention times compared with the smaller bird species. Germination success of both depulped and ingested P. angustifolia seeds was high (> 80%) and that of whole fruits low (7%). Ingestion by the four avian frugivore species did not affect germination rate and success; instead, the birds facilitate the spread and germination of seeds by removing the fruit pulp and spreading the seed away from the parent shrubs.

On 1 May 2004 the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act 28 of 2002 (MPRDA) not only introduced a new mineral law regime in South Africa but also made provision in the transitional arrangements of Schedule II to the MPRDA (hereinafter "the transitional arrangements") for the conversion of so-called "old-order rights" into (or application for) prospecting or mining rights in terms of the MPRDA. This decision dealt with the duration or term of transitional prospecting rights and the remedies available to a holder of an "old-order prospecting right" upon refusal by the state functionaries to convert the right into a prospecting right in terms of the MPRDA. Item 6 of the transitional arrangements makes provision for the continuation and conversion of "old-order prospecting rights" (see, in general, Badenhorst and Mostert Mineral and Petroleum Law of South Africa (2004) Revision Service Chapter 25.3.1; and Dale, Bekker, Bashall, Chaskalson, Dixon, Grobler, Ash and Loxton South African Mineral and Petroleum Law (2005) SchII-119 to SchII-135).

Background:Identification of the geographical areas with low uptake of HIV testing could assist in spatial targeting of interventions to improve the uptake of HIV testing. Objectives:The objective of this research study was to map the uptake of HIV testing at the district level in South Africa. Method:The secondary analysis used data from the Human Sciences Research Council’s 2017 National HIV Prevalence, Incidence, Behaviour and Communication Survey, where data were collected using a multistage stratified random cluster sampling approach. Descriptive spatial methods were used to assess disparities in the proportion of those ever tested for HIV at the district level in South Africa. Results:The districts with the highest overall coverage of people ever having tested for HIV (> 85%) include West Rand in Gauteng, Lejweleputswa and Thabo Mofutsanyane in Free State, and Ngaka Modiri Molema in North-West. These provinces also had the least variation in HIV testing coverage between their districts. Districts in KwaZulu-Natal had the widest variation in coverage of HIV testing. The districts with the lowest uptake of HIV testing were uMkhanyakude (54.7%) and Ugu (61.4%) in KwaZulu-Natal and Vhembe (61.0%) in Limpopo. Most districts had a higher uptake of HIV testing amongst female than male participants. Conclusion:The uptake of HIV testing across various districts in South Africa seems to be unequal. Intervention programmes must improve the overall uptake of HIV testing, especially in uMkhanyakude and Ugu in KwaZulu-Natal and Vhembe in Limpopo. Interventions must also focus on enhancing uptake of HIV testing amongst male participants in most districts. Strategies that would improve the uptake of HIV testing include HIV self-testing and community HIV testing, specifically home-based testing.

Mitigation of deleterious heat flux from edge-localized modes (ELMs) on fusion reactors is often attempted with 3D perturbations of the confining magnetic fields. However, the established technique of resonant magnetic perturbations (RMPs) also degrades plasma performance, complicating implementation on future fusion reactors. In this paper, we introduce an adaptive real-time control scheme as a viable approach to simultaneously achieve both ELM-free states and recovered high-confinement (βN~1.91$ and HN~0.9), demonstrating successful handling of a volatile complex system through adaptive measures. We show that, by exploiting a salient hysteresis process to adaptively minimize the RMP strength, stable ELM suppression can be achieved while actively encouraging confinement recovery. This is made possible by a self-organized transport response in the plasma edge which reinforces the confinement improvement through a widening of the ion pedestal and promotes control stability, in contrast to the deteriorating effect on performance observed in standard RMP experiments. These results establish the real-time approach as an up-and-coming solution towards an optimized ELM-free state, which is an important step for the operation of ITER and reactor-grade tokamak plasmas. Notably, the real-time adaptive control scheme introduced here provides a path towards economic fusion reactors by maximizing the fusion gain while minimizing damage to machine components.

TPW is very important in climatological studies and it is largely influenced by but not limited to seas surface temperatures (SSTs) and elevation. TPW has been retrieved for different studies across the globe mostly using the microwave sensor. Most often than not the derived TPW is retrieved hourly and products can be used to further inform dry and wet conditions across different regions. The aim of this paper is the present the distribution of TPW across Free State, South Africa from 1999–2000. Effective determination of TPW across space aids in the management of available water especially in regions that are prone or battling drought. Total precipitable water, TPW and SST, was retrieved from the Google Earth Engine platform using NCEP Reanalysis and Ocean Color SMI: Standard Mapped Image MODIS Aqua Data respectively. The extracted dataset in. csv was analyzed in R. TPW is an important parameter for all studies centered around the atmosphere and its properties, in the assessment of solar energy especially in places where water vapour plays an important role. The distribution of TPW shows the variability in the spread across the entire study area. The concentration shows higher values at the fringers in the northwestern tip and northeastern tip.

Civilising Rural Ireland maps the influence of the cooperative movement on political, social, and economic developments in Ireland (and the Free State) from the 1890 s to the 1930 s. Principally Ci...

At the hydroelectric unit No. 11 of the Nizhnekamsk hydroelectric power plant, the filling wedges of a rotor were investigated by ultrasound in the free state, after “cold” tight shrinking, after “hot” tight shrinking, and after 3000 and 8000 hours of operation. The ability to evaluate the rim tightness of the rotor based on data on the redistribution of compression efforts in the wedges is demonstrated.

The aim of this paper is to summarize our knowledge of the birds of the Bloemfontein area, Free State, South Africa. It presents data on the status, distribution, population densities and habitat of the birds of this area, during the years 1977-2000 (with a special emphasis on the years 1993-1998). Both published and unpublished data are analysed. Population densities were estimated mainly using the line transect method and territory mapping method. For most fairly common, common and very common species, data on population densities are provided, while for 19 species (mainly rare or very rare), distribution maps of their occupied territories are presented. A total of 324 bird species were recorded. Breeding birds comprised 60.2% of the overall species (195), while non-breeding birds made up the remaining 39.8% (129). Among the breeding species, most (55.9%) were residents throughout the year, 3.1% were intra-African migrants and 1.2% were nomads. Non-breeding birds were represented by Palearctic migrants (35 species, 10.8%) classified as vagrants, irregular and regular visitors; and African non-breeding species (94; 29.0%), which were mainly vagrants. Among the breeding species, most were rare or very rare (100 species, 56.4%). Only 24 (12.3%) of them were very common, nine of which were non-passeres and 15 passeres. The main threat to birds in the Bloemfontein area is intensive agriculture. Some suggestions and recommendations are given for more effective and efficient bird conservation in this important area.

Human papillomaviruses (HPVs) have been associated with a subset of head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs). The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of HPV DNA in archived formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue from patients with histologically confirmed HNSCCs in a South African cohort. A nested PCR was used for the detection of HPV DNA targeting the L1 gene. Positive samples were confirmed using an in-house hemi-nested PCR targeting the E6 gene and genotyped by sequence determination of amplicons. HPV DNA was detected in 57/780 (7.3%) samples, with the highest prevalence being in the sinonasal tract (16.0%) and oropharynx (10.8%). HPV16 was the most frequently detected type, being found in 26/57 (45.6%) positive samples. The prevalence of HPV DNA in HNSCCs found in this study was lower than that found in developed countries.

In 2018, the Bavarian Cabinet ordered the installation of Christian crosses in the entrance areas of all administrations of the Free State of Bavaria. In this way, the historical and cultural character of Bavaria should be expressed „clearly visible“. The Bavarian state government, in particular the Bavarian prime minister, has thus once again sparked discussion about whether and to what extent religious symbols are permitted in public or state spaces. How much religion is desired in the religious-ideologically neutral state? What are the constitutional guidelines, which accents has jurisprudence set in recent years? How much religion does the state tolerate, how much religion can we impose on others? How does the renewed crucifix debate on the still virulent headscarf problematic behave?

This work presents the effect of stress-induced martensite aging (SIM-aging) on the functional properties of Ni53Mn25Ga22 (at.%) single crystals, oriented along the [001]L21-direction. The most effective regime of SIM-aging occurred under a compressive stress of 175 MPa along the [110]L21||[100]L10-direction at 423 K, for 2 h, which induced the high-temperature two-way shape memory effect with a reversible tensile strain of +9.0%, causing the jumping of the sample during cooling/heating in free state, and a rubber-like behavior with a giant reversible compression strain up to − 13.2% caused by L10-martensite variant reorientation.

Although most species of Aloe Linnaeus (1753: 319) flower in winter, the comparatively few taxa of this genus that occur naturally above South Africa’s climatically severe Great Escarpment tend to flower during spring when temperatures are on the increase. Two such species are A. broomii Schönland (1907: 137) and A. grandidentata Salm-Dyck (1822: 3 [species no. 2]).

This article reports on the progress (or lack thereof) regarding the use of Sesotho as an official medium of communication in selected government departments in the Free State Provincial Go...