Euendolithic Infestation of Mussel Shells Indirectly Improves the Thermal Buffering Offered by Mussel Beds to Associated Molluscs, but One Size Does Not Fit All
- Dievart, Alexia M, McQuaid, Christopher D, Zardi, Gerardo I, Nicastro, Katy R, Froneman, P William
- Authors: Dievart, Alexia M , McQuaid, Christopher D , Zardi, Gerardo I , Nicastro, Katy R , Froneman, P William
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/465754 , vital:76638 , https://doi.org/10.3390/d15020239
- Description: Mussel beds form important intertidal matrices that provide thermal buffering to associated invertebrate communities, especially under stressful environmental conditions. Mussel shells are often colonized by photoautotrophic euendoliths, which have indirect conditional beneficial thermoregulatory effects on both solitary and aggregated mussels by increasing the albedo of the shell. We investigated whether euendolithic infestation of artificial mussel beds (Perna perna) influences the body temperatures of four associated mollusc species during simulated periods of emersion, using shell temperature obtained via non-invasive infrared thermography as a proxy.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023
- Authors: Dievart, Alexia M , McQuaid, Christopher D , Zardi, Gerardo I , Nicastro, Katy R , Froneman, P William
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/465754 , vital:76638 , https://doi.org/10.3390/d15020239
- Description: Mussel beds form important intertidal matrices that provide thermal buffering to associated invertebrate communities, especially under stressful environmental conditions. Mussel shells are often colonized by photoautotrophic euendoliths, which have indirect conditional beneficial thermoregulatory effects on both solitary and aggregated mussels by increasing the albedo of the shell. We investigated whether euendolithic infestation of artificial mussel beds (Perna perna) influences the body temperatures of four associated mollusc species during simulated periods of emersion, using shell temperature obtained via non-invasive infrared thermography as a proxy.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023
Evaluating the establishment of a new water hyacinth biological control agent in South Africa
- Miller, Benjamin E, Coetzee, Julie A, Hill, Martin P
- Authors: Miller, Benjamin E , Coetzee, Julie A , Hill, Martin P
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/451399 , vital:75046 , http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/2254-8854/2023/a15613
- Description: Megamelus scutellaris Berg (Hemiptera: Delphacidae) is the most recent of nine biological control agents developed to manage invasive water hyacinth, Pontederia (= Eichhornia) crassipes Mart.(Pontederiaceae), in South Africa. More than a million M. scutellaris have been mass-reared and released since the first introduction of the agent into South Africa in 2013, successfully establishing overwintering populations at 32 sites in seven of the nine provinces. Establishment has also been recorded at seven of these sites through natural dispersal from sites where they had established. Inundative releases, where large numbers of M. scutellaris are released regularly, have resulted in excellent establishment, and caused a significant reduction in water hyacinth cover in areas where, historically, biological control seemed unlikely due to excessive eutrophication. Although M. scutellaris has established well throughout South Africa through classical biological control methods, this study also showed that inundative releases of biological control agents over multiple seasons results in the most effective control of the weed, especially at cool temperate and eutrophic sites.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023
- Authors: Miller, Benjamin E , Coetzee, Julie A , Hill, Martin P
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/451399 , vital:75046 , http://dx.doi.org/10.17159/2254-8854/2023/a15613
- Description: Megamelus scutellaris Berg (Hemiptera: Delphacidae) is the most recent of nine biological control agents developed to manage invasive water hyacinth, Pontederia (= Eichhornia) crassipes Mart.(Pontederiaceae), in South Africa. More than a million M. scutellaris have been mass-reared and released since the first introduction of the agent into South Africa in 2013, successfully establishing overwintering populations at 32 sites in seven of the nine provinces. Establishment has also been recorded at seven of these sites through natural dispersal from sites where they had established. Inundative releases, where large numbers of M. scutellaris are released regularly, have resulted in excellent establishment, and caused a significant reduction in water hyacinth cover in areas where, historically, biological control seemed unlikely due to excessive eutrophication. Although M. scutellaris has established well throughout South Africa through classical biological control methods, this study also showed that inundative releases of biological control agents over multiple seasons results in the most effective control of the weed, especially at cool temperate and eutrophic sites.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023
Evaluation of the antibacterial activity of gallic acid anchored phthalocyanine-doped silica nanoparticles towards Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus biofilms and planktonic cells
- Magadla, Aviwe, Openda, Yolande Ikala, Mpeta, Lekhetho S, Nyokong, Tebello
- Authors: Magadla, Aviwe , Openda, Yolande Ikala , Mpeta, Lekhetho S , Nyokong, Tebello
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/360424 , vital:65087 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pdpdt.2023.103520"
- Description: In this work, we have described the synthesis of phthalocyanine complexes Zn(II) tetrakis 4-(5-formylpyridin-2-yl)oxy) phthalocyanine (2), Zn(II) tetrakis-1 butyl 4-(2-(6- (tetra-phenoxy)pyridin-3-yl) vinyl)pyridin-1-ium phthalocyanine (3) and Zn(II) tetrakis 1 butyl 5-(2-(1-butylpyridin-1-ium-4-yl)vinyl)-2-(tetra-phenoxy)pyridin-1-ium phthalocyanine (4). The effect of a varying number of charges when the Pc complexes are alone or grafted in gallic acid (GA) tagged silica nanoparticles on photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy (PACT) is investigated toward Staphylococcus aureus (S.aureus) and Escherichia coli (E.coli) in both planktonic and biofilm forms. Complex 4, bearing a total of 8 cationic charges, displayed the highest activity with log CFU (colony forming units) values of 8.60 and 6.42 against E.coli and S.aureus biofilms, respectively. The surface stability of E.coli and S.aureus biofilms in the presence of 4 and its conjugate was analyzed using cyclic voltammetry. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Raman spectra are also used to study the conformational and biochemical changes within biofilm upon subjecting them to PACT.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023
- Authors: Magadla, Aviwe , Openda, Yolande Ikala , Mpeta, Lekhetho S , Nyokong, Tebello
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/360424 , vital:65087 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pdpdt.2023.103520"
- Description: In this work, we have described the synthesis of phthalocyanine complexes Zn(II) tetrakis 4-(5-formylpyridin-2-yl)oxy) phthalocyanine (2), Zn(II) tetrakis-1 butyl 4-(2-(6- (tetra-phenoxy)pyridin-3-yl) vinyl)pyridin-1-ium phthalocyanine (3) and Zn(II) tetrakis 1 butyl 5-(2-(1-butylpyridin-1-ium-4-yl)vinyl)-2-(tetra-phenoxy)pyridin-1-ium phthalocyanine (4). The effect of a varying number of charges when the Pc complexes are alone or grafted in gallic acid (GA) tagged silica nanoparticles on photodynamic antimicrobial chemotherapy (PACT) is investigated toward Staphylococcus aureus (S.aureus) and Escherichia coli (E.coli) in both planktonic and biofilm forms. Complex 4, bearing a total of 8 cationic charges, displayed the highest activity with log CFU (colony forming units) values of 8.60 and 6.42 against E.coli and S.aureus biofilms, respectively. The surface stability of E.coli and S.aureus biofilms in the presence of 4 and its conjugate was analyzed using cyclic voltammetry. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and Raman spectra are also used to study the conformational and biochemical changes within biofilm upon subjecting them to PACT.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023
Examining the reading comprehension pedagogical practices developed by ESL teachers in Namibian primary schools
- Alumbungu, Marta N, Mpofu, Nhlanhla
- Authors: Alumbungu, Marta N , Mpofu, Nhlanhla
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/483338 , vital:78745 , https://doi.org/10.1080/09500782.2023.2292597
- Description: Many studies addressing methods to improve reading comprehension in English Language Learners (ELLs) primarily focus on WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic) samples. Unfortunately, ESL teachers in global South regions like Namibia have often been overlooked in this research. This study aims to bridge this gap by examining the self-developed strategies employed by Grade 7 ESL teachers to enhance reading comprehension in primary schools within Namibia’s Oshikoto region. This research adopts an exploratory case study approach with an interpretivist orientation. The selection of five Grade 7 ESL teachers is done purposefully, and data collection involves stimulated recall interviews and classroom observations. To analyse the collected data, an inductive thematic analysis is applied.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023
- Authors: Alumbungu, Marta N , Mpofu, Nhlanhla
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/483338 , vital:78745 , https://doi.org/10.1080/09500782.2023.2292597
- Description: Many studies addressing methods to improve reading comprehension in English Language Learners (ELLs) primarily focus on WEIRD (Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic) samples. Unfortunately, ESL teachers in global South regions like Namibia have often been overlooked in this research. This study aims to bridge this gap by examining the self-developed strategies employed by Grade 7 ESL teachers to enhance reading comprehension in primary schools within Namibia’s Oshikoto region. This research adopts an exploratory case study approach with an interpretivist orientation. The selection of five Grade 7 ESL teachers is done purposefully, and data collection involves stimulated recall interviews and classroom observations. To analyse the collected data, an inductive thematic analysis is applied.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023
Exploring Conceptions of ‘Number Sense’ Evident in Pre-service Programmes for Primary School Teachers: A Review of Texts Used Across 11 University Programmes
- Westaway, Lise, Webb, Lyn, Weitz, Maria, Botha, Hanlie
- Authors: Westaway, Lise , Webb, Lyn , Weitz, Maria , Botha, Hanlie
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/483358 , vital:78747 , https://doi.org/10.1080/18117295.2023.2226545
- Description: This paper examines the conceptions of ‘number sense’ as promoted in pre-service primary mathematics education courses at 11 South African Higher Education Institutions through the texts used by academics or prescribed for students. While all the participating institutions agree that the development of primary school learners’ ‘number sense’ is central to their mathematics methodology courses and that there is an overwhelming amount of research and literature on ‘number sense’ nationally and internationally, their conceptualisations of the nature of ‘number sense’ vary. Teacher educators, who develop pre-service teacher education courses, were asked to provide the texts, used to underpin the 11 universities’ mathematics education modules in the Bachelor of Education (Foundation and Intermediate Phases) and Post Graduate Certificate in Education (Foundation and Intermediate Phases) programmes. These texts were analysed drawing on Whitacre et al.’s emphasis on three ‘number sense constructs’ identified as Innate Number Sense, Early Number Sense and Mature Number Sense. The results show that there is no common language of description for ‘number sense’ across the 11 universities. This research implies that there is a need to develop a consistent understanding of ‘number sense’ and how it is developed across institutions.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023
- Authors: Westaway, Lise , Webb, Lyn , Weitz, Maria , Botha, Hanlie
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/483358 , vital:78747 , https://doi.org/10.1080/18117295.2023.2226545
- Description: This paper examines the conceptions of ‘number sense’ as promoted in pre-service primary mathematics education courses at 11 South African Higher Education Institutions through the texts used by academics or prescribed for students. While all the participating institutions agree that the development of primary school learners’ ‘number sense’ is central to their mathematics methodology courses and that there is an overwhelming amount of research and literature on ‘number sense’ nationally and internationally, their conceptualisations of the nature of ‘number sense’ vary. Teacher educators, who develop pre-service teacher education courses, were asked to provide the texts, used to underpin the 11 universities’ mathematics education modules in the Bachelor of Education (Foundation and Intermediate Phases) and Post Graduate Certificate in Education (Foundation and Intermediate Phases) programmes. These texts were analysed drawing on Whitacre et al.’s emphasis on three ‘number sense constructs’ identified as Innate Number Sense, Early Number Sense and Mature Number Sense. The results show that there is no common language of description for ‘number sense’ across the 11 universities. This research implies that there is a need to develop a consistent understanding of ‘number sense’ and how it is developed across institutions.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023
Exploring the Incremental Improvements of YOLOv5 on Tracking and Identifying Great White Sharks in Cape Town
- Kuhlane, Luxolo L, Brown, Dane L, Boby, Alden
- Authors: Kuhlane, Luxolo L , Brown, Dane L , Boby, Alden
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/464107 , vital:76476 , xlink:href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-37963-5_98"
- Description: The information on great white sharks is used by scientists to help better understand the marine organisms and to mitigate any chances of extinction of great white sharks. Sharks play a very important role in the ocean, and their role in the oceans is under-appreciated by the general public, which results in negative attitudes towards sharks. The tracking and identification of sharks are done using manual labour, which is not very accurate and time-consuming. This paper uses a deep learning approach to help identify and track great white sharks in Cape Town. A popular object detecting system used in this paper is YOLO, which is implemented to help identify the great white shark. In conjunction with YOLO, the paper also uses ESRGAN to help upscale low-quality images from the datasets into more high-quality images before being put into the YOLO system. The main focus of this paper is to help train the system; this includes training the system to identify great white sharks in difficult conditions such as murky water or unclear deep-sea conditions.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023
- Authors: Kuhlane, Luxolo L , Brown, Dane L , Boby, Alden
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/464107 , vital:76476 , xlink:href="https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-031-37963-5_98"
- Description: The information on great white sharks is used by scientists to help better understand the marine organisms and to mitigate any chances of extinction of great white sharks. Sharks play a very important role in the ocean, and their role in the oceans is under-appreciated by the general public, which results in negative attitudes towards sharks. The tracking and identification of sharks are done using manual labour, which is not very accurate and time-consuming. This paper uses a deep learning approach to help identify and track great white sharks in Cape Town. A popular object detecting system used in this paper is YOLO, which is implemented to help identify the great white shark. In conjunction with YOLO, the paper also uses ESRGAN to help upscale low-quality images from the datasets into more high-quality images before being put into the YOLO system. The main focus of this paper is to help train the system; this includes training the system to identify great white sharks in difficult conditions such as murky water or unclear deep-sea conditions.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023
Exploring The Incremental Improvements of YOLOv7 on Bull Sharks in Mozambique
- Kuhlane, Luxolo L, Brown, Dane L, Brown, Alden
- Authors: Kuhlane, Luxolo L , Brown, Dane L , Brown, Alden
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/464118 , vital:76478 , xlink:href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Dane-Brown-2/publication/368455814_Exploring_The_Incremental_Improvements_of_YOLOv7_on_Bull_Sharks_in_Mozambique/links/63e8d321dea6121757a4ba7f/Exploring-The-Incremental-Improvements-of-YOLOv7-on-Bull-Sharks-in-Mozambique.pdf?origin=journalDetailand_tp=eyJwYWdlIjoiam91cm5hbERldGFpbCJ9"
- Description: Scientists use bull shark data to better understand marine organisms and to reduce the likelihood of bull shark extinction. Sharks play an important role in the ocean, and their importance is underappreciated by the general public, leading to negative attitudes toward sharks. The tracking and identification of sharks is done by hand, which is inefficient and time-consuming. This paper employs a deep learning approach to assist in the identification and tracking of bull sharks in Mozambique. YOLO is a popular object detection system used in this paper to aid in the identification of the great white shark. In addition to YOLO, the paper employs ESRGAN to help upscale low-quality images from the datasets into higher-quality images before they are fed into the YOLO system. The primary goal of this paper is to assist in training the system to identify bull sharks in difficult conditions such as murky water or unclear deep-sea conditions.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023
- Authors: Kuhlane, Luxolo L , Brown, Dane L , Brown, Alden
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/464118 , vital:76478 , xlink:href="https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Dane-Brown-2/publication/368455814_Exploring_The_Incremental_Improvements_of_YOLOv7_on_Bull_Sharks_in_Mozambique/links/63e8d321dea6121757a4ba7f/Exploring-The-Incremental-Improvements-of-YOLOv7-on-Bull-Sharks-in-Mozambique.pdf?origin=journalDetailand_tp=eyJwYWdlIjoiam91cm5hbERldGFpbCJ9"
- Description: Scientists use bull shark data to better understand marine organisms and to reduce the likelihood of bull shark extinction. Sharks play an important role in the ocean, and their importance is underappreciated by the general public, leading to negative attitudes toward sharks. The tracking and identification of sharks is done by hand, which is inefficient and time-consuming. This paper employs a deep learning approach to assist in the identification and tracking of bull sharks in Mozambique. YOLO is a popular object detection system used in this paper to aid in the identification of the great white shark. In addition to YOLO, the paper employs ESRGAN to help upscale low-quality images from the datasets into higher-quality images before they are fed into the YOLO system. The primary goal of this paper is to assist in training the system to identify bull sharks in difficult conditions such as murky water or unclear deep-sea conditions.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023
Farming households’ food demand in South West Nigeria: An application of Substitution Elasticity Demand System (SEDS)
- Egbetokun, Olugbenga A, Fraser, Gavin C G
- Authors: Egbetokun, Olugbenga A , Fraser, Gavin C G
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/471490 , vital:77458 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/ejc-aref_v15_n1_a4
- Description: Food constitutes a key component of a number of fundamental welfare dimensions, such as food security, nutrition and health. It makes up the largest share of total household expenditure in low-income countries, accounting on average for about 50% of the households’ budgets. Most demand analysis use existing models, but this study applied a new model – SEDS to analyse food demand among farming households in South West Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling technique was employed study to select 342 respondents. Primary data was collected through the use of a structured questionnaire. Data collected include information on a number of different food groups consumed by households, socioeconomic characteristics, demographic factors and income. The analytical techniques used were descriptive analysis and the Substitution Elasticity Demand System (SEDS). The result of SEDS shows that own price elasticities were less than 1 except for root and tuber, and fats and oil. It was found that cereals, legumes, fruit and vegetables and animal protein were price inelastic, i.e. necessities, and roots and tubers and fats and oils were price elastic, i.e. luxury goods.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023
- Authors: Egbetokun, Olugbenga A , Fraser, Gavin C G
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/471490 , vital:77458 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/ejc-aref_v15_n1_a4
- Description: Food constitutes a key component of a number of fundamental welfare dimensions, such as food security, nutrition and health. It makes up the largest share of total household expenditure in low-income countries, accounting on average for about 50% of the households’ budgets. Most demand analysis use existing models, but this study applied a new model – SEDS to analyse food demand among farming households in South West Nigeria. A multi-stage sampling technique was employed study to select 342 respondents. Primary data was collected through the use of a structured questionnaire. Data collected include information on a number of different food groups consumed by households, socioeconomic characteristics, demographic factors and income. The analytical techniques used were descriptive analysis and the Substitution Elasticity Demand System (SEDS). The result of SEDS shows that own price elasticities were less than 1 except for root and tuber, and fats and oil. It was found that cereals, legumes, fruit and vegetables and animal protein were price inelastic, i.e. necessities, and roots and tubers and fats and oils were price elastic, i.e. luxury goods.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023
Feminism and women in African philosophy
- Etieyibo, Edwin, Tabensky, Pedro
- Authors: Etieyibo, Edwin , Tabensky, Pedro
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/453305 , vital:75244 , https://doi.org/10.1080/02580136.2023.2283674
- Description: In this preamble, we highlight some of the more recent work on gender and sexuality in African philosophy. We do this as a way of introducing the special issue on “African Philosophy, Women, and Feminism”. In particular, we outline and highlight the trajectory and intellectual landscape of several discussions on women and feminism in African philosophy in the issue, and in this way, build on some previous work on gender, women, sexuality and African philosophy.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023
- Authors: Etieyibo, Edwin , Tabensky, Pedro
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/453305 , vital:75244 , https://doi.org/10.1080/02580136.2023.2283674
- Description: In this preamble, we highlight some of the more recent work on gender and sexuality in African philosophy. We do this as a way of introducing the special issue on “African Philosophy, Women, and Feminism”. In particular, we outline and highlight the trajectory and intellectual landscape of several discussions on women and feminism in African philosophy in the issue, and in this way, build on some previous work on gender, women, sexuality and African philosophy.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023
FinTech and SMEs financing: A systematic literature review and bibliometric analysis
- Sanga, Bahati, Aziakpono, Meshach J
- Authors: Sanga, Bahati , Aziakpono, Meshach J
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/469857 , vital:77301 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.digbus.2023.100067
- Description: Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) face obstacles in raising capital and accessing financial services due to information asymmetry, high transaction costs and lack of collateral. FinTech developments have made gathering and sharing information easier, changed how funds are mobilized and allocated, and increased capital-raising activities. This paper conducts a systematic literature review on FinTech and SME financing for the period 2008–2022. So far there are unstructured and separate publications on this topic. Therefore, there is a need to consolidate the empirical research and their findings on the effectiveness of FinTech in meeting SMEs' financing needs. The bibliometric findings show that few studies on FinTech and SME financing are empirical in nature. These empirical studies surged a decade later after FinTech 3.0 started in 2008, with the majority of them using quantitative methods based on data from surveys and FinTech platforms. Furthermore, emerging alternative digital financing to SMEs have attracted more empirical studies than those on FinTech and bank lending to SMEs. In terms of publications, China is dominating, followed by the United States. The content analysis shows that FinTech has increased the ability of financial and non-financial institutions to collect and process accurate information about SMEs, thus reducing information asymmetry and transaction costs. FinTech has also increased the speed and quality of the lending cycle, from establishing an SME pipeline, collecting and processing information, to loan screening, monitoring and repayment. Finally, the paper presents research gaps and areas for future studies, challenges and policy recommendations on this novel subject.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023
- Authors: Sanga, Bahati , Aziakpono, Meshach J
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/469857 , vital:77301 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.digbus.2023.100067
- Description: Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) face obstacles in raising capital and accessing financial services due to information asymmetry, high transaction costs and lack of collateral. FinTech developments have made gathering and sharing information easier, changed how funds are mobilized and allocated, and increased capital-raising activities. This paper conducts a systematic literature review on FinTech and SME financing for the period 2008–2022. So far there are unstructured and separate publications on this topic. Therefore, there is a need to consolidate the empirical research and their findings on the effectiveness of FinTech in meeting SMEs' financing needs. The bibliometric findings show that few studies on FinTech and SME financing are empirical in nature. These empirical studies surged a decade later after FinTech 3.0 started in 2008, with the majority of them using quantitative methods based on data from surveys and FinTech platforms. Furthermore, emerging alternative digital financing to SMEs have attracted more empirical studies than those on FinTech and bank lending to SMEs. In terms of publications, China is dominating, followed by the United States. The content analysis shows that FinTech has increased the ability of financial and non-financial institutions to collect and process accurate information about SMEs, thus reducing information asymmetry and transaction costs. FinTech has also increased the speed and quality of the lending cycle, from establishing an SME pipeline, collecting and processing information, to loan screening, monitoring and repayment. Finally, the paper presents research gaps and areas for future studies, challenges and policy recommendations on this novel subject.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023
Fruits of the city: The nature, nurture and future of urban foraging
- Sardeshpande, Mallika, Shackleton, Charlie M
- Authors: Sardeshpande, Mallika , Shackleton, Charlie M
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/402259 , vital:69835 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10428"
- Description: Urban foraging is a global informal phenomenon which has been investigated in the Global North more than oth-er parts of the world. Characterising the nature of urban foraging in the Global South is imperative given the rapid urbanisation and sustainable development priorities in the region. In this study, we interviewed 80 urban forag-ers in four cities in the eastern coastal region of South Af-rica, with an aim to understand the nature of urban forag-ing in a developing nation context. We asked foragers about their initiation to and motivations for foraging, their logistics, yields and associated activities, descriptions of their foraging grounds, and if and how they had changed, and what they envisage as an ideal future for foraging.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023
- Authors: Sardeshpande, Mallika , Shackleton, Charlie M
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/402259 , vital:69835 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10428"
- Description: Urban foraging is a global informal phenomenon which has been investigated in the Global North more than oth-er parts of the world. Characterising the nature of urban foraging in the Global South is imperative given the rapid urbanisation and sustainable development priorities in the region. In this study, we interviewed 80 urban forag-ers in four cities in the eastern coastal region of South Af-rica, with an aim to understand the nature of urban forag-ing in a developing nation context. We asked foragers about their initiation to and motivations for foraging, their logistics, yields and associated activities, descriptions of their foraging grounds, and if and how they had changed, and what they envisage as an ideal future for foraging.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023
Gender and Culture Shock at University: Perspectives of First-Year Male Students From a Public University in South Africa
- Authors: Aiseng, Kealeboga
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , book chapter
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/453392 , vital:75250 , ISBN 9781668469613 , DOI: 10.4018/978-1-6684-6961-3.ch006
- Description: The chapter seeks to embark on a qualitative study with first-year male students from a public university in South Africa to understand their adjustment and adapting to university life due to challenges with gender and sexuality matters that they face. The authors is mostly interested in male students as they are the usual perpetrators of gender and sexuality offences in universities. With this chapter, the author wants to understand the experiences of these students as they transition from one world (their hometowns) to another (university campuses). Of interest in this study is that some of the students at this university come from previously disadvantaged backgrounds: villages, townships, and farmsteads. Some of them have gone through traditional rites of passage such as initiation schools; others come from patriarchal backgrounds and heteronormative backgrounds.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023
- Authors: Aiseng, Kealeboga
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , book chapter
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/453392 , vital:75250 , ISBN 9781668469613 , DOI: 10.4018/978-1-6684-6961-3.ch006
- Description: The chapter seeks to embark on a qualitative study with first-year male students from a public university in South Africa to understand their adjustment and adapting to university life due to challenges with gender and sexuality matters that they face. The authors is mostly interested in male students as they are the usual perpetrators of gender and sexuality offences in universities. With this chapter, the author wants to understand the experiences of these students as they transition from one world (their hometowns) to another (university campuses). Of interest in this study is that some of the students at this university come from previously disadvantaged backgrounds: villages, townships, and farmsteads. Some of them have gone through traditional rites of passage such as initiation schools; others come from patriarchal backgrounds and heteronormative backgrounds.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023
Governing pregnancy in the Global South: the case of post-apartheid South Africa
- du Plessis, Ulandi, Macleod, Catriona I
- Authors: du Plessis, Ulandi , Macleod, Catriona I
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/441212 , vital:73867 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1080/13698575.2023.2249943"
- Description: Women who sell sex (WSS) are vulnerable to violence. We present a scoping review of the last decade of research on the prevalence and incidence of, factors associated with, and services regarding violence against WSS in Eastern and Southern African (ESA). A systematic search of various databases resulted in 20 papers being reviewed. Inclusion criteria, applied by the first two authors, were as follows: empirical papers, key research problem is violence against WSS, and conducted in ESA countries. The lifetime prevalence of violence revealed in the studies ranged from 21% to 82%. A pattern of generalized violence against WSS from paying clients, male partners, strangers, family members, friends/acquaintances, and the authorities emerged. Factors associated with violence included the context within which the sex work occurs, alcohol use, type of sex exchange interactions, and personal factors (low education, low income, marriage, youth, high client volume, time in sex work, forced sexual debut, and internalized sex work stigma). WSS seldom access services after violence. Evaluations of two programs, a woman-focused HIV intervention, and the Diagonal Interventions to Fast-Forward Reproductive Health project, showed improvements in gender-based violence services. Findings suggest that targeted programmes should be paired with improving general health services and focus on promoting collective agency among WSS.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023
- Authors: du Plessis, Ulandi , Macleod, Catriona I
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/441212 , vital:73867 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1080/13698575.2023.2249943"
- Description: Women who sell sex (WSS) are vulnerable to violence. We present a scoping review of the last decade of research on the prevalence and incidence of, factors associated with, and services regarding violence against WSS in Eastern and Southern African (ESA). A systematic search of various databases resulted in 20 papers being reviewed. Inclusion criteria, applied by the first two authors, were as follows: empirical papers, key research problem is violence against WSS, and conducted in ESA countries. The lifetime prevalence of violence revealed in the studies ranged from 21% to 82%. A pattern of generalized violence against WSS from paying clients, male partners, strangers, family members, friends/acquaintances, and the authorities emerged. Factors associated with violence included the context within which the sex work occurs, alcohol use, type of sex exchange interactions, and personal factors (low education, low income, marriage, youth, high client volume, time in sex work, forced sexual debut, and internalized sex work stigma). WSS seldom access services after violence. Evaluations of two programs, a woman-focused HIV intervention, and the Diagonal Interventions to Fast-Forward Reproductive Health project, showed improvements in gender-based violence services. Findings suggest that targeted programmes should be paired with improving general health services and focus on promoting collective agency among WSS.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023
Grade R Teacher Expressions of Themselves as Teachers of Early Numeracy Participating in an Intervention Programme
- Long, Roxanne, Graven, Mellony
- Authors: Long, Roxanne , Graven, Mellony
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/482388 , vital:78646 , https://doi.org/10.1080/18117295.2023.2224138
- Description: This paper explores Grade R teacher expressions of themselves as teachers of numeracy, and as teachers working in the transition phase of schooling, after their participation in a research-informed numeracy-focused professional development (PD) intervention. The Early Number Fun (ENF) programme had 33 teachers from 17 Eastern Cape schools participating monthly over 18 months. Inclusion of Grade R to schooling is relatively new following policy changes in Early Childhood Development. In-service support tends to be subsumed within the Foundation Phase without attention to the specialised nature of Grade R that emphasises learning through play. ENF focused on the development of specialised teacher knowledge to support the development of early number sense through play, particularly with conceptual manipulatives. Data sources include three pre-, during, and post-PD questionnaires. Findings reveal that participation in ENF, and access to multiple research informed numeracy resources, supported teachers in their relationship with numeracy and the teaching thereof. Questionnaire responses indicate greater confidence in themselves as knowledgeable teachers of numeracy and that belonging to the ENF community supported navigation of positive professional identities within the mixed messages of policy. The findings contribute to the community-supported field of Grade R PD research and early numeracy teaching and learning. In concluding we discuss implications of this research for Grade R PD and for policy.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023
- Authors: Long, Roxanne , Graven, Mellony
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/482388 , vital:78646 , https://doi.org/10.1080/18117295.2023.2224138
- Description: This paper explores Grade R teacher expressions of themselves as teachers of numeracy, and as teachers working in the transition phase of schooling, after their participation in a research-informed numeracy-focused professional development (PD) intervention. The Early Number Fun (ENF) programme had 33 teachers from 17 Eastern Cape schools participating monthly over 18 months. Inclusion of Grade R to schooling is relatively new following policy changes in Early Childhood Development. In-service support tends to be subsumed within the Foundation Phase without attention to the specialised nature of Grade R that emphasises learning through play. ENF focused on the development of specialised teacher knowledge to support the development of early number sense through play, particularly with conceptual manipulatives. Data sources include three pre-, during, and post-PD questionnaires. Findings reveal that participation in ENF, and access to multiple research informed numeracy resources, supported teachers in their relationship with numeracy and the teaching thereof. Questionnaire responses indicate greater confidence in themselves as knowledgeable teachers of numeracy and that belonging to the ENF community supported navigation of positive professional identities within the mixed messages of policy. The findings contribute to the community-supported field of Grade R PD research and early numeracy teaching and learning. In concluding we discuss implications of this research for Grade R PD and for policy.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023
Grandmothers of the sea: Stories and lessons from five Xhosa ocean elders
- Francis, Buhle, McGarry, Dylan K
- Authors: Francis, Buhle , McGarry, Dylan K
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , book chapter
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/433926 , vital:73010 , ISBN 9781003355199 , https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003355199-12/grandmothers-sea-buhle-francis-dylan-mcgarry
- Description: We surface a historical, political, spiritual, economic and cultural analysis made by five Xhosa Grandmothers based in the Eastern Cape, regarding their entangled relationship with the Ocean. A nuanced, complex relationship with the ocean and the politics of natural resource management in South Africa emerged from our interviews, as scholar-activists, with these Grandmothers, and this chapter attempts to explore how a gendered upbringing, with its associated roles and responsibilities, have created a unique relationship with the ocean that must be understood in all its nuanced and complex facets. We explore how the identities and values of these Xhosa Grandmothers are relationally entangled with the ocean and politics of South Africa, and explore the deep ecological knowledge that they hold, yet is shamelessly ignored. Through their own renderings, we unpack the rich understanding of marine species, customary rights, ocean policy and governance practices that impact, impede and complicate their lives. Working with first-hand accounts (stories translated from Xhosa), the Grandmothers provide a nuanced and brazen analysis of the status quo of ocean governance, ocean literacy and policy. They unpack what interventions are needed, and call for a response that recognises Grandmothers as central to South Africa’s wellbeing, a health that sits precariously with the complex realities of older women’s entangled and diverse vulnerabilities. Finally, the firsthand accounts and analyses made by the Grandmothers, offer a politically rigorous contribution to the field of hydrofeminism, one told in their own way, using their own idiomatic rendering, with their own metaphors and figurations.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023
- Authors: Francis, Buhle , McGarry, Dylan K
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , book chapter
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/433926 , vital:73010 , ISBN 9781003355199 , https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003355199-12/grandmothers-sea-buhle-francis-dylan-mcgarry
- Description: We surface a historical, political, spiritual, economic and cultural analysis made by five Xhosa Grandmothers based in the Eastern Cape, regarding their entangled relationship with the Ocean. A nuanced, complex relationship with the ocean and the politics of natural resource management in South Africa emerged from our interviews, as scholar-activists, with these Grandmothers, and this chapter attempts to explore how a gendered upbringing, with its associated roles and responsibilities, have created a unique relationship with the ocean that must be understood in all its nuanced and complex facets. We explore how the identities and values of these Xhosa Grandmothers are relationally entangled with the ocean and politics of South Africa, and explore the deep ecological knowledge that they hold, yet is shamelessly ignored. Through their own renderings, we unpack the rich understanding of marine species, customary rights, ocean policy and governance practices that impact, impede and complicate their lives. Working with first-hand accounts (stories translated from Xhosa), the Grandmothers provide a nuanced and brazen analysis of the status quo of ocean governance, ocean literacy and policy. They unpack what interventions are needed, and call for a response that recognises Grandmothers as central to South Africa’s wellbeing, a health that sits precariously with the complex realities of older women’s entangled and diverse vulnerabilities. Finally, the firsthand accounts and analyses made by the Grandmothers, offer a politically rigorous contribution to the field of hydrofeminism, one told in their own way, using their own idiomatic rendering, with their own metaphors and figurations.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023
Historical diversification of Pseudonympha Wallengren, 1857 (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Satyrinae).
- van Steenderen, Clarke J M, Pringle, Ernest L, Villet, Martin H
- Authors: van Steenderen, Clarke J M , Pringle, Ernest L , Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/442182 , vital:73965 , https://doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2023.2257373
- Description: The butterfly genus Pseudonympha and several related genera are endemic to southern Africa. Although many of the species are montane, some inhabit the arid interior of South Africa, offering an opportunity to study the palaeobiogeography of this biome. Morphological data (for all species of Pseudonympha and allied African and Asian genera) and molecular data (WG and COI genes for nine of the 15 species of Pseudonympha and all of the southern African endemic genera of Ypthimina) were compiled. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that Pseudonympha apparently originated in the Cape Fold Mountains about 15 Mya ago and spread steadily eastwards and northwards along the Great Escarpment during the aridification of the region, perhaps assisted by orogeny in the east and oceanic cooling in the west. Aridification cycles seem to have intermittently isolated some early lineages in elevated habitats in the interior, so that those lineages show lower speciation rates (or perhaps higher extinction rates) than those in the east. Four species delineation techniques indicated that some species are taxonomically oversplit. Based on genetic polyphyly and morphological similarity, we propose that the status of P. swanepoeli be reduced to that of a subspecies of P. varii, such that all the north-eastern populations from Harrismith to Tzaneen fall under P. varii swanepoeli van Son stat. n., and all the southern populations fall under P. varii varii van Son stat. n. Ultimately, the diversification of both of these lineages seems tied to their host plants’ response to aridification brought on by continental drift and orogeny. Sympatric organisms (eg cicadas) with biologies focused around different resources (eg savanna trees) show other patterns of diversification. The phylogenetic analysis of the subtribe Ypthimina also supports the monophyly of Paternympha, paraphyly of Ypthima, recognition of Thymipa Moore stat. rev. as a phylogenetic independent genus, and new relationships for Strabena.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023
- Authors: van Steenderen, Clarke J M , Pringle, Ernest L , Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/442182 , vital:73965 , https://doi.org/10.1080/00222933.2023.2257373
- Description: The butterfly genus Pseudonympha and several related genera are endemic to southern Africa. Although many of the species are montane, some inhabit the arid interior of South Africa, offering an opportunity to study the palaeobiogeography of this biome. Morphological data (for all species of Pseudonympha and allied African and Asian genera) and molecular data (WG and COI genes for nine of the 15 species of Pseudonympha and all of the southern African endemic genera of Ypthimina) were compiled. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that Pseudonympha apparently originated in the Cape Fold Mountains about 15 Mya ago and spread steadily eastwards and northwards along the Great Escarpment during the aridification of the region, perhaps assisted by orogeny in the east and oceanic cooling in the west. Aridification cycles seem to have intermittently isolated some early lineages in elevated habitats in the interior, so that those lineages show lower speciation rates (or perhaps higher extinction rates) than those in the east. Four species delineation techniques indicated that some species are taxonomically oversplit. Based on genetic polyphyly and morphological similarity, we propose that the status of P. swanepoeli be reduced to that of a subspecies of P. varii, such that all the north-eastern populations from Harrismith to Tzaneen fall under P. varii swanepoeli van Son stat. n., and all the southern populations fall under P. varii varii van Son stat. n. Ultimately, the diversification of both of these lineages seems tied to their host plants’ response to aridification brought on by continental drift and orogeny. Sympatric organisms (eg cicadas) with biologies focused around different resources (eg savanna trees) show other patterns of diversification. The phylogenetic analysis of the subtribe Ypthimina also supports the monophyly of Paternympha, paraphyly of Ypthima, recognition of Thymipa Moore stat. rev. as a phylogenetic independent genus, and new relationships for Strabena.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023
History matters: Societal acceptance of deep-sea mining and incipient conflicts in Papua New Guinea
- van Putten, Ingrid, Aswani, Shankar, Boonstra, W.J, De la Cruz-Modino, R, Das, Jewel, Glaser, Marion, Heck, Nadine, Narayan, Siddharth, Paytan, Adina, Selim, Samiya, Vave, Ron
- Authors: van Putten, Ingrid , Aswani, Shankar , Boonstra, W.J , De la Cruz-Modino, R , Das, Jewel , Glaser, Marion , Heck, Nadine , Narayan, Siddharth , Paytan, Adina , Selim, Samiya , Vave, Ron
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/391453 , vital:68653 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s40152-023-00318-0"
- Description: New marine industries that develop and grow in response to the changing demand for their products have the potential to exert pressure on fragile marine environments. These emerging industries can benefit local communities but equally can have negative environmental and socio-cultural impacts. The development of new and emerging industries, like deep seabed mining (DSM), requires the acceptance and involvement of local communities. Yet, the history of marine exploitation is imbued with conflicts between industries and local communities. This paper presents a DSM case study in Papua New Guinea (PNG) to stimulate debate around the potential for conflict in the pursuit of resource extraction from the deep sea and the social and environmental harm that these extractions can cause. We do so by first presenting a timeline of local and extra-local events and enabling conditions that form the development background for the DSM Solwara 1 project in PNG. We then undertake a media narrative analysis to consider the contribution of aspects of social acceptability to this highly complex and multi-scale conflict. We find that the lack of (or a decrease in) social acceptability contributed to the conflict situation and ultimately the demise of the Solwara 1 project. Extra-locally, the initial development was positively framed around solutions for decarbonisation using new technology. Over time, actions by international NGOs, financial issues related to foreign companies, and asymmetry in the power balance between the Pacific Island nation and global businesses played a role in growing negative perceptions of acceptability. Historical experiences with prior environmental mining disasters, together with sea tenure governance challenges, and a lack of community and stakeholder acceptance also contributed to the demise of the project. Untangling and debating these complex interactions provides context and reasons for the tension between the lack of societal acceptance at a local scale and the perceived need for DSM products in the global North for innovative technologies and decarbonising societies. Better understanding these interactions and tensions can help emerging industries navigate a future blue economy.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023
- Authors: van Putten, Ingrid , Aswani, Shankar , Boonstra, W.J , De la Cruz-Modino, R , Das, Jewel , Glaser, Marion , Heck, Nadine , Narayan, Siddharth , Paytan, Adina , Selim, Samiya , Vave, Ron
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/391453 , vital:68653 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s40152-023-00318-0"
- Description: New marine industries that develop and grow in response to the changing demand for their products have the potential to exert pressure on fragile marine environments. These emerging industries can benefit local communities but equally can have negative environmental and socio-cultural impacts. The development of new and emerging industries, like deep seabed mining (DSM), requires the acceptance and involvement of local communities. Yet, the history of marine exploitation is imbued with conflicts between industries and local communities. This paper presents a DSM case study in Papua New Guinea (PNG) to stimulate debate around the potential for conflict in the pursuit of resource extraction from the deep sea and the social and environmental harm that these extractions can cause. We do so by first presenting a timeline of local and extra-local events and enabling conditions that form the development background for the DSM Solwara 1 project in PNG. We then undertake a media narrative analysis to consider the contribution of aspects of social acceptability to this highly complex and multi-scale conflict. We find that the lack of (or a decrease in) social acceptability contributed to the conflict situation and ultimately the demise of the Solwara 1 project. Extra-locally, the initial development was positively framed around solutions for decarbonisation using new technology. Over time, actions by international NGOs, financial issues related to foreign companies, and asymmetry in the power balance between the Pacific Island nation and global businesses played a role in growing negative perceptions of acceptability. Historical experiences with prior environmental mining disasters, together with sea tenure governance challenges, and a lack of community and stakeholder acceptance also contributed to the demise of the project. Untangling and debating these complex interactions provides context and reasons for the tension between the lack of societal acceptance at a local scale and the perceived need for DSM products in the global North for innovative technologies and decarbonising societies. Better understanding these interactions and tensions can help emerging industries navigate a future blue economy.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023
Host-specificity testing of the leaf-feeding flea beetle, Phenrica guerini, a biological control agent for the invasive alien cactus, Pereskia aculeata
- Dixon, Elizabeth, Paterson, Iain D, Muskett, Phillippa C, McConnachie, Andrew J
- Authors: Dixon, Elizabeth , Paterson, Iain D , Muskett, Phillippa C , McConnachie, Andrew J
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/417687 , vital:71478 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1080/09583157.2023.2214342"
- Description: Pereskia aculeata Miller (Cactaceae) is an environmentally damaging invasive alien plant in South Africa and Australia. The flea-beetle, Phenrica guerini Bechyné (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), has been used in South Africa as a biological control agent against the plant for more than 30 years but updated host-specificity testing was required to determine its suitability as an agent in Australia. No-choice larval survival tests were conducted on 26 test plant species from 11 families, with survival to the adult stage only being recorded on the target weed, P. aculeata. No-choice oviposition testing with adult P. guerini was conducted on six test plant species. No adult feeding was recorded on any test plants and significantly more eggs were oviposited on P. aculeata (158.8 SE ± 21.4) than on Talinum caffrum (5.2 SE ± 5.2), which was the only test plant on which they oviposited. The adults survived on average 27 days longer on P. aculeata than on any test plant species. In a multiple-choice trial that included all three species that supported any larval feeding as well as P. aculeata, oviposition and feeding was only recorded on target weed. Phenrica guerini is suitably host specific for consideration in Australia as a biological control agent against P. aculeata.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023
- Authors: Dixon, Elizabeth , Paterson, Iain D , Muskett, Phillippa C , McConnachie, Andrew J
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/417687 , vital:71478 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1080/09583157.2023.2214342"
- Description: Pereskia aculeata Miller (Cactaceae) is an environmentally damaging invasive alien plant in South Africa and Australia. The flea-beetle, Phenrica guerini Bechyné (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), has been used in South Africa as a biological control agent against the plant for more than 30 years but updated host-specificity testing was required to determine its suitability as an agent in Australia. No-choice larval survival tests were conducted on 26 test plant species from 11 families, with survival to the adult stage only being recorded on the target weed, P. aculeata. No-choice oviposition testing with adult P. guerini was conducted on six test plant species. No adult feeding was recorded on any test plants and significantly more eggs were oviposited on P. aculeata (158.8 SE ± 21.4) than on Talinum caffrum (5.2 SE ± 5.2), which was the only test plant on which they oviposited. The adults survived on average 27 days longer on P. aculeata than on any test plant species. In a multiple-choice trial that included all three species that supported any larval feeding as well as P. aculeata, oviposition and feeding was only recorded on target weed. Phenrica guerini is suitably host specific for consideration in Australia as a biological control agent against P. aculeata.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023
IFRS and FPI nexus: does the quality of the institutional framework matter for African countries?
- Simbi, Chipo, Arendse, Jacqueline A, Khumalo, Sibanisezwe A
- Authors: Simbi, Chipo , Arendse, Jacqueline A , Khumalo, Sibanisezwe A
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/470633 , vital:77380 , https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/jaee-10-2021-0319/full/html
- Description: The institutional framework of an African country may influence the effectiveness of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) on foreign investment inflows. The purpose of this paper is to argue that the quality of a country's institutional framework impacts the effectiveness of IFRS to an adopting country and ultimately influences the levels of Foreign Portfolio Investment (FPI). Employing country-level data. A sample of 15 countries from Africa is used. Data is collected over a period of 22 years (1994–2014). The authors employ the General Method of Moments (GMM) panel regression technique to examine whether the quality of a country's institutional framework has an impact on the relationship between IFRS and FPI and the Propensity Score Matching (PSM) technique to assess the level of impact.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023
- Authors: Simbi, Chipo , Arendse, Jacqueline A , Khumalo, Sibanisezwe A
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/470633 , vital:77380 , https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/jaee-10-2021-0319/full/html
- Description: The institutional framework of an African country may influence the effectiveness of the International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) on foreign investment inflows. The purpose of this paper is to argue that the quality of a country's institutional framework impacts the effectiveness of IFRS to an adopting country and ultimately influences the levels of Foreign Portfolio Investment (FPI). Employing country-level data. A sample of 15 countries from Africa is used. Data is collected over a period of 22 years (1994–2014). The authors employ the General Method of Moments (GMM) panel regression technique to examine whether the quality of a country's institutional framework has an impact on the relationship between IFRS and FPI and the Propensity Score Matching (PSM) technique to assess the level of impact.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023
Impact of Access and Benefit Sharing implementation on biological control genetic resources
- Mason, Peter G, Barratt, Barbara I P, Mc Kay, Fernando, Klapwijk, Johannette N, Silvestri, Luciano C, Hill, Martin P, Hinz, Hariet L, Sheppard, Andy, Brodeur, Jacques, Vitorino, Marcello Diniz, Weyl, Philip S R, Hoelmer, Kim A
- Authors: Mason, Peter G , Barratt, Barbara I P , Mc Kay, Fernando , Klapwijk, Johannette N , Silvestri, Luciano C , Hill, Martin P , Hinz, Hariet L , Sheppard, Andy , Brodeur, Jacques , Vitorino, Marcello Diniz , Weyl, Philip S R , Hoelmer, Kim A
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/418013 , vital:71501 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10526-023-10176-8"
- Description: The third objective of the Convention on Biological Diversity, the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the use of genetic resources was further developed when the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing came into effect in 2014. Interpretation of how this agreement is being implemented is wide-ranging and there are implications for biological control. A survey of biological control workers indicated that while some countries have facilitated access to biological control genetic resources, requirements in other countries have impeded biological control implementation. There was consensus that benefits to provider countries should be in the form of supporting local research communities. There was also agreement that the free use and exchange of biological control genetic resources has provided benefits to the global community, including to both providers and recipients of the agents. It is recommended that consideration of the free use and exchange principal should be a key element of Access and Benefit Sharing measures for the future.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023
- Authors: Mason, Peter G , Barratt, Barbara I P , Mc Kay, Fernando , Klapwijk, Johannette N , Silvestri, Luciano C , Hill, Martin P , Hinz, Hariet L , Sheppard, Andy , Brodeur, Jacques , Vitorino, Marcello Diniz , Weyl, Philip S R , Hoelmer, Kim A
- Date: 2023
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/418013 , vital:71501 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s10526-023-10176-8"
- Description: The third objective of the Convention on Biological Diversity, the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the use of genetic resources was further developed when the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing came into effect in 2014. Interpretation of how this agreement is being implemented is wide-ranging and there are implications for biological control. A survey of biological control workers indicated that while some countries have facilitated access to biological control genetic resources, requirements in other countries have impeded biological control implementation. There was consensus that benefits to provider countries should be in the form of supporting local research communities. There was also agreement that the free use and exchange of biological control genetic resources has provided benefits to the global community, including to both providers and recipients of the agents. It is recommended that consideration of the free use and exchange principal should be a key element of Access and Benefit Sharing measures for the future.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2023