Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Dept. of Anthropology, June 1999. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

Caption "At Storm’s River Bridge (west side), Tsitsikamma. Across the road from Restaurant & Gorge, c. 1960’s. Shows internal cross-section of a forest, with trunks and canopy.”

Submitted in fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy: Chemistry, Durban University of Technology, 2015. / Chitin, the second most abundant natural biopolymer, is composed of repeating units of N-acetyl-β-D-glucosamine and primarily forms the structural component of protective biological matrices such as fungal cell walls and exoskeletons of insects. Chitinases are a ubiquitous class of extracellular enzymes that have gained attention in the past few years due to their wide range of biotechnological applications, especially in the field of agriculture for bio-control of fungal phytopathogens. They play an important role in the defense of organisms against chitin-containing parasites by hydrolyzing the β-1,4-linkages in chitin and hence act as anti-fungal as well as anti-biofouling agents. Moreover, the effectiveness of conventional insecticides is increasingly compromised by the occurrence of resistance and thus, chitinases offer a potential alternative to the use of chemical fungicides. In recent years, thermostable enzymes isolated from thermophilic microorganisms have gained widespread attention in industrial, medical, environmental and biotechnological applications due to their inherent stability at high temperatures and a wide range of pH optima. Determination of the three- dimensional structure of a protein can provide important details about its biological functions and its mode of action. However, despite their significance, the precise three-dimensional structures of most of the chitinases, including those isolated from Thermomyces lanuginosus is not fully characterized so far. Hence, the main focus of the present study was to gain a better understanding of the structural features of chitinases obtained from this thermostable fungus using both experimental and computational techniques, and their relationship with their activity profiles. The genes encoding thermostable chitinase II from T. lanuginosus were isolated and cloned in both E. coli as well as the Pichia pastoris expression system. Analysis of the nucleotide sequences revealed that the chitinase II gene (1196 bp) encodes a 343 amino acid protein of molecular weight 36.65 kDa whereas the chitinase I gene (1538 bp) encodes a 400 amino acid protein of molecular weight 44.14 kDa. In silico protein modeling was helpful in predicting the 3D models of the novel chitinase II enzyme, followed by the prediction of its active sites. The presence of Glu176 was found to be essential for the activity of chitinase II. Similarly, analysis of chitinase I revealed several active sites in its structural framework. A 10 ns Molecular dynamics (MD) simulations was implemented to assess the conformational preferences of chitinases. The MD trajectories at different temperatures clearly revealed that the stability of the enzymes were maintained at higher temperatures. Additionally, a constant pH molecular dynamics simulations at a pH range 2-6 was performed to establish the optimum activity and stability profiles of chitinase I and chitinase II. For this purpose, the Molecular Dynamics simulations were carried out at fixed protonation states in an explicit water environment to evaluate the effect of the physiological pH on chitinase I and II enzymes obtained from T. lanuginosus. The results suggest a strong conformational pH dependence of chitinases. These enzymes retained their characteristic TIM Barrel fold at the respective protonated conditions, thus validated the experimental outcomes. Further, the different stability and flexibility predictions were used to assess the relation of point mutations and enzyme stabilities. Our results pave the way to engineer new and better thermostable enzymes.

<p>The political context that prompted the formation of district municipalities in the present form can be summarized as follows: before 1994, there were a few sporadic Regional Services Councils and Joint Services Boards responsible mainly for bulk service provision in rural areas. In many rural areas, the acute imbalances in personal wealth, physical infrastructure and the provision of services were most patent. Provinces decided which of the local government models best suited their province. Consequently, it was possible for the institutions of local government to differ from province to province and there would be a two-tier system of local councils and region-wide district councils throughout non-metropolitan South Africa. The aim of this study was two-fold. FIrst to analyze the key causes of conflict that arise within the two-tiered system. Second, to determine whether district intergovernmental forums will be able to address the key causes of conflict identifies and assist in making the relationship between district and local municipalities more co-operative.</p>

<p>This research report examined the key policies of globalisation namely, privatisation and deregulation of services and also their implication on the Tri-partite alliance. Because they have impacted negatively on major economic sectors, particularly to those that help the needy. Therefore, the study explores these initiatives, which has been debatable in South Africa under the dominant understanding of &lsquo / progress&rsquo / or &lsquo / development&rsquo / .</p> <p><br /> The Objective of the study is to lay the basis for the examination and evaluation of policy option with regard to privatisation and deregulation of services in South Africa and to engage South Africa effectively in global policy debates and adjust in global trends and negotiations within the region (SADC) and other international countries. It examines global challenges and opportunities / threats for South Africa as a developing country in the emerging global order.</p> <p><br /> This study also attempts to provide answers to several questions concerning privatisation and deregulation of public services in South Africa. To the poor, is deregulation and privatisation of state assets threatening to become the new apartheid, which is an instrument of exclusion, not just from a better life but even from the very basic services? How are workers and including the poorest of the poor affected by the status of deregulation and privatisation? Do the timing and specifics of these processes matter? Who should attempt to regulate the auction, as some of government officials seems to be corrupt? And which prior restructuring policies are worth implementing?</p>

<p>The reservoir quality (RQ) of well E-BA1 was characterized using thin sections and core samples in a petrographic study. Well E-BA1 is situated in the Bredasdorp Basin, which forms part of the Outeniqua Basin situated in the Southern Afircan offshore region. Rifting as a result of the break up of Gondwanaland formed the Outeniqua Basin. The Bredasorp Basin is characterized by half-graben structures comprised of Upper Jurassic, Lower Cretaceous and Cenozoic rift to drift strata. The current research within the thesis has indicated that well E-BA1 is one of moderate to good quality having a gas-condensate component.</p>

M.Com. (Economics) / The objective of this study was to obtain information that will enable the identification of the role, nature and magnitude of private road freight transport in the South African economy. The underlying rationale was the lack of information in this regard in South Africa. Information about private road freight transport was obtained on a sectoral basis by means of a literature analysis and an empirical investigation.

M.Comm. / The agricultural sector is important in South Africa, because it contributes approximately 4 percent to the country’s Gross Domestic Product. Agriculture can contribute significantly to economic growth, by means of food production and job creation, and thereby it can play an important role in reducing poverty. This paper examines the contribution of agriculture to economic growth in South Africa, and its possible role in poverty alleviation. It begins by conducting a literature review of the contribution of agriculture to economic growth. In particular, it examines two stages of farming, namely, the subsistence and commercial stages, to determine how each of these contributes to economic growth and poverty alleviation. It finds that both of these stages have undergone little improvement over the years and have performed poorly. Next, the challenges that prevent the farming sector from performing better are described and investigated in detail. Importantly, unavailability of the data in the subsistence sector makes it harder to arrive at a conclusion as to whether agriculture contributes to poverty alleviation. Despite these challenges, the study finds that agriculture remains the key to survival for most of the rural poor. Finally the paper draws conclusions and makes recommendations for policy measures to increase growth in the agricultural sector based on the findings of the research. The key conclusion emanating from this study is that agriculture does not indeed contribute to economic growth and that it is able to alleviate poverty. However, resources such as land, skilled labour, machinery and capitals are a major limiting factor. As for recommendations, a critical strategy must be to recapitalise agriculture, investing more heavily in this sector and in programmes to develop rural economic and social infrastructure. Public investment needs to be directed in particular towards promoting agricultural research and extension, improving access to financial services, providing investment incentives, and increasing access of the poor to support services and productive resources. The study concludes that data and information should be separated between subsistence and commercial farmers to be able to determine whether agriculture contributes to poverty alleviation.

A research dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of a Master of Management in Public Policy (MMPP) The University of Witwatersrand Wits School of Governance 26 February 2015 / This research dissertation investigates what factors drive poverty in South Africa using annual data from 1996 to 2013. In an attempt to contribute towards a better understanding of what contributes to poverty in South Africa, the researcher adopted three types of research questions: a contextual research question, a main research question and an applied research question. The central questions of this study was “what drives poverty in South Africa?” and “how do these drivers influence poverty trends in South Africa?” The study recognises poverty as a multi-dimensional phenomenon, in addition to the unidimensional money-metric definition of poverty for analysis purposes. Consequently although the study adopts the monetary definition of poverty as a framework to poverty analysis; it also incorporates other variables that capture the multi-dimensional nature of poverty relevant to the South African context. The study uses various data analysis tools including descriptive statistics, line graphs, bivariate analysis, and trend analysis to investigate the relationship between poverty and the variables in this study. Consistent with Klasen (2000) and Finn et al. (2013), the main findings were that there is a negative relationship between poverty and government expenditure on health, housing, energy, public order and safety, and access to credit in South Africa. On the contrary, government expenditure on education is found not to reduce poverty in South Africa, neither is unemployment found to increase poverty in South Africa. The research concluded that although certain variables are expected to reduce or increase poverty, remedial policy interventions by Government and country specific economic structure mitigate these a prior expectations. From these findings the researcher makes recommendations, contributing to how scholars (and government) can further their attempt to alleviate poverty in South Africa. / MT 2018

ABSTRACT South-South cooperation has become one of the most powerful tools at the disposal of developing countries for integration into the global economy. South-South relations that gained momentum in the aftermath of the Cold War have demonstrated a radical departure from the now archaic modes of engagement characteristic of the Cold War era. A handful of developing countries have emerged as de facto leaders of the South. These are countries that have taken significant rhetorical as well as practical steps towards strengthening South-South cooperation, as a means to counter the global domination of the affluent states of the North. This research report investigates the Post-Cold war adaptation of South-South cooperation exemplified by China and South Africa, and how they cooperate in international fora, with focus on the United Nations and World Trade Organisation. These are two countries that are strong advocates of South-South solidarity, and are regarded as leading powers of the developing world. Although with varying political and economic formations, the two countries have much in common. The most salient commonality is their evolving foreign policies. It is their evolving foreign policies that have enabled China and South Africa to take particular positions in international forums. There is significant commitment to the South agenda and this is demonstrated in UN and WTO engagements. However, there is ample room for improvement. Though committed to South-South cooperation, China and South Africa are still more committed to national interests. For South-South cooperation to move beyond rhetoric and periodic instances of cooperation there is an urgent need to redefine South-South cooperation. A new definition should involve a significant shift from the current abstract characterisation, to one that focuses on specific issues whose progress can be monitored and measured.