The Constitution of South Africa, 1996, requires local government to be democratic and accountable to local communities. Municipalities are also constitutionally bound to encourage the involvement of the communities in the affairs of local government. Section 152 of the Constitution of South Africa, 1996, sets out the rights of communities to be involved in the affairs of local government.Participation is not only about communicating information and addressing the needs of the community. Participation is also about building partnerships with the community, being accountable to the community, allowing the community to take part in policy decisions, capacitating the community to understand their rights and obligations as citizens, and allowing the community to participate actively in social, political and economic affairs. Local government as a sphere of government closest to the peopleplays a critical role in advancing the participation of the community. Chapter 4 of the Municipal Structures Act of 1998 requires that municipalities should establish ward committees in order to enhance participatory democracy. Ward committees were therefore established, as community structures, to play a role in advocating needs, aspirations, potentials and problems of the community. However, studies appear to be critical on the functionality of ward committees and argue that most ward committees are not functioning as intended. The purpose of the study is to establish whether MatlosanaLocal Municipality has created the environment for active participation through the ward committee system in order to enhance participatory democracy. Thestudy further investigates whether the ward committees are functioning as intended and according to what the law requires. The researcher used a qualitative method to determine how Matlosana Local Municipality uses the ward committee system to enhance participatory democracy. The investigation revealed a number of challenges facing the ward committees which hinder their effectiveness. However, recommendations are recommended to assist the management of the municipality in making the system more effective. / Thesis (M. Development and Management)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012

Within the South African framework of transition, constitutional development and of the Municipal Systems Act of 2000, the Integrated Development Planning and budgeting processes represent a significant shift away from past planning approaches in South Africa. Hitherto, planning systems were largely technocratic,sectoral and failed to incorporate the views of local people. The current aim is to create Effective and efficient government systems and to integrate the various administrations of the constituent local governments into the new consolidated local governments. Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (EMM), one of the largest metropolitan municipalities in the country was a case study to examine this shift away from the past planning approaches to the new integrated approach. For the purpose of this study, integrated approach to service delivery is described as a process to ensure that the objectives and policies determined by the legislature will be uniformly interpreted and applied by all departments in municipal entity. Integrated development planning, budget reviews and performance monitoring systems focus on alleviating poverty and addressing past injustices and inequities through identification of programmes and projects that respond to the needs and priorities of local communities. There is a strong move towards a more integrated and participatory approach to local planning with varying success at incorporating sustainability principles throughout the process. The Municipal Systems Act makes it mandatory that all sectors and interested parties be consulted, and that has led to improved communication and cooperation between different spheres of government and the newly established local authority structures. Along with IDPs as the primary planning tool, Systems Act signify the deepening of democracy and good governance as it is mandatory for the participation of communities and various stakeholders through the ward committees. For the purpose of this study, a hypothesis was formulated that: IDP, Budgetary Planning and SDBIP are mutually dependent and key strategic thrusts in realizing the objectives of public finance within the local government context and yet, ineffective service delivery in EMM results from the inability to integrate its development plan, budget and service delivery budget implementation plans. To validate the hypothesis, theoretical exposition of concepts IDP, budget and service delivery budget implementation plan were explained. Empirical study was conducted which showed that, at Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality: • There is an understanding of the importance of aligning planning systems, • Processes, systems and mechanisms to integrate all the planning systems are established, these are not effective because they are partially or not fully implemented, • Departments function independently. Communication systems and plans are developed; they are not effective, because new procedures are not communicated. Where these are, there is no guideline documentation. • There is much interference in the administrative functions by politicians. Officials who are responsible for budgets are not given space to perform their duties effectively without the influence of external or political thrust. The study concludes with recommendations for action to be taken by the Municipality towards the improvement of service delivery. / Thesis (M. Development and Management)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2010.

Within the South African framework of transition, constitutional development and of the Municipal Systems Act of 2000, the Integrated Development Planning and budgeting processes represent a significant shift away from past planning approaches in South Africa. Hitherto, planning systems were largely technocratic,sectoral and failed to incorporate the views of local people. The current aim is to create Effective and efficient government systems and to integrate the various administrations of the constituent local governments into the new consolidated local governments. Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (EMM), one of the largest metropolitan municipalities in the country was a case study to examine this shift away from the past planning approaches to the new integrated approach. For the purpose of this study, integrated approach to service delivery is described as a process to ensure that the objectives and policies determined by the legislature will be uniformly interpreted and applied by all departments in municipal entity. Integrated development planning, budget reviews and performance monitoring systems focus on alleviating poverty and addressing past injustices and inequities through identification of programmes and projects that respond to the needs and priorities of local communities. There is a strong move towards a more integrated and participatory approach to local planning with varying success at incorporating sustainability principles throughout the process. The Municipal Systems Act makes it mandatory that all sectors and interested parties be consulted, and that has led to improved communication and cooperation between different spheres of government and the newly established local authority structures. Along with IDPs as the primary planning tool, Systems Act signify the deepening of democracy and good governance as it is mandatory for the participation of communities and various stakeholders through the ward committees. For the purpose of this study, a hypothesis was formulated that: IDP, Budgetary Planning and SDBIP are mutually dependent and key strategic thrusts in realizing the objectives of public finance within the local government context and yet, ineffective service delivery in EMM results from the inability to integrate its development plan, budget and service delivery budget implementation plans. To validate the hypothesis, theoretical exposition of concepts IDP, budget and service delivery budget implementation plan were explained. Empirical study was conducted which showed that, at Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality: • There is an understanding of the importance of aligning planning systems, • Processes, systems and mechanisms to integrate all the planning systems are established, these are not effective because they are partially or not fully implemented, • Departments function independently. Communication systems and plans are developed; they are not effective, because new procedures are not communicated. Where these are, there is no guideline documentation. • There is much interference in the administrative functions by politicians. Officials who are responsible for budgets are not given space to perform their duties effectively without the influence of external or political thrust. The study concludes with recommendations for action to be taken by the Municipality towards the improvement of service delivery. / Thesis (M. Development and Management)--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2010.

The Constitution of South Africa, 1996, requires local government to be democratic and accountable to local communities. Municipalities are also constitutionally bound to encourage the involvement of the communities in the affairs of local government. Section 152 of the Constitution of South Africa, 1996, sets out the rights of communities to be involved in the affairs of local government.Participation is not only about communicating information and addressing the needs of the community. Participation is also about building partnerships with the community, being accountable to the community, allowing the community to take part in policy decisions, capacitating the community to understand their rights and obligations as citizens, and allowing the community to participate actively in social, political and economic affairs. Local government as a sphere of government closest to the peopleplays a critical role in advancing the participation of the community. Chapter 4 of the Municipal Structures Act of 1998 requires that municipalities should establish ward committees in order to enhance participatory democracy. Ward committees were therefore established, as community structures, to play a role in advocating needs, aspirations, potentials and problems of the community. However, studies appear to be critical on the functionality of ward committees and argue that most ward committees are not functioning as intended. The purpose of the study is to establish whether MatlosanaLocal Municipality has created the environment for active participation through the ward committee system in order to enhance participatory democracy. Thestudy further investigates whether the ward committees are functioning as intended and according to what the law requires. The researcher used a qualitative method to determine how Matlosana Local Municipality uses the ward committee system to enhance participatory democracy. The investigation revealed a number of challenges facing the ward committees which hinder their effectiveness. However, recommendations are recommended to assist the management of the municipality in making the system more effective. / Thesis (M. Development and Management)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012

Orientador: Ana Maria Frattini Fileti / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Quimica / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-13T11:28:04Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Pereira_PauloRobertoAlves_D.pdf: 4037300 bytes, checksum: da84be7f1c008bf7d365f44936f53414 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2007 / Resumo: Um grande número de indústrias químicas, bioquímicas e farmacêuticas, utiliza reatores de polimerização em batelada para a produção de polímeros especiais de alto valor agregado. Para tanto, são requeridas ferramentas de controle que forneçam informações confiáveis e otimizem as principais variáveis envolvidas na reação, conferindo propriedades específicas aos polímeros. Para o presente trabalho, adotou-se a reação de polimerização em batelada do metacrilato de metila (MMA) via radicais livres em solução, formando o polimetacrilato de metila (PMMA). O peróxido de benzoíla foi usado como iniciador e o acetato de etila como solvente. Para as etapas da reação do MMA, utilizou-se um modelo matemático fenomenológico conhecido e testado experimentalmente. Para o controle ótimo da temperatura do reator (T), manipulou-se a vazão do líquido de resfriamento (Fcw) e a potência de aquecimento on/off (Q) para o reator em batelada, composto de vidro encamisado, com capacidade para um litro de mistura reacional e um litro de fluido de resfriamento em sua jaqueta. Para a otimização do sistema MMA-PMMA, optou-se pela metodologia IDP (Iterative Dynamic Programming). Desenvolveu-se um programa IDP em Matlab, cuja confiabilidade foi testada com sucesso por um exemplo disponível na literatura especializada. Os resultados mostraram que o programa IDP é capaz de otimizar diferentes características de interesse como a conversão do monômero (Xm), representando um potencial de melhoria econômica. A comparação dos resultados das trajetórias de T e de Fcw obtidos pela otimização off line via IDP, com os resultados experimentais obtidos por Nunes (2004) e Antunes et al. (2005), apresenta comportamentos discrepantes ao longo do tempo. Esta discrepância pode explicar o rendimento experimental de 0,4 para Xm, cujo setpoint para T foi fixado em 63 ºC (336 K) e o seu controle executado pelo modelo PIDFuzzy, contra 0,6 da otimização off line via IDP, que considera os valores de Xm obtidos em cada estágio P para indicar novos setpoints de T. Logo, pode-se inferir que não é o controle de T através de um setpoint fixo que irá permitir um valor máximo de Xm, mas o controle de T para setpoints variáveis em cada estágio de tempo P, definidos pela trajetória de Xm obtida na otimização off line. Esta constatação pode ser considerada a grande contribuição da metodologia IDP para este trabalho. Portanto, pode-se afirmar que o programa IDP desenvolvido é adequado para a otimização off line do processo de polimerização do MMA. / Abstract: A considerable number of chemical, biochemical and pharmaceutical industries, make use of batch polymerization reactors in their processes, mainly to produce polymers with special characteristics and high aggregated value. In order to supply products with high quality standards required by the market, control tools are necessary to provide as fast as possible reliable processes information and at the same time, to optimize the main variables involved in the reaction and attribute special properties to the polymers. This work is concerned with the methyl metacrilate (MMA) free-radical batch solution polymerization reaction, which produces the polymethyl methacrilate (PMMA). Ethyl acetate is used as solvent and benzoyl peroxide as the reaction initiator. To represent the MMA polymerization reaction, a known and experimented phenomenological mathematical model was used. For the reaction optimal temperature (T) control were defined as manipulated variables the inlet cooling water flow rate (Fcw) and the heating power (Q). The equipment is a glass reactor of one liter capacity surrounded by a glass jacket for the heat exchange with the cooling water. To optimize the MMA-PMMA system, a program based on IDP (Iterative Dynamic Programming) technique was developed in Matlab and successfully tested through an example from the specialized literature. The results showed that the IDP program is capable of optimizing different characteristics of interest as the monomer conversion (Xm), and may represent a potential of economic improvement. The comparison between the results of trajectories T and Fcw from the off line optimization via IDP, with the experimental results presented by Nunes (2004) and Antunes et al. (2005), shows discrepant behaviors along the reaction time. This discrepancy may explain the poor experimental value of 0.4 for Xm, once the set point for T was set up in 336 K and its control performed by a PID-Fuzzy model during the runs, against a value of 0.6 for Xm from the off line optimization trough IDP program, which suggests new set points based on the results of Xm for each stage P. Therefore, it is possible to affirm that the use of a fixed set point to control T during the reaction probably will not lead the reaction to a maximum value of Xm, but the use of variable set points for each time stage P, according to off line optimization results for Xm. This description may be considered the major contribution from the IDP methodology for this work. Therefore, the program IDP developed in this work can be considered suitable for the off line optimization of MMA polymerization reaction. / Doutorado / Sistemas de Processos Quimicos e Informatica / Doutor em Engenharia Química

The South African Government’s Demarcation process has ensured that the entire Country now have “City to City” municipal areas. This process has been put in place to ensure that basic services can now be provided to all the people of the Country. With the demarcation process the South African Government also introduced Integrated Development Planning (IDP). The IDP is a process through which municipalities prepare a strategic development plan, for a five-year period. The IDP is a product of the Integrated Development Planning process and a principle strategic planning instrument, which guides and describes all planning, budgeting, management and decision making in a municipality. / Dissertation (MSc (Project Management))--University of Pretoria, 2004. / Construction Economics / unrestricted

This study was to investigate the role played by traditional authorities in IDP policy implementation in local municipal councils in the Vhembe District located in Limpopo Province. The specific objectives of this study were to characterise the traditional authority serving in the municipal councils. Traditional leaders serving in municipal councils, the district mayor, local municipal mayors, managers, IDP managers, district and provincial representatives of the House of Traditional Leaders in Limpopo Province were interviewed using semi-structured sets of questionnaire to obtain the required data. The data were entered into an Excel Spreadsheet and subsequently exported into an SPSS for analysis. The results of the study revealed that traditional authority forms an integral part of IDP policy implementation in Vhembe District Municipality. The results further revealed that perceptions of stakeholders vary as to the role played by traditional authorities in the IDP policy implementation process. The results revealed that some traditional leaders agreed that participation in IDP policy implementation (45.5%), involvement (45.2%), the submission of views (41.2%); ward committee meetings (42.8), council IDP policy (90.0%), role (50.0%), submission of proposals (38.7%) and consultation by the municipality (93.2%), were all satisfactorily taking place in the municipality. Furthermore, the results indicated that traditional leaders serving in municipal councils were members of the ruling party (40.0%), aged on average 55.26 years, distributed between 35 and 75 years, and were from extended households of 11.3 members per household, distributed between 3 and 25 members ¯ with an average of 2.4 spouses per traditional leader, distributed between one and five spouses. The majority had attained secondary level education (40.0%), tertiary level education (33.3%) and primary education (26.7%). They showed high experience ranging between 2 to 35 years, and 17.46 years on average as traditional leaders – with a further 7.66 years of experience in the municipal council. The majority make their livelihood by way of compensation from council (73.3%), wages from government as traditional leaders (93.3%), or employment (6.7%). All the traditional leaders own vehicles. The study concluded that the demographic and endowment characteristics of these traditional leaders influence their role in municipal IDP policy implementation. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2012. / School of Public Management and Administration (SPMA) / unrestricted

MYC is a family of three regulator genes that codes for transcription factors. Expression of Myc proteins from MYC genes is found to be deregulated in 70 % of all cancer forms. The three human homologs C-Myc, N-Myc and L-Myc are mainly associated with cancer in the lymphatic system, nerve tissues and lung cancer, respectively. Even though N-Myc is associated with Neuroblastoma, the cancer variant that is most common among children, the field is focused towards C-Myc. The activation of C-Myc begins with phosphorylation of Serine 62, followed by trans-to-cis isomerisation of Proline 63. Then Threonine 58 becomes phosphorylated leading to that Serine 62 is dephosphorylated and subsequent cis-to-trans isomerisation of Proline 63, and C-Myc is marked for degradation. Cis-trans isomerisation is necessary for regulation of gene expression, and is therefore important to understand. Since N-Myc and C-Myc have identical sequences between residues 47 to residue 69, the hypothesis is that N-Myc is activated in the same manner, but this has not been confirmed. In this project the first 69 amino acids of N-Myc were analysed with NMR spectroscopy. This resulted in a near complete assignment of the major conformation, and of the alternative minor conformations as well. The traditional assignment experiments HNCACB, HN(CO)CACB, HNCO, HN(CA)CO in combination with CCH-TOCSY and HN(CCO)C revealed that the majority of the minor configurations can be explained by cis/trans isomerisation of prolines. In addition, the protein was analysed with direct carbon detected NMR spectroscopy to be able to detect the prolines.

Thesis (M. Dev. (Development and Planning)) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / The central emphasis of this study was to investigate the determinant of public participation in Integrated Development Planning (IDP) of Polokwane Local Municipality, Limpopo Province. To this culmination, precise working objectives were formulated as follows: to study the typologies and processes of public participation; to explore the roles of stakeholders in public participation; To examine the phases in Integrated Development Planning and to examine the levels of public participation in Integrated Development Planning. This dissertation studies the determinant of public participation in Integrated Development Planning. Douglas Huber (2008); Franks, Sharma, and Dayaratna (2004); Kimathi (2016) found that there is a positive relationship between public participation in the Integrated Development Planning locally and globally. From a South African perspective, the study shows that public participation is the strongest element for successful development planning. To operationalise this study, descriptive statistics were used to analyse data and data analysis was performed using inferential statistics mainly correlation and linear regression. The data collected from the Capricorn District Municipality Socio-Economic Impact Assessment Study of Integrated Development Planning (2012) was analysed using the 2013 Microsoft Excel Software for raw data and Statistical Package of Social Sciences (SPSS) to compute variables that represent the determinants of public participation in Integrated Development Planning into factors. The results of this study show that generally, there is a strong positive relationship with public participation in Integrated Development Planning in Polokwane Local Municipality with an average magnitude of 0.75 correlation. However, the most interesting discovery is that the economic factor is a determinant of public participation in Integrated Development Planning in Polokwane Local Municipality.

Rebuilding burned bridges with adequate access to human rights – one brick at a time. Internal displacement is a fast-growing issue which does not receive the attention it needs from the international community. This is arguably due to the perspective of international law upon internal discplacement – that it is a national problem which the affected state needs to address according to its own domestic rules and policies. At the same time, we are witnessing an ever-changing world with recurring issues relating to climate change and natural disasters. The repeated earthquakes in Syria, Turkey and Afghanistan, floodings in Ethiopia and Australia, rising sea levels which threaten the drowning of entire cities such as Venice, Khulna and Bangkok ought to be wake-up calls to the international community that climate change and natural disasters are not only of domestic concern at this point, but an international problem. The number of internally displaced persons are increasing each year, yet no binding international instrument exists to act as guidance for states when faced with the issue of internal displacement. The one aspect which differentiates the internally displaced with a refugee is the corssing of the home country border – they share vulnerabilities and needs yetare seen as two completely different situations. This is problematic as it leads the internally displaced to “fall between the cracks” of international law, meaning that there are not internationally legally binding instruments which the internally displaced can rely on. The added dimension of internal displacement due to climate change and natural disasters further complicates the problem as returning to one’s home becomes an even greater obstacle. This paper seeks to examine the standing of internally displaced persons within international law, with specific focus on internally displaced persons due to climate change and natural disasters. As there is no legally binding instrument for this group of people, the only point of reference is the Geneva Convention and the protection it demands for refugees – can the same be demanded for the internally displaced when the legal viewpoint is that this is purely of national concern?