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An appraisal of the legal and institutional frameworks for the management of seized and forfeited assets in Nigeria
No full textThis paper aims to examine the laws that regulated the management of seized and forfeited assets before the enactment of the Proceeds of Crime (Recovery and Management) Act of 2022 (POCA), identifying their flaws. Also, it explores the provisions of POCA on the management of seized and forfeited assets, highlighting how POCA addresses the flaws in the legal and institutional frameworks for the management of these assets. Design/methodology/approach: This paper adopts a doctrinal research methodology. It also makes use of primary sources, national laws, as well as secondary sources, such as journal articles. Findings: It establishes that Nigeria now has comprehensive legal framework for the management of forfeited assets. However, POCA does not contain detailed provisions on the management of seized assets. Also, it establishes that, unlike what was obtainable before the coming into force of POCA when there was no clear institutional framework for the management of seized and forfeited assets, POCA establishes a Directorate of Proceeds of Crimes in all law enforcement and some regulatory agencies. Originality/value: To the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first article that examines the legal and institutional framework for the management of seized and forfeited assets in Nigeria
The nature and evolution of early massive quenched galaxies in the SIMBA-C simulation
No full textWe examine the nature, origin, and fate of early (z ≥ 2) massive (M* > 1010 M☉) quenched galaxies (EQGs) in a new (100 h−1 Mpc3) run of the SIMBA-C galaxy formation model. We define ‘quenched’ to be > 4σ below an iterative polynomial fit to the star-forming sequence (SFS), and find that SIMBA-C produces EQGs as early as z ∼ 5 and number densities agreeing with observations at z ≤ 3 (though slightly low at z ≥ 4). Using a photometric-based EQG selection or a fixed specific star formation rate cut of 10−10 yr−1 yields similar results. EQGs predominantly arise in central galaxies with stellar mass M* ∼ 1010.5−11.3 M☉, not necessarily the most massive systems. A Uniform Manifold Approximation and Projection shows that quenched galaxies have notably large black hole-to-stellar mass ratios, lower rotational support, and less dust, but are not atypical versus similar-mass non-EQGs in their environments, halo mass, or halo gas temperatures at the time of quenching. However, via galaxy tracking we show that the progenitor environments of EQGs are significantly more overdense than that of non-EQGs, which drives higher black hole mass fractions and stellar-to-halo mass ratios. This results in the Eddington ratio dropping sufficiently low for SIMBA-C’s jet mode feedback to turn on, which quickly quenches the host galaxies. EQGs thus seem to be galaxies that grow their black holes quickly within highly dense environments, but end up in moderately dense environments where black hole feedback can quench effectively. We find that ≥ 30 per cent of EQGs rejuvenate, but the rejuvenating fraction drops quickly below z ≤ 2. By z = 0, it is difficult to distinguish the descendants of EQGs versus non-EQGs
Urban agriculture for environmentally just cities: the case ofurban community gardens in Cape Town, South Africa
No full textCities in the global South confront a multitude of environmental challenges, including air pollution, waste management issues, and biodiversity loss. Addressing these issues is vital for the welfare of residents in rapidly urbanising cities. Urban agriculture emerges as a proposed solution with the potential to mitigate some of these environmental challenges. There is a lack of research exploring the relationship between urban agriculture and environmental justice in the global South, particularly in marginalised neighbourhoods that bear the brunt of environmental injustice. To fill this research gap, the study examines how community gardens contribute to advancing environmental justice in low-income neighbourhoods of Cape Town, South Africa. To achieve this goal, a mixed-methods approach is adopted. Remote sensing techniques are utilised to compare land surface temperature values of selected gardens in Cape Flats with other suburbs in Cape Town. Additionally, semi-structured interviews and observations are conducted in 34 urban community gardens, purposively selected, to delve into how these gardens can address environmental injustices in the areas. The research findings uncover an unequal distribution of green spaces between wealthier and less affluent neighbourhoods in Cape Town. While the current benefits of gardening may not be widespread, the results indicate that urban community gardens offer numerous advantages, such as environmental education, promotion of agro-ecological practices, and the utilisation of land for green purposes. As repositories of knowledge promoting environmental justice, urban community gardens require institutional support aligned with their objectives to foster a fairer and more sustainable urban future
Hı asymmetries and deficiencies in Alfalfa galaxies
No full textThis work focuses primarily on the effects that the environment of a galaxy has on the asymmetries observed in the Hı profiles of galaxies. Galaxies exhibit a wide range of observable properties and the environment in which a galaxy resides is known to impact its characteristics significantly. Thus, using the ALFALFA survey, which provides ∼ 31,500 Hı spectral profiles of galaxies out to redshifts of z 6.5. This work finds that on average, the most asymmetric profiles are in the merger sample which leads to a strong suggestion that the environment of a galaxy is one of the main drivers of asymmetries observed in the Hı profiles of galaxies. A further investigation on environment density as a function of Hı asymmetry is employed on the full ALFALFA galaxy sample for different cluster environments. This work finds that there is a correlation between environmental density and Hı asymmetry, that is, the galaxies residing in dense environments tend to have more asymmetric Hı profiles than those galaxies residing in the less dense environments
Survey and Identification of Fusarium Head Blight Pathogens of Wheat in the Western Cape Region of South Africa
No full textFusarium head blight (FHB) is a major disease affecting wheat production worldwide, caused by multiple Fusarium species. In this study, seven Fusarium strains were isolated from wheat fields across the Western Cape region of South Africa and identified through phylogenetic analysis. The strains were classified into three species complexes: the Fusarium graminearum species complex (FGSC), Fusarium incarnatum-equiseti species complex (FIESC), and Fusarium tricinctum species complex (FTSC). Disease severity was highest in the South coast regions of Swellendam (42.73%) and Caledon (38.00%), with the dough stage of wheat development showing the highest disease rate (0.3 in Swellendam and Caledon). The phylogenetic analysis showed distinct clustering of these isolates with known species from the NCBI database, confirming their classification. F. ipomoeae was uniquely found in Swellendam and Caledon, while F. tricinctum occurred only in Klipheuwel and Caledon, highlighting geographical variation in species distribution. Mycotoxin profiling revealed that F. culmorum and F. pseudograminearum produced zearalenone, F. culmorum and F. tricinctum produced 15-acetyl-deoxynivalenol (15-ADON), while F. pseudograminearum produced nivalenol (NIV). These findings provide significant insights into the distribution of Fusarium species and their associated trichothecene chemotypes in the Western Cape, which is crucial for developing effective FHB management strategies and ensuring food security and safety. © 2025 by the authors
Gravitational waves and galaxies cross-correlations: a forecast on GW biases for future detectors
No full textGravitational waves (GWs) have rapidly become important cosmological probes since their first detection in 2015. As the number of detected events continues to rise, upcoming instruments like Einstein Telescope (ET) and Cosmic Explorer (CE) will observe millions of compact binary mergers. These detections, coupled with galaxy surveys by instruments such as the Dark Spectroscopic Energy Instrument (DESI), Euclid, and the Vera Rubin Observatory, will provide unique information on the large-scale structure of the universe by cross-correlating GWs with the distribution of galaxies hosting them. In this paper, we focus on how cross-correlations constrain the clustering bias of GWs emitted by the coalescence of binary black holes (BBHs). This parameter links BBHs to the underlying dark matter distribution, hence informing us how they populate galaxies. Using a multitracer approach, we forecast the precision of these measurements under different survey combinations. Our results indicate that current GW detectors will have limited precision, with measurement errors as high as ∼ 50 per cent. However, third-generation detectors like ET, when cross-correlated with Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) data, can improve clustering bias measurements to within 2.5 per cent. Furthermore, we demonstrate that these cross-correlations can enable a per cent-level measurement of the magnification lensing effect on GWs. Despite this, there is a degeneracy between magnification and evolution biases, which hinders the precision of both. This degeneracy is most effectively addressed by assuming knowledge of one bias or targeting an optimal redshift range of 1 < z < 2.5. Our analysis opens new avenues for studying the distribution of BBHs and testing the nature of gravity through large-scale structure
Exceeding expectations: a study on human resource management implementation in construction organisations
No full textOrientation: Human resource management (HRM) professionals and organisational leaders may maximise the performance of construction organisations by thoroughly understanding the implementation of HRM practices within these businesses. Research purpose: The purpose of this study was to empirically investigate the extent to which recruitment and selection, training and development, performance appraisal and compensation systems are implemented in construction organisations. Motivation of the study: The reason for this study was that a paucity of empirical research on the implementation of HRM practices makes it difficult to provide recommendations about HRM to optimise performance in construction organisations. Research approach/design and method: This quantitative study was based on primary data collected from 63 construction personnel in various South African construction organisations in Cape Town. A cross-sectional quantitative survey design, with a self-administered questionnaire as the data collection tool, was used to collect data by means of convenience and judgemental sampling. Collected data were processed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), version 28, and analysed using descriptive analysis and a one-sample t-test. Main findings: The perceived implementation of HRM practices that meet minimum expected standards was significant for (1) recruitment and selection (R&S), (2) training and development (T&D) and (3) compensation systems (COS). However, the perceived implementation of (4) performance appraisal (PEA) best practices was found to be insignificant. Practical/managerial implications: The implementation of HRM in construction organisations needs to incorporate the tenets that are central to the successful delivery of HRM services. Contribution/value-add: This study emphasises the minimum expected HRM practices that should be observed in construction organisations
Oral health-related quality of life, dental status and treatment needs of people with substance use disorder
No full textIntroduction: Substance use disorder (SUD) remains a growing health problem globally with the 2021 prevalence of 5.8% representing 296 million people who used drugs. The oral health impact of substance use disorder has been comprehensively described outside South Africa, but not as yet been investigated for its effect on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) especially within the South African context. The present study investigated the oral health status, dental treatment needs, oral health behaviour (OHB) and impact on OHRQoL of patients who were enrolled in a substance use treatment programme in theWestern Cape, South Africa. Furthermore, the study investigated the extent to which oral health interventions were offered for patients being treated for substance use disorder. Aim: The aim of the present study was to investigate the oral health impact of substance use disorder (SUD), as well as to document the oral health interventions offered to patients enrolled in a treatment programme for a SUD. Methods: A cross-sectional study design with a mixed methods approach was used to collect data, together with standardized instruments, to measure severity of dental caries and presence of periodontal disease. A validated questionnaire was used to determine oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL). The dental treatment needs of patients was described from the both the perspective of the patient (using clinical examinations) as well as staff (using focus group discussions) who were working at substance use treatment centres. A qualitative approach was utilized to determine the extent to which oral health interventions were incorporated into the general treatment programme for SU
Navigating the technopreneurial odyssey: determining how technopreneurial self-efficacy, technopreneurial education and technological optimism cultivate tech-driven entrepreneurial intentions
No full textPurpose: This study aims to assess the impact of technopreneurial self-efficacy, technopreneurial education and technological optimism on Generation Z students’ intentions to engage in technopreneurship in South Africa. Design/methodology/approach: The research employed a quantitative approach with a cross-sectional survey design. Data from 304 university students are analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM). Findings: The findings confirm significant positive effects: technopreneurial self-efficacy has a direct impact on technopreneurship intention, and technopreneurship education mediates this relationship. Moreover, technological optimism moderates the relationships between technopreneurial self-efficacy and intention, as well as between technopreneurial education and intention. Research limitations/implications: The study contributes to existing bodies of knowledge by expanding the tenets of the theory of planned behaviour, the generation cohort theory and the technology acceptance model by exploring how technopreneurs’ self-efficacy, technopreneurship education and technological optimism influence Generation Z students' intentions to engage in technopreneurship in South Africa. Practical implications: The study findings can benefit educational institutions and policymakers by improving the efficiency and effectiveness of fostering technopreneurship, which will ultimately drive economic growth and innovation. Originality/value: This study closes the gaps in the technopreneurship literature in emerging economies and underscores the importance of cultivating a technopreneurial mindset among youth to drive sustainable economic development
Smaller plants in warmer water could have implications for future kelp forests
No full textGlobal warming is driving contraction of species’ ranges through migration and mortality at their warm edge. However, for most species more subtle, sub-lethal changes in performance will be a more ubiquitous response to the Anthropocene. It has been suggested that reduction in body size will be a universal response to warming for cold-water species. Here we tested this hypothesis for two dominant kelp species in the northern and southern hemispheres, respectively. We tested if populations from cool and warm environments would be morphologically distinct, with warm-water populations displaying structural features indicative of sub-optimal conditions (smaller sizes). We found empirical evidence consistent with size reduction of kelp stipes, blades, and biomass of associated epiphytes from cool to warm water in both hemispheres. These changes are ecologically significant because they affect how kelps engineer their local environment, the three-dimensional habitat they create, and the associated communities they support. Reduced size of cold-water habitat forming species such as kelps may be a sublethal effect of warming that could have widespread but previously overlooked effects on the structure of ecosystems and the services that they provide