32 research outputs found
The contribution of technology-driven social enterprises to the livelihoods of informal female traders: a case of Ecocash in Harare, Zimbabwe
No full textA report on a research study presented to The Department of Social Work
School of Human and Community Development Faculty of Humanities
University of the Witwatersrand In partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts in Social Development, May 2019The livelihoods of most informal female traders in Zimbabwe experience limited growth and financial exclusion which results in high levels of poverty among these women. In addition to these challenges, the contributions of technology-driven social enterprises like EcoCash to the socio-economic development of informal female traders receive little attention from Government of Zimbabwe. The purpose of this study was, therefore, to investigate the contribution of EcoCash, a technology-driven money facility, to enhance the livelihoods of informal female traders within the city of Harare in Zimbabwe. A qualitative approach and an exploratory case study design was adopted. The study population comprised informal female traders in Harare and key informants from the management of EcoCash, ZCIEA and VISET. All participants and key informants were purposively sampled. Fifteen informal female traders were sampled for in-depth interviews, eight more for a focus group discussion and three key informants for in-depth interviews. Research instruments for the informal female traders included a semi-structured interview guide and a focus group discussion guide. A separate semi-structured interview guide was used for key informants. The method of data collection involved face to face in-depth interviews with informal female traders and key informants and a focus group discussion with the additional informal female traders. Findings were analysed thematically. The study found that EcoCash services include: receiving, sending and saving money, making payments and cash withdrawals. EcoCash transforms the livelihoods of informal female traders by building their capacity to trade in a cash-strapped economy, strengthening security of their income, improving their capacity to save, multiplying their livelihood strategies, enhancing their capacity to receive external support and boosting convenience in their activities. EcoCash-related challenges faced by informal female traders include high transaction costs, poor network coverage and low digital literacy. Improving EcoCash will involve stabilising transaction costs, enhancing access to digital infrastructure, establishing a more accessible micro-loan facility and training service users on digital and financial literacy. The study concluded that EcoCash services promote financial inclusion among informal female traders. In addition, EcoCash contributes to the improvement of informal female traders’ livelihood assets and strategies to a greater extent although the change in livelihood outcomes is still limited. This contribution might be enhanced through a combination of multi-level interventions based on Pro-poor Public Private Partnerships which can boost sustainability of women’s livelihoods against the backdrop of a multifaceted vulnerability context.XN202
The Contribution of Technology-Driven Social Enterprises to the Livelihoods of Informal Female Traders: A Case of EcoCash in Harare, Zimbabwe
No full textThe livelihoods of most informal female traders in Zimbabwe experience financial exclusion and limited growth. Technology-driven social enterprises such as EcoCash could potentially redress this challenge. This qualitative study explored the contribution of EcoCash towards the livelihoods of informal female traders in the city of Harare in Zimbabwe using a single instrumental case study design. In total, 23 informal female traders and 3 key informants were purposively sampled for face-to-face interviews and a focus group discussion. The data were analysed thematically. The findings reveal that EcoCash boosts convenience in the livelihoods of informal female traders, and enables them to save income and to trade in a cash-strapped economy. Challenges associated with EcoCash include the high costs of transacting and the low digital literacy among its users. The findings in this article are hoped to contribute to the design of technology-driven community development models, to inform education of social entrepreneurship and community livelihoods, to lobby for pro-poor economic policies, and to support digital literacy training
A comparative analysis of the divisia index and the simple sum monetary aggregates for South Africa
No full textThe effectiveness of monetary policy in achieving its macroeconomic objectives such as price stability and economic growth depend on the monetary policy tools that are implemented by the Central Bank. Monetary aggregates are one of the tools that have been used as indicators of economic activity and as intermediate targets to achieve these economic objectives. Until recently, monetary aggregates have been questioned and criticised on their usefulness in monetary policy. This has been attributed to the economic, financial and technological developments that have distorted the relationship between monetary aggregates and major macroeconomic variables. This study investigates the relevance of monetary aggregation by comparing the traditional simple sum and Divisia index monetary aggregates which was constructed for the first time for South Africa using the Tornquist-Theil method. The Polynomial Distributed Lag model is employed to compare the performance of these monetary aggregates using their relationship with inflation and manufacturing index. Furthermore, the aggregates are compared in terms of their controllability and information content. Overall, the study found a very strong relationship between inflation and all the monetary aggregates. However, more specifically the results suggested that the Divisia indices are superior to the simple sum in terms of predicting inflation. The evidence further suggests that the Divisia aggregates provide higher information about inflation than the simple sum aggregates. Regarding the controllability of the monetary aggregates, the findings suggest that the monetary authorities can hardly control the monetary aggregates using monetary base. Finally, the relationship between manufacturing index and all the monetary aggregates was very weak
Thermal and Structural Characterization of Fipronil
No full textThesis (PhD (Chemistry))--University of Pretoria, 2023.Fipronil is a widely used insecticide which exerts selective toxicity towards the GABA receptors of insects and has no known pesticide resistance in target insects. This, in turn, has led to the increase in the usage of fipronil as an alternative to commonly used pesticides in residential, industrial, commercial and agricultural settings.
In this study, fipronil was considered for use as the chemical active in a controlled-release polymer system applied as alternative to indoor residual spraying in the fight against malaria. However, before incorporating the insecticide in a polymer, the vaporization and polymorphic behaviour of fipronil had to be studied. This information is important in providing guidance for the implementation of suitable safety measures during polymer processing to prevent exposure or contact to substances which could potentially harm one's health. On the other hand, polymorphism affects various physicochemical properties like the melting point, solubility, stability and manufacturability of a compound, which are extremely important for quality control and assurance.
Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) and single crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD) were used to study the vaporisation and polymorphic behaviour of fipronil. Sublimation and evaporation rates were determined using isothermal TGA. From these results, vapour pressures were deduced on the assumption that the fumes behaved like ideal gases and that mass loss was controlled by diffusion through the gas present in the partially-filled crucible. For the latter process, the diffusion coefficient was estimated using the Fuller correlation. Results obtained using benzoic acid as the calibration standard suggested that it is possible to estimate vapour pressures to within 12% with this TGA method. The enthalpies of sublimation and of evaporation were determined as 120 ± 4 and 72 ± 5 kJ mol-1, respectively.
Polymorphic behaviour was studied through a systematic comparison of the thermal and structural properties of different crystal forms, including those obtained in this study and in literature. DSC was particularly useful in differentiating between two different crystal forms found in the as-received neat fipronil. Two polymorphs were successfully separated through sublimation of neat fipronil. A metastable, lower melting polymorph and a thermodynamically stable, higher melting form were obtained in the sublimate and residue, respectively. The lower melting polymorph was found to be unstable at high heating rates, with evidence suggesting a solid-solid phase transition to the stable form at low heating rates.
Solvent recrystallization of neat fipronil in acetonitrile, acetone, ethyl acetate and methanol yielded five different crystal forms of fipronil. TGA curves revealed that all five crystal forms, except for the acetone-derived sample, were solvate pseudo-polymorphs exhibiting solvent loss between 60 and 100 °C. The acetone-derived sample was found to be a hemihydrate exhibiting mass loss at 120 °C. SCXRD studies revealed that three of the five forms had similar structural characteristics, while the other two forms differed notably from each other and the rest of the structures. Despite these differences, all five forms exhibited near-identical intra- and intermolecular hydrogen bond networks.
The sublimation and evaporation enthalpies were successfully determined and the data indicates that fipronil will likely sublime at polymer processing conditions above 150 °C. The study also demonstrated, by DSC analysis, that the lower melting form in the neat, as-received fipronil would be converted to the high melting, thermodynamically stable form at the polymer processing conditions.Institute of Applied Materials (IAM), University of PretoriaThe University of Pretoria Centre for Sustainable Malaria Control (UPCSMC)The Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET)ChemistryPhD (Chemistry)UnrestrictedFaculty of Natural and Agricultural SciencesSDG-03:Good heatlh and well-beingSDG-09: Industry, innovation and infrastructureSDG-12:Responsible consumption and productio
Greener carbon capture using microwave heating for the development of cellulose-based adsorbents
No full textAcknowledgements For the purpose of open access, the author has applied a Creative Commons Attribution (CC679 BY) licence to any Author Accepted Manuscript version arising from this submission. Simbarashe Biti, a Leverhulme Trust Doctoral Scholar, is part of the 15 PhD scholarships of the ‘Leverhulme Centre for Doctoral Training in Sustainable Production of Chemicals and Materials’ at the University of Aberdeen (Scotland, United Kingdom). Elemental analysis data was produced with the assistance of the analytical facilities in the School of Chemistry at the University of Birmingham. Claudia Fernández Martín thanks the Development Trust, Grant 1155, awarded for the adquisition of the microwave apparatus FlexiWave from Milestone used for this study.m.Peer reviewe
Feasibility study of positronium application for blood clots structural characteristics
No full textPositron-electron annihilation in living organisms occurs in about 30% via the formation of a metastable ortho-positronium atom that annihilates into two 511 keV photons in tissues because of the pick-off and conversion processes. Positronium (Ps) annihilation lifetime and intensities can be used to determine the size and quantity of defects in a material's microstructure, such as voids or pores in the range of nanometers. This is particularly true for blood clots. Here we present pilot investigations of positronium properties in fibrin clots. The studies are complemented by the use of SEM Edax and micro-computed tomography (μCT) to evaluate the extracted thrombotic material's properties. μCT is a versatile characterization method offering in situ and in operando possibilities and is a qualitative diagnostic tool. With μCT the presence of pores, cracks, and structural errors can be verified, and hence the 3D inner structure of samples can be investigated
Assessment of Knowledge and Fire Safety Preparedness among Employees at Shopping Malls in Lusaka District
No full textFire disasters in public buildings continue to raise major concerns about the safety of individuals who occupy these
buildings, as well as the customers. The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge and fire safety
preparedness among employees of shopping malls in Lusaka district. This study employed cross sectional descriptive
design, with quantitative methods. Data was collected using a structured questionnaire from 83 respondents
(employees) who were purposively sampled from six shopping malls in Lusaka. Collected data was analysed using
descriptive statistics. The findings revealed that employees’ levels of knowledge on fire safety preparedness is low.
Further, that there is low or lack of implementation of practices aimed at ensuring fire safety. The study therefore,
recommends that employees in public buildings be trained on how to ensure fire safety and appropriate responses in
case of fire. Moreso, fire safety plans should always be displayed to the public
To determine if the use of Internet demand - bandwidth management technique improves internet browsing on a shared network
No full textThe Internet has revolutionized the way organizations operate by providing them with the
means for gathering and sharing of information. As the Internet’s popularity has increased, so
has networked multimedia applications which place heavy demands on the network in terms
of throughput and responsiveness. Under such loads, low capacity shared links fail to offer
the quality of service expected by users. Examples of such links include those provisioned
over geostationary satellites, shared Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Links (ADSL), or any
over-subscribed link. This effects goes on to affect as far as the general user on a shared
network.
In this project, we design and implement a demand oriented bandwidth management system
for deployment in low bandwidth networks. The author will design a bandwidth monitoring
system that will be used on LAN prototype that will be created at Bindura University of
science education. After the implementation of this system, the author will further evaluate if
the use of such a system will increase browsing on a shared networ
An investigation into the specialized skills and knowledge required for Forensic Social Work practice in South Africa
No full textIn era of prevalent crime and social problems in South Africa, the National Department of Social Development; the South African Council of Social Service Professions and tertiary institutions are rethinking strategies to respond to these issues. A central strategy behind this is the development of forensic social work practice as a specialist service in order to assist the criminal justice system to deal effectively with offenders and protect victims. The aim of this study was to investigate the specialized skills and knowledge required for forensic social work practice in South Africa. Literature acknowledges that forensic social work is still a developing field of practice in South Africa hence forensic social work practitioners require effective training to competently practice forensic social work. The research design adopted by the study is a combination research design comprising of both quantitative and qualitative approaches. The research empirical data was obtained through the use of questionnaires from a survey conducted in Gauteng Province, South Africa at a forensic social work training workshop in 2013. The study indicated that forensic social work practitioners are familiar with some of the specialized skills such as language used in court, writing skills, communication and engagement skills and professionalism. The study also indicated that forensic social work practitioners are also familiar with some of the knowledge such as the definition of forensic social work, legal aspects, criminal justice system, courtroom procedures and knowledge required to act as an expert witness in court for forensic social work practice. However, despite this, forensic social work practitioners had inadequate training in the specialized skills and knowledge required to competently practice forensic social work in South Africa. In addition, the study showed that there are many challenges faced by forensic social work practitioners. Challenges include lack of resources, undermining of forensic social work practitioners by other professionals, adoption of international standards, registration, role specification and lack of collaboration with other professionals. The author recommended that forensic social work practitioners in South Africa require further training in legislation, policies and the specialized skills and knowledge relevant for forensic social work practice and finding solutions to overcome the challenges faced. Further research should be conducted in other provinces in South Africa for forensic social work
TGA investigation of the volatilisation of fipronil at elevated temperatures
No full textPlease read abstract in the article.The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), Germany.https://www.elsevier.com/locate/tca2023-10-28hj2022Chemical EngineeringChemistryUP Centre for Sustainable Malaria Control (UP CSMC
