880 research outputs found
The in-group/out-group dynamics of Nerdrum’s positioning of Kitsch as a reflection of situatedness within contemporary art
No full textIn his description of the Kitsch movement Odd Nerdrum distinguishes between Kitsch and art. This article investigates the concept of Kitsch as theorized by Nerdrum as a manifestation of situatedness within contemporary art. Nerdrum's positioning of kitsch as Kitsch, and as the alternative to contemporary art, links with other critics' views of the significance of kitsch within a post-industrial, modernist and postmodernist society. The techniques employed by Nerdrum in his attempts to re-situate Kitsch are held to reflect the concepts in-group/out-group dynamics, as theorized in social identity theory. I argue that Nerdrum attempts to reposition kitsch - from an out-group to contemporary art - to Kitsch - as an in-group. In this the Kitsch movement can be seen as the manifestation of the need for a change of the situatedness of those who create within the framework of what is considered to be kitsch. Nerdrum's definition of Kitsch, however, is shown to be an ironically modernist marginalizing force in itself, again situating certain artistic attempts as the out-group
Power calculation accuracy as a function of wind data resolution
No full textWind power calculations are usually based on average wind data taken over one-hour intervals. The effect of the wind data resolution on the statistical techniques used to calculate the probable power output (PPO) is commonly overlooked. This effect is analysed in this paper by iteratively calculating and comparing the PPO of a wind turbine using data, averaged over different periods, obtained from Wind Association of South Africa. The power is calculated using both Weibull representation and direct polynomial substitution techniques in order to compare and verify the results. The results indicate a fairly linear relationship between the resolution used and the PPO error incurred. These results raise an interest to examine the effects of a fine resolution on the data in terms of data dependence, which may violate the criteria for the majority of statistical tests and procedure
Pebble Bed Micro Model system identification
No full textLinear system identification techniques will be applied to obtain mathematical models of a simulation of the Pebble Bed Micro Model (PBMM). The PBMM is a conceptual model of the Pebble Bed Modular Reactor (PBMR), a new high temperature gas nuclear reactor. The basis of the PBMR and PBMM is a three-phase Brayton Power Generation Cycle. The Brayton cycle will in this paper be simulated by the use of Flownex, a general thermal-fluid network analysis code solver. A description of the Brayton Power Generation Cycle, as well as description of the Flownex modelling program, will also be given
Author ID’s: enhance visibility and accessibility: Workshop 2
No full textPapers presented at the second workshop on Author ID’s: enhance visibility and accessibility , Auditorium, Merensky Library, University of Pretoria, 28 October 2015Follow up on the first workshop (Researcher ID Workshop), the aim of this workshop was to continue discussion on the information specialists' role in enhancing research visibility and accessibility. A large part of the workshop was devoted to a discussion and practical demonstration of ORCID ID by Mr Matthew Buys, the Regional Director of ORCID. Author IDs were also discussed from different perspectives, including a junior information specialist (Ms Lesego Makhafola); a cataloguer (Ms Martha De Waal); a researcher (Prof. Estelle Venter) and a case study at GIBS (Ms Beulah Muller).mn201
Development of an online reputation monitor by using existing components
No full textCustomer opinion about companies are very
important and companies often get customer feedback
via surveys or other official methods. Some customers
prefer to voice their opinion on the internet where they
take comfort in anonymity. Currently this form of
customer feedback is not closely monitored. This project
aims to address this shortcoming by developing a system
capable of monitoring various web and social
networking sites for customer feedbackhttp://tinyurl.com/os8b74
Application of data analytics to transport corridor diagnostics and performance benchmarking
No full textIncrease in exports is essential for economic growth in developing countries. In Southern Africa the development of effective multi-national trade corridors is the single biggest stumbling block to achieve this objective. Continuous performance measurement of all key trade corridor activities will facilitate the identification and elimination of bottle necks that currently restrict the free flow of trade. This article describes a methodology to implement continuous corridor performance measurement as necessary step to achieve the larger goal of improved corridor performance and hence increase in exports. It is described how performance benchmarks for road freight transport were established by leveraging data that is available from existing systems operated by corridor users. We also discuss the challenges to establish a permanent system of corridor performance measurement that will include not only physical cargo movements but also the detailed transactions to move cargo across national borders and through port
Digital video shot boundary detector investigation
No full textMany algorithms have been proposed and evaluated
for the detection of shot boundaries in digital video.
Although these techniques have been verified, there remains
a lack of standardised data to classify which techniques
are best suited for certain applications. The Jensen-Shannon
divergence (JSD) is one such technique used for shot boundary
detection. In this article the JSD technique was adapted
to handle monochromatic and RGB videos. This adaptation
made it possible for the JSD technique to be evaluated in the
RGB and monochromatic (grayscale) color spaces as well as
the effect of video resizing in terms of recall, precision and
execution timehttp://tinyurl.com/os8b74
Final 192-week ffficacy and safety results of the ADVANCE trial, comparing 3 first-line antiretroviral regimens
No full textBackground: ADVANCE compared 3 World Health Organization-recommended first-line regimens in participants with HIV who were antiretroviral naive.Methods: This randomized, open-label, noninferiority trial enrolled participants living with HIV with no antiretroviral exposure in the previous 6 months to 1 of the following arms: tenofovir alafenamide (TAF) / emtricitabine (FTC) + dolutegravir (DTG) (2 tablets), tenofovir disoproxil fumarate (TDF) / FTC + DTG (2 tablets), or a fixed-dose combination of TDF / FTC / efavirenz (EFV) (1 tablet). We report the final safety and efficacy data up to 192 weeks.Results: Repeat consent from the original 351 participants randomized to each arm was obtained from 230 participants (66%) in the TAF/FTC + DTG arm, 209 (60%) in the TDF/FTC + DTG arm, and 183 (52%) in the TDF/FTC/EFV arm. At 192 weeks, 213 (61%) of the original 351 participants in the TAF/FTC + DTG arm, 195 (56%) in the TDF/FTC + DTG arm, and 172 (49%) in the TDF/FTC/EFV arm had confirmed RNA <50 copies/mL, with low virologic failure in all groups and no significant integrase inhibitor mutations in any arm. Mean weight gain was 8.9 kg (SD, 7.1) in the TAF/FTC + DTG arm, 5.9 kg (SD, 7.1) in the TDF/FTC + DTG arm, and 3.2 kg (SD, 8.1) in the TDF/FTC/EFV arm at 192 weeks from baseline and was greatest among women, those taking TAF, and those with lower baseline CD4 counts. The weight trajectory slowed after week 96. There were few clinical events and minor laboratory changes and differences among arms after 96 weeks. There were no significant differences in treatment-emergent hypertension or pregnancy outcomes by arm.Conclusions: High viral suppression was seen across arms, with no resistance to DTG. Weight gain continued but slowed after 96 weeks, with few clinical events or laboratory changes
An explorative study into the effectiveness of a customs operation and its impact on trade
No full textThere is a lack of overall efficiency in Sub-Saharan Africa’s logistics systems, with a
large contributor to this problem being inefficient customs processes and unnecessary
customs delays. Many comparisons have been drawn between the levels of efficiency
of different countries and regions, especially in recent trade facilitation research, and
some models have been developed to demonstrate how the efficiency of a customs
operation can potentially be improved. The development of effective policies, strategies
and operational procedures, supported by business intelligence and predictive models,
however, depends on an in-depth understanding of the reasons for long delays in
the customs process. There are multiple factors impacting the customs and logistics
process; in order to progress towards improved solutions it is essential to identify the
areas of worst performance, their common denominators and the underlying causes that
contribute to low observed performance. This requires exploratory analysis of a large
set of data representative of an overall customs operation. This article describes the first
attempt to analyse transaction-level data and derive exploratory statistics representative
of customs operations as implemented in South Africa. The most important process
outcomes from the perspective of both trade and customs are defined, the key input
factors are identified, and performance measures are extracted from data exchanged
between the customs authority and cargo consignors during the period September
2014 to September 2016. The time duration per category for the completion of the
customs process was measured, as well as the effectiveness of the customs authority
in screening consignments for inspection. The study indicates that, for the selected
dataset, of all shipments delayed by customs, more than 90 per cent were delayed
unnecessarily, indicating inefficient risk identification in the South African customs
process. This study highlights the need for improved customs processes in the southern
African context to ensure more efficient trad
Parameter analysis of the Jensen-Shannon divergence for shot boundary detection in streaming media applications
No full textShot boundary detection is an integral part of multimedia, be it video management or video
processing. Multiple boundary detection techniques have been developed throughout the years, but
are only applicable to very specific instances. The Jensen-Shannon divergence (JSD) is one such
a technique that can be implemented to detect the shot boundaries in digital videos. This paper
investigates the use of the JSD algorithm to detect shot boundaries in streaming media applications.
Furthermore, the effects of the various parameters used by the JSD technique, on the accuracy of the
detected boundaries, are quantified by the recall and precision metrics all the while keeping track of
how they affect the execution tim
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