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Gender-based violence (GBV) is pervasive at South African higher education institutions (HEIs). Based on a media statement (dated 6 October 2016) by the Department of Higher Education and Training, GBV programmes at HEIs need to be evidence-informed, responsive, contextually relevant, inclusive and person-centred. The present article aims to explore the nature of GBV programmes currently implemented at HEIs in South Africa. A rapid review of the literature, supported by qualitative interviews with representatives of South African HEIs with medical campuses, was conducted. Findings indicate that there is an urgent need to clearly define GBV and to mention it explicitly in policy documents. In addition, research evidence on the effectiveness of prevention and response interventions at HEIs in South Africa is lacking. Challenges highlighted by the HEIs that were surveyed include the lack of trust by staff and students in the response and action plans of the response/task teams at HEIs, uncertainty with regards to the roles of relevant stakeholders and sectors when reporting incidents, as well as insufficient information about what GBV is. This study is intended to provide a baseline for further research evaluating current GBV programmes on medical campuses at HEIs, and highlights the need for an evidence-informed framework of the key ingredients for effective GBV response and prevention programmes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Refractive correction techniques, such as Lenticule Extraction and LASIK, are pivotal in corneal surgery. Precise morphological characterization is essential for identifying post-operative complications, which can be compromised by image noise and low contrast. This study introduces an automated image processing algorithm that integrates non-local denoising, the Sobel gradient method, and Bayesian optimization to accurately delineate lenticule volumes and flap surfaces. Validated on 60 ex vivo porcine eyes treated with the SCHWIND ATOS femtosecond laser, the algorithm demonstrated high accuracy compared to the manual gold standard while effectively reducing variability.

This study evaluated the effects of habituation and electro-ejaculation techniques on semen quality in merino-type rams in South Africa, aiming to refine the electro-ejaculation method to improve semen quality. Parameters assessed included semen volume, sperm motility, sperm viability, sperm concentration, sperm viscosity, sperm consistency, and sperm abnormalities. Forty mature (six-to eighttooth) merino-type rams, approximately two and a half to four years old, were randomly assigned to four groups: habituated with a 3-second rest (H3) (n = 10), non-habituated with a 3-second rest (N3) (n = 10), habituated with a 10-second rest (H10) (n = 10), and non-habituated with a 10-second rest (N10) (n = 10). Each group underwent a two-week habituation period to human presence before electroejaculation using a commercial device. Analysed semen samples showed no significant differences in semen volume (0.93-1.28 mL), sperm motility (75.2%-83.1%), sperm viability (73.1%-85.5%), sperm concentration score (3.45-3.83), sperm viscosity score (3.5-4.00), or sperm consistency score (3.5-4.0). However, the H3 group had a higher percentage of sperm abnormalities (12.3%) compared to the N3 (6.11%) and H10 (6.7%) groups, indicating that a shorter rest interval may negatively impact semen quality. The study concludes that extending the rest interval to ten seconds can enhance semen parameters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social Impact Assessment (SIA) in South Africa is still considered to be a neglected component of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), but the perspectives of the practitioners on the status and practice of SIA have never been probed, despite their key role in SIA. This paper explores those perspectives by means of a two-part survey conducted with an availability sample of 11 SIA practitioners in 2012 and 13 practitioners in 2016 following a qualitative Action Research Approach. Four themes emerged (i.e. SIA in practice, Problems in SIA, Effectiveness of SIA and the Future of SIA). It is evident that the practitioners generally agree about the nature and purpose of SIA, that SIA has problems but is healthy and will benefit from some regulation, that SIA is an important and valuable tool, although with limited effectiveness, and the practitioners are optimistic about the future of SIA. The perspectives of the practitioners are aligned with international trends towards enhancement and sustainability assessment, but they must remain committed to best practice in SIA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research study investigated the impact of the maintenance management system (MMS) on production output and profitability (PO&P) at the PetroSA GTL refinery, a state-owned company. The two groups that participated were the maintenance group, consisting of 56 respondents, and the production group, with 38 respondents. The main findings of the research study suggested that the MMS impacts positively on PO&P at the PetroSA GTL refinery. The maintenance scorecard assessment tool - consisting of six perspectives - was used to assess the gap between the MMS and PO&P. The positivism paradigm, the deductive process, a cross-sectional quantitative survey, and descriptive statistics were used to conduct the research study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Baobab size class distributions were surveyed in the Limpopo National Park (LNP), Mozambique, and the Kruger National Park (KNP), South Africa. There are very few elephants in the LNP and the baobab population there had a reverse J-shaped size class distribution with many small baobabs. In contrast, the elephant-impacted baobab population of KNP displayed a mono-modal size-class distribution, with a lack in recruitment. Within KNP, elephant impact (percentage bark stripped up to the height of 3 m) decreased with increasing rockiness and slope steepness. We interpret this to suggest that steep rocky slopes are inaccessible to elephants and therefore these sites may act as a refuge for baobabs. In such inaccessible areas, the baobab population has a similar size-class distribution to that of the populations in the LNP. However, these baobab refugia are restricted in the northern KNP landscape and are therefore probably not large enough to sustain a viable baobab population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The strength and deformation behavior of an Fe-Mn-Al-Ni shape memory alloy at different strain rates was studied. Furthermore, the effect of grain size was investigated. To this end, a batch with bamboo-like grain arrangement and a batch with smaller, nevertheless coarse, grains were analyzed. Tensile tests at quasi-static, intermediate, and dynamic loading rates were performed. Digital image correlation and microstructural analysis revealed the localized deformation and phase transformation in favorable oriented grains. At higher strain rates, a increased number of orientations was activated for the phase transformation. A higher strain rate resulted in an increased strength for the coarse-grained material while the bamboo-like material did not show this effect. The analysis of fracture surfaces revealed ductile fracture and cleavage fracture for all strain rates.

In this study, the effect of non-metallic inclusions on the material behavior of 42CrMo4 was investigated. By adding aluminum oxide particles to steel powder, different inclusion contents were simulated. The mechanical and fracture toughness properties were measured under dynamic loading. The damage was examined using the acoustic emissions. With an increasing inclusion content, a decreasing strength, deformability and fracture toughness were observed. The distribution of the inclusions along the surfaces of the prior steel particles lead to small distances between inclusions and favors the initiation of cracks at low stress. The early appearance of material damage was proven by acoustic emissions.

Examines performance, environment, and subjectivity in Theatre of the Homeless. Theater versus environment; Living Theatre's 1989 street action; Processions and `subsectors' dealing with fundamental survival issues; Living Theatre's site-specific spectators; Performance for the performers; Details.

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As the mechanical properties of honeycomb structures are influenced by several parameters, detailed analysis is necessary before their potential application in transportation industry components. Previous Finite Element Model (FEM)-based numerical analysis demonstrated that variation in cell geometry affects the achievable strength level and, thus, the energy absorption capability. According to this FEM study, the Kagome geometry – an ordered sequence of hexagons and triangles – exhibits properties that are particularly promising when compared to the square-celled structures investigated to date. When the load is applied parallel to the channel axis (the out-of-plane direction), the increment of strength is comparatively low, whereas in the in-plane direction (loading orthogonal to the channel axis), the dissipated specific energy can reach almost double that of the square-celled structure. In this study, the results of static and dynamic compression tests – performed in the out-of-plane and in-plane modes – are presented to examine the influence of strain rate and loading direction on the characteristic deformation stages of squarecelled and Kagome structures. Particular attention is paid to deformation induced martensite formation in the cell wall material, indicating the TRansformation Induced Plasticity (TRIP) effect as a function of applied cell geometry, strain rate and loading direction.

Abstract. The focus of this study is on the deformation mechanisms of high-alloy cast austenitic TRIP/TWIP steel with the nominal composition Fe-16Cr-6Mn-6Ni. Due to its chemical composition, the material exhibits a low stacking-fault energy of 17.5 mJ/m2 which facilitates the formation of the deformation-induced γ (fcc) → ε (hep) → α’ (bcc) transformation. Consequently, the steel exhibits a tensile strength of 800 MPa with fracture elongation of 55 % under quasi-static loading. The experiments presented demonstrate the response of this steel to flyer-plate impact (FPI) at room temperature using two different test setups. In the first setup, laser interferometry measurements of the sample free surface were used for determination of the dynamic mechanical properties (Hugoniot elastic limit / HEL. spall strength) after impact with aluminium plates accelerated up to 650 m/s. In the second setup, an experimental shock testing device developed at the Freiberg High-Pressure Research Centre was used for impacting large cylindrical samples without the occurrence of spallation. Subsequently, microstructural investigations were carried out by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission election microscopy (TEM) in combination with diffraction techniques and magnetic martensite measurements. Their results facilitate the representation of a complete image of deformation mechanisms during shock wave loading.

Dynamic crack initiation with crack tip loading rates K˙ of approximately 2 ‧ 106 MPa√ms− in high-strength 42CrMo4 steel was investigated. To this end, a recently developed split Hopkinson pressure bar with four-point bending was utilized. V-notched and precracked Charpy specimens were tested. The tests were performed at temperatures of –40 °C and 20 °C. The loading of the specimen was determined by analyzing the strain in the incident and transmission bars. Furthermore, strain gauges at the specimen’s surface were applied to measure the crack tip loading. High-speed photography complemented the analysis of the specimens loading and the detection of the crack initiation. Fracture surface analysis by means of scanning electron microscopy enabled the measurement of the fracture surface topography and, consequently, stretch zone height and width. Hence, the macroscopically measured dynamic crack initiation toughness was correlated with the toughness at microscopic scale. It was observed that the resistance against dynamic crack initiation decreased with decreasing temperature. Microscopically, a decrease in toughness was analogously observed. Non-metallic inclusions resulted in crack path deflection with localized shear zones. After a small stable crack extension, cleavage fracture was observed.

Dynamic crack initiation with crack-tip loading rates of K̇ ≈ 2.106MPa√ms-1 in a high strength G42CrMoS4 steel was investigated. To this end, a previously developed split Hopkinson pressure bar with four-point bending was utilised. V-notched and pre-cracked Charpy specimens were tested. The detection of dynamic crack initiation was performed by analysing the dynamic force equilibrium between the incident and the transmission bar. Additionally, the signal of a near-field strain gauge and high-speed photography were used to determine the instant of crack initiation. To account for vibrations of the sample, a dynamic analysis of the stress intensity factor was performed. The dynamic and static analyses of the tests produced nearly the same results when a force equilibrium was achieved. Fracture-surface analysis revealed that elongated MnS inclusions strongly affected both the dynamic crack initiation and growth. Blunting of the precrack did not take place when a group of MnS inclusions was located directly at the precrack tip. Due to the direction of the elongated MnS inclusions perpendicular to the direction of crack growth, the crack could be deflected. The comparison with a 42CrMo4 steel without elongated MnS inclusions revealed the detrimental effect in terms of resistance to crack initiation. Taking the loading-rate dependency into consideration, it was shown that there was no pronounced embrittlement due to the high loading rates.