Understanding the resurgence of traditional authorities in post-apartheid South Africa

Drawing their power not from the ballot box but from a supposedly ancient wellspring of power, hereditary traditional authorities in postcolonial Africa have frequently posed challenges for incoming ‘democratic’ governments. The situation in post-apartheid South Africa is no different. However contentious their role under the colonial and apartheid systems of government was, the Constitution of the new South Africa (1996) recognised traditional authorities and afforded them opportunities for a political resurgence. This paper reviews the changing status of traditional authorities in the Eastern Cape Province over the twenty years since 1994. It explores the resurgence of the chiefs in relation to the consolidation of both democratic processes and of emergent, neo-patrimonial modes of government. It briefly considers the role of traditional authorities in three key and closely related spheres, namely the institution of the Eastern Cape House of Traditional Leaders, the question of how gender is handled by and within traditional institutions, and the continuing challenges of land administration and development in rural areas. In all these spheres, and in the face of real opposition, the voice and influence traditional authorities have emerged stronger than ever. We conclude by suggesting that as they are drawn deeper into governance and have to play a formal role in addressing the myriad institutional challenges, new questions will and should be asked about the status and influence of traditional authorities, and their substantive contribution to democracy in South Africa.

Understanding the Effect of Adsorption Geometry over Substrate Selectivity in the Surface-Enhanced Raman Scattering Spectra of Simazine and Atrazine

This paper studies the selectivity of Well-defined Au and Ag nanostructures as substrates for the SERS, (surface-enhanced Raman scattering) detection of simazine (6-chloro-N,N`-diethyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine) and atrazine (6-chloro-N-ethyl-N`-isopropyl-1,3,5-triazine-2,4-diamine). Our data showed that simazine and atrazine displayed similar SERS spectra when the Au was employed as substrate. Conversely, distinct SERS signatures were obtained upon the utilization of Ag substrates. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations and vibrational assignments suggested that, while simazine and atrazine adsorbed on Au via the N3 position of the triazine ring, simazine adsorbed on Ag via N3 and atrazine via N5. The results presented herein demonstrated that the adsorption geometry of analyte molecules can play a central role over substrate selectivity in SERS, which is particularly important in applications involving ultrasensitive analysis of mixtures containing structurally similar molecules.

Understanding the effects of isolation on seed and pollen flow, spatial genetic structure and effective population size of the dioecious tropical tree species Myracrodruon urundeuva

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Understanding the origin of photoluminescence in disordered Ca0.60Sr0.40WO4: An experimental and first-principles study

Visible photoluminescence (PL) was observed for the first time at room temperature in structurally disordered calcium strontium tungstate powder, Ca0.60Sr0.40WO4 (CSW), obtained by the polymeric precursor method. The PL behavior of CSW powders has been analyzed as a function of the disorder rate, based on experimental and theoretical studies. Quantum mechanical theory based on density functional theory at the B3LYP level has been employed to study the electronic structure of two periodic models representing both crystalline and disordered powders. Their electronic structures have been analyzed in terms of density of states, band dispersion and charge densities. The calculations indicate a break in symmetry when passing from crystalline to disordered models, creating localized electronic levels above the valence band. Moreover, a negative charge transfer process takes place from the [WO3] cluster to the [WO4] cluster. The polarization induced by the break in symmetry and the existence of localized levels favors the creation of trapped holes and electrons, originating the PL phenomenon. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Dermatoglyphics in sports sciences: Understanding the distribution of quantitative indicators in non-athletes and athletes of basketball according to their performance

Objectives. One of the concerns of Sports Sciences is the search for methodologies that can help discover potential athletes. In this sense, some initiatives have been taken in an attempt to identify and characterize the genetic profile of dermatoglyphic marks (fingerprints). The present work has the objective of understanding the distribution of quantitative dermatoglyphic indicators in basketball players with different levels of performance compared to non-players. Methods. The subjects observed constituted 125 individuals, divided into five numerically equal groups, three of which were composed of professional basketball players according to their level of participation (Brazilian Team, National Championship and São Paulo Championship) and the last two formed by weekend players and non-players, respectively. Eleven dermatoglyphic variables were analysed in the descriptive level by means of measurement of position, variability and limits of confidence of the median, and, in inferential terms, the Kruskal-Wallis statistical test was adopted. Results. The more expressive ones were: TRC, counting lines a-b and A'-d, behave differently between athletes and non-athletes. Conclusion. Studies about this kind of analysis should be continued, calling on resources that take into consideration all variables simultaneously as a multivariate study. © 2012 Revista Andaluza de Medicina del Deporte.

Understanding the process of greening of Brazilian business schools

This study analyses business schools' incorporating environmental management issues into their core activities, defined through teaching, research, outreach and management. Taking into account the relative lack of literature on this theme, case study fieldwork is utilized. Two case studies were conducted at Brazilian business schools. The results were analyzed using the conceptual background of barriers to organizational change, transition to a more sustainable society, and path dependence. The main findings indicate that: (a) the incorporation of environmental management issues tends to begin with researching and teaching; (b) this incorporation process depends on the personal motivation of few or single faculty researchers; (c) the trajectory of the analyzed business schools is marked by advances and stagnation, when analyzing the incorporation of environmental management issues to its four core activities; (d) paradoxically, the analyzed business schools can be considered academic leaders in the field, but have had difficulties in adopting environmental management practices internally; (e) there is a path dependence effect in this process; (f) there are barriers to organizational change towards green business schools; (g) institutional entrepreneurs are important to the process of greening. This research represents the first research shedding light to understanding the process of greening of Brazilian business schools while considering the multidimensional aspects (teaching, research, outreach and university management). © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hypusine Modification of the Ribosome-binding Protein eIF5A, a Target for New Anti-Inflammatory Drugs: Understanding the Action of the Inhibitor GC7 on a Murine Macrophage Cell Line

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Understanding the Function of Conserved Variations in the Catalytic Loops of Fungal Glycoside Hydrolase Family 12

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Understanding the genesis of green supply chain management: lessons from leading Brazilian companies

This work discusses the internal structuring processes of leading companies when adopting green supply chain management (GSCM) practices. A multiple case study approach was adopted as the research methodology, with four large Brazilian companies that are leaders in their market segments. The introduction of green products is a key step towards initiating concern for the environment among suppliers and customers. This study's results show the importance of having green teams, a dedicated functional area, and/or green jobs that support the discussion of environmental management among a business and beyond. The practical results of this study offer new insights into the behavior of companies that are adopting GSCM practices, thereby generating new evidence for the extension of GSCM theory. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Understanding the influence of oxidative stress and physical exercise in the relationship between blood pressure and uric acid

Due to the high incidence and prevalence of hypertension, especially in the elderly population, several studies have been developed to understand the relationship between etiological factors and blood pressure control. It has been demonstrated that hypertensive patients tend to present a status of hyperuricemia. This result suggested that there is a relationship between blood pressure and uric acid concentrations. However there is still a lack of studies that focus on this relationship, and especially how physical exercise could affect the relationship between both of them. Thus, the purpose of this study is to review and discuss the relationship between hypertension and uric acid concentration pointing the oxidative stress as the main factor of this relationship and discuss the physical exercise as the main preventive factor of high uric acid concentrations and oxidative stress. It has been described an increase in oxidative stress during the uric acid pathway because the high production of anions superoxide. This in turn, increases the activation of renin-angiotensin system and decreases nitric oxide bioavailability which will compromise the vasodilatation mechanism. However physical exercises have been associated with improvements in antioxidant capacity and nitric oxide production and bioavailability which will improve the blood pressure control.

Understanding the Grafting of Telechelic Polymers on a Solid Substrate to Form Loops

Recent experimental and theoretical studies have demonstrated that relative to singly tethered chains, the presence of polymer loops at interfaces significantly improves interfacial properties such as adhesion, friction, and wettability. In the present study, a simple system was studied to examine the formation of polymeric loops on a solid surface, where the grafting of carboxylic acid terminated telechelic polystyrene from the melt to an epoxy functionalized silicon is chosen. The impact of telechelic molecular weight, grafting temperature, and surface functionality on the telechelic attachment process is studied. It was found that grafting of the telechelic to the surface at both ends to form loops is the primary product of this grafting process. Moreover, examination of the kinetics of the grafting process indicates that it is reaction controlled. Fluorescence tagging of the dangling ends of singly bound chains provides a mechanism to monitor their time evolution during grafting, and these results indicate that the grafting process is accurately described by recent Monte Carlo simulation work. The results also provide a method to control the extent of loop formation at interfaces and therefore provide an opportunity to further understand the role of the loops in the interfacial properties in multicomponent polymer systems.

Toward supramolecular architectures of the anti-HIV drug lamivudine: understanding the effect of the inclusion of water in a hydrochloride form

Two salts of the anti-HIV drug lamivudine, namely, lamivudine hydrochloride and lamivudine hydrochloride monohydrate, were prepared for the first time. Structural relationships and the role of water in crystal assembly and lamivudine conformation were established and allowed for a rational approach to understand how solid state properties could be changed by engineering new salts of the drug.