“The Hellenistic ruler cult and Ptolemy I’s quest for legitimacy”

Alexander III died suddenly in Babylon in 323 BC. With Philip III Arrhidaeus in a mentally deficient state and Alexander IV not being of age, Alexander died without a suitable heir. The task of succeeding one of the most storied legacies in the ancient world was left to the generals of Alexander III. On his deathbed, Alexander was asked who should lead the Macedonians, of which he allegedly replied “the strongest”. Thus began the process of selecting the individual who would succeed Alexander the Great, which ended up becoming a contentious task due to Macedonian succession customs. Subsequently the ‘Successors’ quarrelled over who should succeed Alexander as the true successor. The wars of the Successors are founded on an issue of legitimacy that qualifies the notion of the strongest. Being deemed the true successor of Alexander the Great meant the opportunity to continue a period of Macedonian dominance following the reigns of Philip II and Alexander III. Alexander III is hailed as one of the most extraordinary individuals of the ancient world with his imperial campaigns being widely documented, political stability being pinpointed as one of the Macedonian strong points during the period of their dominance. The ruler cult is a point of reference for the explaining the relative political stability throughout the reign of Alexander the Great. The ruler cult can be understood as a sociopolitical construct that hybridized the notion of the ruler with that of a religious leader. The oriental influence of Alexander’s campaigns in Asia would inform the customs and practices of the divine ruler. The Macedonians’ ability to establish a presence in foreign territories made such a social construct a necessity in the task of centralizing of minds for political stability. Alexander’s rendition of the cult informed the formalized Ptolemaic ruler cult. The similarities and differences of the renditions help us to understand this political tool that Ptolemy I required in order to be deemed the true successor of Alexander the Great. The following will be an investigation into whether Ptolemy I is able to attain legitimacy, firstly as a successor to Alexander the Great, secondly as Pharaoh of Egypt

Subjective measurements of persistence of time series

In this paper we suggest the use of subjective judgements to measure persistence in time series by comparing pairs of graphs with different Hurst exponents. The group of respondents consisted of 40 volunteers who were asked to identify the more jagged out of two graphs presented to them (that is, less persistent). The respondents were approached as a group and requested to work independently in the completion of ques- tionnaires administered to them. The respondents were supervised by the researchers. The graphs were simulated using time series package of Mathematica R [26]. The re- sponses were processed using an algorithm based on the Thurstone-Mosteller model for paired comparisons [29]. The results of the analysis show that the human eye is capable of distinguishing graphs of time series with Hurst exponent difference as small as only 0.02

Implementing of cost and profit management systems: a case of small, medium and large construction firms in Swaziland.

Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville.The construction industry in Swaziland consists of small, medium and large construction firms both in building and civil construction works. The industry is guided by several management systems such as quality, health and safety, environmental, cost and profit management systems. The study focused on the implementation of cost and profit management systems, it sought to compare effectiveness of the use of these systems by large construction firms and challenges faced by small or medium contractors in adopting this system. Through this comparison the aim was to find ways in which small and medium contractors could be capacitated for them to be able to master the use of cost and profit management systems so as to track financial performance of the organization and execution of projects. The purpose of the study is to understand the extent to which construction companies employ cost and profit management systems to predict profitability. In previous research inadequate capacity, lack of financial capital, poor management systems have been identified as contributors to the failure of these companies thus this study will collate these contributors, analysing the cost and profit management systems between the small, medium and large construction firms. The interpretivist paradigm and inductive research was conducted in a case study methodology which was qualitative research design in nature as it needed to investigate and understand in depth the reasons for failure to implement cost and profit management systems by small and medium contractors. The research was conducted using semi- structured interviews with nine construction firms in the different categories from the Mbabane- Manzini corridor selected by purposive sampling. These were selected because they had projects at the time of the study. Data was analysed by thematic analysis. The findings were that the firms scarcely used cost and profit management systems and it they used them they were not fed properly with information because of the lack of expertise among staff. It is recommended that employers and employees are given training to understand the intricacies of the industry and the implications are that firms need capacity building

The application of section 17 of the Employment of Educators' Act

The purpose of this treatise is to discuss the implementation of section 17 of The Employment of Educators’ Act1 with a view to examining its shortcomings in fulfilling the requirements of fairness. Section 17 makes dismissal for transgressing any of the misconduct cases listed therein compulsory. This is so because of the use of the term “must” in its opening sentence. The Constitutional Court in Sidumo v Rustenburg Platinum Mines2 emphasizes the consideration of the totality of circumstances before the dismissal sanction is imposed by an employer. These include but not limited to the importance of the rule that has been breached to the employer; the basis of the employee’s challenge to the dismissal; the harm caused by the employee’s conduct; the effect of dismissal on the employee and the length of service. The treatise argues that in its current form section 17 of The Employment of Educators’ Act does not cater for the consideration of these circumstances set by the Constitutional Court. The study will also discuss the applicable dismissal legislation in education. The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa guarantees everyone a right to fair labour practices.3 This right is further qualified by the Labour Relations Act4 in section 185. The Labour Relations Act also has in it Schedule 8 which is a Code of Good Practice: Dismissal. The Code endorses the concept of corrective or progressive discipline5 and the need to give due consideration to certain circumstances before dismissing an employee.6 The consideration of the circumstances listed by the Constitutional Court in Sidumo v Rustenburg Platinum Mines7 and the provisions of items 3(2) and 3(6) cannot be said to be well catered for under section 17 of the Employment of Educators’ Act because of the use of the term “must”. For the principle of fair labour practices to be fully accommodated under section 17 of the Employment of Educators’ Act a need to amend it is necessary. This treatise will introduce amendments that will provide for pre-dismissal arbitration as a possible approach to ensuring full compliance for fairness in dismissals that are as a result of transgressing any of the misconduct cases listed in section 17. Other amendments suggested are aimed at realigning section 17 to other child specific legislation like the Children’s Amendment Act8 and the Sexual Offences and Related Matters Amendment Act

Identities of principals leading successful schools in deprived contexts: a narrative inquiry.

Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.This is a qualitative study that explored the identities of principals that are leading successful schools in deprived contexts. The study comprised of three principals from three education district of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The participants were purposefully selected due to meeting the requirements of the study. The schools from which the principals lead were rural schools and one township school, which are laden with various deprivations. These schools regardless of the deprived contexts are successful. The aims of the study were two-fold. Firstly, it aimed at discovering the identities that are common and those that are exclusive to individual participants (Principals) leading successful schools in deprived contexts. Secondly, it sought to establish how these identities intersect and shape the leadership of the Principals in the study. The study adopted the qualitative research design. Narrative Inquiry was used as a methodology. In line with Narrative Inquiry methodology, the study employed three methods of generating field texts (data), namely: conversational interviews, narrative posters and letter writing. The analysis was done at two levels. First level is the retelling of narratives (narrative analysis) and the second level is the identification of emerging identities from the narratives (analysis of narratives). As a theoretical framework, the study adopted the intersectionality theory as a primary frame and social identity theory as a subsidiary frame to aid in the analysis. Some of the findings from the study confirm the existing literature on identities of principals. However, it does also presents ‘fresh’ perspectives on the phenomenon under study. This study has shown that the principals that are leading successful schools in deprived contexts are: 1. Visionary leaders, 2. Time conscious, 3. Team players, and 4. problem solvers. From this inquiry, I also learned that leadership position shapes the principal’s identity as much as identity influences the leadership practice. The new contribution the study is making to the body of knowledge is that: 1. experience which can either be negative or positive can shape someone’s identity. The negative experience can result in a positive identity

Glycemic control and pancreatic beta cells protective effect of a lanosteryl triterpene from Protorhus longifolia in hyperlipidemic and STZ-induced diabetic rats

A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Science and Agriculture in fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master Of Science in Biochemistry in the Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology at the University Of Zululand, 2018Prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM), a chronic metabolic disorder of carbohydrates and lipids that is characterized by persistent hyperglycemia, is rapidly reaching epidemic levels. Hyperglycemia-induced oxidative stress and accelerated inflammatory response may trigger various signaling pathways which further aggravates insult to insulin producing beta cells of the pancreas, thereby worsening the diabetic state. Current treatment regimen for DM comprises self-care and anti-diabetic drugs such as biguanides (metformin), thiazolidinediones and sulfonylureas. Metformin is currently the most commonly used antidiabetic drug. However, due to the lack of compliance to self-care recommendations and some undesirable side effects of metformin, there is an increasing need for alternative therapy. Drugs that cannot only decrease postprandial hyperglycemia, but also maintain pancreatic beta cells integrity for optimal function, could be vital in the management of DM. This study investigated the glycemic control and pancreatic beta cell protective effect of a lanosteryl triterpene (RA-3) from Protorhus longifolia stem bark in hyperlipidemic and streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. RA-3 was isolated from the chloroform extract of P. longifolia using chromatographic techniques and its chemical structure was confirmed based on spectral data analysis. The glycemic control and pancreatic beta cells protective effect of RA-3 were evaluated in the high fat diet (HFD) and streptozotocin (STZ) induced diabetes in rats. The rats were divided into two main groups; rats fed on normal diet and those fed on HFD for 28 days. The animals were then injected with STZ to induce diabetes and RA-3 (100 mg/kg) was orally administered to the diabetic rats daily for 28 days. At the end of the experimental period, animals were fasted overnight and oral glucose tolerance test was performed. The animals were then euthanized and blood, muscle, liver and pancreatic tissues were collected for analysis of biochemical parameters, protein expression and histopathology. The effect of RA-3 on the pancreatic beta cell structure and function in HFD and STZ-induced diabetes in animals has been reported in Chapter Three. A significant decrease in serum levels of C-peptide and antioxidants (catalase-CAT, superoxide dismutase-SOD), accompanied by reduced glutathione (GSH), were observed in the untreated diabetic controls. Increases in serum levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), interleukin-6 (IL-v 6), fasting blood glucose and total cholesterol levels, as well as damaged beta cell structure, were also noted. However, all these parameters were significantly reversed in the diabetic groups treated with RA-3. Furthermore, the molecular mechanism through which the lanosteryl triterpene improves peripheral insulin signalling in skeletal muscle of STZ-induced diabetic animals was investigated. Treatment of the diabetic animals with the RA-3 showed marked reduction in fasting plasma glucose (67%), serum MDA and IL-6 levels, which were concomitant with the increased serum levels of antioxidants (SOD, CAT) and GSH, in comparison to the untreated diabetic group animals. An improved pancreatic beta cell structure along with increased serum C-peptide levels were also observed in the RA-3 treated diabetic animals. This was evidenced by the observed minimal histopathological changes when compared to the untreated diabetic groups in which major cell damage was evident. A decrease in IRS-1Ser307 expression along with increases in p-Akt, p-GSK-3β and GLUT 4 expression were observed in the RA-3 treated group vs untreated diabetic controls. Finally, the molecular basis of RA-3 in hyperlipidemic and STZ-induced type 2 diabetes in animals was studied. Diabetic animals treated with RA-3 effectively enhanced insulin signaling which was observed by a decrease in expression of IRS-1ser307 and higher expression levels of p-Akt, p-GSK-3β GLUT 2 and GLUT 4 in comparison to the diabetic control group. The findings obtained from the current study on RA-3 treatment were similar and highly comparable to those of the metformin treated groups. It is apparent that lanosteryl triterpene, RA-3, improved glycemic control and possesses pancreatic beta cells protective properties. It is concluded that the molecular mechanism by which RA-3 improves glycemic control is based on its enhancement of the insulin signaling pathway, leading to increased recruitment of glucose transporters and thus increased cellular glucose uptake.National Research Foundatio

Microfinance and welfare of households in Ngcobo villages in the Eastern Cape Province

This research examined the effectiveness of microfinance on welfare of rural households in Ngcobo in the Eastern Cape through an administered survey. The study targeted fifty households based on convenience sampling technique and used a number of welfare indicators but selected food consumption patterns; roof, floor and walls of the main dwelling house; cooking fuel used and transport, livestock and household appliances and electronics asset ownership patterns to derive household welfare index. The derived household welfare index of those households which have had microfinance access was then compared with that of those households that have never accessed microfinance. The general idea was that microfinance access would result in relatively higher welfare. The study found microfinance access to have a significantly high impact t highly on household welfare index of those households that had participated in microfinance in Ngcobo. The higher household welfare index meant that microfinance beneficiaries had relatively higher protein consumption patterns, used more durable material for roofs, wall and floors of their main dwellings, had better asset ownership patterns in particular variety of household appliances and electronics. The study also found that there are other control variable such as employment, age, household size and education that interfere with access to microfinance. Lastly, the study also found that that distance of a household from a microfinance outlet or institutions plays a significant hindrance factor in microfinance access. In other words, those households in Mjanyana and Clarkebury, which are situated within more than 40 kilometres from the microfinance institutions, had lower microfinance access. Based on the findings, the study recommends that policy makers in the province pay attention in refining the policy to ensure that control variables identified to interfere with microfinance access do not close out the intended beneficiaries of microfinance. Also, the study recommends that policy makers and microfinance institutions be innovative in ensuring those in deep rural areas are offered the same opportunity to access microfinance within Ngcobo, despite their distance from the microfinance outlets

Memories of victims: the historical trajectory of the removal of people from Mandlazini, South Africa

The history of forced removals and Bantustan consolidation in South Africa speak to issues of dispossession and disenfranchisement. The history of South Africa between 1948 and 1994 was characterised by widespread removal of communities from their traditional areas of domicile to different areas. In spite of the prevalence of such removals, very little is written on the experiences of the victims and agency or resilience they demonstrated. This paper follows the history, experiences and memories of a black community that was removed when Richards Bay was established. It argues that these people were not relocated for their betterment but to open up space for white settlement and to create economic enclave dominated by whites