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Nov 6, 2025

E-commerce at the last-mile: Media narratives on safety and working conditions of motorcycle delivery drivers

The rapid growth of e-commerce in South Africa has increased the demand for efficient last-mile delivery. Motorcycle delivery drivers play a crucial role in the last-mile delivery process to bridge the gap between retailers and consumers. However, these drivers face significant challenges that impact both logistical efficiency and their socio-economic well-being. This study critically analyzes media narratives on the safety and working conditions of motorcycle delivery drivers in the e-commerce sector in South Africa. The thematic analysis of newspaper articles identified recurring themes. This study reveals critical safety and labor vulnerabilities affecting motorcycle delivery drivers in South Africa’s e-commerce sector. Key findings include heightened risks of violence, hijackings, and road accidents, exacerbated by inadequate infrastructure and safety gear. Coupled with low wages, job insecurity, and limited benefits, these conditions expose drivers to significant precarity. Policy interventions are urgently needed for driver safety and sustainable logistics. By integrating insights from multiple disciplines, this study offers a comprehensive understanding of the complex challenges within this rapidly growing sector.

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Dec 8, 2023

Regulation of gene expression in plant growth and metabolism: A review

In higher eukaryotes, the genes’ architecture has become an essential determinant of the variation in the number of transcripts (expression level) and the specificity of gene expression in plant tissue under stress conditions. The modern rise in genome-wide analysis accounts for summarizing the essential factors through the translocation of gene networks in a regulatory manner. Stress tolerance genes are in two groups: structural genes, which code for proteins and enzymes that directly protect cells from stress (such as genes for transporters, osmo-protectants, detoxifying enzymes, etc.), and the genes expressed in regulation and signal transduction (such as transcriptional factors (TFs) and protein kinases). The genetic regulation and protein activity arising from plants’ interaction with minerals and abiotic and biotic stresses utilize high-efficiency molecular profiling. Collecting gene expression data concerning gene regulation in plants towards focus predicts an acceptable model for efficient genomic tools. Thus, this review brings insights into modifying the expression study, providing a valuable source for assisting the involvement of genes in plant growth and metabolism-generating gene databases. The manuscript significantly contributes to understanding gene expression and regulation in plants, particularly under stress conditions. Its insights into stress tolerance mechanisms have substantial implications for crop improvement, making it highly relevant and valuable to the field.

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Oct 8, 2021

Study on heat transfer characteristics of regenerative shell-and-tube heat exchangers

A new type of regenerative shell-and-tube heat exchanger is designed to solve the problems that the generation load of cogeneration units is limited by the amount of heat supply during the heating period, the peak shaving capacity of units decreases, and the phenomenon of wind and light abandonment in the power system is serious. Considering the advantages of nearly constant temperature and large potential heat release during the heat storage/release process of

phase change materials, paraffin is selected as the phase change material, and the phase change area of the heat exchanger is selected as the heat exchange unit. The control variates method is used to simulate the heat storage/release process of the heat exchange unit according to the key factors such as the flow rate of heat transfer fluid, the thermal conductivity of phase change materials and the thickness of phase change layer. The results show that increasing the flow rate of heat transfer fluid can enhance the heat storage capacity of the heat exchange unit and shorten the complete melting time of phase change materials. In order to control the heat at the output end of the heat exchanger during the heat release process, the flow rate of heat transfer fluid should be appropriately selected; using composite materials to improve the thermal conductivity of phase change materials can enhance the heat transfer capacity of the heat exchange unit, and the average heat transfer coefficient of the heat exchange unit is more than 2 times higher than that of pure paraffin at the same heat transfer fluid flow rate; increasing the thickness of phase change layer can prolong the time of maintaining the outlet temperature of heat transfer fluid in the process of heat release.

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May 6, 2025

Functionalization of graphene by intercalation: A theoretical insight

The intercalation of alkali metals in graphene monolayers and bilayers has been studied using first-principles calculations in particular density functional theory. Alkali metals intercalate into graphite, leading to the formation of M-graphene layered materials (with M = Li, Na, K, Rb, and Cs). Intercalated species can modify the very electronic structure of graphene and consequently its electron mobility. Thanks to various experimental studies, it has been

possible to demonstrate that alkali metal intercalation can be used to modify the electronic structure close to the Fermi level of the M-graphene materials and manipulate the carrier mobility and therefore we want to do this also with computational studies. These materials have a wide variety of applications, especially for the development of new batteries and other devices. The first principles are discussed on the effects of the intercalation of a heavy-alkali metal (K) on the electronic structure of graphene monolayers and bilayers.

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Aug 1, 2017

Regulating local government financing vehicles and public-private partnerships in China

In this paper, we argue that there is much room for China to strengthen its regulatory framework for public-private partnerships (PPPs). We show that infrastructure projects carried out through local government financing vehicles (LGFVs) are largely unregulated PPPs, and significant fiscal risks have already manifested themselves. While PPPs can potentially provide efficiency gains, they can also be used by governments to circumvent budgetary borrowing constraints. Therefore, effective PPP regulation is key to delivering PPPs’ benefits while containing their potential fiscal risks. The authorities have taken concrete steps in order to establish a sound regulatory framework and foster a new generation of PPPs. However, to make the framework effective, we highlight a few issues to be resolved. Based on international best practice, we propose a four-pillar regulatory framework for China, which could be implemented gradually in three stages.

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Feb 17, 2025

Comparative analysis of zinc precursors in the hydrothermal synthesis of zinc oxide hollow spheres

Zinc oxide (ZnO) hollow spheres are gaining attention due to their exceptional properties and potential applications in various fields. This study investigates the impact of different zinc precursors Zinc Chloride (ZnCl₂), Zinc Nitrate [Zn(NO₃)₂], and Zinc Acetate [Zn(CH₃COO)₂] on the hydrothermal synthesis of ZnO hollow spheres. A comprehensive set of characterization techniques, including Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) analysis, was utilized to assess the structural and morphological features of the synthesized materials. Our findings demonstrate that all samples exhibit a high degree of crystallinity with a wurtzite structure, and crystallite sizes range between 34 to 91 nm. Among the different precursors, ZnO derived from Zinc Nitrate showed markedly higher porosity and a well-defined mesoporous structure than those obtained from Zinc Acetate and Zinc Chloride. This research underscores the significance of precursor selection in optimizing the properties of ZnO hollow spheres, ultimately contributing to advancements in the design and application of ZnO-based nanomaterials.

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