Anastassios Pouris

• Doctor of Philosophy
• University of Pretoria

Machine learning has seen enormous growth in the last decade, with healthcare being a prime application for advanced diagnostics and improved patient care. The application of machine learning for healthcare is particularly pertinent in Africa, where many countries are resource-scarce. However, it is unclear how much research on this topic is arisin...

Machine learning has seen enormous growth in the last decade, with healthcare being a prime application for advanced diagnostics and improved patient care. The application of machine learning for healthcare is particularly pertinent in Africa, where many countries are resource-scarce. However, it is unclear how much research on this topic is arisin...

This comment discusses the benefits of representing and reusing the information in Electronic Health Record databases as knowledge graphs in the RDF format based on the FHIR RDF specification. As a structured representation of clinical data, FHIR RDF-based electronic health records allow a simpler and more effective integration of biomedical inform...

Background: Experts recommend support to patents for stimulating innovation. Also, the South African government supports patents, in particular, international patents. In this paper it is examined how this strategy can be designed to successfully trigger economic progress. Aim: The present South African activities in patents are investigated in th...

Due to the scarcity of the water footprint inventory data for the coal mining industry in South Africa, water footprint studies that are supposed to provide quantified and categorized environmental impacts are scarce. Consequently, water uses ecological implications within the industry are not well understood, albeit public perceptions suggesting t...

During the last years, several infectious diseases have caused widespread nationwide epidemics that affected information seeking behaviours, people mobility, economics and research trends. Examples of these epidemics are 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) epidemic in mainland China and Hong Kong, 2014–2016 Ebola epidemic in Guinea and Si...

This document provides an analysis of bioeconomy research in South Africa and it discusses sources of growth in the country’s bioeconomy literature in general. We performed bibliometric analysis as indexed in the Web of Science (WoS) for number of South African authored publications and citations in bioeconomy, and compared them with Brazil, Russia...

This study assessed the inventive activity through patents registered by South African researchers worldwide using the WIPO database. South Africa is the most prolific producer of patents in the African continent. In this study, the focus was on research priority areas documented in the South African government policy documents rather than the over...

The paper aims to define the optimal thresholds of publications and Research and development expenditure (R&D) and to investigate their impacts on patenting in OECD and BRICS countries. To do so, we use a dataset of 25 countries divided into two country sub-samples for the period 1996-2013, employing the Panel Smooth Transition Regression model (PS...

We report the results of an effort to measure the contribution of copyright-based industries to the South African economy. Following the methodology of the World Intellectual Property Organization, we identify the copyright industry’s contribution to GDP, employment, imports and exports in South Africa for the period 1970–2009. It was estimated tha...

Nanotechnology is a fast-growing scientific research area internationally and is classified as an important emerging research area. In response to this importance, South African researchers and institutions have also increased their efforts in this area. A bibliometric study of articles as indexed in the Web of Science considered the development in...

This study was aimed at providing evidence of the effects of collaboration among unequal partners on their research priorities. Co-authorship patterns were investigated among South African authors publishing with authors of other countries in the region, with and without other non-African co-authors. It was identified that the non-African collabora...

The results of an effort to identify the performance of energy and fuels research in South Africa during the most recent period (2003–2013) are reported. Bibliometric approaches have been employed in order to assess the field of energy research. Energy research was identified to be improving over time, albeit from a small basis. The field appears t...

Being a semi-arid country with limited fresh water resources and also a fossil fuel based energy intensive country, South Africa encounters the added pressure of allocating limited water resources. Roughly 90% of electricity in South Africa is generated from coal fired power plants that are located in semi-arid areas and use a combination of wet an...

The purpose of this paper is to review, summarize, and critically assess the academic studies that have dealt with either the causal relationship between energy consumption and growth or the determinants of energy demand in South Africa from 2007 and outline recent forecasts for electricity demand. The results of this review aim to identify gaps in...

A scientometric analysis of selected research priority areas in South Africa was done using the Web of Science database for the period 2002–2012. The performance of the country in the areas of biotechnology, energy, astronomy and palaeontology in terms of the publication output in these areas is compared using two classic scientometric indicators,...

South Africa has only irregularly undertaken exercises to identify priority technology areas, despite government recognition of their importance. The earliest prioritization exercise was undertaken in the early 1990s. In the early 2000s, the Department of Arts Culture, Science and Technology announced the results of the National Research and Techno...

An unprecedented outbreak of the Ebola virus in 2014 claimed more than 1000 lives in West Africa and the World Health Organization declared a global public health emergency. This outbreak will undoubtedly promote additional research related to the Ebola virus and will create debate related to experimental drugs. This article identified the quantum...

See also: A 20 year forecast of water usage in electricity generation for South Africa amidst water scarce conditions (doi:10.1016/j.rser.2016.05.003). Abstract: South Africa as a nation is heavily reliant on non-renewable electricity generation, with 90% of the electricity being generated from coal [1]. Though diversification of electricity gener...

The causal relation between research and economic growth is of particular importance for political support of science and technology as well as for academic purposes. This article revisits the causal relationship between research articles published and economic growth in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries for th...

Scientific journals play an important role in academic information exchange and their assessment is of interest to science authorities, editors and researchers. The assessment of journals is of particular interest to South African authorities as the country's universities are partially funded according to the number of publications they produce in...

Energy-environmental impacts associated with non-renewable electricity generation have attained critical importance in South Africa. These impacts are quantified in order to obtain a monetary cost relative to local electricity prices. The methodology used to perform the analysis is the Impact Pathway Approach. Numerous energy-environmental external...

South Africa has only irregularly undertaken exercises to identify priority technology areas, despite government recognition of their importance. Moreover this activity has no institutional frameworks. This article reviews past efforts in this field in South Africa. In the end of 1990s, the Department of Arts Culture, Science and Technology announc...

Regular assessment of the state of water research and development (R&D) in South Africa is a necessary component of science policy and successful R&D implementation. Among others, effective R&D has a direct impact on water resource management and promotes training and capacity building initiatives. Much of the country's water research is carried ou...

Scientific co-authorship of African researchers has become a fashionable topic in the recent scientometric literature. Researchers are investigating the effects, modes, dynamics and motives of collaboration in a continental research system which is in an embryonic stage and in different stages of development from country to country. In this article...

We present the direct and indirect contributions of higher education institutions in South Africa to certain macroeconomic indicators such as GDP and employment, with the ultimate purpose of establishing their importance for the country. Taking this a step further, funding of these institutions is crucial in order for them to continuously produce o...

The South African electricity industry has seen a dramatic increase in prices over the past 3 years. This increase has been blanketed across all sectors and is based on a number of factors such as sector, usage and, in the case of domestic pricing, suburb. The cost of electricity in South Africa, particularly to the industrial sector, has been amon...

An increasing number of researchers have recently shown interest in the relationship between economic growth of a country and its research output, measured in scientometric indicators. The answer is not only of theoretical interest but it can also influence the specific policies aimed at the improvement of a country’s research performance. Our pape...

Improvement of energy efficiency has been accepted as one of the most cost-effective approaches towards sustainable economic development and reduction of the continuously increasing energy consumption internationally. South Africa, being among the developing countries, is not an exception even though historically low energy prices and the lack of a...

Investment in state of the art machinery and tooling and in R&D is widely seen as a prerequisite for achieving industry competitiveness in the long term. Investment-based incentives that countries provide for these inputs are perceived as a way of supporting industry competitiveness. Despite this being a global phenomenon, there is no formal proces...

This document provides an analysis of scientometric research in South Africa and it discusses sources of growth in the country’s research literature in general. South Africa is identified to have limited expertise in the field revealed mainly during the last decade. However, the country is ranked 21st in the world among the countries publishing in...

This article aims to identify and analyse the inventive activity of South Africans as it is manifested in the form of patents. Patents are used internationally as indicators of national and corporate inventive activity, but they rarely are reported in the context of the South African reality. Inventive activity is analysed in terms of patents award...

p>ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The article makes the point that instrumentation is critical to the science and technology infrastructure. Furthermore, it reports the results of a relevant national survey. Information is available for three groups – (i) research councils, (ii) universities, and (iii) technikons, museums and government departments as one group....

This article reports the findings of a scientometric analysis of South Africa's research performance during the period 2000-2010. A multitude of government incentives were introduced during the period and their effects have appeared in the country's research outputs. In contrast to earlier investigations, it was found that South Africa's world shar...

Intellectual property rights systems are important policy instruments in the armoury of governments. They have the potential to have favourable or adverse consequences for the relevant national system of innovation, technology transfer, research and development and, eventually, economic growth. Whilst there is a debate related to optimisation of pa...

The influence of the National Research Foundation’s (NRF) rating system on the productivity of the South African social science researchers is investigated scientometrically for the period from 1981 to 2006. Their output performance is mainly indicated by their research publications. Following international best practice in scientometrics as well...

The HIV/AIDS pandemic is of international interest with the 2008 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine having being awarded for the discovery of the virus that causes AIDS. South Africa has a particular interest in the field of HIV/AIDS research as it is the country with the largest number of HIV infections in the world and the issue has created a...

South Africa like most other developing economies uses coal as the primary fuel source for its electricity requirements. South Africa also generates a significant amount of its electricity from nuclear energy for its western regions. Coal generated electricity causes pollution and is occupationally hazardous for the miners extracting coal. These oc...

Rankings of higher education institutions are important for students, research administrations, industry and academics. A number of rankings are published internationally, most of which aim to identify the top universities in the world.Developing countries are also interested for relevant rankings that could assist them to develop appropriate highe...

Externalities are an integral part of South Africa's electricity power generation sector as the country is highly dependent on coal as the primary fuel source. While there have been significant efforts to account for the constantly increasing externalities in developed countries, it has not been the case in the developing world. This paper attempts...

This article reports the results of a scientometric assessment of the Southern Africa Development Community countries. The National Science Indicators database of Thomson-Reuters and the online ISI Web of Knowledge are utilized in order to identify the number of publications of the 15 countries over a period of 15 years; the activity and relative i...

There is growing pessimism among certain academics and policy scholars that the conduct of innovation-related activities (e.g., patenting, transfer, and commercialization of scientific or technological development) may be hampering the production and dissemination of public science. This paper investigates whether the production of scientific artic...

Intellectual property rights systems are important policy instruments in the armoury of governments. They have the potential to have favourable or adverse consequences for the relevant national system of innovation, technology transfer, research and development and eventually economic growth. While there is a substantial debate related to the optim...

This paper reports on the practises of bioinformatics research in South Africa using bibliometric techniques. The search strategy was designed to cover the common concepts in biological data organisation, retrieval and analysis; the development and application of tools and methodologies in biological computation; and related subjects in genomics a...

Using selective industrial policy, South Africa succeeded in re-integrating its previously protected automotive manufacturing industry into the global value chain. In the period 1995 to 2006, the industry experienced significant growth in both vehicle production and exports. Despite these successes, the future of automotive manufacturing in South A...

The present study investigates whether activities related to the patenting of inventions impede or are in conflict with the academic performance of university professors, particularly the publication or the production of public knowledge. The Poisson regression model is used taking into account the confounding effects of other variables deemed to a...

This article reports for first time the state of science and technology in the African Continent on the basis of two scientometric indicators — number of research publications and number of patents awarded. Our analysis shows that Africa produced 68,945 publications over the 2000–2004 period or 1.8% of the World’s publications. In comparison India...

Fluorine research has been identified as a priority area in South Africa and the South African Nuclear Energy Corporation (NECSA) is embarking in an effort to expand its hydrogen fluoride and aluminium trifluoride production capacity. On the eve of those efforts this article reports the findings of an effort to map and assess fluorine research in S...

THE QUALITY AND QUANTITY OF RESEARCH publications are used as benchmarks to monitor the performance of South Africa's national system of innovation. The indicators are pertinent to the policies of the Department of Education, which distributes funds for research at institutions of higher education by measuring the volume of research outputs. In thi...

Globally, the classification and ratings of universities are based mainly on an institution's research productivity. South Africa, especially in the last decade, has experienced an increasing skills shortage, making the need for new and appropriately qualified graduates a priority for the nation. A review in 1991 by Pouris examined the trends in th...

Investment in the state of art machinery, tooling, and R&D is widely seen as a prerequisite for achieving industry competitiveness in the long term. Therefore, the provision for investment-based incentives by countries is perceived as a way of supporting industry competitiveness. Despite this being a global phenomenon, there is no formal process to...

This article reports the results of a mapping and comparative assessment exercise of the field of energy & fuels research in South African higher education institutions. Even though assessment of research activities is recognised as the cornerstone of science and technology policy in the country this is the first assessment of this field. The artic...

The inventive capacity of South African universities and researchers is investigated through analysis of university patent applications. Patent applications to the South African Patent office from 1996 to 2006 are used as an indicator of inventive capacity. The investigation determines, for the first time, patenting activities of local universities...

In 2000 the South African Government introduced an investment incentive for the automotive industry, the Productive Asset Allowance (PAA). This was intended to support the objectives of the Motor Industry Development Programme (MIDP). This paper presents an empirical assessment of the PAA's prospects for supporting the competitiveness of South Afri...

HE NATIONAL RESEARCH FOUNDATION in South Africa provides an individual- ized evaluation and rating system of funded researchers. Some researchers, how- ever, allow their ratings to lapse. This article reports on the results of an investigation into the reasons for this happening, as revealed by the researchers themselves. The findings can assist th...

This article discusses the peer review system in the context of countries with small scientific communities. It is argued that the traditional peer review system is inadequate and probably dangerous for such countries. The reasoning is that in scientifically small countries personal relations and politics dominate the scene and objective impartial...

This article aims to provide scientometric evidence in order to confirm or refute the statement that the “rise in literalist religious thinking in the 1990s devastated science in the Islamic world by promoting the idea that all knowledge could be found in the Koran” published in a Special Report in the New Scientist and to map the literature relate...

This article reports the findings of a scientometric analysis of nanoscale research in South Africa during the period 2000–2005. The ISI databases were identified as the most appropriate information platform for the objectives of the investigation and have been interrogated for the identification of South African authors publishing in the field. T...

Solar cooking is often considered “a solution looking for a problem”. Solar cookers have long been presented as an interesting solution to the world's problem of dwindling fuel wood sources and other environmental problems associated with wood fuel demand for cooking. However, recent GTZ field work in South Africa showed different benefits instead:...

The accurate measurement of the time spent by academics on research and development activities is of great importance to universities and government. This essay outlines the ways in which different countries estimate these factors, and suggests ways of producing more reliable estimates.

This article reports the results of an investigation to identify the disciplinary strengths and the international standing of the higher education institutions in South Africa. Even though comparative assessments provide valuable information for research administrations, researchers and students such information is not available in South Africa cur...

Summary We review the knowledge base for biotechnology in South Africa in the light of government interventions aimed at establishing a biotechnology industry. We use bibliometric methods to analyse data from the ISI database on the performance of microbiology, genetics and molecular biology research over a 20-year period from 1980 to 2000. Genetic...

THIS ARTICLE REPORTS THE RESULTS OF AN exercise to develop indicators of research performance and quality as tools for university research policy and to assess the performance of the University of Pretoria. The main advantage of the approach used is that it identifies both the relative strength and impact of the institution's research disciplines c...

This document presents a quantitative assessment of transport research in South Africa. South African transport research is analysed in terms of publications in the Institute for Scientific Information databases and patents issued to South African inventors by the US Patent and Trademarks Office. Transport research is analysed over time and in comp...

PATENTS ARE ACCEPTED INTERNATIONALLY as a reflection of a country's inventive and technological achievements and are used for monitoring and assessing national systems of innovation. In South Africa, patents are one of the technological indicators monitored by the Department of Science and Technology. This article reports the results of an assessme...

Summary Recognizing the critical role played by science and technology in the development of fuel cells, this article aims to characterize the evolution of the S&T knowledge bases of fuel cells over the nineties, using data on patents and scientific publications. The field of fuel cells is particularly heterogeneous. It covers diverse sub-fields th...

INCENTIVE-BASED REGULATION (IBR) IS THE preferred method for controlling the prices set by utilities such as the principal telecommunications and electrical supply companies in South Africa. This mechanism, on its own, however, does not establish prices that would be competitive in an international market. This article elaborates on the weaknesses...

THE ASSESSMENT OF THE ACADEMIC VALUE of journals is common practice among higher education institutions and research agencies internationally. Such assessments are needed for decisions about professional staff and resource allocations. The evaluation of scientific journals is of particular interest to South Africa's policy makers as research in its...

THIS ARTICLE SUMMARIZES SOUTH AFRICA'S research publication record as provided in the databases of the Institute for Scientific Information in Philadelphia. The focus is on changes during the 1990s, situated in the context of the previous decade. I find that the country's publications are losing ground to scientifically emerging countries in Asia,...

TAX INCENTIVES FOR RESEARCH AND development (R&D) are used internationally for the promotion of science, technology and innovation. This article reports the results of an investigation comparing South Africa's fiscal environment for R&D with that of other countries. It recommends a tax incentive scheme that is appropriate for South Africa and estim...

This article reports the results of an investigation commissioned by the Department of Arts, Culture, Science and Technology, to examine the role of government in supporting scientific journals with the emphasis on those published by the Foundation for Education, Science and Technology. The investigation included quantitative and qualitative assess...

This study is the first to provide estimates of the economies of scale in science and technology agencies. As such, it sheds new light on issues of interest to policy-makers. The study identifies that there are strong economies of scale to be captured in organisations with budgets less than $200 million. The least efficient agency in the study requ...

This article identifies the effects of disinvestment on the R&D activities in South Africa. The importance of the article lies in its relevance for science and trade policy and in the examination of this angle of sanctions against South Africa. The results indicate that foreign owned companies increase their R&D activities as the threat of disinves...

This article is an attempt to identify the strengths and weaknesses of South African technology as they are manifested in patent analysis. Using the Technological Activity and Impact Indicators Database of CHI Research/Computer Horizons, Inc., we identified the South African Innovation profile for the period 1975–1988. Patents are analysed in their...

It is important for students, researchers, and research funding organizations to be able to rank academic institutions, as future employment opportunities and research funding are determined by the quality of the institution. This article ranks fourteen South African academic institutions according to the number of their front-line researchers as i...

It is important for students, researchers, and research funding organizations to be able to rank academic institutions, as future employment opportunities and research funding are determined by the quality of the institution. This article ranks fourteen South African academic institutions according to the number of their front‐line researchers as i...

Knowledge of the patterns of the energy transition due to urbanization is important for energy forecasting and policy formulation. As energy transition is affected by a multitude of site specific factors, particular areas require individual studies. This communication reports the effects of urbanization on the quantity and quality of fuel used in B...

This article is an effort to identify the structure and sources of non-nuclear energy related science. Based on the principle that the knowledge base of any field is to be found in its published literature and that any new information builds upon past publications, citation analysis of the energy related journals is employed. The analysis reveals t...

In this article an attempt is made to outline and quantify, where possible, the social costs of energy in South Africa. Current and future dangers are outlined with emphasis on the production of useful energy from coal. A tentative estimate indicates that the toll of fatalities and injuries in the chain of electricity production is more than 7 000...

In this article an attempt is made to outline and quantify, where possible, the social costs of energy in South Africa. Current and future dangers are outlined with emphasis on the production of useful energy from coal. A tentative estimate indicates that the toll of fatalities and injuries in the chain of electricity production is more than 7 000...

This paper investigates empirically the effects of mergers within the British manufacturing industry on the trade component of the balance of payments. The effects of different merger rates over time on the trade component of the balance of payments are examined for the period 1880-1969. The effects of different merger rates over industry on the im...

The current and future costs of electricity produced by photovoltaic cells are estimated and compared with the price of electricity produced by the Electricity Supply Commission (ESCOM) of South Africa. The results indicate that electricity provided by photovoltaic cells is currently at least 13 to 35 times more expensive than electricity provided...

This paper examines the effects of price on the demand for electricity in South Africa over the period 1950–83. Emphasis is placed on the estimation of the long-run own-price elasticity of electricity demand. An unconstrained distributed lag model is used and the 12 years elasticity is estimated to be –0.90. The policy implications of this finding...

The cost of uranium enrichment is the most important factor determining the fuel cost of nuclear energy. This paper attempts to forecast the future direction of the price of separative work by examining the forces that determine it. It is argued that the interplay among the characteristics of enrichment technologies, the structure of the internatio...

We describe and compare five electricity-generating concepts (i.e. thermionic conversion, thermoelectric generation, magnetohydrodynamic generation, fuel cells, and gas-turbine generation), which promise to improve the stagnating fuel-conversion efficiency of the conventional electric power plant. A variety of criteria indicates that the combined g...

In this article, two of the most recent efforts to forecast the price of gold are discussed and a prediction for the year 2000 is provided. The forecast is based on the hypothesis that in the long run, commodity prices follow a well-defined path, which permits only gradual and slow changes. The analysis shows that the current price of gold (1985) i...

The following paper provides a detailed summary and evaluation of existing forecasting efforts on the demand for electricity in South Africa. Individual studies their methodologies and forecasts for the year 2000 are discussed. The review of the forecasting efforts of six authors shows that the average expected demand for electricity for the year 2...

Forecasting the thermal efficiency of a set of power plants belonging to a country is important for energy, water, and environmental planning.In this article an analysis of the way in which the system thermal efficiency (STE) changes is provided, and a forecasting model for the electric utilities of technology importing countries is developed.The m...