Infant health: a community-based assessment and educational intervention in two rural communities in the Eastern Cape.
- Authors: Kuzeeko, Faith
- Date: 2021
- Subjects: Angus Gillis Foundation (South Africa) , Infants -- Mortality -- South Africa , Infants -- Health and hygiene -- South Africa , Breastfeeding -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape , Infants -- Care -- Equipment and supplies , Infants -- Care -- South Africa -- Eastern Cape -- Case studies , Children -- Mortality -- South Africa , High throughput screening (Drug development)
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Masters , MPharm
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/170837 , vital:41964
- Description: South Africa is on track to attaining the 2030 Agenda on reducing under-five deaths to 25 deaths per 1000 live births at its current momentum, however an unacceptable amount of infants are still at risk from preventable illnesses. Malnutrition is the major underlined cause of infant mortality rates in South Africa. Exclusive breastfeeding rates are low nationwide due to low exposure to breastfeeding information, some mothers having other commitments and others having breastfeeding difficulties. Implementation and expansion of simple, cost-effective interventions, such as exclusive breastfeeding for six months to reduce and/or prevent infant mortality rates, remains low in South Africa. The aim of the study was to determine one infant health issue of major concern to participants in two rural villages in the Eastern Cape, namely Glenmore and Ndwayana. The identified infant health issue was used to design an educational intervention in the villages. This was the second phase of this study. A community-based participatory approach was utilized in which the Angus Gillis Foundation, a non-profit organization that works in these communities, was one of the stakeholders. Stock status of WHO priority medicines for infants, semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions were carried out during the baseline study. The intervention phase contained pre-2 intervention semi-structured interviews with ten pregnant women followed by an educational intervention with nine out of the ten; and finally, a post-intervention with seven out of the ten women. A questionnaire was completed by members of the Angus Gillis Foundation to provide feedback on the sustainability of the intervention. Semi-structured interviews revealed that medicines stocked at the clinic parallel those indicated in the WHO priority medicines list for infants. The results from the focus group discussions indicated that mothers do not exclusively breastfeed their infants during the first six months. Pre- and post-intervention results on exclusive breastfeeding illustrated a positive change in participants’ knowledge and intent to breastfeed exclusively for six months. They showed a better understanding of the importance of exclusive breastfeeding and indicated a more focussed intention and confidence to carry out optimal breastfeeding practices. In the questionnaire the members of the Angus Gillis Foundation stated that the intervention is sustainable as it was linked with the existing networks. These include educational programs carried out in the villages by the foundation together with positive health champions, community health workers and women self-help groups; which will be able to build on the present knowledge base. Finally, the study also included the design of a booklet on the identified infant health issue. In conclusion, participants highlighted lack of understanding regarding breastfeeding as an issue of concern during the baseline phase of the study. This community-based educational intervention improved the understanding of breastfeeding among the participants, resulting in a positive change in perception with regards to exclusive breastfeeding practices.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021
Institutionalised business incubation: a frontier for accelerating entrepreneurship in African countries
- Authors: Lose, Thobekani
- Date: 2021
- Subjects: Economic indicators , Economic growth , Business incubators
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/11260/7405 , vital:53977 , https://www.abacademies.org/articles/institutionalised-business-incubation-a-frontier-for-accelerating-entrepreneurship-in-african-countries-9989.html
- Description: Africa is a growing hub for small, medium and large enterprise. This paper attempts to cement the need to create business incubation institutions in South Africa (as well as in other African countries) so as to promote a superior entrepreneurial ecosystem for economic growth. The Africa of tomorrow needs solutions that last and one key component is the progress of entrepreneurship as an employment strategy, an innovation and creativity platform, and a key economic factor. This study employs a narrative overview of literature to explore an institutionalised business incubation concept as a frontier for accelerating entrepreneurship in African countries. The study found that the need for institutionalised business incubation has become pervasive for superior entrepreneurial ecosystems across economies. The study recommends that central governments need to promote the development of local, regional and national institutions for the strong development of incubation as well as entrepreneurship.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021
Interviews and surveys
- Authors: Shackleton, Sheona , Bezerra, Joana C , Cockburn, Jessica J , Reed, Maureen G , Abu, Razak
- Date: 2021
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , book chapter
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/433914 , vital:73009 , ISBN 9781000401516 , https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/49560
- Description: This chapter is closely related to the following approaches and methods in this handbook: systems scoping (Chapter 5), participatory data collection (Chapter 8), facilitated dialogues (Chapter 9), futures analysis (Chapter 10), qualitative content analysis (Chapter 19), comparative case study analysis (Chapter 20), institutional analysis (Chapter 22), network analysis (Chapter 23), spatial mapping and analysis (Chapter 24), historical assessment (Chapter 25), and livelihood and vulnerability analysis (Chapter 32).
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- Date Issued: 2021
Investigating the Nature of Biodiversity Knowledge in Natural Sciences Curriculum and Textbooks
- Authors: Mmekwa, Makwena , Schudel, Ingrid J
- Date: 2021
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , book chapter
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/435060 , vital:73127 , ISBN 9781928502241 , https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/64082
- Description: In 1992, the international Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) emphasised biodiversity as a measure for sustainabil-ity and recognised communication, education and public awareness as important for the successful implementation of the Convention’s aims (CBD 1992). In 2002, the United Na-tions Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005–2014) included biodiversity as one of its key priorities (Unesco 2005). Later, Unesco’s (2014) Global Action Plan on Education for Sustainable Development highlighted biodiver-sity as ‘critical content’, to be included in national curricula for holistic and transformational education. In 2015, the United Nations included a concern for biodiversity in the Sustainable Development Goals, making a commitment that: We recog-nise that social and economic development depends on the sustainable management of our planet’s natural resources. We are therefore determined to conserve and sustainably use oceans and seas, freshwater resources, as well as for-ests, mountains and dry lands and to protect biodiversity, ecosystems and wildlife. (United Nations 2015: 13).
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- Date Issued: 2021
Knowledge of formal and informal regulations affecting wild plant foraging practices in urban spaces in South Africa
- Authors: Garekae, Hesekia , Shackleton, Charlie M
- Date: 2021
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/403221 , vital:69935 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forpol.2021.102659"
- Description: Although foraging wild plants is commonly perceived to be synonymous with rural areas, it is now increasingly recognized in urban areas. Notwithstanding, the regulations conditioning access to and rights to foraging in urban green spaces have seldom been examined. This study explored the formal and informal regulations governing access to and defining rights to forageable plant resources in the towns of Potchefstroom and Thabazimbi, South Africa. A random sample of 374 households was considered for the survey, complemented by in-depth interviews with 26 participants. Foraging occurred in a variety of public and private spaces, with the frequency of access differing with the type of space. The majority of the respondents were unaware of formal and informal regulations governing access to and use of urban landscapes. Recognizing foraging activities in urban landscapes is a fundamental step toward fostering active community involvement in the management and production of urban green spaces.
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- Date Issued: 2021
Kuntanshi yamikalile (The Future): speculative nonconformity in the works of Zambian visual artists
- Authors: Mulenga,Andrew Mukuka
- Date: 2021
- Subjects: Future in art , Africa -- In art , Art, Zambian , Art, African , Artists -- Zambia , Nyandoro, Gareth
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/172203 , vital:42175 , 10.21504/10962/172203
- Description: In recent years, select African visual artists practising on the continent as well as in its diaspora have increasingly been attracted to themes that explore, portray or grapple with Africa’s future. Along with this increasing popularity of the ‘future’ or indeed ‘African futuristic’ themes by visual artists, such themes have also attracted academic consideration among various scholars, resulting primarily in topics described as ‘African Futurism’ or Afrofuturism. These are topics that may be used to disrupt what some scholars – across disciplines and in various contexts – have highlighted as the persistent presumptive notions that portray Africa as a hinterland (Hassan 1999; Sefa Dei, Hall and Goldin Rosenberg 2000; Simbao 2007; Soyinka-Airewele and Edozie 2010; Moyo 2013; Keita, L. 2014; Green 2014; Serpell 2016). This study makes an effort to critique certain aspects of ‘African Art History’ with regard to the representation of Africa, and raises the following question: How can an analysis of artistic portrayals of ‘the future’ portrayed in the works of select contemporary Zambian artists be used to critique the positioning of Africa as ‘backward’, an occurrence at the intersection of a dualistic framing of tradition versus modern. Furthermore, how can this be used to break down this dichotomy in order to challenge lingering perceptions of African belatedness? The study analyses ways in which this belatedness is challenged by the juxtaposition of traditional, contemporary and futuristic elements by discussing a series of topics and debates associated to African cultures and technology that may be deemed disconnected from the contemporary lived experiences of Africans based on the continent. The study acknowledges that there is no singular ‘African Art History’ that one can talk of and there have been various shifts in how it has been perceived. I argue that while currently the African art history that is written in the West does not simplistically position Africa as backward as it may have done in the past, there appear to be moments of a hangover of this perception (Lamp 1999:4). What started out as a largely Western scholarly discourse of African art history occurred in about the 1950s and the journal African Arts started in the 1960s. Even before contemporary African art became a big thing in the 1990s for the largely US- and Europe-based discourses there were many discussions in the US about how the ‘old’ art history tended to freeze time and that this was not appropriate (Drewal 1991 et al). In order to advance the discourse on contemporary African visual arts I present critical analyses of the select works of Zambian artists to develop interpretations of the broader uses of the aforementioned themes. The evidence that supports the core argument of this research is embedded in the images discussed throughout this dissertation. The artists featured in the study span several decades including artists who were active from the 1960s to the 1980s, such as Henry Tayali and Akwila Simpasa, as well as artists who have been practising since the 1980s, such as Chishimba Chansa and William Miko and those that are more current and have been producing work from the early 1990s and 2000s, such as Zenzele Chulu, Milumbe Haimbe, Stary Mwaba, Isaac Kalambata and Roy Jethro Phiri.
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- Date Issued: 2021
Leadership Styles and Employee Job Satisfaction: A Case of Head of Departments in Walter Sisulu UniversityMonitoring and Management Mechanisms on Stress in HEI in Eastern Cape Province in South Africa: Critical Review
- Authors: Asoba, Samson Nambei , Patricia, Nteboheng Mefi
- Date: 2021
- Subjects: Educational Leadership Education (Higher) College department heads Article
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/11260/8082 , vital:61392 , xlink:href="https://www.abacademies.org/articles/leadership-styles-and-employee-job-satisfaction-a-case-of-head-of-departments-in-walter-sisulu-university-10942.html"
- Description: This study was based on the relationship between the leadership styles of Academic head of Department and employee job satisfaction at the Higher Education Institution (HEI). In so doing, the study was based on the following questions: What is the relationship between leadership styles of HODs and employee job satisfaction in a Higher Education institution in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa. A purposive sampling technique was utilised to select the participants, which comprised 80 academic staff members to which the researcher hand-delivered 80 questionnaires. The study employed a quantitative method to collect and analyse data. The study found that Perceptions on the leadership styles of academic HODs at the HEI are varied. No clear pattern emerged on what leadership styles are prevalent. The relationship between leadership styles and employee job satisfaction appears to be nonlinear. Job satisfaction is a phenomenon that is determined by many factors, not simply leadership styles.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021
Lipid nanocarriers : a novel approach to delivering ophthalmic clarithromycin
- Authors: Makoni, Pedzisai Anotida
- Date: 2021
- Subjects: Clarithromycin , Nanomedicine , Nanostructures , Antibiotics , Eye -- Diseases -- Treatment , Ocular pharmacology , Ophthalmic drugs , Karatitis -- Chemotherapy
- Language: English
- Type: text , Thesis , Doctoral , PhD
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/171678 , vital:42109 , 10.21504/10962/171678
- Description: The feasibility of incorporating clarithromycin (CLA) into innovative solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN) and nanostructured lipi d carriers (NLC) using hot emulsification ultrasonication (HEUS) was investigated. This approach was investigated in an attempt to address the shortcomings associated with the use of lyophilized parenteral formulations administered via the ocular route suc h as toxic reactions, intolerance and patient discomfort due to frequent insti llation of topical solutions of CLA. In particular, sustained release approaches to delivery may enhance precorneal retention, increase ocular availability and permit dose reduction or use of a longer dosing frequency when treating ocular non - tuberculous m ycobacterial (NTM) keratitis infections. This approach may potentially improve the delivery of CLA to the eye, thereby addressing some or all of the unmet clinical needs described vide infra . Prior to initiating pre - formulation, formulation development a nd optimization studies of CLA - loaded SLN and/or NLC, Design of Experiments (DoE), specifically a Central Composite Design (CCD) was used in conjunction with Response Surface Methodology (RSM) to develop and optimize a suitable method for the quantitative determination of CLA in pharmaceutical formulations and for monitoring CLA release from SLN and/or NLC in vitro . A simple, accurate, precise, sensitive and stability - indicating reversed phase - high performance liquid chromatography (RP - HPLC) method with ele ctrochemical (EC) detection was developed, validated and optimized for the in vitro analysis of CLA loaded SLN and/or NLC formulations. Pre - formulation studies were undertaken to investigate the thermal stability of CLA and bulk lipids to facilitate the s election of lipid excipients for the manufacture of nanocarriers in addition to establishing compatibility of CLA with the excipients. It was established that CLA was thermostable up to a temperature of approximately 300 °C thereby indicating that HEUS cou ld be used for the manufacture of CLA - loaded SLN and/or NLC. Lipid screening revealed that CLA i s, in general, poorly soluble in solid and liquid lipids however a combination of stearic acid (SA) and Transcutol ® HP (THP) exhibited the best dissolution pote ntial for CLA of all lipids tested . Stearic acid appears to exist as polymorphic form B prior to exposure to heat however occurs as the form C polymorph following heating at 85 °C for one hour. The best ratio for the mixture of SA and THP for the manufactu re of CLA - NLC ii was an 80:20 ( w/w ) ratio of SA: THP as the two lipids are miscible in this ratio and exhibited the greatest dissolution potential for CLA. Furthermore, an investigation of binary mixtures of CLA/SA and SA/Transcutol ® HP, in addition to eutect ic mixtures of CLA, SA and Transcutol ® HP, revealed no obvious interaction between CLA and the lipids selected for the production of the nanocarriers. Due to the relatively high solubility of CLA in THP in comparison to SA, NLC are likely to exhibit a hig her loading capacity (LC) and encapsulation efficiency (EE) for CLA than SLN. Consequently the feasibility of incorporating CLA (10% w/w ) into NLC was investigated and evaluation of the production of SLN was not undertaken as the production of these might not result in the manufacture of a delivery technology with a high EE and LC for CLA. Tween ® 20 was used as the surfactant as it is readily available, exhibits little or no cytotoxicity and is relatively cheap. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) was used as a coati ng polymer to impart muco - adhesive properties the formulated CLA - NLC. Response surface methodology (RSM) in conjunction with DoE, specifically a Box - Behnken Design (BBD) used as a screening design was used to identify a formulation composition which would produce a product that would meet the pre - defined target critical quality attributes (CQA) for the nanoparticles viz. particle size (PS) in the nano - range, polydispersity index (PDI) < 0.5, Zeta Potential (ZP) ≥ ± 30 mV, and EE > 80%. The formulation composition identified was subsequently used for the optimization of the manufacturing parameters viz. sonication time and amplitude, using a Central Composite Design (CCD) . The LC and EE, in vitro CLA release, cytotoxicity, osmolarity, pH, degree of crystallinity and lipid modification, elemental analysis and surface morphology of the optimized batch was investigated and mon itored to ensure that CLA - loaded NLC, of the desirable quality, had been produced. On the day of manufacture the mean PS and PDI of the optimized CLA - loaded NLC formulation adjusted to physiological osmolarity (250 – 450 mOsm/kg) was 461.9 ± 40.16 nm and 0. 523 ± 0.104, respectively. The ZP for the optimized NLC generated on the day of manufacture using HPLC grade water as the dispersion medium was - 20.5 ± 4.82 mV. The pH and osmolarity of the optimized CLA - loaded NLC formulation was 7.76 ± 0.01 and 316 ± iii 2 m Osm/Kg, respectively and the EE was 88.62 ± 0.23 %. The optimized NLC exhibited a decreased crystallinity in comparison to the bulk lipid materials. DSC, WAXS and FT - IR revealed that CLA was molecularly dispersed in the nanocarriers. The optimized CLA - load ed NLC exhibited muco - adhesive properties, when tested under stationary conditions using laser doppler anemometry (LDA). The optimized formulation also exhibited sustained release of CLA over 24 hours during in vitro release testing and CLA release was bes t described using the Baker - Lonsdale model . The cumulative % CLA released over 24 hours was 56.13 ± 0.23% and mass balance analysis revealed 41.38 ± 0.02% CLA had been retained in the NLC. In vitro cytotoxicity testing revealed that the optimized CLA - NLC w ere less cytotoxic to HeLa cells when compared to CLA alone and further confirmed that the lipids and excipients used in these studies were of GRAS status . Stability studies revealed that the EE reduced over 28 days by 14.42% and 5.14% when stored at 4 °C and 22 °C , respectively. In addition, the particle size increased from the nm to μm range for samples stored at 22 °C. The findings are a good starting point but require further optimization to ensure prolongation of stability. In addition , the technology requires additional developmental studies and a powder for reconstitution for use as a single - dose considered as single dose packaging may be a solution to the compromised formulation stability observed in these studies. The CLA - NLC produced in these stu dies exhibit sound product attributes which serve as a useful foundation for the novel delivery of antibiotics to the eye. The results suggest that the optimized NLC have the potential to enhance precorneal retention and increase ocular availability of CLA , which in turn may be useful to reduce the required dose and dosing frequency when administering CLA as a reconstituted solution to treat susceptible organisms that infect ocular tissues.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021
Livelihood and vulnerability analysis
- Authors: Shackleton, Charlie M , Schreckenberg, Kate , Shackleton, Sheona , Luckert, Marty
- Date: 2021
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , book chapter
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/433811 , vital:73002 , ISBN 9781000401516 , https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/49560
- Description: Livelihood analysis and vulnerability analysis are integrative approaches and consequently draw on a variety of methods to collect and analyse primary and secondary data covered in other chapters. Core ones include systems scoping (Chapter 5), ecological field data collection (Chapter 6), interviews and surveys (Chapter 7), participatory data collection (Chapter 8), action research (Chapter 15), statistical analysis (Chapter 18), qualitative content analysis (Chapter 19), comparative case study analysis (Chapter 20), institutional analysis (Chapter 22) and spatial mapping and analysis (Chapter 24).
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021
Local use and knowledge of Hyphaene coriacea and Phoenix reclinata in Zitundo area, southern Mozambique:
- Authors: Martins, Angelina R O , Shackleton, Charlie M
- Date: 2021
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/175801 , vital:42625 , https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sajb.2020.12.011
- Description: Hyphaene coriacea and Phoenix reclinata are two abundant palm species in the Maputaland coastal plains of southern Mozambique. They provide an array of subsistence and commercial non- timber forest products. This research characterizes the ethnobotanical knowledge and uses of these species. Using structured interviews we assessed the knowledge, past and current uses, cultural importance and the determinants of the knowledge and current uses of these species. The knowledge about the uses of these two palms is widespread, however only 32% of respondents are engaged in palm exploitation. Thirteen palm products are used in the area with palm wine production from the sap of both species being the dominant activity, followed by broom production.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021
Low‐temperature physiology of climatically distinct south African populations of the biological control agent Neochetina eichhorniae
- Authors: Rogers, Daniel J , Terblanche, John S , Owen, Candice A
- Date: 2021
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/444421 , vital:74239 , https://doi.org/10.1111/een.12935
- Description: Neochetina eichhorniae is the most widely established biocontrol agent on water hyacinth populations around South Africa. However, some N. eichhorniae populations have failed to adequately control their host population, specifically those exposed to cold conditions. The aim of this study was to determine whether two climatically distinct populations of N. eichhorniae in South Africa differ in their low‐temperature physiol-ogy, which tests whether local-climate adaptation has occurred.
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- Date Issued: 2021
Macrofauna associated with intertidal mussel beds in the Knysna estuarine embayment, South Africa
- Authors: Hodgson, Alan N , Smith, Frances , Smith, Peter , Claasens, Louw
- Date: 2021
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/443554 , vital:74131 , https://hdl.handle.net/10520/ejc-afzoo_v56_i1_a44
- Description: The alien invasive mussel, Mytilus galloprovincialis, forms biogenic habitats in the embayment of Knysna Estuary. Invertebrate macrofauna inhabiting mussel beds were sampled from six sites in the embayment. In addition, mussel cover, mussel bed depth, density and size of mussels were recorded. With the exception of two sites (The Heads and Featherbed) where some Perna perna was present, we confirmed that the mussel beds were composed of the invasive species M. galloprovincialis. At The Heads, mussel beds were single-layered and in patches, whereas at other sites they were multi-layered with 100% cover. Bed depth, mussel density and shell size varied among sites. A total of 65 taxa (mainly Crustacea and Mollusca) were identified across all sites with species richness and diversity being significantly different among sites. Forty-three percent of taxa were new records for the estuary. Macrofaunal richness and diversity were highest at the two sites (The Heads and Featherbed) closest to the mouth of the embayment. There were negative relationships between species diversity and mussel density, and diversity and macroinvertebrate abundance. At most sites macrofaunal abundance was dominated by one or two species. Multivariate analysis revealed a significant difference in species composition among sites. Where wave action was present (The Heads, Featherbed and Leisure Isle) only a few deposit feeders were present in the mussel beds. At sites where wave action was minimal (Thesen Wharf, Marina and Railway Bridge) fine silt was present in the mussel matrix and there was an increase in the number of deposit feeding species.
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021
Making sense of climate change in a national curriculum
- Authors: Lotz-Sisitka, Heila , Mandikonza, Caleb , Misser, Shanu , Thomas, Kgomotso
- Date: 2021
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , book chapter
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/435193 , vital:73137 , ISBN 9781928502241 , https://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/64082
- Description: This chapter draws on three recent South African reviews of climate change education that have been undertaken by the authors: one in partnership with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) and the South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI) in 2016 which produced a national case study on Climate Change Education in South Africa (Lotz-Sisitka and Mandikonza 2016); another that was undertaken for the Department of Environmental Affairs in 2018 for the Third National Communication on Climate Change for the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change (Lotz-Sisitka et al. 2018); 1 and a more recent review undertaken in the context of a research seminar series hosted by Rhodes University focusing on climate change education in South Africa (Lotz-Sisitka 2021). The chapter also draws on perspectives being developed in the Fundisa for Change Keep it Cool Project (VVOB/GreenMatter 2021) and from wider studies being undertaken for the international Monitoring and Evaluation of Climate Change Education programme (McKenzie 2020).
- Full Text:
- Date Issued: 2021
Making sense of the unknown: a narrative analysis of COVID-19 stories as told by WSU research students
- Authors: Jayakrishnan, Lakshmi , van der Spuy, Alicia
- Date: 2021
- Subjects: Mthatha Research and Innovation Day , COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020-
- Language: English
- Type: lecture , text
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/11260/6254 , vital:45365
- Description: The original objectives of this research was to find a research project for third year students which they could do during lockdown (National Diploma: Journalism). To find a research project for Advanced Diploma in Public Relations Management that they can do during lockdown. To introduce Year 1 Communication students to the basic principles of research through a project that they can relate to. to use the online platform for teaching and to discover people’s personal stories of their COVID-19 experiences.
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- Date Issued: 2021
Malnutrition in children under the age of 5 years in a primary health care setting
- Authors: Kaswa, Ramprakash , Govender, Indiran , Rangiah, Selvandran , Nzaumvila, Doudou
- Date: 2021
- Subjects: Obesity Malnutrition Dietary supplements Article
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/11260/7260 , vital:53106 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.4102/safp.v63i1.5337"
- Description: In this study, we outlined the types of malnutrition amongst children, the causes of malnutrition intervention at the primary health care level and some recommendations to alleviate childhood malnutrition in South Africa. Keywords: obesity; severe acute malnutrition; individual factors; community level factors; dietary intervention.
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- Date Issued: 2021
Management approach of patients with violent and aggressive behaviour in a district hospital setting in South Africa
- Authors: Adeniyi, Oladele Vincent , Puzi, Ntandazo
- Date: 2021
- Subjects: mental health Emergency medical services violennce Article
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/11260/7284 , vital:53108 , xlink:href="https://doi.org/10.4102/safp.v63i1.5393"
- Description: Background: Given the physical and mental health consequences of tobacco use amongst individuals with mental illness, it was imperative to assess the burden of tobacco use in this population. Aim: This study examined the patterns and factors associated with tobacco use in individuals attending the outpatient unit. Setting: Cecilia Makiwane Hospital Mental Health Department in Eastern Cape province, South Africa. Methods: Lifetime (ever use) use and current use of any tobacco products were examined in a cross-sectional study of 390 individuals between March and June 2020. A logistic regression was fitted to determine the correlates of lifetime and current use of any tobacco products. Results: The rates of ever use and current use of tobacco products were 59.4% and 44.6%, respectively. Of the participants interviewed, lifetime tobacco use was more prevalent amongst individuals with schizophrenia (67.9%) and cannabis-induced disorders (97.3%) and lower in those with major depressive disorders (36.1%) and bipolar and related disorders (43.5%). Men were six times more likely to have ever used or currently use tobacco products in comparison to women. Also, those who had a salaried job or owned a business were over three times more likely to have ever used or currently use tobacco products compared with those receiving government social grants. Conclusions: The prevalence of tobacco use in this study was significantly higher than the general population in the Eastern Cape. Therefore, smoking prevention and cessation interventions targeted at the general population should target this often neglected sub-population in the region. Keywords: aggressive and violent behaviour; assisted user; emergency centres; involuntary user; Mental Health Care Act.
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- Date Issued: 2021
Mapping Computational Thinking Skills to the South African Secondary School Mathematics Curriculum
- Authors: Bradshaw, Karen L , Milne, Shannon
- Date: 2021
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , book
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/440285 , vital:73763 , ISBN 9783030950033 , https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-95502-1_41
- Description: Computational thinking (CT) is gaining recognition as an important skill for learners in both Computer Science (CS) and several other disciplines, including mathematics. In addition, researchers have shown that there is a direct correlation between poor mathematical skills and the high attrition rate of CS undergraduates. This research investigates the use of nine core CT skills in the South African Grades 10–12 Mathematics curriculum by mapping these skills to the objectives given in each of the topics in the curriculum. The artefact developed shows that all the identified CT skills are used in the curriculum. With the use of this mapping, future research on interventions to develop these skills through mathematics at secondary school, should produce school leavers with better mathematical and problem solving abilities, which in turn, might contribute to better success rates in CS university courses.
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- Date Issued: 2021
Metrological framework for selecting morphological characters to identify species and estimate developmental maturity of forensically significant insect specimens
- Authors: Midgley, John M , Villet, Martin H
- Date: 2021
- Subjects: To be catalogued
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/10962/440784 , vital:73813 , https://doi.org/10.1080/20961790.2020.1794347
- Description: Accurate age estimates of immature necrophagous insects associated with a human or animal body can provide evidence of how long the body has been dead. These estimates are based on species-specific details of the insects’ aging processes, and therefore require accurate species identification and developmental stage estimation. Many professionals who produce or use identified organisms as forensic evidence have little training in taxonomy or metrology, and appreciate the availability of formalized principles and standards for biological identification. Taxonomic identifications are usually most readily and economically made using categorical and qualitative morphological characters, but it may be necessary to use less convenient and potentially more ambiguous characters that are continuous and quantitative if two candidate species are closely related, or if identifying developmental stages within a species. Characters should be selected by criteria such as taxonomic specificity and metrological repeatability and relative error. We propose such a hierarchical framework, critique various measurements of immature insects, and suggest some standard approaches to determine the reliability of organismal identifications and measurements in estimating postmortem intervals. Relevant criteria for good characters include high repeatability (including low scope for ambiguity or parallax effects), pronounced discreteness, and small relative error in measurements. These same principles apply to individuation of unique objects in general.
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- Date Issued: 2021
Mildly elevated thyroid-stimulating hormone is associated with endothelial dysfunction and severe preeclampsia among pregnant women with insufficient iodine intake in Eastern Cape province, South Africa
- Authors: Businge, Charles Bitamazire , Longo-Mbenza, Benjamin , Kengne, Andre Pascal
- Date: 2021
- Subjects: Preeclampsia Iodine deficiency diseases Endothelial cells Article
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/11260/6908 , vital:52565 , xlink:href="https://10.1080/07853890.2021.1947520"
- Description: Background Preeclampsia and hypothyroidism are associated with endothelial dysfunction. Iodine deficiency is a risk factor for subclinical hypothyroidism in pregnancy. However, there is a paucity of data on the relationship between iodine nutrition state in pregnancy, the degree of endothelial dysfunction, and the risk of preeclampsia. Methods Ninety-five normotensive pregnant women, 50 women with preeclampsia with no severe features, and 50 women with severe preeclampsia were enrolled into the current study from the maternity units of Nelson Mandela Academic Hospital and Mthatha Regional Hospitals in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. Urinary iodine concentration (UIC), serum markers of thyroid function, aortic augmentation index, and pulse wave velocity (PWV) were compared. Results Median UIC was 167.5, 127.7, and 88.5 µg/L, respectively for normotensive pregnant women, those with preeclampsia and severe preeclampsia (p = .150). Participants with severe preeclampsia had significantly higher median thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) and oxidized LDL than normotensive and preeclamptic women without severe features (respectively 3.0, 2.3, and 2.3 IU/L; 1.2, 1.0, and 1.0 IU/L, p less .05). The median Aortic augmentation index was 7.5, 19.0, and 21.0 (p less .001), and the pulse wave velocity 5.1, 5.7, and 6.3, respectively for normotensive, preeclampsia, and severe preeclampsia participants (both p less .001). In linear regressions, TSH, age, and hypertensive disease were independent predictors of elevated PWV. Conclusion Upper normal-range TSH levels in women with severe preeclampsia were associated with markers of endothelial dysfunction. The low UIC and trend towards the elevation of thyroglobulin suggest that inadequate iodine intake may have increased TSH levels and indirectly caused endothelial dysfunction. Keywords: Preeclampsia, Iodine deficiency, Elevated thyroid-stimulating hormone, Pulse wave velocity, Endothelial dysfunction
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- Date Issued: 2021
Mitigating the Implications of Covid 19 on the Academic Project at Walter Sisulu University in South Africa: A Proposed Framework for Emergency Remote Teaching and Learning
- Date: 2021
- Subjects: South Africa Covid-19 (deseases) Web-based instruction Education (Higher) Information technology Computer-assisted instruction Article
- Language: English
- Type: text , article
- Identifier: http://hdl.handle.net/11260/7644 , vital:54734 , ("https://DOI:10.24085/jsaa.v9i1.1427")
- Description: Walter Sisulu University (WSU) in South Africa, like other universities worldwide, is faced with the challenges associated with the outbreak of the Covid‑19 pandemic. The challenge has changed our day‑to‑day lives, including the way we interact and conduct business. In the midst of this, WSU has had to change the way learning and teaching occurs. Traditional face‑to‑face tuition had to be adapted by moving to the online mode of teaching and learning to both minimise the time lost in the academic project and protect staff and students from the devastating effects of the virus. This article reflects the actions taken by the University and describes its pilot‑project approach to online learning and those processes it has put in place to ensure its effective implementation. While it is accepted that switching to an online mode of teaching and learning can facilitate flexibility in space and time, the reality is that the majority of students at WSU – mainly due to their geographical and socio‑economic environments – experience daily challenges ranging from poor network coverage, lack of internet connectivity, lack of electricity and other socio‑economic impediments that make online learning stressful or beyond their reach. In this article, we present a model that could be used by higher education institutions (HEIs) to respond to Covid‑19 in the short term. The proposed model is underpinned by a framework that caters for students who are readily able to access online learning, students with intermittent access to online facilities and finally, students who cannot access online education. First, we provide a brief description of online learning, highlighting the challenges presented to teaching and learning by this approach. We argue that our context and education policies present additional problems that militate against the adoption of online strategies by most HEIs. In the final instance, we present a framework that is better suited to our context and can be used during and after the lockdown. Data were collected using online questionnaires with both structured and open‑ended questions from both lecturers and students to determine their experiences with the testing project. Lastly, we draw conclusions based on the findings of the study.
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- Date Issued: 2021