B - Editors

Permanent URI for this collection

https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/79672

Browse

Now showing 1 - 20 of 36

An annual and seasonal characterisation of winery effuent in South Africa
(South African Journal for Enology and Viticulture, 2011) Sheridan, C. M.; Glasser, D.; Hildebrandt, D.; Petersen, J.; Rohwer, J.
Winery effuent is known to have a high chemical oxygen demand (COD) and a low pH. In this study, we extensively analysed effuent from two cellars and studied the temporal changes over the duration of a harvest and the duration of a year. We found that ethanol contributes approximately 85% to 90% of the COD of raw winery effuent, with acetic acid being the next signifcant contributor. The pH showed some dependence on the concentration of acetic acid. The concentration of sodium in the effuent is strongly dependent on the cleaning regime in place at the cellar, and the concentration of potassium has been shown to be linked to the spillage of juice, wine or lees. The data and correlations presented here could allow for an artifcial effuent to be prepared easily for research purposes.
Associations between neurocognitive functioning and social and occupational resilience among South African women exposed to childhood trauma
(Taylor & Francis Open, 2017-10) Denckla, C. A.; Consedine, N. S.; Spies, Georgina; Cherner, M.; Henderson, D. C.; Koenen, K. C.; Seedat, S.
Background: Prior research on adaptation after early trauma among black South African women typically assessed resilience in ways that lacked contextual specificity. In addition, the neurocognitive correlates of social and occupational resilience have not been investigated. Objective: The primary aim of this exploratory study was to identify domains of neurocognitive functioning associated with social and occupational resilience, defined as functioning at a level beyond what would be expected given exposure to childhood trauma. Methods: A sample of black South African women, N = 314, completed a neuropsychological battery, a questionnaire assessing exposure to childhood trauma, and self-report measures of functional status. We generated indices of social and occupational resilience by regressing childhood trauma exposure on social and occupational functioning, saving the residuals as indices of social and occupational functioning beyond what would be expected given exposure to childhood trauma. Results: Women with lower non-verbal memory evidenced greater social and occupational resilience above and beyond the effects attributable to age, education, HIV status, and depressive and posttraumatic stress symptoms. In addition, women with greater occupational resilience exhibited lower semantic language fluency and processing speed. Conclusion: Results are somewhat consistent with prior studies implicating memory effects in impairment following trauma, though our findings suggest that reduced abilities in these domains may be associated with greater resilience. Studies that use prospective designs and objective assessment of functional status are needed to determine whether non-verbal memory, semantic fluency, and processing speed are implicated in the neural circuitry of post-traumatic exposure resilience.
Associations between societal disapproval and changes in symptoms of PTSD and appetitive aggression following treatment among high-risk South African males
(Taylor & Francis Open, 2017-07) Sommer, Jessica; Hinsberger, Martina; Holtzhausen, Leon; Kaminer, Debra; Seedat, Soraya; Elbert, Thomas; Augsburger, Mareike; Maercker, Andreas; Weierstall, Roland
Background: In violent communities, social rejection as a person with victim–offender attributes is associated with more intense symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and a higher propensity towards violence, i.e. appetitive aggression. Successful community reintegration encompassing adequate social acknowledgment of individuals with both a history of violence exposure and perpetration may be necessary to enhance the treatment effects of interventions addressing PTSD and aggression. Objective: In this study, the effects of treatment and post-treatment traumatic events, violent offenses, and social acknowledgment (with sub-dimensions of general disapproval, family disapproval, and recognition as a person with both a history of violence exposure and commission) on changes in PTSD symptom severity and appetitive aggression from baseline to 8-month follow-up were investigated. Method: Data were collected from 54 males recruited through a Cape Town offender reintegration programme for an intervention study targeting trauma and aggression (n = 28 treatment; n = 26 wait-list). Changes in PTSD symptom severity after treatment were assessed with the PTSD Symptom Scale-Interview, changes in appetitive aggression with the Appetitive Aggression Scale (AAS), post-treatment traumatic events with an adapted version of the Child’s Exposure to Violence Checklist, offenses with an adapted checklist from the AAS, and social acknowledgment with an adapted form of the Social Acknowledgment Questionnaire. Results: Path analyses revealed negative relationships between ongoing societal disapproval and changes in PTSD symptom severity and appetitive aggression at 8-months, controlling for age. All other variables were non-significant, except for treatment, which was associated with PTSD symptom reduction. Conclusions: As a complementary strategy to effective psychotherapeutic treatment, increased social acknowledgment may contribute significantly to the alleviation of PTSD symptoms and appetitive aggression. Psychological interventions should, therefore, not neglect the impact of societal factors on treatment effects.
Betty Freund : a nurse in France - Part 1
(Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Military Science (Military Academy), 1985) Hugo, Betty
Betty Freund was the eldest child of John and Metha Freund (nee Menzel), both from Germany, who met in Philippolis, OFS, where they were married in the late 1870's. Betty was born in 1881. Then followed her sister Mimie (1883), and her brothers Freddy (1885) and Willy (1887). The family went to Germany a few years after Willy was born, settling in GIücksburg, Metha Freund's home town. The youngest child, Mina, was born there. By 1894 the Freunds had returned to Luckhoff where Metha's brother Wilhelm Menzel had been looking after their interests, but during the Anglo-Boer War the family moved to Cape Town where they lived, first, in Livingston Villa in Cecil Street, Claremont, and subsequently in Lansdown Road, also in Claremont, in a house called Zürenborg. The children had been to school in Luckhoff and GIücksburg; Freddy and Willy matriculated at the Rondebosch Boy's High School, Betty and Mimie at Bloemhof Girl's High School in Stellenbosch, and Mina in Edinburg, Scotland, after having attended Milburn House in Cape Town.
Comparing rates of mycobacterial clearance in sputum smear-negative and smear-positive adults living with HIV
(BMC (part of Springer Nature), 2021-05-22) Machowski, Edith E.; Letutu, Matebogo; Lebina, Limakatso; Waja, Ziyaad; Msandiwa, Reginah; Milovanovic, Minja; Gordhan, Bhavna G.; Otwombe, Kennedy; Friedrich, Sven O.; Chaisson, Richard; Diacon, Andreas H.; Kana, Bavesh; Martinson, Neil
Background: Pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) in people living with HIV (PLH) frequently presents as sputum smearnegative. However, clinical trials of TB in adults often use smear-positive individuals to ensure measurable bacterial responses following initiation of treatment, thereby excluding HIV-infected patients from trials. Methods: In this prospective case cohort study, 118 HIV-seropositive TB patients were assessed prior to initiation of standard four-drug TB therapy and at several time points through 35 days. Sputum bacillary load, as a marker of treatment response, was determined serially by: smear microscopy, Xpert MTB/RIF, liquid culture, and colony counts on agar medium. Results: By all four measures, patients who were baseline smear-positive had higher bacterial loads than those presenting as smear-negative, until day 35. However, most smear-negative PLH had significant bacillary load at enrolment and their mycobacteria were cleared more rapidly than smear-positive patients. Smear-negative patients’ decline in bacillary load, determined by colony counts, was linear to day 7 suggesting measurable bactericidal activity. Moreover, the decrease in bacterial counts was comparable to smear-positive individuals. Increasing cycle threshold values (Ct) on the Xpert assay in smear-positive patients to day 14 implied decreasing bacterial load. Conclusion: Our data suggest that smear-negative PLH can be included in clinical trials of novel treatment regimens as they contain sufficient viable bacteria, but allowances for late exclusions would have to be made in sample size estimations. We also show that increases in Ct in smear-positive patients to day 14 reflect treatment responses and the Xpert MTB/RIF assay could be used as biomarker for early treatment response.
A comparison of the prevalence of sexually transmitted infections among circumcised and uncircumcised adult males in Rustenburg, South Africa : a cross-sectional study
(BioMed Central, 2021-04-06) Iyemosolo, Blanchard M.; Chivese, Tawanda; Esterhuizen, Tonya M.
Background: South Africa has a persistent burden of sexually transmitted infections (STIs). Male circumcision has been shown to be effective in preventing HIV and STIs, but data are scarce on the protective effect of circumcision in high-risk populations such as migrant miners. The objective of this study was to assess the effect of medical and traditional circumcision on the prevalence of STIs after adjusting for other risk factors in Rustenburg, a mining town in North West Province, South Africa. Methods: This cross-sectional study used baseline data collected from a cohort study. Adult males in a mining town were assessed for STIs (gonorrhea, chlamydia, and trichomoniasis) using syndromic assessment. Data on circumcision status and other risk factors for STI syndromes were collected using an interviewer-administered questionnaire. The following symptoms were assessed; penile discharge, painful urination, dyspareunia or penile sores. These symptoms indicate sexually transmitted infection in general since laboratory tests were not performed. Multivariable log binomial regression was used to assess the independent effect of circumcision on STI presence after adjusting for confounders. Results: A total of 339 participants with a median age of 25 years (IQR 22–29) were included in the study, of whom 116 (34.2%) were circumcised. The overall STIs prevalence was 27.4% (95% CI 22.8 to 32.6%) and was lower in the circumcised participants compared with those who were uncircumcised (15.5% vs 33.6%, respectively, p < 0.001). Both medical (OR 0.57, 95% CI 0.34–0.95, p = 0.030) and traditional circumcision (OR 0.34, 95% CI 0.13–0.86, p = 0.022) were strongly associated with a lower risk of STIs after adjustment for employment and condom use. Conclusion: In this high-risk population in a mining town in South Africa, with a relatively high prevalence of STIs, and where one third of males are circumcised, both medical and traditional circumcision appear to be protective against STIs.
Deliberate exposure of humans to chlorine-the aftermath of Ebola in West Africa
(BioMed Central, 2016-11-14) Mehtar, Shaheen; Bulabula, Andre N. H.; Nyandemoh, Haurace; Jambawai, Steve
Background: During the recent Ebola outbreak, spraying of the environment and humans, including healthcare workers, with chlorine was wide spread in affected African countries; adverse clinical effects are reported here. Methods: A cross sectional survey by interview of 1550 volunteers consisting of 500 healthcare workers (HCW), 550 Ebola survivors (EVD) and 500 quarantined asymptomatic Ebola contacts (NEVD) was conducted. Demographics, frequency of exposure to chlorine, clinical condition after chlorine exposure particularly eye, respiratory and skin conditions were noted. The length of time HCWs worked in Ebola Treatment Units (ETU), and use of personal protective equipment was recorded. Verbal consent was obtained from all participants and all responses remained anonymous. Permission and assistance from the guardian or parent was sought for those below 18 years of age. Results: 493/500 HCW, 550/550 EVD and 477/500 NEVD were sprayed at least once with 0 · 5 % chlorine. Following even a single exposure, an increase in the number of eye (all three groups) and respiratory symptoms (in HCW & EVD) was reported (p < 0 · 001); after multiple exposure, respiratory and skin symptoms increased. In HCW, multiple vs single exposure was associated with an increase in respiratory (OR = 32 (95 % CI 22 –49) p < 0.001), eyes (OR = 30 (95 % CI 21 –43) p < 0.001) and skin conditions (OR = 22 (95 % CI 15–32) p < 0.001). The available personal protective equipment neither reduced nor prevented the adverse effects of chlorine. Conclusion: Reported exposure to chlorine has usually been accidental. Despite the lack of evidence as a recognised outbreak control measure, deliberate exposure of humans to chlorine spray was wide spread in Africa during the Ebola epidemic resulting in serious detrimental health effects on humans. We strongly recommend that this practice be banned and that alternative safer methods be used.
Developing an interprofessional transition course to improve team-based HIV care for sub-Saharan Africa
(BMC (part of Springer Nature), 2020-12-09) Kiguli-Malwadde, E.; Budak, J. Z.; Chilemba, E.; Semitala, F.; Von Zinkernagel, D.; Mosepele, M.; Conradie, H.; Khanyola, J.; Haruruvizhe, C.; Martin, S.; Kazembe, A.; De Villiers, M.; Reid, M. J. A.
Background: With funding from the United States Health Resources Service Administration (HRSA), a consortium of health professional training institutions from Africa developed HIV-specific, interprofessional, team-based educational resources to better support trainees during the transition period between pre-service training and professional practice. Methods: Ten faculty members representing nine medical and nursing schools in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) developed a training package of modules focused on core clinical, public health, interprofessional education (IPE), and quality improvement (QI) domains related to HIV service delivery. Curriculum development was informed by a rapid needs assessment of existing tools and future needs for HIV education across 27 SSA health professions training institutions. A total of 17 modules were developed, targeted at newly qualified health care professionals to be taught in a series of two-day workshops meant to complement existing institution specific HIV-curricula. Results: Between April and July 2019, a comprehensive case-based HIV training package was developed to support trainees in transition from pre-service training to independent professional practice. Each module, addressing different elements of interprofessional practice, was intended to be delivered in an interprofessional format. Thus far, 70 health professions training institutions in 14 countries have implemented the program; 547 educators facilitated STRIPE workshops, with a total of 5027 learners trained between September 2019 and September 2020. Conclusions: To our knowledge this is the first IPE HIV-specific curriculum explicitly focused on enhancing the quality of training provided to graduating health care professionals working in SSA. The collaborative, crossinstitutional, interprofessional approach to curriculum development provides a benchmark for how best-practice approaches to education can be disseminated in SSA.
A direct translation of the Bible as ancient text : only a new name for a stilted word-for-word translation?
(EOS Verlag, 2016) Van der Merwe, Christo H. J.
The purpose of this article is to demonstrate that the term “direct translation” as it is used by the Bible Society of South Africa (=BSSA) is not merely a new label for a stilted word-for-word translation, but a technical term having a very specific meaning within an academi-cally justifiable translation model that was formulated for the new Bible in Afrikaans. It will also try to show that, although attempts to translate an-cient texts “directly” pursue an almost impossible ideal, direct translation nevertheless proposes a solution for the vexing problems that translators may come up against. What is more, the challenges posed by attempts at direct translation may serve as catalysts for new research on understanding ancient texts.
Editorial
(Stellenbosch University, Faculty of Military Science (Military Academy), 1997) Van Der Waag, Ian
Militaria has indeed seen many changes since the first issue appeared in 1969. Since then, it has been a mainstay in the debate on matters relating to South African military affairs. Oscillating between a military-history and a multi-disciplinary content, Militaria has over the past 28 years, seen 105 issues and has contained some 520 multifarious articles. Despite immediate popularity in military and civilian circles (circulation increased by 50 percent in 1971 and has since been maintained at around 3000), Militaria became a quarterly and then a biannual journal, instead of appearing once every second month. This was caused by a number of related forces, not the least being financial stringency and the changing needs of the then South African Defence Force.
Effects of long-term (42 years) tillage sequence on soil chemical characteristics in a dryland farming system
(Elsevier, 2021) Tshuma, Flackson; Rayns, Francis; Labuschagne, Johan; Bennett, James; Swanepoel, Pieter Andreas
No-tillage can improve soil quality but can also increase the stratification of soil chemical parameters. Nutrient uptake by crops might be limited when nutrients are stratified, especially in semi-arid or Mediterranean regions. To reduce stratification, infrequent tillage could be considered. However, there is a paucity of information on the effects of long-term infrequent tillage on the stratification of soil chemical parameters. This study aimed to assess the effects of long-term infrequent tillage on the stratification of selected soil chemical parameters to a depth of 300 mm. The research was conducted on a long-term (42 years) research site at Langgewens Research Farm in South Africa. Seven tillage treatments were investigated: continuous mouldboard ploughing to a depth of 200 mm, tine-tillage to 150 mm, shallow tine-tillage to 75 mm, no-tillage, shallow tine-tillage every second year in rotation with no-tillage, shallow tine-tillage every third year in rotation with no-tillage and shallow tine-tillage every fourth year in rotation with no-tillage. Tillage treatments had differential effects on the distribution of soil chemical parameters. The mouldboard plough prevented stratification of most soil chemical parameters, such as soil acidity, soil organic carbon (SOC), extractable P, exchangeable Ca and Mg and cation exchange capacity (CEC). However, mouldboard ploughing also led to significantly lower SOC stocks and extractable P stocks. The SOC stocks and extractable P stocks of the no-tillage treatment were not significantly different from those of the infrequent tillage treatments. Overall, the infrequent tillage treatments were no better (P > 0.05) than the no-tillage treatment as infrequent tillage could not effectively ameliorate the stratification of most soil chemical parameters and did not increase the stocks and stratification ratios of SOC and extractable P.
Enabling sustainability through an action research process of organisational development
(Greenleaf Publishing, 2013) Hind, Patricia; Smit, Arnold; Page, Nadine
The purpose of this paper is to report the results of a study exploring a unique learning process leading to leader led organisational change with a sample of South African SMEs from different sectors. The paper investigates a specific developmental methodology designed to enable leaders to explore the structures and processes within their organisations that are most conducive or resistant to the evolution of responsible leadership within a framework of unique emergent sustainability strategies. An action research approach using a structured workbook was adopted to support leaders of SMEs in the discovery, planning and execution of sustainability projects within their organisation. An exploratory cycle of inquiry was undertaken using experimentation and reflection and allowed companies to embed specific practices within their business operations and learn collectively from their own and other SMEs experiences. The findings indicate that action research is an appropriate process for initiating and supporting new sustainability management practices in organisations. The collective inquiry, which supported organisations to implement changes and network with each other, identified a broadly applicable model of sustainable business underpinned by values-based leadership, open communication and stakeholder engagement. Specifically, the unique priorities and context of each business were important for developing each organisation's concept of sustainability and fostering engagement with sustainability projects. The development of responsible leadership and sustainability in SMEs is an under-investigated area in the literature and the results offer practical development advice to smaller companies seeking to embed sustainable strategies through responsible leadership. Through a number of action research iterations tangible progress was made in both awareness and implementation of sustainability management in the organisation. The process involved a learning journey for the managers involved leading towards organisational change.
Ethical considerations for vaccination programmes in acute humanitarian emergencies
(World Health Organization, 2013-02-07) Moodley, Keymanthri; Hardie, Kate; Selgelid, Michael J.; Waldman, Ronald J.; Strebel, Peter; Rees, Helen; Durrheim, David N.
Humanitarian emergencies result in a breakdown of critical health-care services and often make vulnerable communities dependent on external agencies for care. In resource-constrained settings, this may occur against a backdrop of extreme poverty, malnutrition, insecurity, low literacy and poor infrastructure. Under these circumstances, providing food, water and shelter and limiting communicable disease outbreaks become primary concerns. Where effective and safe vaccines are available to mitigate the risk of disease outbreaks, their potential deployment is a key consideration in meeting emergency health needs. Ethical considerations are crucial when deciding on vaccine deployment. Allocation of vaccines in short supply, target groups, delivery strategies, surveillance and research during acute humanitarian emergencies all involve ethical considerations that often arise from the tension between individual and common good. The authors lay out the ethical issues that policy-makers need to bear in mind when considering the deployment of mass vaccination during humanitarian emergencies, including beneficence (duty of care and the rule of rescue), non-maleficence, autonomy and consent, and distributive and procedural justice.
Fine‐tuning the nested structure of pollination networks by adaptive interaction switching, biogeography and sampling effect in the Galapagos Islands
(2019) Nnakenyi, Chinenye A.; Traveset, Anna; Heleno, Ruben; Minoarivelo, Henintsoa O.; Hui, Cang
The structure of pollination networks, particularly its nestedness, contain important information on network assemblages. However, there is still limited understanding of the mechanisms underlying nested pollination network structures. Here, we investigate the role of Adaptive Interaction Switching (AIS), island area, isolation, age and sampling effort in explaining the nestedness of pollination networks across ten Galápagos Islands. The AIS algorithm is inspired by Wallace's elimination of the unfit, where a species constantly replaces its least profitable mutualistic partner with a new partner selected at random. To explain network structures, we first use a dynamic model that includes functional response of pollination and AIS, with only species richness and binary connectance as input (hereafter the AIS model). Thereafter, other explanatory variables (isolation, area, age and sampling effort) were added to the model. In four out of ten islands, the pollination network was significantly nested, and predictions from the AIS model correlated with observed structures, explaining 69% variation in nestedness. Overall, in terms of independent contribution from hierarchical partitioning of variation in observed nestedness, the AIS model predictions contributed the most (37%), followed by sampling effort (28%) and island area (22%), with only trivial contributions from island isolation and age. Therefore, adaptive switching of biotic interactions seems to be key to ensure network function, with island biogeographic factors only secondary. Although large islands could harbour more diverse assemblages and thus foster more nested structures, sufficient sampling proves to be essential for detecting non‐random network structures.
Genetic analyses reveal complex introduction histories for the invasive tree Acacia dealbata Link around the world
(2020) Hirsch, Heidi; Richardson, David M.; Pauchard, Anibal; Le Roux, Johannes J.
Aim: To compare genetic diversity and structure between Acacia dealbata populations sampled across the species’ native range in Australia and from its non-native ranges in Chile, Madagascar, New Zealand, Portugal, La Réunion island, South Africa and the United States, and to investigate the most likely introduction scenarios to non-native ranges. Location: Global. Taxon: Acacia dealbata, Fabaceae. Methods: Our dataset comprised 1615 samples representing 92 populations sampled in the species’ native and non-native ranges. We employed a combination of genetic fingerprinting (microsatellite markers) and genetic modelling approaches. We calculated genetic diversity for each population and tested for genetic isolation by distance within each range. A combination of Bayesian assignment tests and multivariate ordination was applied to identify genetic structure among populations. Approximate Bayesian Computation (ABC) analyses were conducted to test different competing introduction scenarios for each non-native range. Results: The majority of the species’ non-native ranges was characterized by high genetic diversity and low levels of genetic structure. With regard to introduction histories, however, our results supported different introduction scenarios for different non-native ranges. We did not find strong support for any of tested introduction scenarios for populations in Chile and Madagascar, but these likely originated from multiple introductions followed by admixture. Populations in New Zealand and La Réunion most likely originated directly from Tasmania, possibly through multiple introductions. Similar to previous findings for South African populations, no clear introduction history could be identified for populations in Portugal and the United States. Main conclusions: Our study shows that global introductions of A. dealbata were complex and one scenario does not fit the invasion history of the species in different regions. We discuss how this complexity needs to be considered when formulating strategies for the effective management of the species. Future research needs to help bridge persisting knowledge gaps are discussed.
Identifying research priorities for health professions education research in sub-Saharan Africa using a modified Delphi method
(BMC (part of Springer Nature), 2020-11-18) Van Schalkwyk, Susan C.; Kiguli-Malwadde, Elsie; Budak, Jehan Z.; Reid, Michael J. A.; De Villiers, Marietjie R.
Background: Recent increases in health professions education (HPE) research in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), though substantial, have predominantly originated from single institutions and remained uncoordinated. A shared research agenda can guide the implementation of HPE practices to ultimately influence the recruitment and retention of the health workforce. Thus, the authors aimed to generate and prioritise a list of research topics for HPE research (HPER) in SSA. Methods: A modified Delphi process was designed to prioritise a shared agenda. Members of the African Forum for Research and Education in Health (AFREhealth) technical working group (TWG) were asked to first list potential research topics. Then, members of the same TWG and attendees at the annual AFREhealth academic symposium held in Lagos, Nigeria in August 2019 rated the importance of including each topic on a 3-point Likert scale, through two rounds of consensus seeking. Consensus for inclusion was predefined as ≥70% of respondents rating the topic as “must be included.” Results: Health professions educators representing a variety of professions and 13 countries responded to the survey rounds. Twenty-three TWG members suggested 26 initial HPER topics; subsequently 90 respondents completed round one, and 51 completed round 2 of the modified Delphi. The final list of 12 research topics which met predetermined consensus criteria were grouped into three categories: (1) creating an enabling environment with sufficient resources and relevant training; (2) enhancing student learning; and (3) identifying and evaluating strategies to improve pedagogical practice. Conclusions: Establishing research priorities for HPE is important to ensure efficient and appropriate allocation of resources. This study serves as a reminder of how the prevailing context within which HPE, and by implication research in the field, is undertaken will inevitably influence choices about research foci. It further points to a potential advocacy role for research that generates regionally relevant evidence.
In vitro selection of transgenic sugarcane callus utilizing a plant gene encoding a mutant form of acetolactate synthase
(Springer, 2013-02-05) Van Der Vyver, Christell; Conradie, Tobie; Kossmann, Jens; Lloyd, James
Selection genes are routinely used in plant genetic transformation protocols to ensure the survival of transformed cells by limiting the regeneration of non-transgenic cells. In order to find alternatives to the use of antibiotics as selection agents, we followed a targeted approach utilizing a plant gene, encoding a mutant form of the enzyme acetolactate synthase, to convey resistance to herbicides. The sensitivity of sugarcane callus (Saccharum spp. hybrids, cv. NCo310) to a number of herbicides from the sulfonylurea and imidazolinone classes was tested. Callus growth was most affected by sulfonylurea herbicides, particularly 3.6 μg/l chlorsulfuron. Herbicide-resistant transgenic sugarcane plants containing mutant forms of a tobacco acetolactate synthase (als) gene were obtained following biolistic transformation. Post-bombardment, putative transgenic callus was selectively proliferated on MS medium containing 3 mg/l 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), 20 g/l sucrose, 0.5 g/l casein, and 3.6 μg/l chlorsulfuron. Plant regeneration and rooting was done on MS medium lacking 2,4-D under similar selection conditions. Thirty vigorously growing putative transgenic plants were successfully ex vitro-acclimatized and established under glasshouse conditions. Glasshouse spraying of putative transgenic plants with 100 mg/l chlorsulfuron dramatically decreased the amount of non-transgenic plants that had escaped the in vitro selection regime. PCR analysis showed that six surviving plants were als-positive and that five of these expressed the mutant als gene. This report is the first to describe a selection system for sugarcane transformation that uses a selectable marker gene of plant origin targeted by a sulfonylurea herbicide.
Incentives for lay health workers to improve recruitment, retention in service and performance (Protocol)
(2014) Nkonki, L.; Daniels, K.; Odendaal, W. A.; Hongoro, C.; Colvin, C. J.; Lewin, S.
This is the protocol for a review and there is no abstract. The objectives are as follows: To assess the effectiveness of financial and non-financial incentives for lay healthworkers in improving performance, increasing retention, and attracting appropriate LHW candidates.
Informing principal policy reforms in South Africa through data-based evidence
(AOSIS Publishing, 2015) Wills, Gabrielle
In the past decade there has been a notable shift in South African education policy that raises the value of school leadership as a lever for learning improvements. Despite a growing discourse on school leadership, there has been a lack of empirical based evidence on principals to inform, validate or debate the efficacy of proposed policies in raising the calibre of school principals. Drawing on findings from a larger study to understand the labour market for school principals in South Africa, this paper highlights four overarching characteristics of this market with implications for informing principal policy reforms. The paper notes that improving the design and implementation of policies guiding the appointment process for principals is a matter of urgency. A substantial and increasing number of principal replacements are taking place across South African schools given a rising age profile of school principals. In a context of low levels of principal mobility and high tenure, the leadership trajectory of the average school is established for nearly a decade with each principal replacement. Evidence-based policy making has a strong role to play in getting this right.
Integrated knowledge translation to advance noncommunicable disease policy and practice in South Africa : application of the Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, and Sustainment (EPIS) framework
(BioMed Central, 2021-05-17) Jessani, Nasreen S.; Rohwer, Anke; Schmidt, Bey-Marrie; Delobelle, Peter
Background: In response to the “know–do” gap, several initiatives have been implemented to enhance evidenceinformed decision-making (EIDM). These include individual training, organizational culture change management, and legislative changes. The importance of relationships and stakeholder engagement in EIDM has led to an evolution of models and approaches including integrated knowledge translation (IKT). IKT has emerged as a key strategy for ensuring that engagement is equitable, demand-driven, and responsive. As a result, the African-German Collaboration for Evidence-Based Healthcare and Public Health in Africa (CEBHA+) incorporated an IKT approach to influence noncommunicable diseases (NCD) policy and practice. We documented the phased process of developing, implementing, and monitoring the IKT approach in South Africa; and explored the appropriateness of using the exploration, preparation, implementation, and sustainment (EPIS) framework for this purpose. Methods: We mapped the South Africa IKT approach onto the EPIS framework using a framework analysis approach. Notes of team meetings, stakeholder matrices, and engagement strategies were analysed and purposefully plotted against the four phases of the framework in order to populate the different constructs. We discussed and finalized the analysis in a series of online iterations until consensus was reached. Results: The mapping exercise revealed an IKT approach that was much more iterative, dynamic, and engaging than initially thought. Several constructs (phase-agnostic) remained important and stable across EPIS phases: stable and supportive funding; committed and competent leadership; skilled and dedicated IKT champions; diverse and established personal networks; a conducive and enabling policy environment; and boundary-spanning intermediaries. Constructs such as “innovations” constantly evolved and adapted to the changing inner and outer contexts (phase-specific). Conclusions: Using the EPIS framework to interrogate, reflect on, and document our IKT experiences proved extremely relevant and useful. Phase-agnostic constructs proved critical to ensure resilience and agility of NCD deliberations and policies in the face of highly dynamic and changing local contexts, particularly in view of the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Bridging IKT with a framework from implementation science helps to reflect on this process and can guide the development and planning of similar interventions and strategies.

Browse

Browsing B - Editors by Title

Results Per Page

Sort Options