Ubuntu: A resource for help groups for older people living with HIV in Korogwe District, Tanzania

Ubuntu is an indigenous African philosophy that promotes collectivism, solidarity and mutual interdependence as being vital for the majority welfare. In this paper, it is used to discuss the findings from a qualitative study of how older people living with HIV (OPLHIV) in Korogwe, Tanzania use help groups for informal social support, to battle their daily challenges as a result of HIV and ageing in a rural context. Interviews with 13 OPLHIV showed that there are voluntarily formed groups and arranged groups. We find that voluntarily organised groups seem to build on, and benefit from Ubuntu values. The study further showed that Ubuntu values in group organisation are currently challenged by donor dependency, heterogeneity and poverty in local communities. Social work practice is recommended to acknowledge the strength of Ubuntu to support already existing initiatives in the field, but also to recognise the factors that challenge it

Rheological Behavior of Bentonite-Water Mud Under Elevated Temperatures: Insights for Predicting Fluid Performance

During well construction, control of drilling mud rheology is required at elevated temperature and pressure. Therefore, understanding the influencing factors on water-based mud (WBM) rheology characteristics, as one of the most commonly used drilling fluids, is essential to maintain firm control over the rheological properties of elevated temperature WBM.  Due to the changing rheological properties of some additives at elevated temperatures, selecting appropriate additives for WBM is challenging.  This study focuses on the behavior of a typical bentonite mud utilizing a state-of-the-art viscometer to measure drilling fluids properties at different concentrations of bentonite and temperatures.  The sensitivity of the mud to shear stress at different temperatures and concentrations was examined.  The experimental approach involved mixing distilled water with bentonite and conducting experiments, including preparation and hot rolling to simulate the aging of mud during circulation.  Rheological properties of the mud were measured at various concentrations (8 and 12 g) across temperatures (10 to 90°C) and shear rates (5 to 1021 s-1) to identify patterns for predicting the mud behavior. The results show that the rate of shear stress increase is a strong function of temperature in the applied shear rate range.  Plastic viscosity decreased with temperature, being highest at 10°C and lowest at 90°C.  Additionally, temperature increase leads to increased yield stress.  It is believed that at higher temperatures face to face repulsive electrostatic energy between particles is higher. Additionally, higher temperatures led to an increased yield stress due to stronger particle interactions. It is proposed that, as a result of these enhanced interactions at higher temperatures, a more robust gel structure would be formed. The experimental data closely fit the Herschel-Bulkley model, confirming its suitability for predicting bentonite mud behavior under varying temperatures and shear rates.   This study provides a deeper understanding of how temperature and bentonite concentration influence the rheology of bentonite muds. Also, these findings highlight the complexity of maintaining mud rheology at elevated temperatures, as viscosity changes can affect mud stability and drilling efficiency. Moreover, it offers practical insights for optimizing bentonite concentrations to ensure efficiency in field applications for elevated temperature conditions

Modeling and Simulation of Non-Newtonian Fluid Flow using COMSOL Multiphysics®

This paper presents an overview of the capabilities of COMSOL Multiphysics® for simulating non-Newtonian fluids, with an emphasis on multiphysics. It outlines the COMSOL implementation of inelastic and viscoelastic non-Newtonian fluid models and reviews the software’s ability to couple fluid flow with heat transfer, structural deformation, and multiphase flow modeling

Deconstructing Social Work in Africa: An autoethnographic approach

In the dominant debate, dialogue and literature, there is an assumption that Africa had no form of social work before colonisation. In this article, we deal with the historical question pertaining to the existence of social work in Africa, and deconstruct the term ‘social work’, its origin and meaning in an African context. We employ an autoethnographic approach to describe the knowledge and skills known as social work in African communities using Indigenous Knowledge. We conclude that the Western epistemological paradigm facilitated the idea that social work was non-existent in the pre-colonial era, which distorted and distracted knowledge and skills construction in post-modernism theory and practic

Is it all about the money? - a study of specialized frontline work in the Norwegian social assistance service

This article is about meetings between frontline workers in the Norwegian labour and welfare administration (NAV), and young people outside work or school - NEETs. This group often has few or no financial rights beyond financial social assistance, which is granted from the social services in NAV. One of NAV\u27s intentions is to ensure a work-oriented focus and comprehensive follow-up across various benefits. Based on a qualitative study in five NAV offices, the article investigates how organizational measures, in this case the specialization of work tasks, which seeks to put work-oriented aspects in the foreground of service provision, and separate it from traditional casework on benefit decisions.   The study consists of 14 observations of conversations between frontline workers and young social assistance recipients. Additionally, five focus group interviews were conducted with the frontline workers. The findings suggest that the frontline workers\u27 follow-up appears fragmented, so that these young people can end up with up to three frontline workers at the same time, who are respectively responsible for finances, work and follow-up.  This specialization can have implications for the quality of the service provision, and it seems that the nature and dynamics of social problems are not taken into account

Engaged Scholarship through Community Social Labs: Advancing Indigenisation of Social Work Education in Uganda

The indigenisation of social work education in Africa is a response to the limitations of Western-centric approaches to addressing complex local social issues. This paper explores the role of engaged scholarship and community social labs in indigenising social work education in Uganda. The study analyses data from four focus group discussions, and student WhatsApp conversations, to examine how these approaches facilitate meaningful community engagement and the integration of local knowledge into the social work curriculum. The results show that community social labs can help with cultural sensitivity and problem-solving that is relevant to the situation. They also demonstrate that institutional constraints and power dynamics may hinder this transition. Despite these issues, the study suggests that engaged scholarship through community social labs has significant potential to make social work education and practice in Uganda more culturally sensitive and responsive to local realities. Even with these challenges, the study suggests that engaging scholars in community social labs has a lot of potential to make social work education and practice in Uganda more sensitive to local cultures and needs

Anthroposophy and Racism:

This article provides a detailed exposition of Rudolf Steiner’s racial teachings, followed by an overview of how his racial ideas have influenced the Anthroposophical movement in five European countries: Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Italy. There is substantial evidence that Steiner and many of his leading followers persistently promoted ideas about race that align closely with those espoused by white supremacists. The article also summarises and analyses the main lines of defence put forward within the Anthroposophical movement in response to critiques of Steiner’s racial teachings

Rheological and Mechanical Properties of TPU Composites Reinforced with Silver-Coated Copper Flakes

The study investigates the preparation of conductive thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) composites using a twin-screw extrusion, focusing on the effects of silver-coated copper (Cu@Ag) particles as conductive fillers. The rheological, mechanical, and electrical properties of the composites were characterized as a function of filler volume concentration. The rheological analysis enabled the determination of a percolating network formation, which is important both for processing the composites and for mechanical reinforcement in the solid state. With increasing Cu@Ag loading, the composites exhibited pronounced changes in viscoelastic behaviour. The results of the mechanical tests show that increasing filler concentration of the Cu@Ag filler in the TPU polymer affects the mechanical properties, i.e., an increase in the storage moduli (E′) and loss moduli (E\u27\u27) was observed, resulting in a more brittle structure of the composite. Furthermore, the electrical conductivity increased sharply to 46.7 S/m at the highest filler concentration. The results showed that geometrical and electrical percolation thresholds were similar, occurring at ~15 vol.%. These results highlight the crucial role of filler loading in tailoring the conductive and viscoelastic properties of functional TPU composites

Rheological and Technological Aspects of UV Curing Thick Polymer Layers with Fiber Reinforcement

UV curing allows energy-efficient and fast resin solidification for many different applications. By combining suitable photoinitiators and light-emitting diode (LED) light sources, cure depths of more than 1 mm have become available, which makes UV curing also a promising candidate for the development of innovative manufacturing technologies, including fiber-reinforced polymers (FRP). This contribution suggests experimental methods that help to understand the interaction between process parameters, curing behavior, and resulting material properties of a novel UV resin. UV-rheology is used to replicate close to reality process conditions during curing as well as to analyze the underlying phenomena, including the mechanical and volumetric material behavior. When investigating thick polymer layers, opposing effects such as heat accumulation within the resin volume and limited penetration depth of the UV light need to be taken into account. Both effects will have an influence on the reaction rate and at the same time affect the optical properties of the resin. By evaluating UV-rheological experiments in conjunction with additional experimental data obtained in UV-DSC, a holistic understanding of the governing phenomena during UV curing of thick reinforced and unreinforced polymers becomes possible