The familiarity, attitude, and knowledge of complementary medicine in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children amongst paediatricians in Gauteng

M.Tech. (Homoeopathy)Abstract: Background Attention Deficit Hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder with a high incidence among children worldwide. The current allopathic approaches to its treatment are associated with several adverse and long-term effects which contribute to parents seeking alternative options such as complementary medicines (CM) and related therapies to help manage their child’s ADHD. Aim The aim of this study is to determine the familiarity, attitude, and knowledge of CM in ADHD in children amongst paediatricians in Gauteng, by means of a survey with the utilization of a questionnaire. Setting The questionnaire was completed by means of a survey and conducted in Gauteng with participating paediatricians by means of email, telephone and in person. Methods A quantitative, descriptive survey design was used. Paediatricians practicing in Gauteng listed on Medpages and the Paediatrician Management Group (PMG) were recruited. Data was obtained through a structured 21-item, questionnaire. Data was descriptively analysed using IBM SPSS 27.0. Results A total of 23 paediatricians participated in the research study. Only a small portion of paediatricians reported feeling comfortable referring or recommending CM to their ADHD patients. Most paediatricians had previously been exposed to CM but reported only being limitedly familiar with the different CM therapies available. The majority of the paediatricians were found to be familiar with both self-help practices and over-the-counter (OTC) CM products used in the management of ADHD. Most paediatricians reported asking their patients about CM use in their ADHD and believed that Homeopathy and Phytotherapy was most frequently used CM in ADHD treatment. The majority of paediatricians did not consider..

Development and application of an African physical and technical talent identification field test battery for Zimbabwean male junior soccer players

D.Phil. (Sport Science)Abstract: Despite the availability of several studies on talent identification, there is no universal physical and technical talent identification test battery for predicting future potential in Under-14 Zimbabwean footballers. The aim of this study was twofold, firstly, to determine the coaches’ perceived physical and technical talent identification (TI) attributes for male Under-14 Zimbabwean footballers. Secondly, to develop and apply a physical and technical TI test battery for under-14 footballers. The present study utilised an exploratory sequential design using a modified Delphi method to establish a coaches perceived list of physical-physiological and technical attributes for TI. The identified attributes culminated in the development of and application of the test battery in Bulawayo Metropolitan and Matabeleland North province. The study utilised purposive sampling. The Zimbabwean Confederation of African Football (CAF 'A') accredited coaches (n = 39) completed five rounds of the Delphi questionnaires comprised of an initial questionnaire with open-ended questions. The subsequent questionnaires utilised the Miller’s (1972) Scale Battery of International Patterns and Norms for rating the attributes. Descriptive statistics (means, standard deviations, frequencies and percentages) were used for analysis. The results indicated that leg power, speed, endurance, change of direction and flexibility were crucial in predicting talent in Under-14 footballers. The coaches further identified height, percentage body fat, bone diameter, weight, body composition, passing, dribbling, shooting, running with the ball, heading, diving and ball control. The field test method was used to collect anthropometric, technical and physical-physiological data in the second phase. Participants were 141 in-field Under-14 Zimbabwean junior footballers with a mean age of 12.01 ± 0.88. Descriptive statistics, birth quartile distributions, One-way Anova, odds ratios, Crammer’s V effect size, Chi-square test, Hochberg or Dunnett test were utilised for analysis. Data were processed using SPSS version 26.0 and 27.0. The level of significance was set at 0.05%. The junior footballers were divided into two groups, according to age categories and clusters. The results on age and maturity related attributes were significant in some variables between the 9 – 11.9 and 12 -13.9 while other attributes revealed no differences. Overall, 97.2% of the under-14 footballers in the original grouped cases were classified correctly into talented and non-talented groups. The talented group was classified with better accuracy of 97.6% compared to 89.5% of the non-talented group in the crossvalidated grouped cases. The talented group displayed an irregular birth distribution while the non-talented group had a linearly unbalanced distribution in favour of the first two quarters. Biological maturity revealed significant differences in some of the attributes wherein others no differences were observed. It was concluded that coaches considered multi-dimensional attributes based on anthropometric, physical fitness and technical attributes to identify talent. Additional, biological maturity and the relative age effect had no influence in the selection of Under-14 footballers. It was recommended that further research is warranted to unpack other variable attributes such as the psychosocial that may define talented Under-14 footballers. Football entities are encouraged to establish and implement a multi-dimensional test battery for talent identification

Localizing youth employment : exploring the role of community based organizations in Youth Employment Transitions

Abstract: While governments and the private sector appear in literature on youth unemployment responses, there is limited research on the role that the civil society sector, and specifically community-based organisations (CBOs) play in addressing this issue. Although CBOs appear to provide intermediation programs between unemployed youth and employers in formal or direct Youth Employment Programs (YEPs), there is still limited literature on other CBO programmes which are not formal YEPs. Exploring such CBO programmes and services and how they indirectly contribute to addressing youth unemployment may provide a profound understanding of a critical role player in youth transitions to employment. The study aim is to explore how local level CBOs operating in Tembisa facilitate youth employment transitions, with a primary focus on the indirect role that CBOs play. The study adopted a qualitative approach in which key methods encompassed conducting thirteen (13) semi structured interviews and network maps created with the leaders or employees of CBOs. Data was analysed according to emerging themes. Ethical considerations included informed consent and confidentiality of participants. The findings show that CBO programmes offer key resources or assets such as access to information, ICT facilities, work experience, career development planning and skills development programmes. From the perspective of the research participants, these all play a crucial role in the long- and short-term employment transitions of youth. The findings suggest a need for employing or developing an ecosystem for youth employment transitions by directing investments towards long- and short-term youth transitions through CBOs.M.A. (Social Policy and Development (M7068Q)

The role of policy networks in self-build housing

Abstract: In 2009 South Africa’s enhanced People’s Housing Process (ePHP) through which self-build housing would be implemented, was introduced. This article summarises the purposes and results of a research project undertaken to determine what role good policy network practices played in the attainment of ePHP policy objectives. The Clark Policy Network model served as a heuristic device in analysing the relationship between network characteristics, the Masizakhele Project as a case study and the attainment of policy outcomes in the project. The analysis revealed that project operations exhibited many of the indicators of the characteristics contained in the Clark Policy Network model, and that the operationalised policy outcomes associated thereto were fully attained. Generalisable observations developed during the analysis allowed the researcher to propose a network theory of policy implementation, that policy networks aimed at attaining developmental objectives must incorporate strategies to both attract and retain resources within the network

Targeted photodynamic therapy of metastatic melanoma cancer and cancer stem cells

Abstract: Metastatic melanoma is highly aggressive and has been recorded by the American Cancer Society as being the most common cause of skin cancer associated deaths (ACS., 2020). Tumours are heterogeneous and encompass various dynamic subpopulations of cells, one of these being cancer stem cells (CSCs). Cancer stem cells have the potential to cause cancer relapse and metastasis, as well as being resistant to multiple forms of therapy (Nguyen et al., 2015). Melanoma CSC populations have been identified and linked to tumor progression, immune-evasive behavior, drug resistance, and metastasis. Intra-tumour heterogeneity, which refers to how different subpopulations inside and between tumor lesions interact, has a significant impact on the tumor's response to pharmacological therapy in melanomas. The present study evaluated the effects of Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) using Aluminum phthalocyanine (AlPcS4Cl) photosensitizer (PS) at 673.2 nm in targeting melanoma cells (A375) and their stem cell population. The use of human malignant melanoma cell cultures (A375 cells, alongside with fibroblast (WS1) cell cultures (normal cells) was employed. These were grown in a complete liquid medium incubated at 37 °C, 5% CO₂ and 85% humidity. Dose response studies were performed on the total cell populations by increasing doses of AlPcS4Cl. Post-irradiation signs of cell death were determined using microscopy, Trypan blue viability, ATP, and LDH assays. The increasing cell death of treated A375 and WS1 cells was directly proportional to increasing dose responses observed. Changes post-irradiation were realized through cell viability testing with significantly increased damaged cells taking up Trypan blue dye. Treatment group cells with a dose of 20 μM AlPcS4Cl indicated 68.25% viability and for a dose of 40 μM, 35% viability. This suggests that PDT is most effective at a higher dose but also harmful to normal cells at a dose of 40 μM. A lower dose range was used for A375 cells which showed a significant decrease in cell viability for a dose of 20 μM, showing only 55.25% viability. The impact of PDT on metastatic melanoma was highlighted through its target specific effects causing morphological changes, dose dependent decreases in ATP, and increased LDH content released due to cytotoxicity. Current treatments have limited...M.Tech. (Biomedical Sciences

An assessment of environmental factors affecting the delivery practices of hospital-based intrapartum care : a case of rural Ketté District Health Service in Cameroon

Abstract: Background: In 2017, the World Health Organization reported more than 295,000 maternal deaths on a global scale. The majority of these largely preventable misfortunes occurred within the intrapartum period. Interestingly, a significant relationship between environmental factors and hospital-based intrapartum care has been established in some studies. Objective: This study sought to assess the effect of environmental factors on maternal outcomes and the use of intrapartum healthcare services at the Ketté District Hospital. Methods: This was a cross-sectional . The study sampled 471 women presenting for peripartum care at the Ketté District hospital. A pilot study was initiated prior to data collection. The results were analysed at 95% confidence interval (CI) using EPI Info and the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. Charts, tables and logistic regression were used to relate variables to observed outcomes. Results: Of the study participants, 24.2% (n=114) had a history of maternal complications. Socio-demographic characteristics associated with higher odds for maternal complications included age group 18-25 years (OR 1.89, 95% CI 1.16-3.11) where 26-33 years was the reference group, family size greater than 6 (AOR 2.17, 95% CI 1.18-3.98) where 3-4 persons was the reference group and being unemployed (AOR 2.46, 95% CI 1.12-5.41) where being self-employed was the reference group. One major factor associated with maternal complications was a travel distance of over 5 km from the health facility (OR 3.12, 95% CI 1.07-9.13) where a distance of 1-2 km was the reference. Obstetric and delivery determinants associated with maternal complications included delivery being assisted by a traditional birth attendant (AOR 3.70, 95% CI 1.71-8.04) where delivery at a health centre was the reference group. The perceived importance of environmental factors for ANC frequency showed greater odds for maternal complications when road quality was important (AOR 4.33, 95% CI 1.62-11.57); when travel time was important (OR 2.85, 95% CI 1.57-5.18); when travel distance was very important (OR 6.65, 95% CI 3.62-12.25); and when season was important (OR 3.59, 95% CI 1.91-6.78). Conclusion: Maternal outcomes were significantly influenced by distance, route network, and season of delivery. The implementation of sustainable measures via road maintenance and motorised transportation could greatly improve peripartum outcomes.M.A. (Public Health

Secondary metabolites produced by Staphylococcus species and their antimicrobial activities against ESKAPE group of bacteria

Abstract: Background: ESKAPE-related infections pose a serious challenge to the health sector as they are known to be resistant to the current antibiotics. This led to the investigation of secondary metabolites from Staphylococcus species [(S. saprophyticus (ATCC 35552), S. epidermidis (ATCC 51625) and S. aureus (isolated from milk)] as a possible solution to alleviate ESKAPE-related conditions. Methods: Secondary metabolites were screened by Gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrophotometry (GC/MS/MS), then purified using silica gel and thin layer chromatography plates. The normal distribution for prominent secondary was achieved by using the Kruskal Wallis Test. Compounds were then identified using nuclear magnetic resonance and such were tested for antimicrobial properties against ESKAPE bacteria by autobiography and microtiter plates respectively. The cytotoxicity studies were carried out against Vero cells using 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazole)-2,5 diphenyl-2- H bromide tetrazolium (MTT) assay. The Spearman`s correlation analysis method was used to evaluate if values were statistically significant. Results: Different classes of compounds were identified, among others were hetrocyclic compounds, amino acid and alcohols. The data analysis for prominent compounds revealed the percentage peak area average was not normally distributed. To achieve normal distribution for prominent secondary, Kruskal Wallis Test was carried to reach the value that was statistically significant (p= 0.396). The identified compounds include: polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (Fluoranthene) and (heterocyclic compound) 3-methyl-2-phenyl- 1H-pyrrole from S. aureus. Two compounds from S. epidermidis were: amide (oleamide) and fatty acid (ester methyl palmitate), and four from S...D.Tech. (Biomedical Technology

A comparative study between virtual and non-virtual workouts pre, during and post Covid-19 South African lockdown

M.Phil. (Sport Science)Abstract: The purpose of this study was to draw a comparison between virtual and non-virtual workouts that took place during the different lockdown levels in South Africa implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic in the country, during which various restrictions were put in place. The study also examined the different exercise intensities and frequencies that took place prior to lockdown, during lockdown and the workout structure that followed post hard lockdown in South Africa. A quantitative research design was utilised, with data collected by means of an internet-based survey. A total of 120 participants completed the survey with questions focusing on exercise adherence prior to, during and post-lockdown. The majority of the participants who completed the survey resided in Gauteng (86,7%) and were between the ages of 21 and 30 (64,2%). Prior to the COVID-19 lockdown in South Africa (March 2020), 88,3% of participants were already physically active. During lockdown (levels 1 to 5) the workout regimen enjoyed most often was workouts done virtually (52%). Participants who preferred non-virtual workouts were more intrinsically motivated (M = 5,92; SD = 0,91) than those who preferred virtual workouts (M = 5,48; SD = 1,10; p = <0.05), Men (M = 5,99; SD = 0,90) were more intrinsically motivated than women (M = 5,52; SD = 1,07; p = <0.05). Vigorous-intensity exercise (+1,6%) and moderate-intensity exercise (+2,5%) showed an increase in prevalence compared to pre-lockdown intensities.When comparing exercise frequency for 4 days a week or fewer pre and during lockdown, there was an increase in vigorous activity (+2%) and a decrease in moderate-intensity exercise (-4,3%) During the easing of restrictions (post the hard lockdown period in South Africa), participants continued with virtual and non-virtual home workouts. This was despite 41% having returned to fitness facilities and gyms. The implications for this study support the self-determination theory because, in times of lockdown and movement restrictions, individuals were self-determined and intrinsically motivated to continue with or begin to exercise, despite living through a pandemic

Exploring hydropolitics and expressions of citizenship : three communities in Madibeng, South Africa

Abstract: This study set out to investigate forms of expression in the context of Madibeng Local Municipality hydropolitics, paying particular attention to Damonsville, Mothutlung and Mmakau. Madibeng was an ideal location for this study because there is evidence that the local municipality has been struggling to provide water services. This has culminated in toyi-toying – one form of expression. I adopted a qualitative research methodology underpinned by a social constructionist epistemology. The primary data collection method was in-depth interviews supplemented by observation, field notes (journal entries) and photography. I selected twenty-seven participants purposively. Major findings point to the fact that the participants viewed water services as grossly inadequate – they indicated that their communities experienced rampant and prolonged water interruptions and poor water quality. They perceived the municipality officials as contributing to poor water service delivery through corruption and financial mismanagement of the local municipality. Water infrastructure in the community was noted to be worn and obsolete. In addition to this, I found that some participants held the view that citizenship spaces in the communities were on the decline: politicians highjacked community meetings, there was a rise in gangsterism, and some community members contested “good citizenship” practices like paying for water. While some community members favoured toyi-toying, a constitutional right, others did not, in fear of getting hurt, or worse, dying. From the findings, I make three contributions to the body of knowledge: first, I provide a broadened definition of hydropolitics which moves beyond the macro-level to also include water politics as transpiring on meso and micro-levels; second, I contribute to the literature on citizenship and hydropolitics by giving an account of Madibeng hydropolitics paying attention to the experiences of Damonsville, Mothutlung and Mmakau residents; third, I present how the “new” South Africa is for some participants viewed as an exclusionary space as they withdraw from expression due to fear, coercion or duress, and coin the term disengaged citizenship to describe this social phenomenon.Ph.D. (Sociology

Gold, Palladium and Mesoporous Oxide-based Nanocatalysts for redox processes and sustainable catalysis : synthesis and catalytic evaluation

Abstract: Transition metals' exceptional ability and properties at the nanoscale level transcend their corresponding bulk metals in chemical transformation both in the laboratories and the industries. However, the nanoparticles are prone to particle growth and agglomeration at this nanoscale state, inhibiting their excellent performance and compromising their uniqueness. Hence, the stability of the particles presents a significant factor in governing their innovative attributes. Therefore, organic polymers, such as polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) and dendrimer, were considerably employed as soft templates to ensure stability and prevent the agglomeration of these nanoparticles in a homogeneous phase. These synthesized nanoparticles include AuPVP, PdPVP, AuPdPVP nanoparticles, and CuDENs. Although conventional homogeneous catalysts possess a vast tendency to enhance high conversion and product selectivity in chemical reactions, nevertheless, they present limiting phenomenon of recoverability, recyclability, and deactivation at high temperatures. Therefore, to circumvent these limitations, we fabricated metal nanoparticles through the dispersion of metals onto an insoluble and solid mesoporous silica and metal oxide support by adapting a dual templating approach, followed by a galvanic replacement protocol. In addition, inverse micelle, sol-gel, and wet impregnation methods were also employed to design ideal heterogeneous catalysts such as Cun@SiO2, Au@SiO2, Pd@SiO2, CoMMO, and MnMMO, which are capable of high operating procedures, easy recoverability, and reusability for oxidation and reduction reactions. Different analytical techniques were used to characterize and obtain the properties of these catalysts. These techniques include nitrogen sorption with Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) and Barret-Joyner-Halenda (BJH) to examine the surface area, pore size, and pore volume distribution, high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (H-TEM) for internal morphologies, powder X-ray diffraction (p-XRD), for the diffraction patterns of the materials. While thermogravimetric analysis (TG) was performed to determine the sample’s thermal stability, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) identified the specific functional groups present. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX) obtained the surface morphologies and identification of metal composition. In addition, hydrogen-temperature programmed reduction (H2-TPR) was used to examine the reducibility of the catalyst...Ph.D. (Chemistry