Internet access as a structural factor in career choice: a comparison between computing and non-computing major students

The career choice model of Adya and Kaiser posits the availability of technology resources as a structural element impacting on career choice. The model distinguishes between accessibility at school and at home. Based on this theoretical point of departure and by arguing a link between choice of major and choice of fi eld of career, this paper explores specifi cally the infl uence of the access of internet at school and at home on perceptions and values pertaining to the career South African students are preparing for. This exploratory study investigates whether any differences can be found between students who selected computing majors at tertiary level and students who selected non-computing majors. Internet availability in South Africa is potentially interesting, as it constitutes not simply an ‘available technology’, but may be an indicator of aspects such as technology skills, information resources, educational quality and socio-economic conditions. A quantitative study was conducted with 1741 students as participants from three different departments in the School of IT at a university in South Africa. Students participated in a survey early in the academic year. The fi ndings show that lack of internet access homogenises students’ career perceptions across the groups of majors. However, where students have internet access the views on career choices differ considerably between computing-majors and non-computing majors particularly in terms of views on the nature of work opportunities and of personal qualities of IT people. Also, a pronounced difference emerges in the perceptions of non-computing majors with and without internet access centering around views about the importance of sources of career information and around self-effi cacy in the chosen career. Most importantly, the computing majors group is fairly homogeneous in terms of their perceptions regarding computer-related careers regardless of internet access. Since similarities shared by these students evidently cannot be ascribed to internet access or even to the socio-economic and educational factors that make internet access possible, this research indicates that the infl uence of the internet on perceptions of career and consequently on career choice is complex with more diverse linkages to psychosocial factors than posited by the model of Adya and Kaiser.College of Engineering, Science and Technolog

Cross-cultural effects of color, but not morphological masculinity, on perceived attractiveness of men's faces

This is the post-print version of the Article. The official published version can be accessed from the link below - Copyright @ 2012 ElsevierMuch attractiveness research has focused on face shape. The role of masculinity (which for adults is thought to be a relatively stable shape cue to developmental testosterone levels) in male facial attractiveness has been examined, with mixed results. Recent work on the perception of skin color (a more variable cue to current health status) indicates that increased skin redness, yellowness, and lightness enhance apparent health. It has been suggested that stable cues such as masculinity may be less important to attractiveness judgments than short-term, more variable health cues. We examined associations between male facial attractiveness, masculinity, and skin color in African and Caucasian populations. Masculinity was not found to be associated with attractiveness in either ethnic group. However, skin color was found to be an important predictor of attractiveness judgments, particularly for own-ethnicity faces. Our results suggest that more plastic health cues, such as skin color, are more important than developmental cues such as masculinity. Further, unfamiliarity with natural skin color variation in other ethnic groups may limit observers' ability to utilize these color cues

The Results of Deliberation

When evaluating whether to sue, prosecute, settle, or plead, trial lawyers must predict the future—they need to estimate how likely they are to win a given case in a given jurisdiction. Social scientists have used mock juror studies to produce a vast body of literature showing how different variables influence juror decision making. But few of these studies account for jury deliberation, so they present an impoverished picture of how these effects play out in trials and are of limited usefulness. This Article helps lawyers better predict the future by presenting a novel computer model that extrapolates findings about jurors to juries, showing how variables of interest affect the decisions not only of individuals but also of deliberative bodies. The Article demonstrates the usefulness of the model by applying it to data from an empirical study of the factors that influence juror decisions in acquaintance rape cases. This application first elucidates a tension in criminal law: even if a substantial majority of jurors in a community would vote to convict a defendant, a majority of juries might still acquit. It also demonstrates that certain legal reforms will have a meaningful effect in some areas of the country but not others, suggesting that rape law reform should occur at a local, not national, level

Perceptions of HIV-positive kidney donations to HIV-positive recipients

BACKGROUND: Kidney transplantation is the preferred standard of care for patients who have both end stage renal disease (ESRD) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. The first successful kidney transplant was done in 1954 and the first case of HIV/AIDS occurred in 1981. Until recently, HIV-positive patients who required an organ transplant received an HIV-negative organ because it was illegal to use HIV-positive organs in transplants in the United States. The HIV Organ Policy Equity (HOPE) Act was signed in 2013 and legalized the use of HIV-positive donor organs in organ transplants. The first of these transplants was completed in March 2016 with good results. LITERATURE REVIEW: Renal transplants have lower mortality than dialysis. HIV damages the kidney in multiple ways, including HIV associated nephropathy and HIV immune complex kidney disease, putting HIV patients at higher risk of ESRD. Studies from before the utilization of anti-retroviral therapy show that transplantation of HIV infected blood or organs do not cause failure of the transplanted organ. However, in 1997 most surgeons would not transplant kidneys to HIV-infected individuals. Success of antiretroviral therapy has allowed HIV patients to live longer, but patients experience complications including end organ damage. Providing transplants to ESRD patients with HIV infection has been preferred treatment since 2010. Due to improvements in both HIV and transplant science, transplant specialists today are likely to accept HIV-positive organs to HIV-positive transplant recipients. PROPOSED PROJECT: The proposed study is a survey of United States transplant professionals to determine their perceptions about these transplants. Researchers will collect data in the form of Likert scales as well as open-ended responses. The survey will also collect demographic information about surveyors. Investigators will then analyze the collected data for professional knowledge of the legal change, perceptions of efficacy and safety, and concerns. Researchers will analyze the data both as a whole and divided by demographic subgroups. CONCLUSIONS: To date, there has been no study that has assessed at the attitudes of the medical community involved in these transplants. This study is unique in that it attempts to obtain the perceptions and concerns the transplant specialists have about HIV-positive donor organs to HIV-positive transplant recipients. SIGNIFICANCE: The data from this study will help to establish what opinions are at this time, to determine if there are any regional discrepancies that may affect patient access to care, and to determine the concerns of transplant specialists at this time

Exploring the Prospects of Using 3D Printing Technology in the South African Human Settlements

Please cite as: Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) and Department of Science and Technology (DST) (2021) Exploring the Prospects of Using 3D Printing Technology in the South African Human Settlements. Available at: https:/doi.org/10.17159/assaf.2021/0074South Africa is a country with significant socio-economic development challenges, with the majority of South Africans having limited or non-existent access to basic infrastructure, services, housing and socio-economic opportunities etc. The urban housing backlog currently exceeds 2.4 million houses, with many families living in informal settlements. The Breaking New Grounds Policy, 2014 for the creation of sustainable human settlements, acknowledges the challenges facing human settlements, such as, decreasing human settlements grants allocation, increasing housing backlog, mushrooming of informal settlements and urbanisation. The White Paper on Science, Technology and Innovation (STI), 2019 notes that South Africa has not yet fully benefited from the potential of STI in addressing the socio-economic challenges and seeks to support the circular economy principles which entail a systematic change of moving to a zero or low waste resource-efficient society. Further to this, the Science and Technology Roadmap’s intention is to unlock the potential of South Africa’s human settlements for a decent standard of living through the smart uptake of science, technology and innovation. One such novel technology is the Three-Dimensional (3D) printing technology, which has produced numerous incredible structures around the world. 3D printing is a computer-controlled industrial manufacturing process which encompasses additive means of production to create 3D shapes. The effects of such a technology have a potential to change the world we live in and could subsequently pave the roadmap to improve on housing delivery and reduce the negative effects of conventional construction methods on the environment. To this end, the Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf), in partnership with the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) and the University of Johannesburg (UJ) hosted the second virtual IID seminar titled: Exploring the Prospects of Using 3D Printing Technology in the South African Human Settlements, on 01 March 2021 to explore the potential use of 3D printing technology in human settlements. The webinar presented preliminary findings from a study conducted by UJ, addressing the following topics: 1. The viability of 3D printing technology 2. Cost comparison of 3D printed house to conventional construction 3. Preliminary perceptions on 3D printing of houses Speakers included: Dr Jennifer Mirembe (NDoHS), Dr Jeffrey Mahachi, Mr Refilwe Lediga, Mr Khululekani Ntakana and Dr Luxien Ariyan, all from UJ. There was a unanimous consensus that collaborative efforts from all stakeholders are key to take advantage of this niche technology. @ASSAf_Official; @dsigovza; @go2uj; @The_DHS; #SA 3D_Printing; #3D Print_Housing; #IIDDepartment of Science and Technology (DST), South Afric

Promoting Public Health and Safety: A Predictive Modeling Software Analysis on Perceived Road Fatality Contributory Factors

Extensive literature search was conducted to computationally analyze the relationship between key perceived road fatality factors and public health impacts, in terms of mortality and morbidity. Heterogeneous sources of data on road fatality 1970-2005 and that based on interview questionnaire on European road drivers’ perception were sourced. Computational analysis was performed on these data using the Multilayer Perceptron model within the dtreg predictive modeling software. Driver factors had the highest relative significance. Drivers played significant role as causative agents of road accidents. A good degree of correlation was also observed when compared with results obtained by previous researchers. Sweden, UK, Finland, Denmark, Germany, France, Netherlands, and Austria, where road safety targets were set and EU targets adopted, experienced a faster and sharper reduction of road fatalities. However, Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Greece and Portugal experienced slow, but little reduction in cases of road fatalities. Spain experienced an increase in road fatalities possibly due to road fatalities enhancing factors. Estonia, Slovenia, Cyprus, Hungry, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Poland experienced a fluctuating but decreasing trend. Enforcement of road safety principles and regulations are needed to decrease the incidences of fatal accidents. Adoption of the EU target of -50% reductions of fatalities in all countries will help promote public health and safety

Addressing social issues in a universal HIV test and treat intervention trial (ANRS 12249 TasP) in South Africa: methods for appraisal

Background: The Universal HIV Test and Treat (UTT) strategy represents a challenge for science, but is also a challenge for individuals and societies. Are repeated offers of provider-initiated HIV testing and immediate antiretroviral therapy (ART) socially-acceptable and can these become normalized over time? Can UTT be implemented without potentially adding to individual and community stigma, or threatening individual rights? What are the social, cultural and economic implications of UTT for households and communities? And can UTT be implemented within capacity constraints and other threats to the overall provision of HIV services? The answers to these research questions will be critical for routine implementation of UTT strategies. Methods/design: A social science research programme is nested within the ANRS 12249 Treatment-as-Prevention (TasP) cluster-randomised trial in rural South Africa. The programme aims to inform understanding of the (i) social, economic and environmental factors affecting uptake of services at each step of the continuum of HIV prevention, treatment and care and (ii) the causal impacts of the TasP intervention package on social and economic factors at the individual, household, community and health system level. We describe a multidisciplinary, multi-level, mixed-method research protocol that includes individual, household, community and clinic surveys, and combines quantitative and qualitative methods. Discussion: The UTT strategy is changing the overall approach to HIV prevention, treatment and care, and substantial social consequences may be anticipated, such as changes in social representations of HIV transmission, prevention, HIV testing and ART use, as well as changes in individual perceptions and behaviours in terms of uptake and frequency of HIV testing and ART initiation at high CD4. Triangulation of social science studies within the ANRS 12249 TasP trial will provide comprehensive insights into the acceptability and feasibility of the TasP intervention package at individual, community, patient and health system level, to complement the trial's clinical and epidemiological outcomes. It will also increase understanding of the causal impacts of UTT on social and economic outcomes, which will be critical for the long-term sustainability and routine UTT implementation. Trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT01509508; South African Trial Register: DOH-27-0512-3974

Faculty perspectives on rewards and incentives for community-engaged work: A multinational exploratory study

Universities around the world are grappling with the challenge of how to best recognise and support community-engaged teaching, research and scholarship. The status quo reveals two major problems: many faculty members express the sentiment that such work is often discounted, and there is a dearth of available information on faculty perspectives at non-US, especially non-Western, institutions. Understanding faculty needs and perceptions may help institutions improve reward systems and community research and engagement. Also, filling the information gap between the Global North and Global South may help policy-makers and educators make higher education more civically engaged and socially responsible. As a global coalition of universities moving beyond the ivory tower, the Talloires Network (TN) is uniquely positioned to provide support for and conduct research on community-engaged work. To better understand engaged faculty attitudes about rewards and incentives, TN launched a pilot survey involving 14 institutions in 11 countries. All of these institutions are members of TN, an international association of 368 institutions in 77 countries committed to strengthening civic engagement. Thirty-eight respondents were chosen based on diverse recruiting requirements. This exploratory study highlights some common opinions about what kind of faculty work is encouraged; whether institutional policies regarding engaged work exist; and how community-engaged work is perceived by colleagues. More importantly, this study contributes to the design and administration of larger surveys on community-engaged work

Challenges for Global Learners: A Qualitative Study of the Concerns and Difficulties of International Students

The authors in this study seek to inform academia about international students’ experiences and challenges while attending universities in Small Town USA. Despite their eagerness to study in the United States (U.S.), international students are faced with setbacks that many universities fail to recognize or realize. The researchers conducted in-depth interviews with a purposive sample of students using questions based on information from the literature and an initial survey. The themes that emerged from the data analysis were language, jobs/finances, transportation, assimilation, religious interactions, and identity. Findings emphasize the imperative to understand the challenges these students face as they continue their educational journeys in the United States

Validating cultural and contextual traits of a\ud collectivistic community

Sub-Saharan African communities are classified as collectivist\ud societies. But, what exactly is meant by collectivism and to what extent\ud individuals adhere to this given the differences in their socio-economic\ud conditions? This paper is an empirical exploration of the contextual and cultural\ud traits of a rural sub-Saharan African community in order to facilitate their\ud interpretation towards technology design and adoption. Card sorting is used to\ud validate and make explicit contextual and cultural traits previously identified\ud during interviews. It is a confirmation of the collectivist nature of these cultures\ud with more details such as eagerness to confirm personal views and requirements\ud with that of the group in order to save “face”, among other traits