YearUp – Empowering Urban Talent to Reach Their Potential

YearUp is a national program, that aims to educate and train “disconnected” young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 to enter the workforce with skills in desktop support, helpdesk and other technical areas where the demand for skilled labor is always high

Multivalent ions in polymer electrolytes

The electrochemical, thermal and structural properties of polyethylene oxide (PEO) based polymer electrolytes containing multivalent ions were investigated. The phase diagram for the PEO:Ca(CF₃SO₃)₂ system was determined by x-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry techniques. Precipitation of the salt from the system at high temperatures was directly observed by variable temperature x- ray diffraction. This was ascribed to a negative entropy of dissolution of the salt in the polymer. A new crystalline complex PEO₆Ca(CF₃SO₃)₂, which exhibits a phase transition between two polymorphic forms was observed. The temperature dependence of ionic conductivity was related to the phase diagram. Redox behaviour of the PEO:Nil₂ system was probed. Motion of the Ni(II) species through the system was extremely slow as evidenced by the low effective diffusion coefficient (1.82 x 10 ¹¹ cm ²s⁻¹) and cationic current fraction (F₊ < 0.1). Deposition of nickel from the polymer was characterised by instantaneous nucleation followed by three dimensional diffusion controlled growth. Investigation of the redox behaviour of the PE0:Eu(CF₃SO₃)₃ system indicated that reduction of Eu³⁺ followed an ec mechanism. Evidence was obtained for extremely slow diffusion of Eu3+ containing species (D[sub]eff ~ 3.66 x 10 ⁻¹⁶cm²s⁻¹) through the system and slow kinetics of electron transfer. Thermal studies of the PEO:Co(SCN)₂ system indicated that the glass transition temperature (Tg) was grossly elevated by the presence of Co(SCN)₂ in the polymer. The absence of a crystalline PEO:Co(SCN)₂ complex was ascribed to the high Tg which leads to slow crystallisation kinetics. UV-visible spectra indicated that the Co²⁺ ion was tetrahedrally coordinated in the system at low salt concentrations. The structure of the PEO₃NaClO₄ crystalline complex was reported as a subsidiary study

Family physician remuneration schemes and specialist referrals: Quasi-experimental evidence from Ontario, Canada.

Understanding how family physicians respond to incentives from remuneration schemes is a central theme in the literature. One understudied aspect is referrals to specialists. Although the theoretical literature has suggested that capitation increases referrals to specialists, the empirical evidence is mixed. We push forward the empirical research on this question by studying family physicians who switched from blended fee-for-service to blended capitation in Ontario, Canada. Using several health administrative databases from 2005 to 2013, we rely on inverse probability weighting with fixed-effects regression models to account for observed and unobserved differences between the switchers and nonswitchers. Switching from blended fee-for-service to blended capitation increases referrals to specialists by about 5% to 7% per annum. The cost of specialist referrals is about 7 to 9% higher in the blended capitation model relative to the blended fee-for-service. These results are generally robust to a variety of alternative model specifications and matching techniques, suggesting that they are driven partly by the incentive effect of remuneration. Policy makers need to consider the benefits of capitation payment scheme against the unintended consequences of higher referrals to specialists

Novel application of vinylpolysiloxane hearing aid impression mold as patient-specific bolus for head and neck cancer radiotherapy.

Hearing aid impression material composed of vinylpolysiloxane is an ideal bolus material which may be used to aid in delivery of adjuvant radiation to complex surgical defects of the head and neck. It is affordable, easily accessed, and efficient

Stirring the pot: Switching from blended fee-for-service to blended capitation models of physician remuneration.

In Canada\u27s most populous province, Ontario, family physicians may choose between the blended fee-for-service (Family Health Group [FHG]) and blended capitation (Family Health Organization [FHO] payment models). Both models incentivize physicians to provide after-hours (AH) and comprehensive care, but FHO physicians receive a capitation payment per enrolled patient adjusted for age and sex, plus a reduced fee-for-service while FHG physicians are paid by fee-for-service. We develop a theoretical model of physician labor supply with multitasking to predict their behavior under FHG and FHO, and estimable equations are derived to test the predictions empirically. Using health administrative data from 2006 to 2014 and a two-stage estimation strategy, we study the impact of switching from FHG to FHO on the production of a capitated basket of services, after-hours services and nonincentivized services. Our results reveal that switching from the FHG to FHO reduces the production of capitated services to enrolled patients and services to nonenrolled patients by 15% and 5% per annum and increases the production of after-hours and nonincentivized services by 8% and 15% per annum

T cell epitope: Friend or Foe? Immunogenicity of biologics in context

Like vaccines, biologic proteins can be very immunogenic for reasons including route of administration, dose frequency and the underlying antigenicity of the therapeutic protein. Because the impact of immunogenicity can be quite severe, regulatory agencies are developing risk-based guidelines for immunogenicity screening. T cell epitopes are at the root of the immunogenicity issue. Through their presentation to T cells, they activate the process of anti-drug antibody development. Preclinical screening for T cell epitopes can be performed in silico, followed by in vitro and in vivo validation. Importantly, screening for immunogenicity is complicated by the discovery of regulatory T cell epitopes, which suggests that immunogenicity testing must now take regulatory T cells into consideration. In this review, we address the application of computational tools for preclinical immunogenicity assessment, the implication of the discovery of regulatory T cell epitopes, and experimental validation of those assessments

Water governance challenges in rural South Africa: exploring institutional coordination in drought management

Droughts have severe direct impacts on the livelihoods of rural populations. Thus, the management of water for communal agriculture and water supply should be well coordinated to enhance drought resilience. Notwithstanding the interrelations among water management institutions in South Africa, there are complexities in the way these institutions work together, both in preparation for, and during drought times. In this article, we examine the governance of water resources in South Africa with a view to understanding institutional coordination in drought management at different operational scales. Using a qualitative approach, the roles and relationships between water actors at the local and regional level were analyzed for their adequacy in building local level drought resilience in a village in the Limpopo province, South Africa. Key informant interviews conducted revealed operational drought management challenges that emanate from communication barriers, coordination inconsistences, and undefined, unclear actor roles and responsibilities during disasters. The top-down approach to disaster management, while of some value, currently constrains the effectiveness of the local-level institutions implementing local drought risk reduction efforts. Achieving more successful water and drought governance endeavors could be enhanced by greater and wider engagement with community-based actors and water management institutions