The risk of metabolic syndrome as a result of lifestyle among Ellisras rural young adults

The study aimed to investigate the association between metabolic syndrome (MetS) and lifestyle risk factors among Ellisras adults. A cross-sectional study was conducted on 624 adults (306 males and 318 females). MetS was defined according to the criteria of the International Diabetes Federation. The prevalence of MetS was 23.1% (8.6% males and 36.8 % females). Females appeared to have higher mean values for waist circumference (WC), fasting blood glucose (FBG), total cholesterol (TCHOL) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), while males had high mean values for high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), triglycerides (TG), systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP). No significant age and gender differences were observed for dietary intake. Significantly more females (51.9%) presented with increased WC than males (4.6%). Participants who had a high dietary energy intake were significantly less likely to present with larger WC (OR: 0.250 95% CI [0.161; 0.389]), low HDL-C (OR: 0.306 95% CI [0.220; 0.425]) and high LDL-C (OR: 0.583 95% CI [0.418; 0.812]) but more likely to present with elevated FBG (OR: 1.01 95% CI [0.735; 1.386]), high TCHOL (OR: 1.039 95% CI [0.575; 1.337]), high TG (OR: 1.186 95% CI [0.695; 2.023]) and hypertension (OR: 5.205 95% CI [3.156; 8.585]). After adjusting for age, gender, smoking, and alcohol status, high energy intake was more than two times likely to predict MetS in adults with a large WC (OR: 2.766 95% CI [0.863; 3.477] and elevated FBG (OR: 2.227 95% CI [1.051; 3.328]). Therefore, identifying groups that are at an increased risk and those that are in their early stages of MetS will help improve and prevent the increase of the MetS in the future

Simulation of the Irradiation Behaviour of the PBMR Fuel in the SAFARI-1 Reactor

2 Irradiation experiments for the pebble bed modular reactor PBMR fuel (coated fuel particles and pebble fuel) are planned at the South African First Atomic Reactor Installation (SAFARI-1). The experiments are conducted to investigate the behavior of the fuel under normal operating and accelerated/accident simulating conditions because the safe operation of the reactor relies on the integrity of the fuel for retention of radioactivity. For fuel irradiation experiments, the accurate knowledge and analysis of the neutron spectrum of the irradiation facility is required. In addition to knowledge of the neutron spectrum in the irradiation facility, power distributions and knowledge of nuclear heating values has to be acquired. The SAFARI-1 reactor boosts operating fluid temperatures of about 300 K. On the contrary, the PBMR can reach temperatures in up to about 1370 K under normal operating conditions. This calls for design of high temperature irradiation rigs for irradiation of the PBMR fuel in the SAFARI-1 reactor. The design of this instrument (rig) should be such that to create an isolated high temperature environment in the SAFARI-1 reactor, to achieve the requirements of the PBMR fuel irradiation program. The design of the irradiation rig i

Atmos. Res.

Spectral daytime aerosol optical depths have been measured at Sutherland, South Africa (32degrees22' S, 20degrees48' E), from January 1998 to November 1999. Sutherland is located in the semi-arid Karoo desert, approximately 400-km northeast from Cape Town. The site, remote from major sources of aerosols, hosts the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO), where nighttime stellar extinction is being measured. The comparison of daytime and nighttime measurements for the years 1998-1999 makes it possible to validate the astronomical dataset of aerosol optical depth (tau(a)) dating back to 1991. The 1998 and 1999 annually averaged daytime tau(a) at 500 nm are 0.04 +/- 0.04 and 0.06 +/- 0.06, respectively. Half-day averages vary between 0.03 and 0.44, with peak values in August- September. This pronounced seasonality is linked to the biomass-burning season in the Southern Hemisphere. Smoke haze layers transported to Sutherland originated primarily on the African landmass at latitudes between 10degrees and 20degreesS and passed over Namibia and Angola. On one occasion, aerosols from fires in Brazil transported across the Atlantic Ocean were likely detected. The haze layers reaching Sutherland are therefore at least 2-3 days old. The spectral dependence of the aerosol optical depth for the smoke layers supports the bimodality of the volume size distribution for biomass burning aerosols. The accumulation mode has a volume modal diameter of 0.32 gm, consistent with the hypothesis of aged haze. The stellar measurements (1991-2001) show that, due to the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo, the atmospheric extinction depth at 550 nm in the years 1991-1993 increased by 33% with respect to the average value (0.14 +/- 0.03) for the period 1994-2001. Outside the Pinatubo event, extinction is largest in the period 1997- 1999. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V All rights reserved

Aerosol optical depth over a remote semi-arid region of South Africa from spectral measurements of the daytime solar extinction and the nighttime stellar extinction

Spectral daytime aerosol optical depths have been measured at Sutherland, South Africa (32degrees22' S, 20degrees48' E), from January 1998 to November 1999. Sutherland is located in the semi-arid Karoo desert, approximately 400-km northeast from Cape Town. The site, remote from major sources of aerosols, hosts the South African Astronomical Observatory (SAAO), where nighttime stellar extinction is being measured. The comparison of daytime and nighttime measurements for the years 1998-1999 makes it possible to validate the astronomical dataset of aerosol optical depth (tau(a)) dating back to 1991. The 1998 and 1999 annually averaged daytime tau(a) at 500 nm are 0.04 +/- 0.04 and 0.06 +/- 0.06, respectively. Half-day averages vary between 0.03 and 0.44, with peak values in August- September. This pronounced seasonality is linked to the biomass-burning season in the Southern Hemisphere. Smoke haze layers transported to Sutherland originated primarily on the African landmass at latitudes between 10degrees and 20degreesS and passed over Namibia and Angola. On one occasion, aerosols from fires in Brazil transported across the Atlantic Ocean were likely detected. The haze layers reaching Sutherland are therefore at least 2-3 days old. The spectral dependence of the aerosol optical depth for the smoke layers supports the bimodality of the volume size distribution for biomass burning aerosols. The accumulation mode has a volume modal diameter of 0.32 gm, consistent with the hypothesis of aged haze. The stellar measurements (1991-2001) show that, due to the eruption of Mt. Pinatubo, the atmospheric extinction depth at 550 nm in the years 1991-1993 increased by 33% with respect to the average value (0.14 +/- 0.03) for the period 1994-2001. Outside the Pinatubo event, extinction is largest in the period 1997- 1999. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V All rights reserved