Mediators of change in the stigmatization of depression among Caucasian and Asian populations

Public stigma negatively impacts public health by discouraging people with depression from seeking help. In North America, Asians reliably report higher levels of stigma and lower levels of help-seeking than do Caucasians. The reasons for this discrepancy and possible methods of reducing this have, however, rarely been explored. In Study 1, undergraduate students (n = 573) completed several questionnaires related to public stigma, values and ideological beliefs, attitudes and beliefs regarding people with depression and perceived norms. At least one week afterward, participants completed the second part of Study 1, where they were presented with contrived articles highlighting a biological cause for depression, a contextual causal for depression, or hope for recovery from depression, or were assigned to a control condition. Asian participants reported higher levels of stigma and increased desired social distance from people with depression compared to Caucasian participants. This difference was mediated by perceived norms, social dominance orientation, conservatism, and the belief that people with depression brings shame to their families. The articles presented were largely ineffective in reducing stigma or desired social distance. In Study 2, undergraduate students (n = 287), were presented with one of four anti-stigma videos with two actresses portraying a student with depression and a professor, respectively. The videos used the concept of social proof to effect change and presented either positive or negative descriptive norms. All videos were effective in reducing preferred social distance towards people with depression relative to the control condition for Asians, but not Caucasians. The effectiveness of the positive descriptive norm video was mediated through perceived norms, empathy, and self-efficacy. The effectiveness of the negative norm video was mediated through perceived norms and empathy only. Differences in preferred social distance between Asian and Caucasian participants were no longer significant. The findings can help guide interventions encouraging social engagement with people with depression among Asian student populations. Manipulating social norms and increasing self-efficacy may be especially effective, while changing attitudes may be less important in an Asian student population

A South African review of harmonic emission level assessment as per IEC61000-3-6

Large-scale renewable power producing plants are being integrated into South African networks. Network operators need to ensure that Renewable Power Plants (RPP) do not negatively affect the power quality levels of their networks, as harmonics amongst others could become a concern. IEC 61000-3-6 details a method for allocating voltage harmonic emission limits for distorting loads. This method works well for the allocation of emission limits; however it does not address the management of harmonic emissions once a plant is connected to the network. The management of harmonic emissions requires that network operators measure or quantify the emissions from loads and generators to determine compliance. Post-connection quantification of harmonic levels and compliance is a challenge for network operators. The question asked is “How should a network operator measure/quantify the harmonic emissions of a load/generator to establish compliance with the calculated limits as per IEC 61000-3-6”. This paper reviews within a South African context methods of assessing harmonic emission levels and then evaluates these methods by means of field data. Opportunities for improvement are identified and operational requirements discussed

The preparedness of Bloemfontein radiographers for common medical emergencies

Published ArticleRadiographers need to know how to react appropriately when a patient has a medical emergency; this is not only essential but lifesaving. This reaction stems from a theoretical framework that guides an automotive sense of knowing what to do and how to assist. Having the correct equipment completes this circle. The objectives of this study was to evaluate the responses of Bloemfontein radiographers in emergency situations based on the awareness of their role in emergency procedures and their role in the application of pharmaceuticals and equipment on the emergency trolley. A checklist compiled from literature was used to evaluate the state of emergency trolleys at four hospitals in Bloemfontein through impromptu visits. A questionnaire was used to determine the preparedness of radiographers for common medical emergencies. The currency of their first aid training was also established. The study results showed that 50% of the emergency trolleys' content conformed to guidelines in literature; the other trolleys contained expired medicine. Forty-five percent of the radiographers in the sample did not know how to assist effectively when using an emergency trolley. Of the participants 73.5% would respond according to protocol in emergency situations. Fifty-three percent of the radiographers in the study did not have valid first aid certificates. This study showed that though most participating radiographers would respond to emergency situations according to protocol, certain aspects of their response have shortcomings. Additionally the availability of equipment and medication is cause for concern

Contrasting methods for classifying microtext statements containing mathametics

Published ArticleQueries received by tutors on the Dr Math mathematics tutoring service are created in a domain-specific form of microtext. The aim of the service is to help South African school learners to master mathematical concepts, but not all of the queries received on the service contain content relevant to the tutoring process. This paper contrasts various methods to classify learner queries automatically as relevant or not, in order to determine whether such a process could approximate human judgement. A back-propagation artificial neural network, a decision tree, a Bayesian filter, a k-means clustering algorithm and a rule-based filter are compared. The results of the classification techniques are contrasted with the results of three human coders, using the metrics of precision, recall, F-measure and the Pearson correlation co-efficient. Both the rule-based filter and neural network deliver classification results which closely reflect the classifications made by the human coders

Deregulation of Lesotho's maize market

During the past year, there have been major policy reforms in Lesotho and South Africa with respect to maize pricing and marketing. In Lesotho the impact of deregulation on producers, consumers and government revenues was substantially lower than it should have been, and as a result Lesotho was not able to reap the full benefits of these changes. This is partly because information on the changes to the maize marketing system did not reach the potential beneficiaries of the new system. Free and easily accessible information is an essential element of a free market system. SACU countries must ensure the availability of information if they want to compete internationally.Agricultural and Food Policy, Crop Production/Industries,

Infections in the management of rheumatic diseases: An update

Patients with inflammatory rheumatic conditions have an increased risk of infection. While this could be the  result of the underlying disease, it may also be caused by the use of immunosuppressive therapies, which are  needed to treat these disorders. An increasing number of patients with rheumatoid arthritis or other rheumatic diseases are using biologic therapies (biologics) in addition to the synthetic diseasemodifying anti-rheumatic drugs. The side-effects and complications of these relatively new agents are unknown to many specialists  (outside of rheumatology) and general practitioners. This article highlights updates on the most important  infections encountered in the daily management of patients with rheumatic diseases and discusses how these may be prevented

Aphid (Sitobion yakini) investigation shows thin-walled sieve tubes in barley (Hordeum vulgare L) to be more functional than thick-walled sieve tubes

Barley, like most other grasses that have been studied, contains two kinds of sieve tube. The first formed are called thinwalled sieve tubes because of their thin wall compared to the late-formed, and are associated with companion cells. The late-formed are thick-walled sieve tubes, which differentiate next to the metaxylem vessels and lack companion cells. Aphid (Sitobion yakini (Eastop) feeding was studied using light microscopy to determine if they preferentially feed from thin- or thick-walled sieve tubes in the barley leaf. Penetration of the stylets through the leaf epidermis and mesophyll was largely intercellular, becoming partly intercellular and, partly, intracellular inside the vascular bundle. Sixteen of 19 pairs of stylets (84%), and 293 of 317 (92%) stylet tracks terminated at the thin-walled sieve tubes, suggesting that Sitobion yakini feeds preferentially on the thin-walled sieve tubes which seem to be more attractive to the aphid. These thin-walled sieve tubes are thus probably the most functional in terms of phloem loading and transport

The influence of emphasizing psychological causes of depression on public stigma

Public stigma discourages people with depression from seeking help. Attribution theory predicts that psychological causal explanations for depression increase public stigma by emphasising personal responsibility for the condition. Schema theory may, however, present a less stigmatizing psychological etiology by emphasising childhood experiences. Undergraduate participants (N = 276) were randomly presented with vignettes positing biomedical, contextual, cognitive distortion, or cognitive schema explanations for depression. Contextual, cognitive distortion, and cognitive schema explanations for depression were associated with less public stigma relative to the control condition. Future antistigma programs may incorporate cognitive and contextual models of depression to reduce public stigma

CONTRACTORS’ PERCEPTIONS OF LATE PAYMENTS

The purpose of this article is to identify the effects of late payments on contractors, and to implement procedures which will ultimately eliminate payment delays in future. The article also highlights the importance of understanding the mechanisms and the workings of various contract agreements, in order for the contractor to be aware of their rights and responsibilities in terms of the contract, as well as what legal steps could be taken should a client be in default regarding payment. A quantitative research method was used. A structured questionnaire was administered to contractors who are members of the Master Builders Association (MBA), Eastern Cape Province. The findings revealed that contractors’ cash flow is greatly affected as a result of late payments. Smaller contractors even face bankruptcy. Contractors are also forced to suspend work on-site due to late payments; this extends the contract period, and, as a result, the contractor’s expenses increase. It is also suggested that payment legislation should be introduced in order to reduce the number of late payments made by clients to contractors. The research is limited to contractors who are registered members of the Master Builders Association (MBA), Eastern Cape Province. An understanding of the effects of late payments will assist contractors in the smooth running of a construction project financially. Contractors will also benefit from being knowledgeable in terms of contractual agreements in the event of a delay in payment from the client. Contractors will furthermore be able to identify the effects of late payments, and will be able to plan accordingly

"Autism is me": an investigation of how autistic individuals make sense of autism and stigma

There are many different perspectives for understanding autism. These perspectives may each convey different levels of stigma for autistic individuals. This qualitative study aimed to understand how autistic individuals make sense of their own autism and experience the stigma attached to autism. The study used critical grounded theory tools. Participants (N = 20) discussed autism as central to their identity, and integral to who they are. While participants thought of autism as value neutral, they expressed how society confers negative meanings onto autism, and thus, them. The findings also indicate that different understandings of autism confer different levels of stigma. Participants expressed constant exposure to stigma and managed this stigma in different ways. Such methods included reframing to more positive understandings of autism, the reclamation of language, and using concealment and disclosure strategically. The implications of these findings are discussed further in the article