Sekere aspekte van die Suid-Afrikaanse ekonomie

My vak, naamlik Staathuishoudkunde, se oorspronklike benaming was „politieke ekonomie”

Early assessment as a predictor of academic performance: An analysis of the interaction between early assessment and academic performance by first-year accounting students as a South African university

Current emphasis on students’ academic adaptation in higher education necessitates the evaluation of predictors of successful preparation of first-year students. This study evaluated the implementation of early assessment (EA) in two first-year financial accounting courses at a South African university, namely an introductory financial accounting course, aimed at students without prior exposure to accounting, and a professional body accredited accounting course, aimed at students with prior exposure to accounting. This module-specific benchmark assessment, early in the academic year is often used as a predictor of preparation, adaptation and potential future academic performance. Given the discontinuation of a university, wide EA protocol within a faculty the academic contribution of the EA has been questioned. The study’s focus comprised two research questions, namely whether the EA can be used as a predictor of future academic performance of two different academic performance groups and whether students in a lower academic performance group are able to achieve success despite a low result in the EA. The research methodology included an analysis of variances to determine the correlation between the early assessment and either mid-year or final marks, as well as significance evaluation of the measured variance analysis using the Bonferroni test. The findings suggest that whilst the EA could potentially be used as an early warning sign for at-risk academically low performing students, the EA could also result in a misleading representation to students in the high academic performance category. Principally, the EA was found not to be a reliable predictor of future academic performance. In addition, the mixed results obtained from the evaluation of the effect of the nature and format of the assessment suggested that it had a low and non-meaningful effect on the predictive value of the early assessment. The fact that students in the academically low performance group were largely able to pass the module, however, suggests the success of intervention utilising the EA as an early warning. Higher education module developers could therefore consider the implementation of an appropriate EA in various undergraduate modules, based on the findings

The use of past assessments as a deductive learning tool? Perceptions of students at a South African university

Promoting critical thinking skills in the higher education setting is noted as a key skill required by students. Using a questionnaire approach, this study examined whether first-year students perceived the use of past assessments in preparation for upcoming assessments as a deductive learning tool and used them solely as a study aid and predictor at a South African university, with the focus on the deductive and conductive learnings styles, with specific reference to whether students perceive the past assessments to be used as tools to indicate specifically what will be assessed in terms of historical frequency. The findings suggest that students utilise past assessments as a deductive tool in order to predict future areas that will be assessed, as well as certain characteristics, such as the level of difficulty of question papers. The authors argue that when past assessments are used as a deductive “predictor” of future assessment, this then potentially acts as an inhibitor of developing critical thinking skills. The findings therefore, although acknowledging the value added in terms of higher education students of the revision and practising of past assessments, highlight that assessors in higher education need to be conscious that the use of past assessments as a “predictor” through the repetitive nature of the items being assessed may result in students who are able to pass assessments but who are unable to necessarily demonstrate critical thinking skills as required by module outcomes. The findings of this study therefore present various streams of areas for future research into the better understanding of how past assessments can be used in order to promote critical thinking within higher education modules

Die multiprofessionile spanbenadering in psigiatrie

Traditionally the psychiatric team included only the psychiatrist, pharmacist and the nurse. The interest that other professional workers recently have taken in the care of the psychiatric patient can only have a positive influence on the mental health service. The multiprofessional team is an accepted principle in psychiatry. However, if the classical team concept were to be implemented in the psychiatric service, other professional workers would need to increase in numbers as well as willingness to participate in the treatment of acute and long-term patients. The psychiatric nurse has an established role in the team. It is, however, necessary that other team members be made aware of her dependent and independent functions in order to fully appreciate the contribution that she can make to the team

Special Article: The South African Pilot Hospital Accreditation Progranune Part II. The developtnent of standards

No Abstract

Consumers' knowledge of and attitudes toward the role of oak in winemaking

Oak plays an important role in the production of some white wines and most red wines. Yet, consumers’ knowledge of the use of oak in winemaking and their preference for oak-related sensory attributes remains unclear. This study examined the knowledge and attitudes of 1,015 Australian wine consumers toward the use of oak in winemaking. Consumers who indicated a liking of oak-aged wines (n=847) were segmented according to their knowledge of the role of oak in wine production. Four distinct consumer clusters were identified, with significantly different preferences for wine sensory attributes and opinions regarding the use of oak alternatives for wine maturation. One segment comprised more knowledgeable consumers, who appreciate and value traditional oak maturation regimes, for which they are willing to pay a premium price. However, a segment comprising less knowledgeable wine consumers was accepting of the use of oak chips, provided wine quality was not compromised. Winemakers can therefore justify the use of oak alternatives to achieve oak-aged wines at lower price points. The outcomes of this study can be used by winemakers to better tailor their wines to the specific needs and expectations of consumers within different segments of the market.Anna M Crump, Trent E Johnson, Susan EP Bastian, Johan Bruwer, Kerry L Wilkinso

Adoption rate of sustainable agricultural practices: a focus on Malaysia’s vegetable sector for research implications

Sustainable agriculture practices (SAPs) have been widely promoted to improve the sustainability of agricultural systems. The promotion of SAPs is intended to encourage their voluntary adoption. Therefore, the development of sustainable agriculture can be understood through the adoption rate of recommended SAPs. However, little is known about the progress of sustainable agriculture, particularly in Asian countries. To fill part of the knowledge gap, this exploratory study identifies, as a starting point, the current adoption rate of SAPs in the Malaysian vegetable sector. Because the information is not officially collected, a synthesis of ground level information was conducted through a focus group discussion with the Department of Agriculture. The findings suggest that there are varied adoption rates across SAPs. The outputs also point out that the adoption of SAPs is currently at a low level, like most countries. The phenomenon should be investigated from a multi-disciplinary perspective within agricultural systems, integrating (1) socio-economic factors, (2) agro-ecological factors, (3) institutional factors, (4) informational factors, (5) perceived characteristics, and (6) behavioral attributes. By such means, future investigations should be based on a system-orientated integrative framework.Yeong Sheng Tey, Elton Li, Johan Bruwer, Amin Mahir Abdullah, Jay Cummins, Alias Radam, Mohd Mansor Ismail, and Suryani Darha

Metallothionein genes: no association with Crohn's disease in a New Zealand population

Metallothioneins (MTs) are excellent candidate genes for Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and have previously been shown to have altered expression in both animal and human studies of IBD. This is the first study to examine genetic variants within the MT genes and aims to determine whether such genetic variants have an important role in this disease. 28 tag SNPs in genes MT1 (subtypes A, B, E, F, G, H, M, X), MT2, MT3 and MT4 were selected for genotyping in a well-characterized New Zealand dataset consisting of 406 patients with Crohn's Disease and 638 controls. We did not find any evidence of association for MT genetic variation with CD. The lack of association indicates that genetic variants in the MT genes do not play a significant role in predisposing to CD in the New Zealand population

Intramucosal adenocarcinoma of the ileum originated 40 years after ileosigmoidostomy

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Small bowel adenocarcinomas (SBAs) are rare carcinomas. They are asymptomatic and usually neither endoscopy nor contrast studies are performed for screening</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 72-year-old Japanese male had a positive fecal occult blood test at a regular check-up in 2006. He suffered appendicitis and received an ileosigmoidostomy in 1966. A colonoscopy revealed an irregular mucosal lesion with an unclear margin at the ileum side of the anastomosis. A mucosal biopsy specimen showed adenocarcinoma histopathologically. Excision of the anastomosis was performed for this patient. The resected specimen showed a flat mucosal lesion with a slight depression at the ileum adjacent to the anastomosis. Histological examination revealed a well differentiated intramucosal adenocarcinoma (adenocarcinoma in situ). Immunohistological staining demonstrated the overexpression of p53 protein in the adenocarcinoma.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Adenocarcinoma of the ileum at such an early stage is a very rare event. In this case, there is a possibility that the ileosigmoidostomy resulted in a back flow of colonic stool to the ileum that caused the carcinogenesis of the small intestine.</p