Environmental education in secondary schools in metropolitan Durban : opportunities and constraints in the use of the natural environment

Bibliography: leaves 168-177.The study is placed in the context of the development of Environmental Education and the integral role of fieldwork in fulfilling its objectives. The requirements of teachers regarding the use of natural areas for environmental/ecological fieldwork were investigated by means of two surveys which used open-ended questions and numerical rating scales. An exploratory postal survey of school principals was used to investigate the current use of natural areas by schools and the relative importance of constraints upon fieldwork. It was found that, while most White schools made some formal use of natural areas, fewer Asian and Coloured schools did so, and fieldwork amongst Black schools was almost non-existent. Extra curricular fieldwork was primarily a phenomenon in White schools. Constraints varied in importance between schools in different education departments but overall a lack of teacher training in fieldwork was the major constraint. Interviews with a sample of teachers who had used natural areas provided detailed information on their environmental/ecological fieldwork requirements. Three hypotheses relating to factors influencing teacher choice of fieldwork sites were tested. In this regard it was found that certain intrinsic characteristics of natural areas, and the availability of teaching resources (including site-specific training and educational field officers) were important influences. Increasing transport costs, while often a secondary consideration, may increase the future demand for local fieldwork sites. The specific characteristics and facilities required of natural areas were investigated in detail. The study concluded that the Durban Metropolitan Open Space System has considerable potential to meet the environmental fieldwork requirements of schools. Towards this end a set of criteria for selecting appropriate natural areas, and a list of priorities for developing them, were established

Vortex fluidics-mediated DNA rescue from formalin-fixed museum specimens.

DNA from formalin-preserved tissue could unlock a vast repository of genetic information stored in museums worldwide. However, formaldehyde crosslinks proteins and DNA, and prevents ready amplification and DNA sequencing. Formaldehyde acylation also fragments the DNA. Treatment with proteinase K proteolyzes crosslinked proteins to rescue the DNA, though the process is quite slow. To reduce processing time and improve rescue efficiency, we applied the mechanical energy of a vortex fluidic device (VFD) to drive the catalytic activity of proteinase K and recover DNA from American lobster tissue (Homarus americanus) fixed in 3.7% formalin for >1-year. A scan of VFD rotational speeds identified the optimal rotational speed for recovery of PCR-amplifiable DNA and while 500+ base pairs were sequenced, shorter read lengths were more consistently obtained. This VFD-based method also effectively recovered DNA from formalin-preserved samples. The results provide a roadmap for exploring DNA from millions of historical and even extinct species

Wearable Sensors for Monitoring the Internal and External Workload of the Athlete

The convergence of semiconductor technology, physiology, and predictive health analytics from wearable devices has advanced its clinical and translational utility for sports. The detection and subsequent application of metrics pertinent to and indicative of the physical performance, physiological status, biochemical composition, and mental alertness of the athlete has been shown to reduce the risk of injuries and improve performance and has enabled the development of athlete-centered protocols and treatment plans by team physicians and trainers. Our discussions in this review include commercially available devices, as well as those described in scientific literature to provide an understanding of wearable sensors for sports medicine. The primary objective of this paper is to provide a comprehensive review of the applications of wearable technology for assessing the biomechanical and physiological parameters of the athlete. A secondary objective of this paper is to identify collaborative research opportunities among academic research groups, sports medicine health clinics, and sports team performance programs to further the utility of this technology to assist in the return-to-play for athletes across various sporting domains. A companion paper discusses the use of wearables to monitor the biochemical profile and mental acuity of the athlete

Wearable Sensors for Monitoring the Physiological and Biochemical Profile of the Athlete

Athletes are continually seeking new technologies and therapies to gain a competitive edge to maximize their health and performance. Athletes have gravitated toward the use of wearable sensors to monitor their training and recovery. Wearable technologies currently utilized by sports teams monitor both the internal and external workload of athletes. However, there remains an unmet medical need by the sports community to gain further insight into the internal workload of the athlete to tailor recovery protocols to each athlete. The ability to monitor biomarkers from saliva or sweat in a noninvasive and continuous manner remain the next technological gap for sports medical personnel to tailor hydration and recovery protocols per the athlete. The emergence of flexible and stretchable electronics coupled with the ability to quantify biochemical analytes and physiological parameters have enabled the detection of key markers indicative of performance and stress, as reviewed in this paper

Case-control study developing Scottish Epilepsy Deaths Study score to predict epilepsy-related death

This study aims to develop a risk prediction model for epilepsy-related death in adults. In this age- and sex-matched case-control study, we compared adults (aged ≥16 years) who had epilepsy-related death between 2009-2016 to living adults with epilepsy in Scotland. Cases were identified from validated administrative national datasets linked to mortality records. ICD-10 cause-of-death coding was used to define epilepsy-related death. Controls were recruited from a research database and epilepsy clinics. Clinical data from medical records were abstracted and used to undertake univariable and multivariable conditional logistic regression to develop a risk prediction model consisting of four variables chosen a priori. A weighted sum of the factors present was taken to create a risk index - the Scottish Epilepsy Deaths Study Score (SEDS Score). Odds ratios (OR) were estimated with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). 224 deceased cases (mean age 48 years, 114 male) and 224 matched living controls were compared. In univariable analysis, predictors of epilepsy-related death were recent epilepsy-related accident and emergency (A&E) attendance (OR 5.1, 95% CI 3.2-8.3), living in deprived areas (OR 2.5, 95% CI 1.6-4.0), developmental epilepsy (OR 3.1, 95% CI 1.7-5.7), raised Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) score (OR 2.5, 95% CI 1.2-5.2), alcohol abuse (OR 4.4, 95% CI 2.2-9.2), absent recent neurology review (OR 3.8, 95% CI 2.4-6.1), and generalised epilepsy (OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.2-3.0). SEDS Score model variables were derived from the first four listed above, with CCI ≥2 given 1 point, living in the two most deprived areas given 2 points, having an inherited or congenital aetiology or risk factor for developing epilepsy given 2 points, and recent epilepsy-related A&E attendance given 3 points. Compared to having a SEDS Score of 0, those with a SEDS Score of 1 remained low risk, with OR 1.6 (95% CI 0.5-4.8). Those with a SEDS Score of 2-3 had moderate risk, with OR 2.8 (95% CI 1.3-6.2). Those with a SEDS Score of 4-5 and 6-8 were high risk, with OR 14.4 (95% CI 5.9-35.2) and 24.0 (95% CI 8.1-71.2), respectively. The SEDS Score may be a helpful tool for identifying adults at high risk of epilepsy-related death and requires external validation

A quasi-synoptic survey of the European continental shelf edge during the SEFOS project

Quasi-synoptic surveys of the European continental shelf edge have been conducted since the spring of 1994 by participants in the Shelf Edge Fisheries Oceanography Study (SEFOS). The purpose of the surveys is primarily to address questions concerning the eastern boundary current raised by fishery biologists, as the eastern boundary or slope current is intimately involved in the life history of many important European commercial fish species, such as mackerel, horse mackerel, blue whiting and hake. In all 21 sections were defined crossing the shelf edge from Portugal to Norway. The majority of these were occupied by a number of European laboratories between March and June 1994. Sections across the shelf edge have been used to examine the location and characteristics of the current in the different observational regions. Diagrams of t-S have been employed to describe the water masses involved in the slope current. Vertical and horizontal sections along the shelf have been constructed from the different across-shelf sections in order to examine the along-shelf variation of processes such as vertical and horizontal mixing in the area of the current. While preliminary data are presented, data collection continues and final analysis has not yet been completed