EDITORIAL

In an editorial in June last year I wrote that the question of the relevance of classical studies forAfrica has not yet been discussed in depth. Since then the changing political situation in SouthAfrica has made such a discussion even more urgent. It has become very popular to say thatSouth Africa should look to Africa, not Europe, in political as well as in cultural matters:"Eurocentric" has very nearly become a term of abus

Integrating tuberculosis/HIV treatment: an evaluation of the tuberculosis outcomes of patients co-infected with tuberculosis and HIV in the Breede Valley subdistrict

Background: The Infectious Disease Clinic of Worcester Hospital introduced an integrated tuberculosis/human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) service in July 2009 to provide comprehensive management to patients who were co-infected with tuberculosis and HIV.Method: In a retrospective cohort study that was carried out from 1 July 2009 to 31 March 2010, the tuberculosis outcomes of co-infected patients attending the Infectious Disease Clinic for antiretroviral (ARV) treatment and receiving their tuberculosis medication at the Infectious Disease Clinic, were compared with those of patients receiving ARV treatment at the Infectious Disease Clinic and tuberculosis treatment at their local clinic.Results: Seventy-four per cent of patients completed their treatment and 26% were cured, with no defaults or deaths, in the tubercuolosis/HIV integrated cohort. Thirty-eight per cent completed their treatment, 45% were cured, 9% died and another 9% defaulted in the cohort receiving their tuberculosis treatment at a local clinic. This indicates that there was a significantly better tuberculosis outcome in the tuberculosis/HIV cohort (p-value < 0.05).Conclusion: The significantly better tuberculosis outcome that resulted when tuberculosis and HIV services were integrated led to services being integrated in the Breede Valley subdistrict.Keywords: tuberculosis/HIV treatment integration, human immunodeficiency virus, tuberculosis, outcome

DIE RESEPSIE VAN ENKELE AFRIKAANSE OPVOERINGS VAN GRIEKSE TRAGEDIES

In die bree kader van navorsing oor die resepsie van die Griekse tragedie word al hoe meer aandag aan die geskiedenis van die opvoerings van Griekse tragedies gegee. 'n Groeiende aantal artike!s en selfs boeke oor hierdie onderwerp word gepubliseer, waaronder die monumentale werk van Helmuth Flashar (1991), Die Enszenierung der Antike. Dit is 'n teken van die tyd dat The Cambridge Companion to Greek tragedy (Easterling 1997) 'n spesiale hoofstuk bevat met die titel "Tragedy in performance, nineteenth and twentieth century productions", waarby 'n baie interessante bibliografie aangeheg is, met verskeie titels wat vermeld word as "forthcoming"

ARISTOPHANES EN DIE TWEEDE BEDRYF VAN BREYTEN BREYTENBACH SE BOKL/ED: 'N VERKENNING

Breyten Breytenbach se drama Boklied het in die jongste tyd groot opspraak verwek, nie aIleen vanwee die tonele van naaktheid en seks nie, maar 66k vanwee daarvan. Die verwysingsveld is so breed dat die deursnee-toeskouer rue altyd die kloutjie by die oor kan bring rue. am hierdie rede het Hermien Dommisse (1998:13) op ietwat melodramatiese wyse verklaar: "Boklied kan die dood van die Afrikaanse toneel inlui." Sy motiveer dit so: "Boklied faa! as aanvaarbare toneel uit die staanspoor omdat Breytenbach as draers van sy woord toneelspelerverteenwoordigers uit die Griekse en Egiptiese mitologie kies wat vir die gehoor totale vreemdelinge is en met wie hulle hul rue kan identifiseer rue." Daarteenoor beweer Helize van Vuuren (Norval 1998:5) in haar professorale intreerede dat hierdie drama '''n inteIlektuele en kreatiewe inspuiting vir die nogal dormante Afrikaanse drama is". Sy wys ook op die Dionisiese gees van die drama

Die siening van die Griekse tragedie by Aristophanes

This article attempts to prove that the literary contest in Aristophanes’ Frogs is important as a reflection of contemporary literary discussions. A survey is given of the different aspects of Greek tragedy which are discussed and of the various and contradictory opinions which are expressed. The latter are not necessarily those of Aristophanes himself. In the 5th century B.C. the Greeks seem to have been mainly concerned with questions of style and with the moral influence of tragedy. With reference to the question of how much importance should be ascribed to the comic treatment of literary' matters, the view is put forward that The Frogs contains an exposition of genuine convictions about art. The parallel of Sheridan’s play The Critic confirms this conclusion. The present interpretation of Aristophanes is corroborated by the great influence The Frogs had on criticism right up to the 20th century

Multilocus phylogenetics in a widespread African anuran lineage (Brevicipitidae: Breviceps) reveals patterns of diversity reflecting geoclimatic change

AimTo investigate models assessing the influence of geomorphology and climatic shifts on species diversification in sub‐Saharan Africa by reconstructing the pattern and timing of phylogenetic relationships of rain frogs (Brevicipitidae: Breviceps).LocationSub‐Saharan Africa, south of the Congo Basin.MethodsMultilocus sequence data were generated for near complete species‐level sampling of the genus Breviceps. Phylogenetic relationships were inferred via Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood analyses on both concatenated and single‐gene datasets. Network analyses identified locus‐specific reticulate relationships among taxa. Bayesian methods were used to infer dates of divergence among Breviceps lineages, and niche modelling was used to identify possible adaptive divergence.ResultsBreviceps is monophyletic and comprised of two major, largely allopatric subclades. Diversity within each subclade is concentrated in two areas with contrasting geologic and climatic histories: the arid/semiarid winter rainfall zone in the south‐western (SW) Cape, and the semitropical East Coast that receives predominantly summer rainfall. Recognized species diversity in the SW Cape based on phenotypic variation is consistent with observed genetic patterns whereas the East Coast is shown to harbour unexpectedly high genetic diversity and up to seven putative, cryptic species. Niche models show significant overlap between closely related species.Main conclusionsDating analyses indicate that diversification of Breviceps occurred rapidly within the Miocene, with only a moderate decline over the Plio‐Pleistocene, suggesting that this process might be slowed but ongoing. Our findings suggest that a combination of two models, a landscape barrier model and climate fluctuation model, can explain patterns of diversification in Breviceps. This demonstrates that Miocene epeirogenic events and climatic shifts may have had a considerable influence on contemporary patterns of biodiversity. Topographic complexity and relative geoclimatic stability in the East have promoted cryptic diversification in allopatry, and this area clearly harbours numerous undescribed taxa and is in need of detailed biotic investigation.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/145569/1/jbi13394.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/145569/2/jbi13394_am.pd

Exploring critical failure modes in the rail environment and the consequential costs of unplanned maintenance

CITATION: Conradie, P. D. F. & Treurnicht, N. F. 2012. Exploring critical failure modes in the rail environment and the consequential costs of unplanned maintenance. In CIE42 Proceedings, 15-18 July 2012, Cape Town, South Africa.This study explores in-service failure modes for rolling stock in the rail environment, identifies the most critical failures and explores the consequential cost of these failure modes. Rolling stock is maintained according to maintenance plans with a major goal being the prevention of in-service failures, but due to the nature of the equipment not all failures can be prevented. In-service failures normally result in train delays or the cancellations of trains not only disrupting commuter services but also causing financial losses. The typical failures of rolling stock are analysed using data from the facility maintenance management system. The critical failure modes are identified and classified according to cause, severity, consequence and frequency parameters. A decision model is employed to classify the criticality of the failure modes. The most prominent critical failure modes are analysed to determine root causes, to conclude the investigation. Areas are identified where the focus of future investigation and planned maintenance will have the most significant impact.Post prin

Challenges to creating primary care teams in a public sector health centre: a co-operative inquiry

Background: Effective teamwork between doctors and clinical nurse practitioners (CNP) is essential to the provision of quality primary care in the South African context. The Worcester Community Health Centre (CHC) is situated in a large town and offers primary care to the rural Breede Valley Sub-District of the Western Cape. The management of the CHC decided to create dedicated practice teams offering continuity of care, family-orientated care, and the integration of acute and chronic patients. The teams depended on effective collaboration between the doctors and the CNPs. Methods: A co-operative inquiry group, consisting of two facility managers, an administrator, and medical and nursing staff, met over a period of nine months and completed three cycles of planning, action, observation and reflection. The inquiry focused on the question of how more effective teams of doctors and clinical nurse practitioners offering clinical care could be created within a typical CHC. Results: The CHC established three practice teams, but met with limited success in maintaining the teams over time. The group found that, in order for teams to work, the following are needed: A clear and shared vision and mission amongst the staff. The vision was championed by one or two leaders rather than developed collaboratively by the staff. Continuity of care was supported by the patients and doctors, but the CNPs felt more ambivalent. Family-orientated care within practices met with limited success. Integration of care was hindered by physical infrastructure and the assumptions regarding the care of "chronics". Enhanced practitioner-patient relationships were reported by the two teams that had staff consistently available. Significant changes in the behaviour and roles of staff. Some doctors perceived the nurse as an "assistant" who could be called on to run errands or perform tasks. Doctors perceived their own role as that of comprehensively managing patients in a consultation, while the CNPs still regarded themselves as nurses who should rotate to other duties and perform a variety of tasks, thus oscillating between the role of practitioner and nurse. The doctors felt responsible for seeing a certain number of patients in the time they were available, while the CNPs felt responsible for getting all the patients through the CHC. The doctors did not create space for mentoring the CNPs, who were often seen as an intrusion and a threat to patient privacy and confidentiality when requesting a consultation. For the CNPs, however, the advantage of practice teams was considered to be greater accessibility to the doctor for joint consultation. The identification of doctors and CNPs with each other as part of a functioning team did not materialise. Effective management of the change process implied the need to ensure sufficient staff were available to allow all teams to function equally throughout the day, to be cognisant of the limitations of the building design, to introduce budgeting that supported semi-autonomous practice teams and to ensure that the staff were provided with ongoing opportunities for dialogue and communication. The implications of change for the whole system should be considered, and not just that for the doctors and nurses. Conclusion: Key lessons learnt included the need to engage with a transformational leadership style, to foster dialogical openness in the planning process and to address differences in understanding of roles and responsibilities between the doctors and the CNPs. The unreliable presence of doctors within the practice team, due to their hospital duties, was a critical factor in the breakdown of the teams. The CHC plans to further develop practice teams, to learn from the lessons so far and to continue with the co-operative inquiry