Inabel Burns Lindsay: Social Work Pioneer Contributor to Practice and Education through a Socio-cultural Perspective

Dr. Inabel Burns Lindsay (1900-1983), founding dean of the Howard University School of Social Work, was an early proponent for the consideration of race and culture in social work education and practice with racial and ethnic minorities. Using primary and secondary data sources, the authors trace the evolution of Dr. Lindsay\u27s thinking on the role of race, class, gender and ethnicity in the helping process and finally her development of a socio-cultural perspective. Particular attention is given to her persistent efforts to disseminate this information and incorporate it into the curriculum of the Howard University School of Social Work decades before the ideas were embraced by the profession as a whole. As a pioneer in the struggle for social justice, Dr. Lindsay\u27s philosophy on social work education and practice with racial and ethnic minorities informs contemporary social work practice approaches

Communication after mild traumatic brain injury: a spouse’s perspective

Mild traumatic brain injury (MTBI) has gained increasing attention over recent years with much research directed at the nature of persisting symptoms experienced by individuals with MTBI. Owing to the subtle nature of cognitive-communicative difficulties after MTBI, as well as the lack of sensitivity of traditional assessment tools in identifying these difficulties, individuals with MTBI are seldom referred for speech-language therapy services. The need has therefore arisen for the communicative abilities of individuals with MTBI to be assessed in ways other than through the implementation of traditional assessment tools. This preliminary study, for which a qualitative approach with a multiple case study design was adopted, aimed to investigate communication following MTBI from the perspective of a spouse. The spouses of three individuals with MTBI were selected to participate in this study. Semi-structured interviews consisting of two open-ended questions were held with each spouse. The content obtained from the interviews was subjected to a discourse analysis (DA) and the themes that were identified were interpreted within the Model of Social Communication (Hartley, 1995). The results of this study revealed that each of the participants perceived changes in the communication of their spouses since the MTBI. When interpreted within the Model of Social Communication (Hartley, 1995), these communication difficulties were considered to be either the result of impaired internal processes (including impairments in executive control, stored knowledge, subcortical and limbic input or cognition) or the interaction between these impaired internal processes and the environment. The implications of these results regarding the role of the speech-language therapist in MTBI are highlighted. The potential value of the spouse, and the use of DA as both a methodological and clinical tool in the field of speech-language therapy are discussed. Recommendations for future research are made.Dissertation (M (Communication Pathology))--University of Pretoria, 2007.Speech-Language Pathology and AudiologyM (Communication Pathology)unrestricte

Blastomyces dermatitidis infections in the RSA

Twenty cases of blastomycosis have been confirmed in the RSA, 9 of which are presented for the first time. Patients came from all four provinces and the mean age was 40 years. Six cases were diagnosed between 1985 and 1987. Differences between strains of Blastomyces dermatitidis isolated in the RSA and in North America include morphological and cultural characteristics, mycelial-yeast conversion, antigenic structure, and .compatibility in cross-mating experiments. The diagnosis of this disease can be made by direct examination of unstained specimens, by histological examination or by culture of the organism. Culture should· be aUempted in all cases for confirmation of microscopic findings

Influenza- and respiratory syncytial virus-associated adult mortality in Soweto

Background. Influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)infections cause seasonal excess mortality and hospitalisationin adults (particularly the elderly) in high-income countries. Little information exists on the impact of these infections on adults in Africa.Objectives. To estimate influenza- and RSV-related adult mortality, stratified by age and hospitalisation in Soweto.Study design. A retrospective hospital-based study in Sowetofrom 1997 to 1999 to estimate influenza- and RSV-related excess all-cause deaths and hospitalisation using a ratedifferencemethod. The study was based on influenza seasons of varying severity, provided by surveillance data.Results. Influenza seasons were significantly associated with excess mortality in adults across all 3 years, except for 18 - 64-year-olds in 1998. Excess mortality was highest in those .65 years of age: 82.8/100 000 population in the mild 1997 season and 220.9/100 000 in the severe 1998 season. Influenza significantly increased adult medical hospitalisation in the severe 1998 season alone. RSV did not significantly affect mortality or hospitalisation.Conclusion. Influenza-related mortality was substantial and disproportionately affected the elderly. Influenza vaccination for the elderly warrants consideration. The RSV-related burden was not significantly increased but merits observation over a longer period

Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteraemia in an academic hospital in South Africa

This study aimed at determining the clinical manifestations, outcome and prognostic factors associated with P. aeruginosa bacteraemia at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital during the period 1998-99; to describe and quantify resistance to anti-pseudomonal drugs, and characterization of bacteraemic isolates, investigate the genetic relationship among drug susceptible and multiply resistant strains in the hospital. Clinical and laboratory investigations, culture and antimicrobial susceptibility testing were performed. Bacteraemic isolates were typed by endonuclease macrorestriction. Those with ≥97% band pattern similarity were assigned genotype status. Of 91 P. aeruginosa blood isolates, 52 (57%) were nosocomially acquired. Underlying conditions associated with episodes were burns in 24 (26.4%) and HIV infection in 21 (23%). Multi-drug resistance was present in 14 isolates (15.4%). Outcome was poor and death was associated with 36 (45.56%) of episodes. Case fatality rates were 60% in adults and 27.3% in children. Being a child, receiving appropriate antimicrobial treatment and admission to specialized care units were significantly associated with improved prognosis. P. aeruginosa bacteraemia was associated with outbreaks caused by two multiply resistant genotypes. Eighteen, antimicrobial susceptible isolates from bacteraemic episodes in paediatric wards, 9 in HIV-seropositive children, could be linked to small outbreaks in both hospitalised and community-based children. South African Medical Journal Vol. 98 (8) 2008: pp. 626-62

Comparison of urine with urethral swabs for the detection of Chlamydia trachomatis in men attending an STD clinic

Urethral swabs and first-catch urine specimens for the detection of Chlamydia trachomatis were collected from 370 black men with urethritis who attended a sexually transmitted disease (STD) clinic in Pretoria. An enzyme immunoassay (EIA) for C. trachomatis was carried out on all urethral swabs and urine specimens. Chlamydial culture and a direct immunofluorescent antibody (DFA) test (Imagen, Dako, UK) were also carried out on urethral swabs; DFA was used for confirmation of urine EIA positives.Based on culture and/or DFA, C. trachomatis was detected in 96 (26%) urethral swab specimens. The sensitivity of urine EIA investigation was 94% and the specificity 99%, compared with those of urethral swab EIA which. were 97% and 99% respectively. The positive and negative predictive values for urine were 96% and 98% compared with 96% and 99% respectively for urethral swabs. Urine examination was therefore sensitive and specific compared with urethral swab examination in these STD patients. In view of this, the advantage of urine as an alternative to urethral swabs for C. trachomatis detection is that sampling is non-invasive and non-traumatic

Policy Recommendations for Meeting the Grand Challenge to Eradicate Social Isolation

This brief was created forSocial Innovation for America’s Renewal, a policy conference organized by the Center for Social Development in collaboration with the American Academy of Social Work & Social Welfare, which is leading theGrand Challenges for Social Work initiative to champion social progress. The conference site includes links to speeches, presentations, and a full list of the policy briefs

Design considerations for a solarturtle

Paper presented to the 3rd Southern African Solar Energy Conference, South Africa, 11-13 May, 2015.The SolarTurtle is a Spazashop style micro-utility unit designed for rural electrification in less-privileged communities of Sub-Saharan Africa. A standard 6m shipping container is converted into a theft resistant solar battery charging station business from which community members can buy a rechargeable battery pack. These battery packs are charged via solar power then carried home to where it can provide a versatile source of electricity. At night the solar panels fold away for security purposes, this is made possible by employing a unique ‘book-style’ mounting structure. During the design process several design challenges had to be overcome in order for the SolarTurtle to survive South Africa’s harsh realities. Firstly, solar panels are often the target of theft and vandalism, therefore security measures must be in place. Secondly, maintenance in rural settings is difficult at best. The design must be robust enough to last as long as the solar PV panels. Thirdly if something should go wrong the broken components must be easy to replace, with minimal skills required. Hence a simple design is required without compromising the efficiency of the design. Lastly, the economic factor is of vital consideration. If the SolarTurtle is not economically viable the project will be unsuccessful. The previously mentioned challenges are only a portion of the design challenges that had to be met during the design process. With a host of conflicting requirements a prototype SolarTurtle came to light. The prototype 3.6kW PV system powers a fleet of 300 battery packs and can serve households or businesses with basic electricity all year around. This paper will explore the journey taken to overcome some of the difficult design challenges faced in order to ultimately deliver a fully functional SolarTurtle prototype destined for the rural Eastern Cape of South Africa. The SolarTurtle is a micro-utility that sells electricity to rural communities. It is a solar battery charging station (SBCS) fitted into a 6m shipping container and a solar panel security system. This women empowerment franchise business uses solar PV to recharge any battery off-grid communities might have - phones, tablets, car batteries, penlight batteries and bottled battery packs1. This enables woman entrepreneurs to sell electricity in any quantity require by turning all rechargeable batteries into solar power distribution devices. This enables the micro-utility to wirelessly reach numerous customers without relying on a grid connection. The challenge is to design the SolarTurtle in such a way that it is practical and affordable from an African perspective. The design of the SolarTurtle has to consider many aspects. Some are considered more important than others, though none can be disregarded. To find an optimal balance between simplicity, security, robustness, scalability and numerous other considerations while keeping the final product affordable is the ultimate challenge. To do this a scoring matrix was devised against which several designs were rated. This rating process lead to the final design discussed in this paper. However, true to the iterative design methodology the new SolarTurtle design had to improve on the previous design as presented at SASEC 2014 [1]. For this we have to understand its shortcomings. In the original SolarTurtle concept it was the responsibility of the turtlepreneur2 to carry the solar panels from the container each morning and deploy them in the sun. In the evenings she had to reverse this process in order to lock the panels away in the container. This provided a cost effective solution for providing optimal security while still allowing the container to be transportable. However, there is a serious social risk. Deploying the panels in this way could lead to complacency, as it would require great dedication to deploy all the panels before the sun comes up and secure them after the sun goes down. First there is a risk of damaging the panels. Manhandling panels in and out of the container would surely lead to a breakage before the typical 20 year guarantee of the panel expires. Secondly the security advantage is only valid if the panels are packed away. However, the prototype is set to use around 4kW worth of PV capacity. This means either multiple panels, or larger and heavier panels are required. This risk of the panels eventually just staying outside for convenience sake is too great. For these reasons an alternative solution was required. This led to the ‘book-style’ solar panel security system, which allows the panels to be packed away quickly and with minimal risk of manhandling. The ‘book-style’ solar panel mounting concept is easy to use and fast to deploy. In the morning the turtlepreneur opens the gates attached to the north facing side of the container. Once the gates are open the panels hanging from the gate and the container is propped up with struts so that an optimal sun inclination angle is achieved. At night the panels fold down again by removing the struts and the gates close onto the container, sandwiching all the panels for safety. The gate locks securely on the inside of the container. Research shows this design is unique and offers the extra security needed without overburdening the turtlepreneurs. This paper will explore the book-style design as well as various other possible designs considered for mounting the solar panels and how they were judged. Furthermore the interior design of the SolarTurtle will also be explored with special attention on security and safety. Finally the future of the SolarTurtle will be discussed. What other challenges are there still to overcome and how will these problems be tackled to deliver a fully functional micro-utility in a container.dc201