Human resource management as a profession in South Africa

Orientation: Various countries recognise human resource (HR) management as a bona fide profession. Research purpose: The objective of this study was to establish whether one could regard HR management, as practised in South Africa, as a profession. Motivation for the study: Many countries are reviewing the professionalisation of HR management. Therefore, it is necessary to establish the professional standing of HR management in South Africa. Research design, approach and method: The researchers used a purposive sampling strategy involving 95 participants. The researchers achieved triangulation by analysing original documents of the regulating bodies of the medical, legal, engineering and accounting professions internationally and locally as well as the regulating bodies of HR management in the United Kingdom (UK), the United States of America (USA) and Canada. Seventy- eight HR professionals registered with the South African Board for People Practices (SABPP) completed a questionnaire. The researchers analysed the data using content analysis and Lawshe’s Content Validity Ratio (CVR). Main findings: The results confirm that HR management in South Africa adheres to the four main pillars of professionalism and is a bona fide profession. Practical/managerial implications: The article highlights the need to regulate and formalise HR management in South Africa. Contribution/value-add: This study identifies a number of aspects that determine professionalism and isolates the most important elements that one needs to consider when regulating the HR profession

Blood pressure-lowering effects of nifedipine/candesartan combinations in high-risk individuals: Subgroup analysis of the DISTINCT randomised trial

The DISTINCT study (reDefining Intervention with Studies Testing Innovative Nifedipine GITS - Candesartan Therapy) investigated the efficacy and safety of nifedipine GITS/candesartan cilexetil combinations vs respective monotherapies and placebo in patients with hypertension. This descriptive sub-analysis examined blood pressure (BP)-lowering effects in high-risk participants, including those with renal impairment (estimated glomerular filtration rate<90 ml min-1, n=422), type 2 diabetes mellitus (n=202), hypercholesterolaemia (n=206) and cardiovascular (CV) risk factors (n=971), as well as the impact of gender, age and body mass index (BMI). Participants with grade I/II hypertension were randomised to treatment with nifedipine GITS (N) 20, 30, 60 mg and/or candesartan cilexetil (C) 4, 8, 16, 32 mg or placebo for 8 weeks. Mean systolic BP and diastolic BP reductions after treatment in high-risk participants were greater, overall, with N/C combinations vs respective monotherapies or placebo, with indicators of a dose-response effect. Highest rates of BP control (ESH/ESC 2013 guideline criteria) were also achieved with highest doses of N/C combinations in each high-risk subgroup. The benefits of combination therapy vs monotherapy were additionally observed in patient subgroups categorised by gender, age or BMI. All high-risk participants reported fewer vasodilatory adverse events in the pooled N/C combination therapy than the N monotherapy group. In conclusion, consistent with the DISTINCT main study outcomes, high-risk participants showed greater reductions in BP and higher control rates with N/C combinations compared with respective monotherapies and lesser vasodilatory side-effects compared with N monotherapy

Identification of independent association signals and putative functional variants for breast cancer risk through fine-scale mapping of the 12p11 locus.

BACKGROUND: Multiple recent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have identified a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP), rs10771399, at 12p11 that is associated with breast cancer risk. METHOD: We performed a fine-scale mapping study of a 700 kb region including 441 genotyped and more than 1300 imputed genetic variants in 48,155 cases and 43,612 controls of European descent, 6269 cases and 6624 controls of East Asian descent and 1116 cases and 932 controls of African descent in the Breast Cancer Association Consortium (BCAC; http://bcac.ccge.medschl.cam.ac.uk/ ), and in 15,252 BRCA1 mutation carriers in the Consortium of Investigators of Modifiers of BRCA1/2 (CIMBA). Stepwise regression analyses were performed to identify independent association signals. Data from the Encyclopedia of DNA Elements project (ENCODE) and the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) were used for functional annotation. RESULTS: Analysis of data from European descendants found evidence for four independent association signals at 12p11, represented by rs7297051 (odds ratio (OR) = 1.09, 95 % confidence interval (CI) = 1.06-1.12; P = 3 × 10(-9)), rs805510 (OR = 1.08, 95 % CI = 1.04-1.12, P = 2 × 10(-5)), and rs1871152 (OR = 1.04, 95 % CI = 1.02-1.06; P = 2 × 10(-4)) identified in the general populations, and rs113824616 (P = 7 × 10(-5)) identified in the meta-analysis of BCAC ER-negative cases and BRCA1 mutation carriers. SNPs rs7297051, rs805510 and rs113824616 were also associated with breast cancer risk at P < 0.05 in East Asians, but none of the associations were statistically significant in African descendants. Multiple candidate functional variants are located in putative enhancer sequences. Chromatin interaction data suggested that PTHLH was the likely target gene of these enhancers. Of the six variants with the strongest evidence of potential functionality, rs11049453 was statistically significantly associated with the expression of PTHLH and its nearby gene CCDC91 at P < 0.05. CONCLUSION: This study identified four independent association signals at 12p11 and revealed potentially functional variants, providing additional insights into the underlying biological mechanism(s) for the association observed between variants at 12p11 and breast cancer risk.UK funding includes Cancer Research UK and NIH.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from BioMed Central via http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13058-016-0718-

Observation of a sudden cessation of a very-high-energy gamma-ray flare in PKS 1510-089 with H.E.S.S. and MAGIC in May 2016

The flat spectrum radio quasar (FSRQ) PKS 1510-089 is known for its complex multiwavelength behavior, and is one of only a few FSRQs detected at very high energy (VHE, E >100 GeV) -rays. VHE -ray observations with H.E.S.S. and MAGIC during late May and early June 2016 resulted in the detection of an unprecedented flare, which reveals for the first time VHE -ray intranight variability in this source. While a common variability timescale of 1.5 hr is found, there is a significant deviation near the end of the flare with a timescale of ∼ 20 min marking the cessation of the event. The peak flux is nearly two orders of magnitude above the low-level emission. For the first time, curvature is detected in the VHE -ray spectrum of PKS 1510-089, which is fully explained through absorption by the extragalactic background light. Optical R-band observations with ATOM reveal a counterpart of the -ray flare, even though the detailed flux evolution differs from the VHE lightcurve. Interestingly, a steep flux decrease is observed at the same time as the cessation of the VHE flare. In the high energy (HE, E >100 MeV) -ray band only a moderate flux increase is observed with Fermi-LAT, while the HE -ray spectrum significantly hardens up to a photon index of 1.6. A search for broad-line region (BLR) absorption features in the -ray spectrum indicates that the emission region is located outside of the BLR. Radio VLBI observations reveal a fast moving knot interacting with a standing jet feature around the time of the flare. As the standing feature is located ∼ 50 pc from the black hole, the emission region of the flare may have been located at a significant distance from the black hole. If this correlation is indeed true, VHE rays have been produced far down the jet where turbulent plasma crosses a standing shock.Accepted manuscrip

The effect of volatile business conditions on new product development in the information technology industry

The purpose of this thesis is to create an information technology industry management view on the effect of volatility experienced by project and product development management. The key research problems being investigated in this research: The market demanding new technology and subsequent responses to volatility may force IT clients to change their adoption/procurement of technology during negative/positive periods Although businesses attempt to understand their industry they can potentially not have sufficient detection mechanisms for volatile conditions and respond too late with too little The selection of products that must be built for project deliveries to clients while the business environment changes as a result of volatility lead to uncertainties in the business and technology strategy When business strategy changes, it impacts on the technology product portfolio selection. The changed product portfolio must be build whilst business operations are being executed; The IT business orders will be impacted by changing economic conditions and balancing the product/project order book with the limited organisational resources is a constant risk for businesses. The research objectives are as follows: The study combines aspects of business, management and market research. o Market research was performed to understand quantitative and qualitative aspects of IT client behaviour in volatile trade conditions. o During volatile conditions business may require more efficiency, effectiveness and focused productivity. o Some organisational development aspects may require management intervention during periods of volatility since planned behavioural change efforts may impact on organisational culture, human and social processes. Determine the general responses of IT businesses during periods of volatility and how the technology strategy repositioning, formulation and execution in the business are done. Collect and analyse data to define the impact of unstable trade conditions on the product development in IT businesses. Determine the measures IT businesses have adopted to ensure that product development sustains business operations profitably during volatile conditions. New theory is formulated via exploratory research and tested with hypothesis to establish the association strength between key variables. The subsequent responses and best practices determined from industry investigation are documented and new methods formulated to assist in managing innovation in project/products development. ## Die doel van hierdie tesis is on ‘n inligting tegnologie industrie bestuur siening te bou op die effek van wisselvalligheid wat ervaar word deur die bestuur van projek en produk ontwikkeling. Die sleutel navorsing probleme wat ondersoek is in die navorsing is: Die mark verwag nuwe tegnologie en gevolglike reaksie tot wisselvallige/onbestendighede mag IT kliente forseer om hulle aankope van tegnolgie tydens onstabiele periodes aan te pas. Al probeer IT besighede die industrie verstaan mag hulle dalk nie voldoende bespeurings meganismes hê om onbestendige kondisies te bespeur en reageer te laat met te min. Wanneer maatskappy se besigheid en tegnologie strategiëe verander, het dit 'n impak op die tegnologie produk portefeulje seleksie. Die veranderde produk portefeulje moet gebou word, terwyl huidige sake bedrywighede uitgevoer word. Die IT besigheid bestellings sal beïnvloed word deur die verandering van die ekonomiese toestande. Die balansering van die produk/projek bestel boek met die beperkte organisatoriese aflewer hulpbronne, is 'n konstante risiko vir besighede. Die navorsing doelwitte is as volg: Die studie kombineer aspekte van die besigheid, bestuur en die mark navorsing. o Mark navorsing is uitgevoer kwantitatiewe en kwalitatiewe aspekte van IT kliënt gedrag in wisselvallige/onbestendige handel omgewing te verstaan. o Gedurende wisselvallige toestande mag besigheid meer doeltreffendheid en produktiwiteit fokus vereis. o Sommige organisatoriese ontwikkeling aspekte kan bestuur ingryping benodig tydens periodes van onbestendigheid, aangesien beplande gedragsverandering pogings 'n impak kan inhou op organisatoriese kultuur, menslike en sosiale prosesse. Bepaal die algemene reaksie van die IT-ondernemings in tye van onbestendigheid en hoe die tegnologie strategie herposisionering, formulering en uitvoering in die besigheid gedoen word. Versamel en ontleed data om die impak van onstabiele handels toestande te bepaal op die produk ontwikkeling in IT besighede. Bepaal die maatreëls wat IT-ondernemings aanneem om te verseker dat die produk ontwikkeling onderhou sake bedrywighede winsgewend gedurende wisselvallige toestande. Nuwe teorieë word via eksplorasie navorsing geformuleer en getoets met hipoteses om die assosiasie tussen sleutel veranderlikes te bevestig. Die daaropvolgende reaksies en beste praktyke van die industrie word gedokumenteer om nuwe metodes geformuleer om te help met die bestuur van innovasie in die projek / produkte ontwikkeling.Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2014.lk2014Graduate School of Technology Management (GSTM)PhDunrestricte

Maternal separation of rat pups increases the risk of developing depressive-like behavior after subsequent chronic stress by altering corticosterone and neurotrophin levels in the hippocampus

Children that are abused have an increased risk for developing psychiatric disorders later in life, because of the negative effects of stress on the developing brain. We used a maternal separation model in rats to see how neurotrophins, stress hormones, behavior and the anti-oxidant potential of serum are affected. Rat pups were separated from their mothers for 3 h/day on days 2-14. Maternal separation caused changes in levels of NGF and NT-3 in the dorsal and ventral hippocampus, increased basal corticosterone levels and decreased ACTH levels after acute restraint stress. The anti-oxidant potential of the rat serum was significantly lower in the maternal separation group. Depressive-like behavior, measured during a forced swim test, was seen in maternally separated rats after additional chronic stress during adulthood. Maternal separation caused downregulation of neurotrophins in the ventral hippocampus, possibly as an effect of high corticosterone levels, but compensatory mechanisms against cell death may be involved as neurotrophin levels increased in the dorsal hippocampus. Decreased anti-oxidant potential of serum could have been an effect of downregulated neurotrophin levels. © 2008 Elsevier Ireland Ltd and the Japan Neuroscience Society.Articl