English in Malta : from colonialism to heritage, from social differences to opportunity

Maltese, a Semitic language, is the mother tongue of the vast majority of Maltese nationals and is used alongside a variety of English, known as Maltese-English. Although English in Malta is an inheritance of a colonial past, it is widely regarded to be of fundamental importance. Most regular users of English in Malta are normally of high socio-economic status, thereby creating a situation in which social difference can be manifest through language choice. While providing a description of the linguistic situation in Malta, I will focus on the structure of Maltese-English and place it within its sociolinguistic context. I will illustrate how this variety constitutes an example of ‘difference’ in a relatively small linguistic community and discuss the implications of this within Malta’s bilingual/diglottic context.peer-reviewe

Working towards co-production in rehabilitation and recovery services

PurposeThis paper outlines the work of a service provider, service user and carer group created to develop a strategy for service user and carer co-production.ApproachA reflective narrative account is given of the process through which the group formed and began to develop a working model aimed at shaping a cultural shift towards more co-produced services. The paper has been co-produced and includes the collaborative voices of service users, carers, multi-disciplinary staff, third sector representatives, managers and colleagues from associated services.FindingsThe model developed outlines 3 stages for services to work through in order to achieve meaningful and sustainable co-produced services. The importance of developing associated policies related to such areas as recruitment, payment, support and training is also outlined. Challenges to co-production are noted along with suggested approaches to overcoming these.Implications and ValueThe ethos of co-production is relatively new in the UK and so knowledge of the process and model may help guide others undertaking similar work

Anisotropic Geomechanical Characterization of Sojuko Field, Shallow Offshore, Niger Delta

Borehole stability and hydraulic fracture issues are a major concern in the economic development of hydrocarbon reserves especially for deep targets which require drilling below well control. Characterizing geomechanical properties along a wellbore provides understanding of the vertical heterogeneity in the mechanical properties of the rocks, both in reservoirs and the bounding non-reservoir formations, and is critical to the operational planning and design of stable wellbores to successfully drill, complete and exploit proven hydrocarbon reserves even at shallow depths. In this work, velocity anisotropy, assuming vertical transverse isotropy with vertical axis of symmetry, was utilized to evaluate important geomechanical properties which include Young’s modulus and the Poisson’s ratio, in order to accurately determine rock strength and in situ horizontal stresses using geophysical well logs obtained from some wells in the Sojuko field, shallow Niger Delta offshore. The aim was to determine accurate parameters, by consideration of anisotropy, to aid well design and prevent formation failure during future developmental drilling in the field, and the subsequent landing of wells. The starting point was the estimation of the Thomsen’s delta anisotropic parameter from analysis of well and seismic interval velocities at a well location, which then aided derivation of the epsilon and gamma anisotropic parameters. The three anisotropy parameters were used in combination with bulk density and sonic log data to determine stiffness constants for the estimation of the geomechanical properties, which subsequently enabled the determination of rock strength and in situ stresses around the wellbore for analysis of rock failure and mudweight requirements for safe and cost effective drilling of the well. Computed in situ minimum horizontal stress in the area varies with depth from 727 psi to 7,500 psi, with an average gradient of 0.69 psi/ft, while the maximum horizontal stress is about 12.27% higher on the average. Minimum average safe drilling mudweight for the well is 0.529 psi/ft, giving an average overbalance of 655 psi mud pressure which is relatively higher in shale than sands. Predicted safe drilling mudweight window ranges from 0.529 psi/ft to 0.713 psi/ft. Comparison of the results with geomechanical data computed with isotropic assumption shows that the non-consideration of anisotropy results in under prediction of geomechanical data in subsurface formations where velocity anisotropy is present. This has serious safety and cost implication during drilling as most of the Niger Delta deep targets are located in geopressured formations where velocity anisotropy is a perennial problem. Keywords: velocity anisotropy, geomechanical properties, geomechanical characterization, minimum horizontal stress, maximum horizontal stress. DOI: 10.7176/JEES/9-5-04 Publication date:May 31st 201

Prevalence and determinants of childhood vaccination coverage at selected primary health care facilities, Bushbuckridge Sub-District, Mpumalanga Province, South Africa

Thesis (MPH.) -- University of Limpopo, 2021Background: Achieving high vaccination coverage is crucial in the control, prevention and elimination of childhood vaccine preventable diseases. The Expanded Program of Immunization (EPI) aims for 95% coverage for each antigen and complete vaccination schedules for 90% of children under 12 months of age. All the vaccines included in the national vaccination schedule (Bacille Calmette Guerin (BCG), Oral Polio Vaccine, Diphtheria-Pertussis-Tetanus (DPT) vaccine, Measles and Hepatitis B vaccine are provided free of charge in the primary health services in South African public health care facilities. Although the coverage of all vaccines in South Africa has increased especially in recent years, the EPI targets has not been achieved yet in some parts of the coutnry and there are still differences within provinces. Therefore, the primary objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence and determinants of childhood immunization coverage at Primary Healthcare facilities, Bushbuckridge, sub district of the Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. The mean age of the children was 1.4±2.5 years (ranged: 1 months to 12 years. Slightly more than half (56%) of the children were less than 6-months. Nearly two-thirds (63%) of the children were females and only 37% were males. Methodology: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among selected Primary Healthcare facilities in Ehlanzeni District, Bushbuckridge Sub- district, Mpumalanga Province. Simple random sampling was used to get a minimum sample size of 426 mothers and/or caregivers paired with their children required for the study. The researcher administered a validated or tested self-designed questionnaires to the participants. Data analysis was done using the STATA statistical software version 12 for Windows (STATA Corporation, College Station, Texas). Results: The mean age of the participants was 34.1±9.2 years ranged from 15 to 57 years. Almost one-third (28.6%) of the mothers and/or caregivers were 40 years and older and the majority (70%) were unmarried. Majority of the participants had secondary ix education with 65.5% and 23.4% had primary education. Nearly eighty per cent (79.2%) of the maternal and/or caregivers were unemployed. The prevalence rate of fully immunized children was 88% and a significant higher proportion of children in the age group 12 years at 57% were likely not to be fully immunized (p<0.05), followed by age group 6 -11 years, 18 months – 5 years, 6-8 months and 9-11 months at 48%, 26%, 17% 13% respectively. No statistical significant relationship was found between maternal and/or caregiver age, marital status, level of education, employment status and immunization coverage of the child. However, participants aged 40 years and older, less educated and unemployed were likely to have missed immunization of their children. Mother and/or caregivers with a tertiary education were 3.46 times more likely to get their children immunized than those with none/primary education [OR = 3.46, (95% CI:0.75;15.9), p<0.2)]. The employed mother and/or caregivers were 2.01 times more likely to get their children immunized than the unemployed mother and/or caregivers [OR = 2.01, (95% CI: 0.82; 4.89), p<0.20]. In the multivariate model, level of education and employment status were found not to be significantly associated with immunization of the child. Conclusion: The overall immunization coverage in the present study was relatively high and significantly decreased with age. At 6 weeks, all age groups between 0-6 weeks were immunized, while at 10 weeks, with exception of children in the age group 10 -13 weeks and 18 months – 5 years. At 6 months, the young children (age 9-11 months) were likely to default or missed measles vaccination. At 6 and 12 years, the Td vaccination coverage was relatively low. Mothers and/ or caregivers who missed child immunization were likely to experience shortage of vaccines at health facility and said it takes the whole day to immunize a child but the result were not significant. Mother and/or caregivers with a tertiary education and employed were more likely to immunize their children than mothers and/or caregivers with primary, secondary education and the unemployed

Educators’ experiences in dealing with teenage pregnancy

Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Education in the Department of Educational Psychology and Special Education of the Faculty of Education at the University of Zululand, South Africa, 2012.This study examined the nature of educators’ experiences in dealing with teenage pregnancy. The study focused on educators in secondary schools in KwaZulu-Natal province of the Republic of South Africa. The researcher looked at teenage pregnancy as a major problem in the education system in South Africa. Educators are dealing with pregnant learners almost every day. More learners, mostly teenagers, fall pregnant while they are still at school. Educators have different experiences of such a problem. The study further examined the influence of educators’ biographical characteristics like age, gender, race, teaching experience, educational level and religious affiliation on their experiences in dealing with teenage pregnancy. The study further looked at the extent to which educators experience stress when dealing with teenage pregnancy in secondary schools

Applicability of Relationship Intentions among the Civil and Building Engineering Contractors in the South African Construction Sector: A Case of B2B Industry

It is commonly believed that it is more expensive to attract new business than to invest in existing customers. This study investigates the applicability of relationship intention among civil and building engineering contractors (CBEC) and their concrete product suppliers (CPS). Furthermore, ascertains whether the duration of business support stimulates CBEC’s intention to engage in business-to-business (B2B) relational exchanges. Very few studies attempted to explore if there is a statistically significant relationship between CBEC relationship intention and CPS in relation to the duration or length of support towards CPS. A cross-sectional descriptive research design was followed, using a probability simple random sampling procedure to collect data from CBEC operating in Gauteng, South Africa. Using structured self-administered questionnaires, data analysis embraced descriptive statistics, Exploratory Factor Analysis, Independent sample t-test and ANOVA. The findings suggest that it is possible to classify customers based on their relationship intention echelons with differing relationship ideas and dissimilar behaviour across the eight dimensions of relationship intention. For marketers operating within concrete product markets, a strategic recommendation emerges that relationship marketing efforts should be channeled towards customers who exhibit pronounced relationship intentions rather than directing their resources solely on the duration of business association. By diligently considering eight dimensions encompassing relationship intention, CPS can enhance their prospects of cultivating customer relationships that could ultimately lead to improved sales performance and improved profits through mutual benefits and continued relational intentions aimed at intensifying customer retention levels