First year students' boredom in applied communiction skills classroom at a South African university of technology

ABSTRACTResearchers worldwide have reported on student boredom in schools as well as in higher education contexts. However, little attention has been paid to this aspect of student response in South Africa’s classrooms. This quantitative study aimed to determine the boredom levels of a group of first-year students at a South African university of technology in the early stages of a compulsory year-long first-year Applied Communication Skills programme conducted in English, and to investigate possible factors associated with boredom. A closed-ended questionnaire was administered to a random sample of 182 students. Unexpectedly, the results revealed lower levels of boredom in class than had been found in earlier international studies. The male students reported less boredom than the female students, and all the students reported significantly less boredom at tertiary level than they had experienced in secondary school. There was no statistically significant correlation between the students’ boredom levels and their home language, or between their boredom levels and their self-reported levels of proficiency in English. Although our study focused just on one subject in a single institution, it suggests that student boredom in South Africa may be less prevalent at tertiary level than previously assumed. Future research could usefully investigate levels of student boredom, and associated factors, across a wider range of classes and higher education institutions.

Feat or futile: Students' perceptions of group work at a University of Technology in South Africa

The increase in student enrolment at tertiary institutions in South Africa over the past few years has necessitated the need for group work without sacrificing the standard and integrity of education. Research has shown that group work offers many advantages to both lecturers and students. Interactive attributes such as teamwork, co-operation skills, leadership qualities, communication skills and confidentiality developed during group work are highly sought-after skills by prospective employers. This quantitative study aimed to determine whether students are positively or negatively inclined towards group work, as well as other possible factors influencing group work at a university of technology (UoT) in South Africa. A structured, close-ended questionnaire was administered to 309 students enrolled for the Applied Communication Skills course. The data were analysed using statistical methods. The results revealed that listening skills and mutual respect were crucial to develop good interpersonal skills needed for effective group work. When working in groups, students tend towards collectivism and negative aspects of group work, such as social loafing, are often overseen to maintain harmony and avoid direct confrontation with other individuals in the group. It was also found that male students agreed more strongly with negative conflict resolution than female students. Overall, the study showed that despite several negative aspects, students tended to be positively inclined towards group work

Knowledge sharing for the development of service learning champions

Published ArticleChampions engage in knowledge sharing within triad service learning partnerships. However, the role of knowledge sharing in the development of champions needs further exploration. This qualitative study within a constructivist paradigm, shares the effect of mutual learning at the University of the Free State in the nursing education field. Selected international, national, regional and local champions shared perceptions through semi-structured interviews, indicating that: (1) champions could be situated in any sector of the triad model; (2) sharing different kinds of knowledge develop different domains; and (3) connection, collaboration and continuous communication should guide knowledge sharing towards societal change and reciprocal empowerment

Cervical length at 23 weeks' gestation - relation to demographic characteristics and previous obstetric history in South African women

Objectives. To determine the distribution of cervical length in a routine population of singleton  pregnancies; to examine the relationship between cervical length, demographic characteristics, and previous obstetric history; and to compare these data with data from a similar study undertaken in the UK.Patients and methods. The study was conducted among women attending routine antenatal clinics at  Coronation, Johannesburg General and Chris Hani Baragwanath hospitals. Cervical length was measured by means of transvaginal ultrasound at 23 weeks' gestation in women with singleton pregnancies attending these clinics, as part of a multicentre randomised trial investigating the value of cerclage in a short cervix. The distribution of cervical length was determined and the significance of differences in median cervical lengths between subgroups was calculated according to maternal age, ethnic origin, maternal body mass index (BMI), cigarette smoking, alcohol intake, and previous obstetric history.Results. Cervical screening was offered to women (N = 2 173) attending clinics for a 23-week scan during the study period (July 1999- September 2002). Most women (N = 1 920) accepted, while 253 declined. Complete outcomes (date and mode of delivery; gestation at delivery, birth weight, Apgar scores,  maternal blood loss, whether the patient was cerclaged or not, and any complications) were obtained for 1 603 women who accepted screening. Cervical length was measured successfully in all cases. Median cervical length was 33.7 mm and in 64 cases (3.3%) the length was 15 mm or less. Significantly shorter cervical lengths were found in those with a history of previous miscarriage, preterm delivery, those aged less than 20 years and those with an abnormal BMI. Cervical length was not significantly shorter in black women than in coloured and white women.Conclusions. At 23 weeks' gestation the median cervical length in a South African population was 33.2 mm. In 3.3% of the population the length was 15 mm. There was an association between cervical length, demographic characteristics and previous obstetric history

The efficacy of a generic doxycycline tablet in the treatment of canine monocytic ehrlichiosis

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of a generic doxycycline tablet (DoxyVet®) against Ehrlichia canis infection in dogs. Canine monocytic ehrlichiosis is caused by the bacterium E. canis and transmitted by the brown kennel tick (Rhipicephalus sanguineus). Six disease-free and tick-free dogs were infested with E. canisinfected ticks. Once diagnosed (with polymerase chain reaction [PCR] analysis and platelet counts) as positive for infection, doxycycline tablets were administered orally once a day for 20 consecutive days, at a target dose level of 10 mg/kg. The actual dose administered was calculated as ranging between 10 mg/kg and 11.7 mg/kg. The PCR analysis, 28 days after the first administration of the tablets, failed to detect E. canis in any of the dogs. On Day 56 of the study, four of the dogs were diagnosed with E. canis for the second time and a fifth dog was diagnosed on Day 70. The platelet counts of the sixth dog remained within normal levels and it was discharged from the study on Day 84. Doxycycline tablets were then administered to the remaining five infected dogs for 28 consecutive days. Four of these dogs had no positive PCR results during the following 3 months. The fifth dog was diagnosed with E. canis for the third time 58 days after the last tablets of the second treatment had been administered, after which it was rescue treated (doxycycline for a further 28 days). The results indicate that doxycycline administered in tablet form (DoxyVet®) at 10 mg/kg – 11.7 mg/kg body mass once daily for 28 consecutive days clears most dogs of infection. The importance of a concomitant tick-control programme is therefore stressed

Nuchal translucency as a method of first-trimester screening for aneuploidy

Objective. To determine the effectiveness of nuchal translucency (NT) screening in predicting aneuploidy and structural abnormalities in a South African population. Study design. Descriptive study. Setting. Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital fetal medicine unit. Outcome measures. An adjusted risk was derived from the combination of maternal age-related risk and the risk derived from NT screening. A positive screen was denoted by an adjusted risk of more than 1/300 and a negative screen by an adjusted risk of less than 1/300. In order to determine the number of undiagnosed abnormalities in the group, all babies were examined by a paediatrician at birth to detect and describe dysmorphic features. Results. A total of 428 patients underwent first-trimester screening between July 2003 and July 2005. Three per cent were lost to follow-up. Of the 415 patients analysed, 59 screened positive and 356 screened negative. The mean age for both groups of patients was 30.1 years. Of the 57 patients who screened positive, 24 elected to have chorionic villus sampling (CVS). This resulted in the detection of 6 chromosomal abnormalities and 2 structural abnormalities. Among the remaining 356 patients, who had screened negative, 2 had an increase in the adjusted risk when the risk was compared with the background risk, and 1 chromosomal abnormality was detected in this group; 8 elected to have CVS because of a previous history of a chromosomal abnormality, and there were no abnormalities among them. Conclusions. The use of these screening methods has enabled prenatal karyotyping to become cost effective, and allows concentration on pregnancies at highest risk for chromosomal abnormalities, regardless of age.South African Medical Journal Vol. 98 (4) 2008: pp. 295-29

Defining functional interactions during biogenesis of epithelial junctions

In spite of extensive recent progress, a comprehensive understanding of how actin cytoskeleton remodelling supports stable junctions remains to be established. Here we design a platform that integrates actin functions with optimized phenotypic clustering and identify new cytoskeletal proteins, their functional hierarchy and pathways that modulate E-cadherin adhesion. Depletion of EEF1A, an actin bundling protein, increases E-cadherin levels at junctions without a corresponding reinforcement of cell-cell contacts. This unexpected result reflects a more dynamic and mobile junctional actin in EEF1A-depleted cells. A partner for EEF1A in cadherin contact maintenance is the formin DIAPH2, which interacts with EEF1A. In contrast, depletion of either the endocytic regulator TRIP10 or the Rho GTPase activator VAV2 reduces E-cadherin levels at junctions. TRIP10 binds to and requires VAV2 function for its junctional localization. Overall, we present new conceptual insights on junction stabilization, which integrate known and novel pathways with impact for epithelial morphogenesis, homeostasis and diseases

Relationship Between Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma and Blood Levels of Epstein-Barr Virus in Children in North-Western Tanzania: A Case Control Study.

Non-Hodgkin's Lymphomas (NHL) are common in African children, with endemic Burkitt's lymphoma (BL) being the most common subtype. While the role of Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) in endemic BL is known, no data are available about clinical presentations of NHL subtypes and their relationship to Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection and Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) load in peripheral blood of children in north-western, Tanzania. A matched case control study of NHL subtypes was performed in children under 15 years of age and their respective controls admitted to Bugando Medical Centre, Sengerema and Shirati district designated hospitals in north-western, Tanzania, between September 2010 and April 2011. Peripheral blood samples were collected on Whatman 903 filter papers and EBV DNA levels were estimated by multiplex real-time PCR. Clinical and laboratory data were collected using a structured data collection tool and analysed using chi-square, Fisher and Wilcoxon rank sum tests where appropriate. The association between NHL and detection of EBV in peripheral blood was assessed using conditional logistic regression model and presented as odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). A total of 35 NHL cases and 70 controls matched for age and sex were enrolled. Of NHLs, 32 had BL with equal distribution between jaw and abdominal tumour, 2 had large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and 1 had NHL-not otherwise specified (NHL-NOS). Central nervous system (CNS) presentation occurred only in 1 BL patient; 19 NHLs had stage I and II of disease. Only 1 NHL was found to be HIV-seropositive. Twenty-one of 35 (60%) NHL and 21 of 70 (30%) controls had detectable EBV in peripheral blood (OR = 4.77, 95% CI 1.71 - 13.33, p = 0.003). In addition, levels of EBV in blood were significantly higher in NHL cases than in controls (p = 0.024). BL is the most common childhood NHL subtype in north-western Tanzania. NHLs are not associated with HIV infection, but are strongly associated with EBV load in peripheral blood. The findings suggest that high levels of EBV in blood might have diagnostic and prognostic relevance in African children