On accounting for problems demonstrated by children with SLI in the interpretation and production of passive construction

No abstract available

Effective leadership considering emotional intelligence in a leadership environment.

The primary objective is to establish whether a potential trend exists between effective leadership and emotional intelligence (EI). This research also investigates whether possible trends exist between leadership and emotional intelligence in terms of the leadership styles: transformational or transactional leadership. Insight is also gained into whether male or female student leaders practice either transformation or transactional leadership styles. The sample was identified as the student leaders at the University of Johannesburg's Auckland Park Kingsway campus. The sample ultimately included 123 respondents for all the committees in the institution, resulting in a very positive response rate for data analysis. The findings revealed that there was insufficient evidence to support the objective that specific trends exist between leadership effectiveness when considering emotional intelligence or whether emotional intelligences relates more strongly with a transformational or transactional leadership style. However relevant relationships between female respondents and the transformational leadership style could be established

A numerical analysis of machining induced residual stresses of Grade 5 Titanium Alloy

In general most manufacturing techniques alter the surface integrity of the final component. Surface integrity refers to the surface properties and their influence on the functional performance of manufactured components1. Machining induced residual stress is a surface integrity descriptor that may have a significant influence on the mechanical behavior of metallic parts subjected to dynamic loads2. Most manufacturing processes introduce some form of residual stress to the material. Cutting or more specifically machining involves large plastic deformation and elevated temperatures that may induce significant residual stresses in the surface and near surface region. When turning steel these stresses are largely tensile in nature and extend to a depth of approximately 200 μm1

Effect of constitutive modeling during finite element analysis of machining-induced residual stresses in Ti6Al4V

Residual stress is an important surface integrity descriptor that may have a marked effect on the functional performance of machined alloy parts. This paper describes a finite element evaluation of the effect of different constitutive models on machining induced residual stresses for Ti6Al4V titanium alloy. A two dimensional orthogonal turning process is modelled and the results compared to experimental data. Residual stress is evaluated with respect to different elastic-viscoplastic constitutive models at certain cutting speeds and feeds. The general-purpose finite element code MSC Marc@ was used with comparisons with experimental data made relative to residual stress, cutting force and temperature. The magnitude and extent (depth) of the residual stress field is evaluated with regards to the different material models and compared with experimental data

A retrospective review on benzodiazepine use: A case study from a chronic dispensary unit

Background. Benzodiazepines (BZDs) are highly effective hypnotic and anxiolytic agents and among the most frequently used drugs in the world, but there are significant disadvantages associated with their use. Identifying possible irrational BZD prescribing is important to ensure safe and effective use of these agents. No studies have been conducted in other African countries, and this is the only study in the Western Cape (WC) Province of South Africa (SA), highlighting the paucity of local research.Objectives. To identify the most commonly prescribed BZDs at a chronic dispensary unit (CDU) in the WC and describe the indications, co-prescribing patterns and patient factors in different areas of the WC.Methods. A retrospective, quantitative study was carried out using prescription data from a CDU in the Western Cape Department of Health, SA. Data for January 2017 were analysed. Associations between BZD therapeutic indications and co-prescribing patterns were assessed, together with demographic data. Data were coded and descriptive and inferential analysis was done using Stata version 14.Results. A total of 1 396 prescriptions met the inclusion criteria and were analysed. Overall, clonazepam was the most frequently prescribed BZD (n=691 prescriptions, 49.5%), followed by diazepam (n=298, 21.4%), lorazepam (n=222, 15.9%) and oxazepam (n=185, 13.3%). The most common therapeutic indication for BZDs was epilepsy (n=294, 21.1%), followed by depression (n=166, 11.9%) and depression with concomitant anxiety (n=79, 5.7%). The most common concomitant drug class associated with BZD use was antiepileptics (n=1 581), followed by other BZDs (n=706) and analgesics and antipyretics (n=665). Female patients were more likely than males to be prescribed BZDs (p<0.001), and the mean (standard deviation) age of BZD users was 51.3 (19.5) years.Conclusions. BZDs were most commonly prescribed to female patients and middle-aged adults. Clonazepam was the most frequently prescribed BZD, indicating a preference for long-acting BZDs. Epilepsy was the most common therapeutic indication and antiepileptics were the most common concomitant drug class prescribed, implying that BZDs have a primary role in the management of epileptic conditions in the public healthcare sector. Future studies should include the private sector, as regulations in the public sector greatly influence the patterns of BZD use. 

A retrospective review on benzodiazepine use: A case study from a chronic dispensary unit

Background. Benzodiazepines (BZDs) are highly effective hypnotic and anxiolytic agents and among the most frequently used drugs in the world, but there are significant disadvantages associated with their use. Identifying possible irrational BZD prescribing is important to ensure safe and effective use of these agents. No studies have been conducted in other African countries, and this is the only study in the Western Cape (WC) Province of South Africa (SA), highlighting the paucity of local research.Objectives. To identify the most commonly prescribed BZDs at a chronic dispensary unit (CDU) in the WC and describe the indications, co-prescribing patterns and patient factors in different areas of the WC.Methods. A retrospective, quantitative study was carried out using prescription data from a CDU in the Western Cape Department of Health, SA. Data for January 2017 were analysed. Associations between BZD therapeutic indications and co-prescribing patterns were assessed, together with demographic data. Data were coded and descriptive and inferential analysis was done using Stata version 14.Results. A total of 1 396 prescriptions met the inclusion criteria and were analysed. Overall, clonazepam was the most frequently prescribed BZD (n=691 prescriptions, 49.5%), followed by diazepam (n=298, 21.4%), lorazepam (n=222, 15.9%) and oxazepam (n=185, 13.3%). The most common therapeutic indication for BZDs was epilepsy (n=294, 21.1%), followed by depression (n=166, 11.9%) and depression with concomitant anxiety (n=79, 5.7%). The most common concomitant drug class associated with BZD use was antiepileptics (n=1 581), followed by other BZDs (n=706) and analgesics and antipyretics (n=665). Female patients were more likely than males to be prescribed BZDs (p<0.001), and the mean (standard deviation) age of BZD users was 51.3 (19.5) years.Conclusions. BZDs were most commonly prescribed to female patients and middle-aged adults. Clonazepam was the most frequently prescribed BZD, indicating a preference for long-acting BZDs. Epilepsy was the most common therapeutic indication and antiepileptics were the most common concomitant drug class prescribed, implying that BZDs have a primary role in the management of epileptic conditions in the public healthcare sector. Future studies should include the private sector, as regulations in the public sector greatly influence the patterns of BZD use. Â

Teaching in the time of COVID-19: Shared perspectives from South Africa and the USA

In line with keeping people safe, social distancing has become a civilised norm across the world. Compulsory lockdowns have meant that universities closed their doors to students and staff, thus causing widespread disruption across the higher-education landscape. Pharmacy education is no exception. As pharmacy educators from institutions in different countries, with an existing partnership, we have identified common challenges between our different educational environments and have benefited from sharing possible solutions

Genome-Wide snp analysis of southern african populations provides new insights into the dispersal of bantu-Speaking groups

The expansion of Bantu-speaking agropastoralist populations had a great impact on the genetic, linguistic, and cultural variation of sub-Saharan Africa. It isgenerally accepted that Bantulanguages originated inanarea around thepresent borderbetweenCameroon and Nigeria approximately 5,000 years ago, from where they spread South and East becoming the largest African linguistic branch. The demic consequences of this event are reflected in the relatively high genetic homogeneity observed acrossmost of sub-Saharan Africapopulations. Inthiswork, weexploredgenome-wide singlenucleotidepolymorphismdata from28populations to characterize the genetic components present in sub-Saharan African populations. Combining novel data from four SouthernAfrican populations withpreviouslypublishedresults,we reject the hypothesis that the" non-Bantu" geneticcomponent reported inSouth-Eastern Africa (Mozambique) reflects extensive gene flow between incoming agriculturalist and resident hunter-gatherer communities.We alternatively suggest that this novel component is the result of demographic dynamics associated with the Bantu dispersal

Applying the Food Multimix concept for sustainable and nutritious diets

Background: Despite a rich and diverse ecosystem and biodiversity, worldwide, more than 2 billion people suffer from micronutrient malnutrition or hidden hunger. Of major concern are a degradation of our ecosystems and agricultural systems which are thought to be unsustainable thereby posing a challenge for the future food and nutrition security. Despite these challenges, nutrition security and ensuring well balanced diets depend on sound knowledge and appropriate food choices in a complex world of plenty and want. We have previously reported on how the food multimix (FMM) concept, a food-based and dietary diversification approach can be applied to meeting energy and micronutrient needs of vulnerable groups through an empirical process. Our objective in this article is to examine how the concept can be applied to improve nutrition in a sustainable way in otherwise poor and hard-to-reach communities. We have reviewed over 100 FMM food recipes formulated from combinations of commonly consumed traditional candidate food ingredients; on average five per recipe, and packaged as per 100 g powders from different countries including Ghana, Kenya, Botswana, Zimbabawe and Southern Africa, India, Mexico, Malaysia and United Kingdom; and for different age groups and conditions such as older infants and young children, pregnant women, HIV patients, diabetes and for nutrition rehabilitation. Candidate foods were examined for their nutrient strengths and nutrient content and nutrient density of recipes per 100 g were compared to reference nutrient intakes (RNIs) for the different population groups. We report on the nutrient profiles from our analysis of the pooled and age-matched data as well as sensory analysis and conclude that locally produced FMM foods can complement local diets and contribute significantly to meeting nutrient needs among vulnerable groups in food-insecure environments. Key words: food multimix, candidate foods, sustainable, food security, resource-poor, nutrition interventions

Static and Moving Frontiers: The Genetic Landscape of Southern African Bantu-Speaking Populations

A consensus on Bantu-speaking populations being genetically similar has emerged in the last few years, but the demographic scenarios associated with their dispersal are still amatter of debate. The frontier model proposed by archeologists postulates different degrees of interaction among incoming agropastoralist and resident foraging groups in the presence of "static" and "moving" frontiers. By combining mitochondrial DNA and Y chromosome data collected from several southern African populations, we show that Bantu-speaking populations from regions characterized by amoving frontier developing after a long-term static frontier have larger hunter-gatherer contributions than groups from areas where a static frontier was not followed by further spatial expansion. Differences in the female and male components suggest that the process of assimilation of the long-term resident groups into agropastoralist societies was gender biased. Our results show that the diffusion of Bantu languages and culture in Southern Africa was a process more complex than previously described and suggest that the admixture dynamics between farmers and foragers played an important role in shaping the current patterns of genetic diversity