The role of Military Psychology in Peacekeeping Operations: The South African National Defence Force as an Example

This article is an interdisciplinary publication focusing on the role anddevelopment of military psychology in the South African context. Peacekeeping operations and the results of the first and fifth deployment of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) are used as background to illustrate the relevance of military psychology in such operations. Peacekeeping operations involve military and often civilian personnel. The nature of peacekeeping operations has become increasingly complex and stressful. It is hypothesised that the stressors that members experience may have a destructive effect on their morale and on the cohesion of the force, and that it could lead to alcohol and drug abuse (Ballone 2000).This article discusses peacekeeping stress theoretically and evaluates thestressors experienced by members of the first and fifth deployment of the SANDF in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The contribution of military psychology in these and other peacekeeping operations in the South African context is also explored

Psychological debriefing (PD) of trauma : a proposed model for Africa

CITATION: Van Dyk, E. L. & Van Dyk, G. A. J. 2010. Psychological debriefing (PD) of trauma : a proposed model for Africa. Journal for Transdisciplinary Research in Southern Africa, 6(2):a270, doi:10.4102/td.v6i2.270.The original publication is available at https://td-sa.netAfrica is a continent with severe trauma. Traumatic events include experiences of child soldiers, people living in war and conflict zones, and people struggling with the HIV/AIDS pandemic. These events cause high levels of trauma. The trauma causes psychological disorders like post traumatic stress disorder, acute stress disorder and combat stress reaction, specific in the military environment. This article focuses on a better understanding of the implications of trauma for military people and civilians. It discusses the different theories and models of psychological debriefing. Lastly the article discusses psychological debriefing models for military forces and the civil ian population to prevent severe psychopathology after traumatic incidents in Africa.https://td-sa.net/index.php/td/article/view/270Publisher's versio

The psychological selection profile for civil-military coordination officers in peace-support operations: The results of field research in the Sudan

The introduction of a multidimensional approach towards peace missions in complex emergencies emphasises the importance of coordination between the military and humanitarian components at all levels of interaction. Cooperation and coordination between the military and humanitarian components are critical in achieving a common goal for these operations: to alleviate suffering and prevent loss of life. The challenge of finding suitable personnel who can develop, enhance and sustain effective working relationships and overcome the potential for conflict in civil-military coordination, has not been addressed in practice and research. The military needs to identify personnel who, firstly, conform to the generic psychological peacekeeping profile and secondly, portray the knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the coordination function satisfactorily. Due to the absence of a psychological selection profile for civil-military coordination officers, the selection and screening of competent military personnel members remain a challenge. Through this descriptive field research (conducted in the Sudan), a psychological selection profile for civil-military coordination officers is developed and defined. The theoretical foundation and primary data from field research are integrated into a job competency model for civil-military coordination officers, useful for future selection purposes. The results of this research are presented as a model of provisional selection criteria for civil-military coordination officers. Preliminary predictor and criterion data were collected to describe the relationship between selection measures and performance ratings of job incumbents. Areas for further research are discussed. Are these events indicative of a militarised SADC strategic culture as opposed to the declared pacifist preferences to resolve conflicts

Barriers to Continuous Professional Development (CPD) participation for radiographers in Kenya

Abstract: Updating knowledge and skills on an ongoing basis is an important requirement if one is to remain professionally relevant. Formalized CPD is, therefore, essential in order to stay current in a dynamic work environment. The majority of radiographers in Kenya work in remote rural health facilities where CPD activities are limited. The question thus arose: “To what extent are radiographers participating in CPD activities and what constitute barriers to participation?” Objective: The aim of this article is to describe the challenges which affect diagnostic radiographers’ participation in CPD activities in Kenya. Methods: The study targeted radiographers who were registered with the Society of Radiographers in Kenya (SORK). Two hundred and fifty prospective participants were recruited from the SORK data base, using the fish bowl sampling method. Questionnaires with self-addressed stamped envelopes were posted by ordinary mail to facilitate ease of return, while telephone follow-ups improved the response rate. Results: The study revealed that 69% of diagnostic radiographers in Kenya were effectively participating in CPD activities. Barriers to CPD participation included time constraints (62%); financial constraints (66%); lack of information (54%); organizational culture (47%); paucity of resources (58%); and difficulty in being selected by their organisation to attend CPD activities (42%)

Schedule for CT image guidance in treating prostate cancer with helical tomotherapy.

The aim of this study was to determine the effect of reducing the number of image guidance sessions and patient-specific target margins on the dose distribution in the treatment of prostate cancer with helical tomotherapy. 20 patients with prostate cancer who were treated with helical tomotherapy using daily megavoltage CT (MVCT) imaging before treatment served as the study population. The average geometric shifts applied for set-up corrections, as a result of co-registration of MVCT and planning kilovoltage CT studies over an increasing number of image guidance sessions, were determined. Simulation of the consequences of various imaging scenarios on the dose distribution was performed for two patients with different patterns of interfraction changes in anatomy. Our analysis of the daily set-up correction shifts for 20 prostate cancer patients suggests that the use of four fractions would result in a population average shift that was within 1 mm of the average obtained from the data accumulated over all daily MVCT sessions. Simulation of a scenario in which imaging sessions are performed at a reduced frequency and the planning target volume margin is adapted provided significantly better sparing of organs at risk, with acceptable reproducibility of dose delivery to the clinical target volume. Our results indicate that four MVCT sessions on helical tomotherapy are sufficient to provide information for the creation of personalised target margins and the establishment of the new reference position that accounts for the systematic error. This simplified approach reduces overall treatment session time and decreases the imaging dose to the patient

Constraints on the Progenitor of SN 2010jl and Pre-Existing Hot Dust in its Surrounding Medium

A search for the progenitor of SN~2010jl, an unusually luminous core-collapse supernova of Type~IIn, using pre-explosion {\it Hubble}/WFPC2 and {\it Spitzer}/IRAC images of the region, yielded upper limits on the UV and near-infrared (IR) fluxes from any candidate star. These upper limits constrain the luminosity and effective temperature of the progenitor, the mass of any preexisting dust in its surrounding circumstellar medium (CSM), and dust proximity to the star. A {\it lower} limit on the CSM dust mass is required to hide a luminous progenitor from detection by {\it Hubble}. {\it Upper} limits on the CSM dust mass and constraints on its proximity to the star are set by requiring that the absorbed and reradiated IR emission not exceed the IRAC upper limits. Using the combined extinction-IR emission constraints we present viable $M_d-R_1$ combinations, where $M_d$ and $R_1$ are the CSM dust mass and its inner radius. These depend on the CSM outer radius, dust composition and grain size, and the properties of the progenitor. The results constrain the pre-supernova evolution of the progenitor, and the nature and origin of the observed post-explosion IR emission from SN~2010jl. In particular, an $\eta$~Car-type progenitor will require at least 4~mag of visual extinction to avoid detection by the {\it Hubble}. This can be achieved with dust masses $\gtrsim 10^{-3}$~\msun\ (less than the estimated 0.2-0.5~\msun\ around $\eta$~Car) which must be located at distances of $\gtrsim 10^{16}$~cm from the star to avoid detection by {\it Spitzer}.Comment: Accepted for publication in the ApJ. 14 pages 10 figures. The complete figure set for Figure 10 (24 images) is available in the online journa

Initial experience in treating lung cancer with helical tomotherapy

Helical tomotherapy is a new form of image-guided radiation therapy that combines features of a linear accelerator and a helical computed tomography (CT) scanner. Megavoltage CT (MVCT) data allow the verification and correction of patient setup on the couch by comparison and image registration with the kilovoltage CT multi-slice images used for treatment planning. An 84-year-old male patient with Stage III bulky non-small cell lung cancer was treated on a Hi-ART II tomotherapy unit. Daily MVCT imaging was useful for setup corrections and signaled the need to adapt the delivery plan when the patient’s anatomy changed significantly

Long Term Radio Monitoring of SN 1993J

We present our observations of the radio emission from supernova (SN) 1993J, in M 81 (NGC 3031), made with the VLA, from 90 to 0.7 cm, as well as numerous measurements from other telescopes. The combined data set constitutes probably the most detailed set of measurements ever established for any SN outside of the Local Group in any wavelength range. Only SN 1987A in the LMC has been the subject of such an intensive observational program. The radio emission evolves regularly in both time and frequency, and the usual interpretation in terms of shock interaction with a circumstellar medium (CSM) formed by a pre-SN stellar wind describes the observations rather well considering the complexity of the phenomenon. However: 1) The 85 - 110 GHz measurements at early times are not well fitted by the parameterization, unlike the cm wavelength measurements. 2) At mid-cm wavelengths there is some deviation from the fitted radio light curves. 3) At a time ~3100 days after shock breakout, the decline rate of the radio emission steepens without change in the spectral index. This decline is best described as an exponential decay starting at day 3100 with an e-folding time of ~1100 days. 4) The best overall fit to all of the data is a model including both non-thermal synchrotron self-absorption (SSA) and a thermal free-free absorbing (FFA) components at early times, evolving to a constant spectral index, optically thin decline rate, until the break in that decline rate. Moreover, neither a purely SSA nor a purely FFA absorbing models can provide a fit that simultaneously reproduces the light curves, the spectral index evolution, and the brightness temperature evolution. 5) The radio and X-ray light curves exhibit similar behavior and suggest a sudden drop in the SN progenitor mass-loss rate at ~8000 years prior to shock breakout.Comment: 45 pages, 13 figures, accepted for Ap

Consistency check of planned adaptive option on helical tomotherapy.

This study aims to evaluate a new Planned Adaptive software (TomoTherapy Inc., Madison, WI) of the helical tomotherapy system by retrospective verification and adaptive re-planning of radiation treatment. Four patients with different disease sites (brain, nasal cavity, lungs, prostate) were planned in duplicate using the diagnostic planning kVCT data set and MVCT studies of the first treatment fraction with the same optimization parameters for both plan types. The dosimetric characteristics of minimum, maximum, and mean dose to the targets as well as to organs at risk were compared. Both sets of plans were used for calculation of dose distributions in a water-equivalent phantom. Corresponding measurements of these plans in phantom were carried out with the use of radiographic film and ion chamber. In the case of the lung and prostate cancer patients, changes in dosimetric parameters compared to data generated with the kVCT study alone were less than 2%. Certain changes for the nasal cavity and brain cancer patients were greater than 2%, but they were explained in part by anatomy changes that occurred during the time between kVCT and MVCT studies. The Planned Adaptive software allows for adaptive radiotherapy planning using the MVCT studies obtained by the helical tomotherapy imaging system