Postgraduate supervision support in Open Distance and E-learning: Supervisors’ and key stakeholders’ views

This descriptive case study explores the support that supervisors in the College of Education (CEDU) at the University of South Africa (UNISA) give to Ethiopian doctoral students. It is important to inquire into supervisors’ views about the support that they give to students as part of their supervision especially in the open distance and e-learning (ODeL) higher education context. Twelve supervisors who are or have supervised Ethiopian doctoral students were selected by convenience sampling and interviewed individually to gather their views about the support they give (or have given) to their students. Supervisors’ views were augmented by other key stakeholders’ views to deepen the understanding of support. The findings reveal that supervisors, though faced with unique challenges, made efforts to support students emotionally, academically, and by being the extended hand of UNISA when students could not access certain services or resources. Doctoral students who are faced with contextual challenges can succeed if they are given proper support which is motivated by mutual respect between the supervisor and student. The study can also benefit supervisors in African universities to reflect on the support that they give to their students, especially in the situations that are posed by the students’ circumstances

Monitoring of microcystin-LR in Luvuvhu River catchment: Implications for human health

Cyanotoxins in surface drinking water sources are known to pose a threat to human health, of which microcystin-LR is the most investigated. The main aim of this study is to assess the levels of microcystin-LR in Luvuvhu River catchment and to assess the physicochemical parameters that maypromote the growth of cyanobacteria. The level of microcystin-LR in some of the sampling sites was <0.18 ìg/l except for one site (Luvuvhu River just before the confluence of Dzindi and Mvudi Rivers) which had a reading of 2 ìg/l during August, 2009. Though the results indicated that some of the sites, especially on the Mvudi River system, had high nutrient levels, alkaline pH and water temperature <24°C, the levels of microcystin-LR were <0.18 ìg/l. The production and release of microcystin-LR into water bodies by different strains of cyanobacteria involves a complex relationship between environmental variables. The water quality of the shallow hand dug wells and reservoir water were almost similar. The outflows had slightly high levels of nitrates and no soluble reactive phosphates in comparison with inflows, suggesting that the phosphates were being incorporated into the sediments. This could be a potential danger if the climatic conditions were to change and as this will promote the proliferation of nitrogen fixing cyanobacteria. Maybe, the non availability of phosphorous which is known to be a limiting nutrient in freshwater systems, could have contributed to no cyanobacteria blooms. Thus, the domestic consumption of these surface water sources may be a potential health hazard to the rural communities as it exposes the users to low levels of cyanotoxins over a long term.Key words: Nutrient enrichment, microcystin, sediments, cyanobacteria

The relevance of indigenous technology in curriculum 2005/RNCS with special reference to the technology learning area

In this article it is argued that indigenous technology with its long history cannot be ignored and should be as signed a more prominent place in the Technology Learning Area (TLA) within Curriculum 2005/RNCS Grades R – 9.2 The argument is based on the findings of a study in which the relevance of indigenous technology in the TLA curriculum was investigated. The findings not only pointed to the long history of indigenous technology, but also evidenced the continued use of such technology among indigenous people, especially in the rural contexts. The findings in the study are suggestive of an enhanced recognition of indigenous technology in the TLA curriculum. Therefore, informed by the findings, the authors pose certain recommendations pertaining to the TLA curriculum.The article has as secondary purpose creation of awareness of, and sensitivity for, the cultural heritage of indigenous people in South Africa and context-specific community needs which can be recognised and addressed in learning areas such as the TLA.South African Journal of Education Vol. 26 (4) 2006: pp. 501-51

Risk factors associated with contracting dysentery during shigella dysenteriae type 1 outbreak in Harare, 1993

A study to ascertain the cause, nature and management of an epidemic outbreak of diarrhea in Zimbabwe's urban areas in 1993.Towards the end of 1992, there were numerous reports of dysentery cases from Harare and most provinces of Zimbabwe. According to reports from the districts and the media, the disease was characterized by bouts of bloody diarrhea, vomiting and general body weakness. Of 4 915 patients with dysentery who presented themselves to the two municipal hospitals, 149 died, giving a case fatality rate of 3%.' Laboratory investigations confirmed that Shigella Dysenteriae type-1 as the predominant cause of the dysentery outbreak in Harare. A matched case control study, was carried out in the City of Harare from 26 November to 1 December, 1993 in order to document risk factors associated with contracting dysentery in this environment

Opportunities for optimization of in-field water harvesting to cope with changing climate in semi-arid smallholder farming areas of Zimbabwe

Climate change has resulted in increased vulnerability of smallholder farmers in marginal areas of Zimbabwe where there is limited capacity to adapt to changing climate. One approach that has been used to adapt to changing climate is in-field water harvesting for improved crop yields in the semi- arid regions of Zimbabwe. This review analyses the history of soil and water conservation in Zimbabwe, efforts of improving water harvesting in the post independence era, farmer driven innovations, water harvesting technologies from other regions, and future directions of water harvesting in semi arid marginal areas. From this review it was observed that the blanket recommendations that were made on the early conservation method were not suitable for marginal areas as they resulted in increased losses of the much needed water. In the late 1960 and 70s', soil and water conservation efforts was a victim of the political environment and this resulted in poor uptake. Most of the water harvesting innovations which were promoted in the 1990s' and some farmer driven innovations improved crop yields in marginal areas but were poorly taken up by farmers because they are labour intensive as the structures should be made annually. To address the challenges of labour shortages, the use of permanent in-field water harvesting technologies are an option. There is also need to identify ways for promoting water harvesting techniques that have been proven to work and to explore farmer-led knowledge sharing platforms for scaling up proven technologies

Concentration-dependent antagonism and culture conversion in pulmonary tuberculosis

Background There is scant evidence to support target drug exposures for optimal tuberculosis outcomes. We therefore assessed whether pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) parameters could predict 2-month culture conversion. Methods One hundred patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (65% HIV-co-infected) were intensively sampled to determine rifampicin, isoniazid and pyrazinamide plasma concentrations after 7-8 weeks of therapy, and pharmacokinetic parameters determined using non-linear-mixed-effects models. Detailed clinical data and sputum for culture were collected at baseline, 2 and 5-6 months. Minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) were determined on baseline isolates. Multivariate logistic regression and the assumption-free multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS) were used to identify clinical and PK/PD predictors of 2-month culture conversion. Potential PK/PD predictors included 24-hour-area-under-the-curve (AUC0-24), peak concentration (Cmax), AUC0-24/MIC, Cmax/MIC and % time that concentrations persisted above MIC (%TMIC). Results 26% of patients had Cmax (mg/L) of rifampicin4.6 mg/L, higher isoniazid exposures were associated with improved rates of culture conversion. Conclusions PK/PD analyses using MARS identified isoniazid Cmax and rifampicin Cmax/MIC thresholds below which there is concentration-dependent antagonism that reduces 2-month sputum culture conversion

Artificial Intelligence and Amikacin Exposures Predictive of Outcomes in Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis Patients

Aminoglycosides such as amikacin continue to be part of the backbone of treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR- TB). We measured amikacin concentrations in 28 MDR-TB patients in Botswana receiving amikacin therapy together with oral levofloxacin, ethionamide, cycloserine, and pyrazinamide and calculated areas under the concentration-time curves from 0 to 24 h (AUC0 –24). The patients were followed monthly for sputum culture conversion based on liquid cultures. The median duration of amikacin therapy was 184 (range, 28 to 866) days, at a median dose of 17.30 (range 11.11 to 19.23) mg/kg. Only 11 (39%) pa- tients had sputum culture conversion during treatment; the rest failed. We utilized classification and regression tree analyses (CART) to examine all potential predictors of failure, including clinical and demographic features, comorbidities, and amikacin peak concentrations (Cmax), AUC0 –24, and trough concentrations. The primary node for failure had two competing variables, Cmax of \u3c67 mg/liter and AUC0 –24 of \u3c568.30 mg · h/L; weight of \u3e41 kg was a secondary node with a score of 35% relative to the primary node. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for the CART model was an R2 �� 0.90 on posttest. In patients weighing \u3e41 kg, sputum conversion was 3/3 (100%) in those with an amikacin Cmax of \u3e67 mg/liter versus 3/15 (20%) in those with a Cmax of \u3c67 mg/liter (relative risk [RR] �� 5.00; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.82 to 13.76). In all patients who had both amikacin Cmax and AUC0 –24 below the threshold, 7/7 (100%) failed, compared to 7/15 (47%) of those who had these parameters above threshold (RR �� 2.14; 95% CI, 1.25 to 43.68). These amikacin dose-schedule patterns and exposures are virtually the same as those identified in the hollow-fiber system model

Assessment of the Riparian Vegetation Changes Downstream of Selected Dams in Vhembe District, Limpopo Province on Based on Historical Aerial Photography

Dams have been associated with various impacts on downstream river ecosystems, including a decrease in stream flow, species biodiversity, water quality, altered hydrology and colonisation of the area by invasive alien plant species. The impacts normally interfere with the ecosystem functioning of riparian and aquatic environments, thereby leading to decreased biodiversity. This study aims to assess the impacts of dams on downstream river ecosystems, using data from aerial photographs and orthophotos, supplemented by field work. Five dams in Limpopo Province, South Africa, were selected (Albasini, Damani, Mambedi, Nandoni and Vondo), and photographs from different years were used. The area devoid of trees of certain species both downstream and upstream of the dams was calculated using grids of predetermined square sizes on each available photograph. Aerial photographs and orthophoto data were supplemented by field work. The nearest-individual method was used in the field to determine tree density of particular tree species. The environments downstream of the dams show a loss of obligate riparian vegetation and an increase of obligate terrestrial vegetation (Acacia Karroo, Acacia Ataxacantha and Bauhinia galpinii). Treeless area increased in all cases, especially in the case of Mambedi and Vondo dams, indicating lower resilience and higher fragility there