Medical students as research participants: Student experiences, questionnaire response rates and preferred modes

Background. Research projects frequently include students, a potentially vulnerable population, as participants. Objectives. To determine University of the Free State (UFS) medical students’ experiences as research participants. Response rates to and preferences for hard copy and electronic questionnaires were also investigated. Methods. All 804 UFS undergraduate medical students in 2020 were approached to participate in this cross-sectional survey. Fourth- and fifth-year students and one-half of the third-year class were approached in person to complete anonymous hard copy questionnaires in a class setting. First- and second-year students and the other half of the third-year class were contacted electronically to complete anonymous electronic questionnaires. Results. Response rates to hard copy questionnaires were at least ~45% of the entire year group (and >70% of those to whom the questionnaire was distributed in class) compared with approximately a third of those contacted electronically. Students who responded to electronic questionnaires preferred electronic completion, whereas those who responded to hard copy questionnaires preferred the hard copy format, except fifth-year students. The majority of students (except those in their first year) had previously been approached to participate in research projects. Between a fifth and a third of all year groups indicated that they had refused participation at least once. More than a third of fifth-year students experienced insufficient time to decide on participation. Up to a quarter of third- to fifth-year groups had felt pressurised to participate. Conclusion. Hard copy questionnaires in class, the preferred data collection method for many students, produced better response rates but placed potential pressure on students to participate

A Comparison of Three Dry Matter Forage Production Methods Used in South Africa

A common method for determining forage production of rangelands is by clipping and weighing forage from quadrats with predetermined areas. This technique is however time consuming. Other techniques which require less time and labour include amongst others using the disk pasture meter or phytomass derived from the vegetation classification program PHYTOTAB, in conjunction with the Plant Number Scale, which is used to determine vegetation canopy cover. The phytomass determined using PHYTOTAB/Plant Number Scale and the disk pasture meter was compared to the phytomass obtained from the actual clipping and weighing of forage. Tests showed that there were indeed statistically significant differences between the mean phytomass values of the three techniques. Considerable variation was shown in the results of the disk pasture meter readings compared to the other two techniques. The phytomass values obtained using the disk pasture meter were significantly higher than the phytomass determined using both the PHYTOTAB/Plant Number Scale and the clipping and weighing techniques. Results further indicated a significant similarity in the phytomass determined using the PHYTOTAB/Plant Number Scale and the clipping and weighing technique. The results of this pilot study need further investigation

Applying min-max k postmen problems to the routing of security guards

The most essential and alluring characteristic of a security estate is the estate's ability to provide 24-h security to its residents, of which the continual patrolling of roads and paths is vital. The objective of this paper is to address the lack of sufficient patrol route design procedures by presenting a tabu search algorithm capable of generating multiple patrol routes for an estate's security guards. The paper shows that the problem of designing these routes can be modelled as an Arc Routing Problem, specifically as min-max k postmen problems. The algorithm is illustrated with a real problem instance from an estate in Gauteng, South Africa. The patrol routes generated by the algorithm provide a significant improvement in the even patrolling of the road network, and a more balanced work distribution among guards. The algorithm is also tested on several benchmark problems from literature.http://www.palgrave-journals.com/jors/index.htm

Real driving emissions data : Isuzu FTR850 AMT

RDE is becoming a necessary element of the emissions certification of automotive vehicles. Real Driving Emissions (RDE) helps to ensure that the regular operation of a car, or heavy vehicle, is still within the acceptable emissions standards while driving under normal conditions. RDE is monitored by connecting a Portable Emissions Measurement System (PEMS) to the exhaust of the tested vehicle, which measures the pollutant concentrations as the car or truck drives along a standardised route. The data described in this paper is the raw, detailed PEMS records of a heavy goods vehicle, recorded at a rate of 1Hz, over multiple trips on an urban route in South Africa. The data includes the pollutant concentrations of CO, CO2, NO and NO2, ambient conditions, and vehicle diagnostics collected from different sensors mounted to the vehicle during the field tests. We performed no additional analysis on the data. The value of the data is in allowing researchers to (a) develop and test machine learning algorithms that predict the instantaneous pollutant concentrations or (b) studying the variance of pollutant concentrations that occurs under typical driving conditionshttps://www.journals.elsevier.com/data-in-brief/dm2022Industrial and Systems Engineerin

Errors in drug administration by anaesthetists in public hospitals in the Free State

Objective. To investigate errors in administering drugs by anaesthetists working in public hospitals in the Free State province. Methods. Anonymous questionnaires were distributed to doctors performing anaesthesia in public hospitals in the Free State, i.e. 188 doctors at 22 public sector hospitals. Outcomes included demographic information on respondents, information regarding the administration of anaesthetics, reporting of errors, and the occurrence of errors during anaesthesia. Results. The response rate was 46.3%; 48.8% were medical officers, and 39.3% of participants were involved in at least one event of erroneous drug administration. Registrars and specialists reported the most errors. Most events were of no clinical significance, caused no permanent harm to patients, and most commonly involved fentanyl and suxamethonium. Of the respondents, 23.8% indicated that they were aware of a South African standard for colour-coding syringe labels, and 92.9% indicated that they would report anaesthetic errors if a single reporting agency for such events existed. Conclusions. More than a third of participating anaesthetists were involved in a drug error at some stage in their practice. Preventive systems and precautionary measures should be put in place to reduce drug administration errors

Characterisation of Pinotage Wine During Maturation on Different Oak Products

The effect of oak contact on the phenolic composition, total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and colour of Pinotage wineswas investigated during maturation. Oak maturation included traditional treatments, such as new, second-fill andthird-fill barrels, as well as alternative treatments (oak chips, staves, extract and dust) applied in old barrels over aperiod of 28 weeks. Oak maturation using traditional and alternative treatments improved the objective colour ofPinotage wine by decreasing the L* value. Losses in TAC caused by decreased concentrations of monomeric phenoliccompounds (most anthocyanins, flavan-3-ols, flavonols and hydroxycinnamic acids) during oak maturation werenegated by increased concentrations of gallic acid and the formation of new oligomeric and polymeric pigments.Wine maturation in stainless steel containers also resulted in a decrease in anthocyanin content. The decreasein phenolic acid content for wines matured in stainless steel was less pronounced, while their flavan-3-ol contentremained stable. The new-barrel treatment had the most pronounced effect on all parameters. Oak maturation canbe used for the production of Pinotage wine when the retention of TAC is a high priority

Help-seeking by substance dependants presenting to healthcare professionals in the Free State Province

Introduction. Current data regarding treatment needs in South Africa for substance dependence are based on admissions to specialised treatment centres. The data therefore do not include patients presenting to independent healthcare workers and state hospitals. Aim. The aim of this study was to investigate help-seeking behaviour for substance dependence disorders from the perspective of healthcare professionals at various levels of the referral chain in Free State Province. Design. A descriptive study was performed. Setting. Treatment environments in Free State Province accessible to substance-dependent persons. Participants. General practitioners, private psychiatrists, prescribing healthcare professionals at state hospitals and treatment centres, and non-prescribing therapists responsible for management of substance-dependent persons. Measurements. A questionnaire was used to determine the level of help-seeking experienced by the participants regarding various classes of psycho-active substances. Findings. The presentation of alcohol, cannabis, opioid, benzodiazepine, ecstasy, cocaine and inhalant dependency at general practitioners, private psychiatrists, treatment centres and non-prescribing therapists was compared. Different patterns of help-seeking for substance dependence from the various professional groups were detected. Regarding alcohol dependence, 40.3% of private general medical practitioners reported being confronted with alcohol dependence at least once per month, compared with 100% of treatment centre representatives and private psychiatrists, 70.6% of state hospitals and 53.8% of non-prescribers. State hospitals reported the highest frequency for contact with cases of cannabis dependence, compared with the other professional groups, while psychiatrists reported the highest contact with cases involving benzodiazepine, cocaine and ecstasy. Therapists reported a higher level of contact with inhalant dependence, while this group virtually never presented at general practitioners and private psychiatrists. Conclusion. Help-seeking data can be used in conjunction with other data, such as treatment demand data, to inform and adapt policies and practice. Variations in the manifestation of help-seeking behaviour at various groups may be important pointers to conditions that influence help-seeking, and therefore should be investigated further

PMS20 Baseline Characteristics of Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Starting Certolizumab Pegol Therapy And Glucocorticoid Prescription In The Eclair Study In 2012–2013

International audienc